Frequently Asked Questions
- Is the cafe located next to the wellness center?
- Why do you recommend cleansing?
- How do I get rid of food cravings?
- Do you only promote a raw vegan lifestyle?
- Why raw and living food?
- Do you recommend supplements?
- If I choose to eat a vegan diet, where will I get my protein from?
- Where will I get my calcium from if I am lactose intolerant/ don't eat dairy products?
- Why do you recommend colonics?
Is the wellness center located next to the cafe?
No, the wellness center is located at 21 Pleasant Street and Revitalive Cafe is located at 50 Water Street inside the Tannery Mall.
Why do you recommend cleansing?
Often times our bodies are overloaded with so many different substances that it is difficult to identify what may be the root cause of why one is not feeling optimal. By taking time to eliminate artificial ingredients, toxic substances and common food allergens, one can get a better picture of their state of health.
Cleansing is so different for everyone. It depends on the state of your health when you begin working with us. Revitalive® cleansing programs are meant to jumpstart, educate and motivate.
We know that a "cure" doesn't happen after 5, 12, 18 or 24 days. It may take months to reverse years of abuse and damage done to one's body. We believe that everyone can heal themselves given the proper tools and time.
How can I get rid of food cravings?
Our cleansing programs will help you become free of food cravings. Our body detox programs are designed to bring your body into balance and eliminate food additives and chemicals from processed foods. We have extensive experience helping clients avoid most pitfalls of changing to a healthier lifestyle, including food cravings. We want you to succeed!
Do you only promote a vegan lifestyle?
No. We guide you to find the optimal diet and lifestyle that works best for you. Our goal is to teach you in a nurturing environment about whole food nutrition and the benefits of adding more fresh fruits and veggies to their diet. We help you identify food sensitivities and sources of digestive challenges.
What exactly is raw and living food?
Raw and living food is plant-based food that has not been cooked, processed, pasteurized or irradiated. These foods offer the highest level of nutrient bioavailability. Living foods are generally vegan which mean there are no meat, dairy, or any other animal product. In addition, raw foods contain enzymes which allow our bodies to function optimally. Heating foods can destroy the enzymes present in raw foods.
Why raw or living foods?
If you are reading this you are most likely not fully digesting or absorbing your nutrients from food. This is the main reason why we are advocates of juiced, blended and cultured foods. Living foods are raw foods that have been either sprouted, juiced, blended or cultured, making them easier to digest and making their nutrients more readily available to the body. Living foods include young greens, sprouted nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes. (The sprouting process brings out many enzymes in the foods, which makes them easy to digest). Living foods also include those that have been fermented, or cultured, such as raw sauerkraut, seed cheese, seed yogurt, and coconut kefir.
Do you recommend supplements?
We do not recommend the use of synthetic supplements. However, we do believe that you can obtain all the nutrients you need, including vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, etc., through whole food nutrition, fresh juices and food-based supplements. Some people need more whole food supplementation than others depending on one's current or past diet and lifestyle.
If I choose to eat a vegan diet, where will I get my protein from?
Every living cell contains protein. You can get adequate protein from vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, seaweeds, and algae. Protein from these sources is more easily absorbed by the body than animal protein. Animal protein is very acid forming; A continuous excess of acid promotes the demineralization of the bones. There have been many studies done on the affects of eating animal vs. vegetable protein. For example the famous China Study (http://www.thechinastudy.com/about.html) by Dr.T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II. Excerpt from the website: Although it was "heretical to say that protein wasn't healthy," he started an in-depth study into the role of nutrition, especially protein, in the cause of cancer.
The research project culminated in a 20-year partnership of Cornell University, Oxford University, and the Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine, a survey of diseases and lifestyle factors in rural China and Taiwan. More commonly known as the China Study, "this project eventually produced more than 8000 statistically significant associations between various dietary factors and disease."
The findings? "People who ate the most animal-based foods got the most chronic disease … People who ate the most plant-based foods were the healthiest and tended to avoid chronic disease. These results could not be ignored," said Dr. Campbell.
Where will I get my calcium from if I am lcatose intolerant or don't eat dairy products?
From vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables like kale, collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens, Chinese cabbage, chicory and bok choy. Chia seeds and sesame seeds are another good source of calcium.
Harvard University's landmark Nurses Health Study, which followed 78,000 women over a 12-year period, found that the women who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk. Summarizing this study, the Lunar Osteoporosis Update (November 1997) explained: "This increased risk of hip fracture was associated with dairy calcium. … If this were any agent other than milk, which has been so aggressively marketed by dairy interests, it undoubtedly would be considered a major risk factor."
A National Institutes of Health study at the University of California, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2001), found that "women who ate most of their protein from animal sources had three times the rate of bone loss and 3.7 times the rate of hip fractures as women who ate most of their protein from vegetable sources." Even though the researchers adjusted "for everything we could think of that might otherwise explain the relationship … it didn't change the results." The study's conclusion: "[A]n increase in vegetable protein intake and a decrease in animal protein intake may decrease bone loss and the risk of hip fracture."
After reviewing studies on the link between protein intake and urinary calcium loss, dairy industry researcher Dr. Robert P. Heaney found that as consumption of protein increases, so does the amount of calcium lost in the urine (Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 1993): "This effect has been documented in several different study designs for more than 70 years," he writes, adding, "The net effect is such that, if protein intake is doubled without changing intake of other nutrients, urinary calcium content increases by about 50 percent.
Why do you recommend colonics?
Most people we work with have some level of constipation or digestive challenges. Colonics can be extremely helpful while you are making dietary changes and can help alleviate constipation or bloating. Colon hydrotherapy is internal bathing of the large intestine (colon) through the gentle administration of triple-filtered, UV sterilized water. As far back as the ancient Egyptians, enemas and other "cleansing rituals" were commonly used to rid the body of toxic waste products believed to cause disease and death.
