Video: Olympic gold medal winner Evan Strong advocates a raw food diet

Editor’s note: Nevada City snowboarder Evan Strong won the inaugural Winter Paralympics men’s snowboard cross gold medal Friday in Sochi, Russia. He’s long been an advocate for a raw food diet and owns a raw food and vegetarian restaurant in Nevada City, a Gold Rush-era town located halfway between Lake Tahoe and Sacramento. Here’s the story as told on the Fix restaurant’s website:

“Executive Chefs, Evan Strong, along with his wife, Mariah Strong, and sisters Arianna Strong and Stephanie Strong opened THE FIX in Nevada City in the summer of 2009, with a vision of creating Nevada City’s whole food vegetarian dining experience.

“They learned to prepare living raw food cuisine from teachers such as Gabriel Cousins, David Wolfe and Daniel Vitalis.

“Parents Lisa and Roger Strong moved the kids to Maui when they were very young (Arianna, 2yrs, Evan 7yrs, Stephanie, 10yrs) to start a 13 acre organic fruit and vegetable permaculture farm run on solar energy.

“The example of this alternative lifestyle and eating what you grow yourself, whole and raw has influenced the course of their lives and help to form their mission, to achieve optimal health and help others to reach that goal as well. Lisa started her own home schooling center for the local children of Hana, Maui and raised all three of their children with hands on conscious education.

“The business’s have been an extension of their home schooling, you could call it Business 101 Strong style. They encouraged their kids to do what they love and follow their passion, whatever form that took and give them the support to manifest their passions into a business.

“They decided what they were passionate about was living, organic, farm to table, locally grown (from their own garden too!) artful good food.

“Evan’s personal experience of the healing qualities of this lifestyle occurred during the past seven years in his recovery from a devastating accident in which he was hit by a car head on while riding a motorcycle.

“This resulted in severe damage to his arm and leg and consequently the amputation of his left leg below the knee. He was determined that he would, despite his handicap, achieve his dreams of becoming a professional athlete.

“He attributes his nearly unbelievable recovery to the combination of a live food diet and athletic drive. His athletic accomplishments since his injury in sports such as mountain biking, cycling, rock climbing, snowboarding and skateboarding have shown him what this diet and lifestyle can do.”