For most of her young adult life, Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram was in and out of hospitals. Constantly sick, hyperglycemic, low on energy and losing hope that she could ever feel normal.

Little did Kristina know that a chance encounter with a strange man at the grocery store would soon change everything, radically and permanently altering the trajectory of her life.

This week I am delighted to sit down with the effervescent and passionate Fully Raw Kristina — as she is now popularly known on the internet – to hear all about how a raw vegan diet not only healed her body, but gave her life purpose.

Boasting over 600,000 subscribers, many of you may know Kristina from her wildly popular YouTube Channel. For most, this would be an all consuming full time gig. But making videos is subservient to Kristina's first passion, which is running Rawfully Organic – the food cooperative she founded in 2007 at age 20. What began in her living room is now the largest raw organic produce co-op in the United States, providing affordable, healthy raw produce to over 6000 members across the Houston area weekly.

Although I would not label myself as fully raw, it's fair to say that I eat tremendous amounts of raw plant foods every day and can personally attest to the importance of prioritizing a large variety of fresh raw produce on your plate at every meal.

Nonetheless, I can hear you muttering under your breath: eating fully raw sounds so extreme! Is it possible to be healthy, vibrant and happy on raw plant foods alone? Won't I suffer nutrition deficiencies? To quell these questions, Kristina visited 2-time RRP alumnus Garth Davis, M.D. for a checkup. Here's how it went down:

Forefront in today's conversation is of course diet and nutrition. A fun exchange that probes:

* how eating raw resolved Kristina's hyperglycemia and repaired her health

* the pros & cons of ‘mono-mealing'

* how cultural traditions can lead us astray

* why fruit is unfairly vilified

* why we should support local, organic farming

* tips & tricks to eating raw economically

* the importance of falling in love with yourself; and

* how to live your truth irrespective of public opinion

I sincerely hope you enjoy our discussion & look forward to your thoughts in the comments section below.

Peace + Plants,

Rich