How to maintain health and vitality into your golden years of life? Can the young at heart lead an active and productive life? Welcome, energetic viewers, to Vegetarian Elite. Today on our show, we’ll be meeting Mimi Kirk, a septuagenarian who proves that advanced age does not need to correlate with deteriorated health. Winner of a contest titled “Sexiest Vegetarian over 50,” organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or more commonly known as PETA, Mimi was the oldest contestant at age 71 and won hands down with her youthful looks and radiant smile. Mimi shows that there is nothing more appealing than a person who exudes compassion and respect for oneself as well as other beings.

Every day I get tons of email and people telling me I’ve inspired them to change their diet – hundreds and hundreds every week. Really, that many people ask me questions, and I tell them what I do. I let them know I’m not a doctor. I’m just a regular person who’s found a way to be healthy. Everybody has to find their own path, but I do recommend certain things. And it delights me to know that I’ve actually changed families. The email I get of people thanking me, I’m not doing anything; they’re doing it. They’re seeing me and something in them wanted to do this to begin with, to get healthier. And I think that’s what’s happened. They’re the ones doing it. I just turned the light switch on for them, that’s all. So, it’s quite exciting.

Turning 72 years young on September 23, the mother of four and grandmother of seven has lead a rich and full life. For over two decades, Mimi was involved in the entertainment industry in various occupations from actress to clothing designer to charity events coordinator. As an actress, Mimi has appeared on “Star Trek” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” She designed the famous “scarf” look for Valerie Harper on “Rhoda.”

Mimi has also found herself as a successful entrepreneur with a jewelry design company and four board games released worldwide. With respect and concern for our planet, in 1989, she founded, published, and edited the environmental newspaper “The City Planet,” with editions in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, USA. Currently enjoying gardening and hiking in beautiful San Diego, California, Mimi is happy and finds fulfillment in her latest venture in life with spreading the benefits of a more compassionate and healthier lifestyle to the general public.

So, what was the original reason that you went on an animal-free diet?

I used to be Mary Tyler Moore’s stand-in, and I’d go out every day and pick up her lunch and some for myself. And I was eating on the way back to the studio in the car and just reached over, some deli slice stuff and I thought I was eating the back of my hand! I had to look down and see. Something made me realize, I don’t know where it came from, that it was flesh. It was astounding to me. And of course I put that down, and it really did something to me. And I came home and I was cooking my kids’ dinner that night, and I could smell that meat cooking and I knew that was it.

So the next night I said, “I’m not cooking meat anymore; we’re going to be vegetarian,” and I explained to them why I thought we should. And they said “Fine.” And then I started to educate myself. So, that changed everything for me at that moment. I was a widowed mom, raised my kids myself, so I didn’t have to worry about anybody else but my kids, but they thought that was fine. They were onboard with it. And I told them if they wanted to eat meat when they went out, they could. But they didn’t. They really stuck with it all the time. One is a raw vegan. The other one is almost all vegetarian. I got my girls in that direction. I have a nephew who’s a vegetarian, and a niece. A lot of people in my family are.

On her website, www.youngonrawfood.com, Mimi writes: “If we can all realize that animals should be off our plates and wandering around alive, enjoying life – that would be fantastic. Just think how peaceful it would be to know you personally have nothing to do with killing to eat. Eating animals is a habit like smoking or drinking sodas, and once you give yourself a chance to stop, you can’t imagine ever having done it.” Mimi had come to this loving realization over 40 years ago.

I had a hard time giving up cheese and eggs, and then finally, I started to understand what that meant from vegetarian to vegan. And about three years ago, I became a raw food vegan. I think that will be for the rest of my life. I’ll be a vegan. I really understand it now. What that means to be a vegan. Not only for the animals, which is the key thing for me, but for health. You can be a vegetarian and still eat junk food. You know, it’s easy to go buy some processed food, but when you’re raw, you got nothing processed, it all has to be live food. (Right.) I think it’s a much healthier way to go, and the most compassionate way to go.

Vegetarian Elite will be right back with our feature on the ever youthful Mimi Kirk after these brief messages. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television.

Welcome back to Vegetarian Elite on Supreme Master Television. Today’s show features the beautiful septuagenarian, Mimi Kirk. Despite being the oldest contestant at 71 years of age, she was voted the winner of PETA’s contest for attractive vegetarians over 50. Afterwards, Mimi was invited to be a speaker at many events, such as the Women’s International Summit for Health, and interviewed by numerous media such as NBC, Fox, KUSI-TV, US national television show “The Doctors,” and ARIA TV in Bulgaria regarding her secrets for staying so youthful, radiant, and healthy.

Do you actively try to stay young and beautiful in your diet choices?

Well, everybody wants to look good, but I really want to feel good. And I mean it’s great, I obviously care; I color my hair because I’ve got salt and pepper hair, and I like the blonde hair. My boyfriend’s almost 20 years younger than I am, and so it feels appropriate for me to feel like a young woman, but that’s how I feel inside. I actually feel like I’m in my 20s. When I wake up in the morning and get out of the bed, if I didn’t look in the mirror, I wouldn’t get it. If I just went on how I felt, (I would think I’m in my 20s. So I know for sure my diet, definitely my vegetarian diet has done a lot for me.

Do you exercise a lot?

Well, not a lot. Maybe I should do more, but I believe for any age, moderate exercise. I have to be realistic for myself. There were times when I belonged to a gym and I exercised a lot. I always liked yoga. I have a treadmill at my home, and I try to spend about 40 minutes. I love Qigong. If the doctor tells you you have osteoporosis, the drug for that is exercise. If they tell you you have high blood pressure, the drug for that is exercise. So I think everything the doctor wants to give you in a pill, I think, if you exercise, you can combat that. I think it’s very, very important. I wish I had an exercise buddy. I’d probably do better, but I have to motivate myself, so at least by 10 o’clock I’m on the treadmill. I try to do that every day.

A self-described foodie who thoroughly enjoyed her vegan meals, Mimi decided to try out the raw diet after having some arthritic pains in her hands. The raw diet consists of consuming unprocessed and uncooked foods. Sustaining oneself on living foods has been credited with numerous health benefits including increased energy, improved immune system, and overall greater well-being. Mimi credits this way of eating, as well as meditation and a positive outlook on life, for her sustained beauty inside and out.

I decided to try the raw diet. I’d heard about it. I didn’t think it would be for me because I’m too much of a foodie, and I thought, “I’m not sure that’s going to allow me enough good food.” How wrong I was because I can fix anything, it’s delicious food, the best I’ve ever had. Really. And so I tried the raw food diet, and within two weeks all those things changed. Not an ache and pain in my body, my blood pressure’s normal. I really feel amazing. So we all want to look good, and I have laugh lines in my face and I like them. I like the way I look. I don’t believe in any surgery. I think we should embrace ourselves as we get older, but we don’t have to be old

So what are some of the health tips?

Well, anybody can do one thing and that’s to fix a green drink every morning. You can use your blender, if you have a high powered blender that’s the best or a juicer. And a basic recipe I use are 2 apples, 4 stalks of celery, half a cucumber, 3 handfuls of spinach, some kale leaves from the garden, and I juice all of that or I throw it in the blender. And I might add a banana or some blueberries with some antioxidants. Once you get the nutrients in your body and you start to feel healthy, you crave more of those things.

So all of a sudden, you want a salad for lunch instead of your usual fast food burger or something. So the green drinks can change anybody’s life. And I think that’s a good place to start. But I really do think there’s a lot of things that keep me youthful. I think I have a great attitude, a good outlook on life, a spiritual side, which I think is important. I have lots of love around me; I think that’s very important. And I’m a very passionate person. And I think when you have those things, along with your diet, that really helps you have a happy, youthful life. I know I want to keep my memory and my mobility as I age, and I think that this way of eating is very, very important.

Thank you for your company today for Vegetarian Elite. Be sure to join us again next Saturday for part 2 of our 2-part program on the inspiring and timeless beauty Mimi Kirk. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Between Master and Disciples. May we all find health, vitality, and happiness in the compassionate vegan lifestyle.

Visit the fantastic and forever young Ms. Mimi Kirk online at YoungonRawFood.com or search “Mimi Kirk” on Facebook.com

How to maintain health and vitality into your golden years of life? Can the young at heart lead an active and productive life?

When I wake up in the morning and get out of the bed, If I just went on how I felt, I would think I’m in my 20s. So I know for sure my diet, definitely my vegetarian diet has done a lot for me.

Welcome, energetic viewers, to Vegetarian Elite. Today on our show, we continue our feature on Mimi Kirk, a septuagenarian who proves that advanced age does not need to correlate with deteriorated health. Winner of a contest titled “Sexiest Vegetarian over 50,” organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or more commonly known as PETA, Mimi was the oldest contestant at age 71 and won hands down with her youthful looks and radiant smile. Mimi shows that there is nothing more appealing than a person who exudes compassion and respect for oneself as well as other beings.

Since winning the contest, Mimi has been invited to be a speaker at many events, such as the Women’s International Summit for Health, and interviewed by numerous media such as NBC, Fox, KUSI-TV, US national television show “The Doctors,” and ARIA TV in Bulgaria regarding her secrets for staying so youthful, radiant, and healthy.

Every day I get tons of email and people telling me I’ve inspired them to change their diet – hundreds and hundreds every week. They’re seeing me and something in them wanted to do this to begin with, to get healthier.

Turning 72 years young just two days ago, the mother of four and grandmother of seven has lead a rich and full life. For over two decades, Mimi was involved in the entertainment industry in various occupations from actress to clothing designer to charity events coordinator. As an actress, Mimi has appeared on “Star Trek” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” She designed the famous “scarf” look for Valerie Harper on “Rhoda.”

Mimi has also found herself as a successful entrepreneur with a jewelry design company and four board games released worldwide. With respect and concern for our planet, in 1989, she founded, published, and edited the environmental newspaper “The City Planet,” with editions in both Los Angeles and San Francisco, USA. Currently enjoying traveling, gardening, and hiking in beautiful San Diego, California, Mimi is happy and finds fulfillment in her latest venture in life with sharing the benefits of a more compassionate and healthier lifestyle to the general public.

So, when you transitioned to a raw diet, did you go out and buy a bunch of recipes, or did you work it out on your own?

Well, thank goodness for the Internet. I started looking around at YouTube videos and Googling everything I could about raw food. And then I went out and bought a couple of books, and I thought they were so daunting in some way because it was all new. Then all of a sudden, it just clicked. I could take any recipe and turn it into a raw recipe. And that’s what I started to do, make up some of my own recipes.

So I got started by looking. There are so many good books out today; there are fabulous books out there. And you do have to spend a little time to learn it, and you have to be organized, particularly if you’re running a household and you’re the only one in the family eating raw; or you’re trying to transition your children to eat raw. I recommend some people that they start slowly. I went 100%. I went on a detox for 7 days with my daughter, just drinking juices and eating salads, no oils or fats or anything for 7 days. And when I finished that, I knew that that was the way I was going to eat. That was it.

But I still go back to that green drink. That gets you started. Just think about it, you could put 6, 7, 8 vegetables and fruits in one drink. It’s pre-digested, full of enzymes. It goes right to the right place and all the right cells of your body. And even if you didn’t eat the rest of the day, you would have nourishment more than you would by eating something that’s cooked or processed. That’s why I say that green drink starts to change your whole inner system. And that’s why I recommend it. I don’t get tired in the afternoon.

A lot of people see preparation of food as a chore, but you’re approaching it as an art.

It’s creative for me. I could spend a lot of time in the kitchen. It is an art for me. It’s very creative, not only the preparing of it, but how I serve it. I always add that little bit of extra greens on top, or that little bit of leaf or something in there. I always make it look good. Because when I look at that plate, it’s a piece of art, and it’s the most beautiful colors you could find in nature. Can you imagine a red pepper and a yellow pepper and an orange pepper, sweet peppers, the colors of those are amazing, or a tomato off the vine. That’s simply amazing to me, the colors.

Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television. Vegetarian Elite will be right back after these brief messages to continue with our feature on the lovely septuagenarian, Mimi Kirk.

I go to bed very, very late, I feel energetic almost all the time, so it’s live food! That’s the way I look at it. I think people, even if they are vegetarians or vegans, to include more raw food in your diet, because there’s something very special about eating the food that’s close to Mother Nature.

Thank you for joining us again for Vegetarian Elite for our program on Mimi Kirk. Her decades of vegetarian eating, meditation, and positive outlook on life helped her win PETA’s “Sexiest Vegetarian over 50” contest while being 20 years older than most of the other contestants. The 72 years young woman thrives on a raw vegan diet and is a vibrant picture of health and beauty.

You’ve been in the vegetarian movement for a very long time, how has the food changed? Do you believe that it’s becoming more popular because the food is becoming more delicious?

Yes. Food is changing, and people’s ideas are changing. And it’s so fantastic right now, that people have gardens, more people than ever have gardens. I think people aren’t happy that they’ve genetically altered our food. I think that Michelle Obama putting a garden in the White House inspired more people to have a garden in their backyard. And once you grow something, you’re hooked.

When you see a seed that starts to sprout up, it just makes you jump up and down. We put in fruit trees on our property now. It’s so beautiful to see fruits growing, and you know that’s what Mother Nature meant us to eat. So I do think that the color and the beauty of fresh food is really starting to catch on. There are so many fantastic raw food chefs today.

They’re going to school to study, and there are restaurants opening up, so fast, everywhere I look. Everywhere I go, to every city I’m in, there’s a raw food restaurant somewhere, or a vegan and vegetarian. Even when I travel now, if I’m in Italy and I’ll order something, and they say, “Oh, vegan or vegetarian,” everybody knows that. They didn’t know it back in those days. But no one questions it now, everybody knows what that means.

Wonderful!

So I’m very excited about it growing, and I think it’s only going to grow more. I really do. I have a good feeling. I think some people will still hold on to eating meat, but I do think that when they get sick, if that happens for them, they’re going to start taking a look, because they’ll remember they heard that you could get healthy by eating a certain way. So I think that’s going to happen.

Mimi’s holistic approach towards overall wellbeing is attributed to her vegan diet, meditation practice and positive attitude. On her blog, www.youngonrawfood.com, she writes: “What we think and how we act draw the same energy to us. So be sure your thoughts and actions are what you want to attract. Practice kindness, love and compassion. We need all the positive energy from everyone.”

I say to women all the time, even for people who are overweight, diets don’t work. You have to think health. Think about your health. And I think that makes a big difference, because that’s a positive thing. “I’m doing this to be healthy.” If you’re on a diet, you feel deprived. And I think that’s not a good mental attitude to have. So my focus is on staying healthy. My focus is also on being kind, and I try not to be judgmental. I really feel I accept all people, meat-eaters or non-meat-eaters. I do think we live by example. I think that so many people have caught on to what I do, and want to do it.

While many people her age are less active in their retirement years, Mimi is currently busy authoring a book with delicious recipes to ease others into the vegan lifestyle. Every day, she spends hours to reply to requests and questions about healthier food alternatives from her 8,300+ fans on Facebook.com and countless others across the Internet. Mimi also travels to speak at events and participates in media interviews on the importance of a loving, animal-free lifestyle.

I think a vegan life is very important. I think it’s a major thing not to eat animals. I think it’s not good for you, number one, very unhealthy. As a compassionate person, you feel better about yourself that you know you didn’t take a life. And I think that’s a very important thing for me, how I feel about myself. I like who I am because of that. It does something for me inside. I’m careful about what I eat, I make sure that I eat hydrating foods, and I don’t take any supplements right now. I might need it down the line, but right now I feel great, all my tests are running well. I think I’m in peak health for someone who’s 72. So let’s see what happens in my 80s and 90s.

Visit the fantastic and forever young Ms. Mimi Kirk online at YoungonRawFood.com or search “Mimi Kirk” on Facebook.com to wish her a Happy Belated Birthday!

We thank you, Ms. Mimi Kirk, for your beautiful example of the benefits of a kind, vegan lifestyle. May Heaven bless you with many, many more years of radiant health and happiness as you continue to inspire others to adopt the plant-based diet and a compassionate way of living. Thank you, graceful viewers, for joining us for Vegetarian Elite. Please stay tuned to Supreme Master Television for Between Master and Disciples. Blessed be your noble deeds for a peaceful and gentler world.