SPEAKING WITH RAW CELLS

The journey to becoming the best you begins with a higher level of consciousness by nurturing your mind, spirit and body and by caring enough about humanity not to ignore the fact that the decisions you make, big or small have an effect on the entire planet.  Most factory farms make a profit from committing environmental injustices and irresponsibly conducting their facilities; subjecting animals to inhumane and cruel conditions. Take for example gestation crate confinement, one of the most common practices at meat farm facilities like Smithfield Foods in Kansas, where the practice of breeding pigs means keeping them in a 2 foot wide cages on their side's, leaving them immobilized until they are slaughtered.  Pigs are known to be one of the most intelligent animals around, capable of experiencing pain, fear and stress similar to you, which is something to think about when supporting these major pork producers.  Now that seven states in the U.S. and 27 member nations of  the European Union have banned the practice, people are becoming increasingly more aware of the issue and choosing not to support these corporations.  

This summer I sat down with the the creator of Raw Cells, the girl who rides her tricycle around Los Angeles California with her homemade vegan treats and a mission to spread this awareness.  Natasha has a soft energy, not fragile by any means but delicate and endearing.  She cares about humanity and decided to speak up about the quality of the junk food that she herself once ate.  Shifting from eating Domino’s Pizza and Philly cheesesteaks to becoming a  vegan, Natasha made her lifestyle a business and now she is out in the world on a raw cells mission.  

Los angeles

I was born and raised in Woodbridge, it’s a little suburb in Virginia.  I'd always wanted to live in a big city because I felt like it’s very limiting to live in such a small area.  At first I wanted to start my company in new york but I knew in order to run my tricycle stand all year it would be impossible because of the  weather. L.A. was the only place that had consistent weather all year round to bike, also there's a lot of health conscious people out here so that’s what made me realize that it was the place for me to get started.

raw cells

My company is just me right now on Fairfax/Rosewood and Santa Monica Pier Thursday through Sunday.  Before I moved to the west coast I was in Virginia for a bit curating this idea. It's where I began by getting my business licenses and my website going all before I left to move to la and actually start.

I’ve been a vegan for the last 3 years and before going vegan I had a few health issues, so I started to look into what was in the food I was eating and how it effects my body. It’s insane how much bullshit is in everyday “regular” food so it wasn’t really a matter of deciding to be vegan or not, I felt like it was the only way that made sense, I wasn’t going to leave my health dangling from a string so I took full control.

I went from eating Dominos Pizza, Philly cheesesteaks and Hot Cheetos everyday to completely vegan. Once I knew exactly what was is in the food, I could never put money towards a company or product like that again. I don’t support what they do or stand for, so buying it is helping their businesses run.

COOKING

 I make sure all my treats nourish your body on a cellular level, so I looked into having all the necessary elements like; zinc, calcium, b12, the nutrients that the vegan diet usually lacks so all my treats have that.  For instance most of the treats have chia seeds because if you eat sugar without  fiber it spikes your blood sugar which is not good for you. All my sweets are high in fiber so it also keeps you fuller longer.  I only use organic ingredients and low glycemic sweeteners so it’s the healthiest treat you can have.  To keep it a true healing environment I play binaural beats and surround the kitchen with crystals and plants to raise the kitchens vibration.  

BEAUTY

I started reading vegan cookbooks and from there I began to play around with different measurements, consistencies,  flavors and just started winging it until I got the taste I wanted. That's how I figured out some really good beauty tips as well. Like mixing coconut sugar, coconut oil, bee free honey (apple honey) and using it as a lip scrub at night.  It makes your lips really soft. Also putting aloe vera on your eye lashes makes them longer and spraying rose water on your face helps with dark circles/acne.

growing

I plan on having multiple bikes and expanding into being a large corporation.  I'm motivated by businesses like  McDonald's, Kellogg’s and all junk food establishments.  I'll be damned if I just sit back knowing that what’s in their product is killing people slowly and these businesses are getting paid for it all at the same time. My whole mission is to actually give people a healthy alternative and to simply inspire people to use a more holistic natural approach with everything. Even if I can help drift one person away from eating junk food that means everything to me.  I think of it as a domino effect, the more health conscious you become the more you inspire people around you to do the same.

I like to open people's minds to vegan options and the lifestyle. I remember when all I thought vegans ate was carrot sticks and bland tofu all day. Not everyone will be a vegan but everyone should definitely take initiative for their futures health by just incorporating a vegan diet and choosing organic when possible. Little changes in your lifestyle could save you from years of pain and illnesses.