Last summer, I had the opportunity to spend nine days at the Ann Wigmore Natural Health Institute in Puerto Rico, a school dedicated to teaching the Living Food Lifestyle® as developed by its founder, the late Dr. Ann Wigmore.

What are Living Foods? Living Foods are prepared without cooking in order to preserve the natural enzymes in the foods.  For nine days, I ate nothing but raw, uncooked (and sometimes fermented) vegetables and an occasional piece of fruit—never too much as it is hard to digest fruit when combined with certain vegetables and, while natural, fruit still contains high amounts of sugar.  I also drank lots of water and, of course, wheatgrass juice.

Wheatgrass juice, according to the late Dr. Wigmore, provides the body with unparalleled levels of nutrition. Two ounces of wheatgrass juice has the nutritional equivalent of five pounds of raw organic vegetables. It even contains the full spectrum of B vitamins, as well as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium and potassium. Needless to say, wheatgrass juice is the “magical elixir” of the Institute! During my stay, I had a wheatgrass shot every morning, at lunch, and before dinner. I even learned how to grow my own wheatgrass at home to juice for myself every morning.

As part of my stay, I also took a one-week intensive course on the Living Food Lifestyle®.  I learned that Dr. Wigmore believed that there are two main causes of disease: deficiency and toxemia.  Deficiency refers to our body being deficient in the nutrients it needs to operate at an optimal level as a result of today’s foods, which are not the nutrient-dense foods our parents or grandparents ate a century ago.  Toxemia describes a situation where toxins from eating unnatural, processed, and pesticide-tainted foods become stored in the body. Living Foods address both of these causes of diseases by providing foods that are rich in nutrients and easy to digest, allowing the body to heal and detoxify itself from the toxins stored within the body through years of eating modern foods.

While my body was becoming nourished and healing, I also had several services to encourage the full and permanent release of toxins from my body. One of these services consisted of colonics. While at the Institute, I had several colonics performed.

What is a colonic? A colonic is the process of using purified water to rinse the colon of fecal and gaseous waste matter that has not evacuated on its own. In many cases, this waste has been built up for years (up to fifteen pounds of impacted stool can be carried in the intestinal tract!). Dr. Wigmore believed that the body could not heal while carrying so much toxic waste.

There are different variations on the basic “colonic” concept.  For example, the Institute specializes in a type of colonic known as a “gravity” colonic. A gravity colonic is very gentle. As its name indicates, this type of colonic relies on gravity to facilitate the gentle movement of water into and out of the body. While you are reclined below on a massage table, a water tank is positioned on a shelf a few feet above the treatment table and gravity is the only form of energy that permits it to flow down, making the flow of water into your body very gentle.  The evacuation system is underneath your body. Water and waste that leave your body exit through separate tubes, so not only is there is no odor to worry about but there isn’t any water or waste touching the outside of your body as it evacuates. The process is extremely clean and efficient. I felt better after each and every one of my colonics.

My time at the Institute also involved significant health and wellness coursework.  Through my coursework, I learned how to continue the Living Food Lifestyle® at home.  Trained instructors taught classes ranging from sprouting your own seeds to dehydrating fruits and vegetables to making healthy versions of raw desserts. My time in the classroom grounded the experience I was undergoing in calm, friendly, knowledgeable instruction.

By the end of my nine days at the Institute, I had lost a total of ten pounds.  My skin was clearer, my brain no longer foggy, and I felt refreshed and centered.  Taking the lessons I had learned home with me, I went on to lose another ten pounds when I returned home.  Although it has not always been easy—wheatgrass needs tending; juices don’t juice themselves!—I have worked hard to continue the good habits I developed during my time in Puerto Rico. I have continued to keep the weight I lost off and I feel incredibly healthy.

 

I highly recommend the Ann Wigmore Natural Health Institute. I can say without hesitation that it was by far one of the best experiences of my life. If you would like more information about my own personal experience, you are welcomed to email me at ritaabro@gmail.com or visit the Institute’s website at http://annwigmore.org for yourself.

Wishing you health and happiness,

Rita

P.S. While I completed the one-week intensive course, I would recommend the two-week comprehensive course: it allows you time to complete more hands-on training and it offers your body additional time to detoxify and nourish and recover. That said, whether you opt for the one or two-week course, your time spent at the Institute will be invaluable.

Rita has no ties or affiliations with the Ann Wigmore Natural Health Institute, other than wonderful memories, a new set of friends, and a love for wheatgrass! This post has not been paid for, sponsored by, or otherwise associated with the Institute.