With Carol Alt
This month, BWB is honored to share a few words of wisdom on health, nutrition and wellness from the fabulous Carol Alt.
This month, BWB is honored to share a few words of wisdom on health, nutrition and wellness from the fabulous Carol Alt. With over 700 magazine covers, Carol is one of the most famous faces in the fashion and beauty industry. She is now also an expert in health and nutrition.
Having discovered the immense benefits of a raw food diet, she has decided to share her health and nutrition knowledge with others via her television show and her 4 books. A Healthy You was recently released and already dubbed a best-seller.
BWB: How were you feeling ’pre-raw’ and what triggered your change of diet and lifestyle?
To be a successful model, I needed to be thin. I ate like a person trying to lose weight and working such long days that sometimes I did not even realize I was not eating. For years I thought my body was invincible and could handle everything I threw at it – early morning shoots, skipping meals, rewarding myself with brownies, coffee, coffee and more coffee, no exercise and never getting enough sleep.
At the age of 34 is when things changed. And I remember the aha moment clearly – I was on the set of a shoot in the Amazon where I was supposed to be the headliner for a “Carol Alt and friends” photo shoot, and I was exhausted. My morning Scotch coffee did not do the trick. They had invited a twenty-two-year-old model for the shoot and I was amazed at how she shined while I looked drained. What happened? I realized I couldn’t keep living this way. Help came through an unexpected phone call from a friend, who told me how his girlfriend had overcome cancer through the guidance of Los Angeles Dr. Timothy Brantley who used alternative therapies, including a raw food diet, fresh juices, and supplements. Calling Dr. Brantley was the best move I’ve ever made I became his biggest disciple.
A raw food diet is one that consists of uncooked or dehydrated vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouts, fresh herbs, spices, fermented foods and seaweed. I even eat raw fish and meat.
BWB: What exactly is a raw foods diet and what benefits did you get from it?
Raw Food is in its natural, unprocessed and uncooked state. A raw food diet is one that consists of uncooked or dehydrated vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, sprouts, fresh herbs, spices, fermented foods and seaweed. I even eat raw fish and meat.
A raw food diet is basically everywhere but when I started it 20 years ago nobody was looking at food thinking, “is this healthy?” To eat raw I often had to make my own food.
The benefit that it gave me is that I was no longer starving to loose weight. It gave me energy, it relaxed me, it made me happy spiritually and emotionally. It also has an effect on fine lines and wrinkles, and all this while eating as much as I wanted!
BWB: What advice do you have for those who think it would be impossible to keep a social life with it?
Stop being so fearful! You can eat anywhere really well. Being raw doesn’t mean giving up everything. You can still eat raw milk cheeses, raw fish or ceviche and even raw meat in the form of tartare, carpaccio, bresaola or prosciutto.
BWB: What is your wellness routine?
In NYC I try to take the stairs – when possible of course! I’ll walk everywhere if I can too. I try to keep some activity everyday. Then, 3 times a week I have my yoga routine to which I add exercises for the legs and arms. I also enjoy to ride a bike in an infra red sauna and finally I do some stretching. My yoga teacher has created a routine for me that I can do anywhere, even if I am traveling.
I made changes little by little. But I started to get such great results after changing my food that I wanted to go further.
BWB: What changes can we bring to our daily life in order to be healthier? (home, water, air, ..)
You cannot be asked to do too much otherwise you feel overwhelmed. When I started to see Dr. Brantley he did not overwhelmed me, I made changes little by little. But I started to get such great results after changing my food that I wanted to go further.
I started by getting some ozone machines for my home, office and car. Then I added water filters and an ionizer: a machine to make your water to be alkaline. We need alkaline as our bodies produce lots of acidity. You need it to find a balance but again you have to know 1st how to do it.
You have to learn what is good for you and take it slow.
Find something you like and that is raw. Start small with one raw meal or snack a day. It’s easy to purchase raw snacks online or at your local health-food store. These habits are worth it, they will change your life.
BWB: How can we keep up with this routine when we travel?
There’s plenty of “on the go snacks” such as the fabulous Raw Cinnabon’s from Rockin’ raw, raw milk cheeses from Whole Foods that I carry with flaxseed crackers, RAYO DEL SOL raw breads – my sister made me some fabulous breads with Raw Oat Groats, vanilla, raisins, water etc.; [ingredients] that dehydrate easily – Go Raw bars, RawMio chocolates, Gnosis chocolates, BioOrganic bars Natures First Law, Raw Revolution… Oh and of course the usual raw nuts, raw trail mix etc.
Also I carry my yoga mat as well as a few bottles of my alkaline water. I just put the water into glass bottles inside my luggage.
BWB: What is your beauty routine?
I still make a lot of my own products. I use olive oil as a natural eye makeup remover, coconut oil to moisturize, egg whites to seal and tighten the skin and honey for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
My favorite RMS products are their ‘Sacred’ color lip glosss which is an amazing shade of red with a hint of pink and their Living Luminizer which helps make your eyes and cheekbones glow.
BWB: Which beauty brands have you discovered recently and that you love?
RMS has a great raw make-up that is terrific. You feel good having it on your skin. My favorite RMS products are their ‘Sacred’ color lip glosss which is an amazing shade of red with a hint of pink and their Living Luminizer which helps make your eyes and cheekbones glow. I use these days Schmidts Deodorants. For nail polish I also look for specific brands that are more natural such as Kure Bazaar.
BWB: What do you hope will change in the next 10 years in people’s lifestyle to be healthier?
I think education is the most important thing. When people are educated they can make their own decisions. I find it sad when people are surprised they get health issues and they have no idea that it connects to what they eat.
I also hope that businesses start educating themselves as well. Many businesses use buzzwords only for marketing. But the formulas don’t reflect the promise of the label. I hope that they start to change formulas to reflect the buzzwords they’re using.
It’s hard to buy things and try new things because the promise of the label is never delivered with the product and I’m always disappointed.
A raw food diet is basically everywhere but when I started it 20 years ago nobody was looking at food thinking, “is this healthy?” To eat raw I often had to make my own food.
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