Victoria Boutenko came to the USA with her family, including children Sergei and Valya, in 1990. The Boutenko family, also know as the Raw Family, became world-renowned raw food teacher, chefs & writers. Victoria Boutenko has thousands of followers. As a result of her teachings, many raw food communities have been formed and helped throughout the world. In recent years Victoria has become most famous for her discovery of green smoothies, which has revolutionized “health food” as we know it.
What brought Victoria to the raw food lifestyle was that her whole family, relishing the abundant food in their new American home, became overweight and sick. In her first book, Raw Family, the story is told of the problems they faced and how Victoria began to research alternatives when conventional medicine was not helping them. They had been desperately ill with serious diseases, including juvenile diabetes, arrhythmia, hyperthyroid, asthma, and arthritis. By radically changing their diet to 100% raw food, all four went from desperation and sickness to complete healing and happiness.
The commitment was made by the whole family to go and stay raw. At this point it’s been 16 years, and the difference in their health and looks speaks for itself. The commitment is more than physical; it’s also about spirituality. A clear body leads to a clear mind and a focus on what really matters in life.
In 2005 while in search of the perfect human diet, Victoria Boutenko compared the standard American diet with the diet of wild chimpanzees. Chimpanzees share an estimated 99.4% of genes with humans, but their diet is dramatically different from ours. The most glaring difference is that chimpanzees consume significantly more green leaves than humans. Based on these observations, Victoria has developed a series of green smoothie recipes that enable anyone to consume the necessary amount of greens in a palatable way by blending greens with fruit.
From this green smoothie, the body can absorb essential nutrients much more efficiently. Green smoothies quickly became popular all over the world and are starting to revolutionize the way people find health, even if they are not raw. She teaches that with green smoothies people gain more control of their own health; they are the key. Victoria’s Green For Life has been translated into many languages.
The Raw Family, under Victoria’s leadership, have produced a number of books that became raw food classics. The family’s raw food journey is shared in their first book Raw Family. In 2000 came 12 Steps to Raw Foods, an insight into the addiction of cooked food and tips for staying raw. Victoria’s award-winning bestseller Green For Life was later followed by Green Smoothie Revolution, a book which answers frequently asked green smoothie questions and has over 200 recipes. Raw Family Signature Dishes is the most recent recipe book, with raw food meal preparation made easy through step by step photography.
Victoria Boutenko teaches classes on greens & raw food all over the world. She often holds international weekly Joy for Life Retreats where people can enjoy the full benefits of green smoothies and her knowledge. Victoria tries to help health seekers with their questions and concerns by publishing articles in her newsletter and on her web sites. She continues to gather new material and research for future books and has recently developed a natural dental device called Jawcerciser which whitens and improves the bone destiny of jaws and teeth. If you would like to know Victoria’s scheduled events please visit the Raw Family’s web site www.rawfamily.com
