Since childhood I had been pulled toward health, food, and fitness, but it wasn't until I was in my early twenties that I began to learn about whole foods and I also began to look at the body holistically. I attribute a lot of this interest to my casually practicing yoga, meditation, and vegetarianism. While all of these things caught my interest and provided me much growth, I still felt unhappy with my body and state of health overall.
Time went on and I began to become more symptomatic. Seasonal allergies became almost unbearable for me and I started to suffer from breakouts, anxiety, and almost daily stomach discomfort. I found myself eating very little just because there was so little that I felt comfortable eating, since it always resulted in some sort of painful bloat or nausea.
I got into a macrobiotic diet, which is a cooked whole foods diet, and this helped ease my symptoms a little. I didn't enjoy my food very much, and I wasn't experiencing abundant energy. Anxiety and depression werent going anywhere, either. So here I was, twenty four years old, and still totally confused about what I should be eating, and what I could be doing to feel energetic, happy, calm, and comfortable in my body. I'm sure many of you can relate to this and understand and feel my frustration that I experienced at that time.
It was then that I asked a friend if she knew of any good authors on raw foods. A plant-based diet always appealed to me for both health and ethical reasons, and the idea of eating mostly raw plant foods fascinated me. The macrobiotic diet is almost all cooked, and I felt like I could use some freshness in my life amongst all of the grains and steamed carrots I was eating! My friend Lacey recommended Natalia Rose's books to me. I went to our local Barnes and Noble, and found her first two books "The Raw Food Detox Diet" and "Life Force Energy", and couldn't decide between the two! The information was so alluring to me. Interestingly enough, I had just enough left on a gift card I got at Christmastime, so I took it as a sign and bought both books, then read them in a weekend.
After reading these books I read Norman Walker's books, then Arnold Ehret's and pretty much any book on cleansing and natural healing that I could get my hands on! I couldnt get enough of all of the information about cleansing, detoxification, and raw foods! It was so overwhelming in the most wonderful way. I felt relief from my stomach discomforts overnight. Literally. Just from incorporating basic principles such as juicing and food combining. It was such a breath of fresh air to begin to feel good in my body, finally.
I became so fascinated by the simplicity behind this way of living and so enthusiastic about it that I could not stop talking about it. Pretty much anyone who would listen to me learned about food combining and juicing (sorry friends and family, in case you really weren't interested!). It took me only a few months to leave my job as a teacher and just jump into all of this head-on. I cannot say that I have any regrets! The more I learn, the more I understand how important this information is for all of us, especially at this particular time.
The Sunshine Center was born in large part because of my desire to bring cleaner living to Lancaster. The fact is, I have many clients and friends who are interested in this lifestyle very much, but just do not have the time to juice for themselves daily with their hectic schedules, or trek into Manhattan for gravity colonics like I used to. The Sunshine Center is here to make a plant based lifestyle and holistic healing more accessible for people outside of New York City. When I first got into this work, I spent a lot of time traveling into the city for colonics, seminars, and I even worked at a holistic healing space for a period of time. The commute got to be too much for me, and as much as I was loving the city, I knew that it wasn't the place for my husband and I. I felt that I would be doing the best service I could by bringing this wonderful work to Pennsylvania.
In February of 2008, I attended Natalia Rose's teacher training intensive for the first time. I also attended Natalia's programs in June and November of 2008. Prior to that, I earned my clinical nutritionist certification through the Natural Healing Institute of Naturopathy, and also became a certified colon therapist through the Wood's Institute.
Through my work with my amazing clients and collaboration with my brilliant colleagues, I am immersed in this amazing world of health, nourishment, and cleansing every day of my life. I am always learning new things and feel that it is an honor to share it with you. Thank you for giving me this opportunity by reading The Sunny Life. I invite you to share your stories, questions, recipes, or anything else you desire with me! Please email me at marlena.torres@gmail.com or call me at 609-634-3768.
I hope to see you soon at The Sunshine Center!
