I signed up for this class at the last minute and even hesitated since I only recently moved back to the area, wasn’t settled yet, and other nutrition studies and work on my plate. Betsy encouraged me to dive in and I’m only so glad she did. I have been interested in raw foods for several years, been reading about it, doing some internal cleansing, and trying my hand at a few new raw dishes.
Even though I am an experienced cook, I felt intimidated by the new methods and chemistry of raw food preparation. Even with all my books and online resources, I’m a kinesthetic learner and really did need hands-on experience to learn. Betsy provided this through live demos, her teachings in the class, and in her internship (which I did). She is very generous and shares so many resources and much information. She also made it all seem easy and approachable.
She is a library of nutritional knowledge and knows the best of the best. If there is anything she doesn’t know Betsy is always willing to learn or find out. Her energy and enthusiasm are boundless. As a class, we got to share each other’s new experiments and recipes which allowed me to learn raw food preparation exponentially through the variety of dishes shared. It was delightful to taste so many new, delicious raw food samples, to hear what worked methods best for people (and ones that didn’t), and to get new, creative ideas. This was a very inspiring part of the course. As a class, we also had discussions that were interesting and provocative. Food and eating can be a loaded topic and we shared our experiences with passion and vulnerability.
Even though some of our speakers had to cancel, it was wonderful to meet the speakers who were able to attend. They all had a wealth of information and shared their own, unique experience and opinions. Food for thought! The course is very rich, dense, and thorough. I understand why many people attend two and three times over because one time through is not nearly enough to absorb all of the information on the DVD’s, in the book, in the class, and from the speakers. This course holds a wealth of resources for all those in the Boston area (and beyond).
I had first heard about the Hippocrates Institute while living in Hawaii. Many friends would often refer to the Hippocrates perspective and teachings, and to Ann Wigmore. Even with all of the wonderful “offspring,” the new raw teachers and chefs with their own take on this lifestyle, it seems like the Hippocrates approach is foundational and extremely important to learn more about this lifestyle. It’s important to learn from the source even if one decides to vary some elements to suit individual preferences. All artists learn fundamentals before they develop their own style. The raw food lifestyle in an art de vie, the art of life. This course should be a required fundamental for conscious, healthy living.
