Once or twice a year after staying up late a lot (like at Christmas) I get the sniffles for a few days. That’s it. I don’t take medicine and I only go to the doctor once a year for a check-up.
I got one small cavity when I was younger because I didn’t brush my teeth very well. My teeth are good now. I brush twice every day (once before I go to school and once before bed). I also floss my teeth before bed.
4) Are you in the normal ranges for your age group for height and weight?
I am in the low end of the normal range for height and my weight is right for my height. My dad was always the shortest kid in the class until he was 14 years old so I likely take after him.
On a typical day I eat melon for breakfast (cantaloupe, watermelon or honeydew) and pack my lunch with 3 bananas and whatever other fruit we have that is ripe, like grapes, peaches, mango, cherries, blueberries or oranges.
Sometimes I also take cucumber slices or coleslaw (shredded cabbage with carrots and my dressing is lemon with a bit of olive oil and RealSalt).
When I come home from school I sometimes have a snack of fruit or coleslaw. For dinner I eat a giant salad made of cucumber, radish, red/orange/yellow pepper, green onion and tomato with lots of baby spinach, spring mix and romaine lettuce. My dressing for the salad is also lemon and a bit of olive oil (first cold-pressed extra virgin).
If I play sports that day, like hockey or soccer, I drink the water and eat the coconut meat of a young Thai coconut. Sometimes when I run with my parents we have banana milk after we are done (6 bananas blended with 2+ cups of water and sometimes a bit of cinnamon).
My favorite foods are peas, melon and my big salad.
I eat a low fat raw diet that is mostly ripe fruits and veggies. I don’t eat many nuts and seeds or avocado or dehydrated food. Sometimes my mom and dad make special dehydrated snacks for me (like onion crackers).
I have never eaten cooked food in my life. I don’t even know what that food tastes like. I don’t want to eat junk food because I know that it’s not healthy and I don’t want to get sick like other kids do. I also have a lot of energy and endurance when I play sports. I love eating fruit and I love veggies and my big salad.
7) What do you do when you sleep over at someone else’s house?
If I sleep over at someone else’s house I bring my salad and some fruit and sometimes some veggies. I also bring a big melon for the morning. If I stay at my friend Fozzie’s house his parents have fruit and veggies for me.
What do your friends eat when they come over to your house?
When my friends come over to my house, I try to give them the things they really like (usually vegetarian). Sometimes they have some of my food as well. Most of my friends like fruit too!
Do the other kids give you a hard time at school for eating the way you do?
Other kids haven’t given me a hard time at school since I was in junior kindergarten. I used to bring my blended green food to school when I was 5 years old and the older lunch monitors would make fun of me. But now nobody does. Sometimes my friends bring me a special fruit treat when we have a special event at school and everyone is eating food I don’t eat. They are good friends!
My website is www.RawFoodLevi.com and I have videos and recipes there. People can also buy the book I wrote, called “Raw Food For Kids: Tales from an 8-Year-Old Raw Foodist”. People really seem to like my book and their kids like it too. A lot of people get it for their grandkids and nieces and nephews also. If you put in your email address on my website, I can send you cool new videos, recipes and other information. I also put stuff on facebook.com/RawFoodLevi I try to make my website fun!
9) Do you ever go to the doctor’s to get blood tests to make sure you are getting everything you need nutritionally? If so, how are the results?
Once a year I go to the doctor so that they can test my blood and check the results. The results are fine. I take a B-12 pill once a month to make sure I get enough. The doctor would like my iron level higher but it is ok. My dad says my iron won’t be as high as other people because I don’t eat meat.
I made my website and wrote my book because I wanted to show parents and their kids how to eat raw food. I never get sick and I have tons of energy and I hope other kids can learn to be raw too!
As you can see, this young man is thriving. And I would like to add, if this diet was deficient in any way, it would have shown up by now. Levi met Cappi Osborne, Anne Osborne’s son this last year who also has been raw vegan since birth and is also thriving.
Jinjee and Storm Talifero raised their five children raw from birth and some are teenagers now and some are young and are all thriving.
And, the food is delicious to them. Kids love fruit and green smoothies. And Levi loves his salad. Why? Because that’s what he was raised on and his taste buds were not perverted with excitotoxins like MSG and sugar. He makes fruit smoothies and coleslaw.
There will be a transition phase to be sure, but you don’t have to worry about “depriving” your child of anything unless you feel depriving them of being sick or obese is something they might hold against you later in life.
Spare yourself as a parent in having to deal with the mood swings and adolescent insecurities from acne and weight gain by raising a healthy teenager. You are giving them the best foundation in life.
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