Thursday, November 4, 1999 Health & Wellness
Vegetarian shares her soon to be published booklet ‘Journey to Health’
By Vanessa Taylor— Times Writer



Annette Larkins eats healthy by eliminating meats, dairy products, and any form of cooked foods from her diet, and as a result, the 58-year-old says she has the energy of a 25-year-old and admits she feels great. Larkins, a vegetarian, is the author of Journey to Health, a booklet that will be released in area stores soon.
In ‘Journey to Health,’ Larkins reveals her reasoning on becoming a vegetarian. She provides the readers with true stories illustrating why healthy eating is important and hints for healthier eating. “I tell the story which begins one Saturday morning in 1963, after having a traditional southern breakfast of bacon, ham, eggs, grits, and toast, I went to the freezer to take out some pork chops to thaw for the evening meal. Sometime between then and time I actually began to prepare the chops I began to abhor the sight, the touch, and the smell, and the taste of flesh, and since that day I have had no desire to eat meat,” said Larkins.
Larkins has a family history which includes cancers, hypertension, and diabetes. Her maternal grandmother, died of breast cancer at the age of 36, as did some of her sisters. Larkins’ mother also died of breast cancer and her mother’s sister died from diabetes after having a toe and leg amputated. Their father had diabetes and cancer.
“My family was plagued with so many ailments. I believe, subconsciously, that I sought reversal in the way I was conditioned to eat. The way in which one eats is a conditioning. We are conditioned to eat dead flesh, but one must reprogram and get the mind into determining a goal, which can be used for any area of life,” said Larkins.
At the time Larkins decided to resign from eating meat, she and her husband were raising two toddlers. Larkins says she never tried to push her eating habits off on her family, and therefore prepared two separate meals, but admits they enjoyed many of the vegetarian meals she prepared.
She was soon on a vast journey, due to her love for books and reading, to find the right things to eat for her body and mind. After discovering that flour and sugar were stripped from their nutritional value through a process that resulted in longer shelf time, she eliminated them from her diet in 1971. She eliminated dairy products from her diet in 1976 when she found out that studies showed they caused an excess mucus to form in the body system and caused cell congestion. Nine years later she gave up cooked foods, even though she liked them, because she was aware that the cooking process killed enzymes in food and important nutrients.
Larkins eats food ‘live and raw,’ food which includes the fruit, vegetable, sprouts, and herbs.
The illustration she uses to make the distinction of raw food versus cooked food consist of cutting the tops of two carrots off. One is submerged in a glass of water, and the other is introduced to a slight boil, then submerged in a glass of water. The unboiled carrot top begins to sprout, the boiled carrot top begins to rot.
“One does not have to go the distance that I have with my diet. I am an extremist. I just want to uplift people and motivate people and encourage them to find the steps for their goals. We can all change our eating habits. I am sick and tired of seeing people sick and tired,” said Larkins.
One of the true stories Larkins mention in ‘Journey to Health” concerns her granddaughter who at the age of seven months had difficulty crawling and appeared sluggish and lethargic all of time. The physicians would diagnose the case incorrectly and so Larkins stepped in.
“The first thing I did was take her off cow’s milk. We began to feed her the baby food from the health stores or I would use fresh vegetables and make her food. I would give her fresh carrot juice and almond milk. Immediately we saw results. She began to crawl, and her parents commented on how she sat at attention. She had been suffering from congestion. The mucus had clogged her up,” said Larkins.
‘Journey to Health is Larkins’ way of informing people there are alternatives in eating that can be fulfilling and delicious.
“I am glad she is finally putting a book out there on the market. I believe there is a lot she can offer to everyone. We stay in health food stores for two and three hours because some of the other customers will come up to her and begin asking questions,” said Amos Larkins, her husband.
Larkins wants people to experience the other side, the meatless side. She says she doesn’t feel sleepy after completing a meal. She also raves about the fact that she has more energy and isn’t as susceptible to colds as she used to be. Larkins says her food is ambrosia and of the gods and her drink is nectar.
“I want people to know that they can get along fine without meat. The change does not have to be drastic, just a commitment to eliminate one thing from the diet that is bad for you is enough.
Next year, what thy are calling ‘Y2K’ is going to be called “The Year of Annette and everyone can get on the bandwagon and come along for the fantastic ride,” said Larkins as she thrusts a closed fist towards the sky.


For more information of ‘Journey to Health’ call 305-238-1169.