Recently, I posted a link to a video that featured Mimi Kirk—a beautiful, vibrant, 71-year old woman who recently won a contest sponsored by PETA and was awarded the title of Sexiest Vegetarian over the age of 50. (After speaking with her, I decided she deserved a promotion, so I gave her the title of Sexiest Vegetarian on the Planet. I’m pretty sure PETA won’t mind.) During the short video clip, Mimi credited her youthful appearance and excellent health to the fact that she has been a vegetarian for the better part of 40 years. I instantly liked this woman and was intrigued. As luck would have it, a friend of mine who knows Mimi saw my post and offered to make an introduction. Woohoo. This past week, Mimi was gracious enough to spend some time with me and I am excited to share our conversation in an audio file posted below.

I really enjoyed hearing Mimi’s story and was struck by how vibrant and alive she is. She has more energy and passion than most people I know who are half her age. The phrase, “beauty is only skin deep” certainly doesn’t apply to Mimi. After spending some time with her, I can say without hesitation, her beauty comes from deep within. She is an inspiration and a wonderful example of how choices we make during our lifetime affect our health and longevity.

During our conversation, Mimi offered up some great advice about being healthy and staying young. Her secrets to growing old with grace are based on five important principles:

1. Diet: Eat whole, fresh, plant foods and avoid animal products of any kind
2. Exercise: Keep your body moving
3. Love: Create and nurture relationships that support you
4. Attitude and spirituality: Embrace your spirituality, and be grateful for what you have
5. Passion: Make sure there is something your are passionate about that drives you forward every day

I couldn’t agree more.

Mimi is currently enjoying a raw-foods lifestyle— which means she never consumes anything that has been cooked or heated above 118°. She has been on a raw, or sometimes called living-foods diet for several years, and she says that switching from a vegan diet to a raw foods diet has made her feel like a 20-year old. I’m a huge advocate of eating raw foods. I believe, for optimum health, diets that contain at least 50% raw foods are exceptional. I asked Mimi about how to incorporate more live foods into your diet, and she willingly shared her ‘magic potion’ with me— a super nutritious, fruit and greens smoothie that she drinks every day. (You’ll have to listen to the interview to hear what she puts in it!)

My interview with Mimi is 20 minutes long, and I strongly encourage you to take the time to listen to the entire audio clip. Mimi offers wonderful insights about health and longevity, useful tips about how to incorporate more fresh and raw foods into your diet, and she talks about her plan to become a centenarian. It was truly an inspiration to talk with Mimi.

I’ll be writing future raw-food articles and delicious raw-food recipes in this blog. And just to plant the seed (pun intended), summer is a great time to start enjoying more raw foods. There’s always an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables this time of year, so there’s really no excuse not to start eating more raw foods right now. In fact, all this talk about delicious, healthy food is whetting my appetite. I’m going to go make my super-nutritious, magic potion right now. Thanks Mimi. Cheers.

Complete interview with Mimi Kirk (20 minutes) |  April 2010

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