Rynn Berry is historical advisor to the North American Vegetarian
Society (NAVS). He has specialized in the study of vegetarianism, and more recently raw
foodism, from a historical perspective. He lives in New York where he teaches a college
course on the history of vegetarianism.
Personal history: Rynn Berry has been a Vegan vegetarian for over 20
years and became a raw foodist in 1995. He was influenced in this direction at a lecture
by TC Fry, a protégé of Herbert Shelton. While he had no serious diseases or illnesses,
his health has improved since becoming a raw foodist. Colds and asthma disappeared, his
energy has risen, and his sleep requirements decreased from nine to six hours per night -
a gain of more than 1,000 productive hours per year! This is the equivalent of six months
in a full time job!
Berry describes his transition to raw foodism as an irreversible
process. For a while he sometimes ate cooked food to fulfill social obligations. However,
he found it difficult to digest and his energy dropped. He no longer misses Indian food
and his taste for snack foods has been transformed to an aversion. He has found numerous
substitutes for sweet tooth favorites - raw cakes and ice creams and other desserts. His
diet today consists of 80% fruit.
Publications: Berry's first book, The New Vegetarians, is a
collection of biographical Sketches of and interviews with famous contemporary
vegetarians.
His second book, Famous Vegetarians and their Favorite Recipes, is a
biographical History of vegetarianism from Pythagoras and Buddha to the Beatles.
His most recent book, Food for the Gods, presents essays on
vegetarianism in many of the world's major religions, and includes interviews with
prominent vegetarian spiritual leaders from each religion.
