Brian’s note: I began 10 sentences with targeted words, presented in boldface below, that serve as conversation starters and asked Kevin to complete the thoughts in this condensed “interview.”
The old Kevin considered health a randomly ordained commodity to be used as fast as possible, without concern for replenishment, solely for my own personal enjoyment. The “old Kevin” loved animals but was simultaneously responsible for the slaughter of thousands of animals. The “old Kevin” thought you had to eat more animal protein to get bigger and stronger. The “old Kevin” was hampered by digestive disease, lack of fitness and destructive lifestyle habits. I am happy to have grown beyond that “old Kevin” and am confident I will continue to shed the skins of many “Kevins” in the course of future growth.
Earthlings changed the way I saw my relationship with life on Earth. I had so many incongruent and naïve ideas and notions in my head about how animals were raised, how pets were bred, how clothes were made, how experiments were conducted and the list goes on. After watching Earthlings, staying vegan was like breathing; it was just something I had to do in order to live. Participating in the death culture, of needlessly and detrimentally consuming animals and their excretions, would be counterproductive to my chosen life purpose and therefore be akin to committing suicide of the gravest variety: suicide of the soul.
Once I discovered 80/10/10, my health was consciously in my control. Our expression of health is always our responsibility. What a shame it would be if it were otherwise. Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis could all be random curses to be avoided only through luck of the genetic draw. However, health is the natural state of life, and as long as the conditions are conducive, life flourishes. The 80/10/10 Diet showed me what requirements were needed for health to come about for the human body. The simple approach of whole, fresh, ripe, raw organic fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds is so sensible and stands the test of application year after year. Knowing what is required for health allows one to decide whether or not they wish to participate in the actions and influences necessary for health. I chose to improve my diet and my lifestyle, and my health directly benefited. I went from struggling to run a mile to running ultramarathons with ease.
My direction in life is not entirely determined. Well, at least, no one’s clued me in on it if it has. My goals in life are definitely selfish, and I think that anyone who claims otherwise is likely blowing hot air. Included among my most selfish goals are to have all people on Earth eating more raw fruits and vegetables—and entirely vegan.
The more demand for raw fruits and vegetables means the greater the supply, the greater the variety, the lower the prices, the better the health of the people, the better the quality of air and water, the increase of tree cover, the abolition of factory farms and animal slaughter, and one can likely deduce that if the killing of any animal is considered undoable that war in general would come to a great decline. A myriad of problems have arisen from mankind’s straying out of its place in Earth’s ecological system, and a great number of them can be greatly rectified by a resumption of healthy lifestyle habits by the masses. The things we do often add up quickly. With 7 billion people on the Earth, our daily habits matter tremendously in affecting the overall condition of our individual health, mankind’s health and, ultimately, the health of our home, Earth.
Moving my body is essential and a pure joy. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Moving my body has been something I have always enjoyed but something I took for granted. I appreciate the level of health and fitness I’ve cultivated and fully intend to continue my pursuit of fitness eustress. When I get out for a run, there’s really no words to encapsulate the exhilarating whip of wind on your face as you sprint out of a cartwheel or the rise and drop of the stomach as you jump that railing to the grass 15 feet below or the sensation of the train track beneath your toes as you scurry along the rails, trying to beat your 47-second record, which you set last run. These bodies are simply remarkable. They are self-healing, self-directing organisms, and we have the privilege of being able to explore, contribute and play in this world through the use of them. I intend to put mine to good use and good play.
Raising raw vegan children is magical. We have a 4-year-old and 8-month-old under our care. Watching children eat, squatting in a patch of blueberries in the forest, or climbing a fig tree for the juiciest fig or peel a banana or crunch on leafy greens, you can see the simplicity of food. Straight from the Earth, these are the foods that children can eat. Having not been exposed to a stimulating array of spices and condiments, our son enjoys his foods at room temperature and very simply combined. Most often, if the meal has more than five ingredients, I’ve made an error, by his taste standards. Our children’s health has and continues to thrive. It’s really been quite simple and natural, feeding children produce.
My favorite fruit is the one I’m lucky enough to be eating at the time. It’s a cliché, perhaps, and one I learned from Dr. Doug Graham, but it matters not to me. It’s the truth. Why focus on something that’s not in my present experience? Whatever fruit or plant happens to grace my plate or hand, I want to enjoy as my absolute favorite. So, I reserve my choice of “favorite” for whatever is my most recent meal.
Working for FoodnSport is a dream come true. My job is in direct alignment with values and goals in life. Dr. Graham is an inspiration and, in 80/10/10, offers a viable solution to so many diseases that plague our beloved human population. If people only knew how simple the creation of health can be. The rules are very much determined, and many of them are laid out in The 80/10/10 Diet. It’s damn near impossible to win a game where you don’t even know the rules. It’s a shame to see so many needlessly suffering for lack of information in the information age. What you don’t know can hurt you. I’m hoping through our work at FoodnSport that we can bring the number of people who “just don’t know” down to zero.
Raw food success stories are coming in to an end. But 80/10/10 success stories are coming in too fast to collect. I’m astounded collecting interviews for FoodnSport, and hearing the myth shattering, life changing stories people graciously share with me. When the world hears about this, we truly do have a very bright future, just not everyone knows about it yet. Check out an abundance of 80/10/10 raw food success stories on the FoodnSport YouTube channel.
My books will focus in on parents who are low on energy and show them ways they can have as much as energy as their children. It makes life a whole lot easier when we have abundant energy to take on any situation and be fully present with the ones we love most. Using the book, parents can tweak their current programs to maximize the energy available to themselves or they can easily create a customizable program that provides ample energy for family, friend, fitness and career pursuits. Currently, I plan to release this book in summer 2014.
Watch Kevin in Action in a Popular Video
Karen Ranzi, writer of The Best in Family Health guest stories for Fruit-Powered Magazine, interviews Kevin Rogers in a video broadcast on her YouTube channel, SuperHealthyChildren.
Hungry for more? Check out Kevin’s Mango Pie recipe!
