About Chef Tina Jo
I grew up in a very traditional Italian
family. What I mean by that is the kitchen (and, well,
of course, my mother) was the heart of our home. Thinking
back on it, we really did live in our kitchen. Everything
was done there. We did our homework, played games,
did our hair, ate, cooked, and even bathed! Yes, I
SAID BATHED!! My mother would bathe me in the kitchen
sink until I was about 5 years old. I was small and
it was big, so we were a perfect match. In fact, I
would beg my mother to put me in the sink so I could
have a better view of her when she prepared our meals.
It was the best view in the house. After a while,
it became part of our routine. Me, in the sink, watching
my mother perform magic in the kitchen. Mom was one
of those cooks who never measured anything! She would
just add a pinch of this and handful of that, but
would taste everything. Now that I'm all grown, I
look back in awe at her taste buds. In my teens when
we would prepare food together I would ask her how
much salt was needed or how much sugar and she would
always say the same thing: "Just add until it tastes
good." At the time it made me crazy because she never
wrote anything down. She just "knew" how to create
all those incredible dishes.
One of my favorite toys was my nurse's
kit. It was given to me on my fourth birthday. I was
Nurse Chuck- A-Da. My family's super hero! I would
line everyone up and check there hearts and lungs
on a routine basis. My mom and dad would frequently
pretend to get dizzy or feel ill, I'd run for my trusted
nurse's bag, pull out my red and green candy pills,
and save the day! This went on for years. So it's
not surprising that I would go into the medical field.
I became an Ophthalmic Technologist and was in practice
for nearly twenty years. During that time I saw how
affected people were by what they ate. So many of
the patients I saw suffered from Diabetes, Macular
Degeneration, High Blood Pressure, Cancer, Multiple
Scleroses, and other horrible diseases. Time and time
again, I was a witness to the tragedy of The Great
American Diet. But who am I to talk? I, too, was a
victim of a poor diet. You see, for years I suffered
with incredibly painful ovarian and uterine cysts.
I tried everything - that is, every western drug and
test available to womankind. It never occurred to
me it could be my diet - and, the worse thing is,
it was never suggested by any of the doctors either.
Well to say I was at my wit's end with western medicine
was an understatement! One afternoon I was telling
my woes to a friend and she suggested this detox program
she had just gone through. She talked of raw foods,
green drinks and colonics! Oh My! I certainly had
eaten my share of salads, but they were usually covered
with cheese! So this was the first time I had heard
of 'raw food' or the benefits of a raw food lifestyle.
I needed some relief, so I jumped in with both feet.
Thirty days later, I was a new woman! Heck - what
am I saying? Just two weeks into the program and amazing
things started to happen to me. My skin cleared and
took on this pretty pink tone. I dropped ten pounds
quickly and I wasn't even trying. That usual bloat
in my belly was greatly improved. I stopped having
a runny nose and sinus pressure. But the best part
was that I was having NO PAIN from my cysts. I'm not
kidding. I woke up one morning and didn't even realize
it until halfway through my morning routine.
It was kind of freaky, I had been
in so much discomfort and down right pain for so long
that to suddenly wake up one morning with no pain
was wonderful! But also weird! Well, I have to tell
the truth - at the time I didn't trust it. I kept
thinking, oh it will be back - the pain that is. But
it didn't come back, in fact a doctor's appointment
and another ultrasound later proved the point. The
cysts were shrinking and many of them were gone! That
was it for me, I was hooked. Raw food changed my health!
It's almost ten years since that first program and
for many of them I ran somewhere between fifty to
one hundred percent raw. Occasionally I'd slide into
some bad habits and feel my energy go or I'd get sick.
I'd quickly jump back up to all raw for while, then
start the whole thing over again. I was my own experiment.
I knew the benefits of raw food, I lived it. For me,
when I was 100% percent raw, I felt and looked great!
My health was optimal and when I wasn't 100% raw,
it was just the opposite. So why couldn't I stay raw?
It wasn't will power, it was boredom! One day I was
at a farmers' market I had a flashback to my childhood.
I walked pass an herb stand and the smell of fresh
oregano, thyme, and parsley were in the air. It was
one of those AH HA! moments. I remembered my mom using
all those fresh herbs in her cooking and I knew that
was what was missing. Not just the familiar SMELLS,
but the FUN! Cooking use to be so much fun! So I decided
to hang up one white coat in exchange for another.
I'm now honored to say I've given up my previous career
and have become a raw food chef. I'm thrilled to share
with you what I've learned over the past ten years:
my love of food, the kitchen, and the fun that you
can have with both. Only my view is a little different
now - I'm no longer IN the sink and I'm no longer
COOKING food - but it's just as much fun and tastes
just as great! So, join me every Wednesday at 9 am
and we'll have a fantastic time and make some great
food! I'll even share some of my favorite childhood
dishes, with a twist of course. (Oh, and by the way,
through much discipline - and a lot of encouragement
from my partner - I have managed to learn the art
of measurements and even to write down my recipes,
because, you see, I am my mother's daughter!)
For the 3 Free Tips to Radiant Health
in my multimedia report, please click through the
link below
KEEP UPDATED OF LAUNCH AND RECEIVE THE 3 FREE TIPS
TO RADIANT HEALTH HERE
