"As long as there are men who will not obey their reason alone, who receive their opinions from an outside opinion, all chains would have been broken in vain, humanity will remain divided into two classes: that of men who reason and that of men who believe, that of masters and that of slaves."
"To reach the truth, one must once in life rid oneself of all the opinions one has received, and rebuild the entire system of one's knowledge."
"Do not believe what you are told: experiment with it!"
"The only healing that matters, the true one, is to choose love."
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Nothing predisposed me one day to take a close interest in lifestyle hygiene and the origin of diseases. However, I carried within me the very seed of the hygienist approach, namely that I did not consider it normal to see so much suffering and disease in this world. The commonly accepted explanation that this is the consequence of pollution and the increase in life expectancy has always seemed false to me, or at least incomplete.
At the time of my transition, in 2014, I was doing forestry work after being a math teacher. It was the realization that there are people on Earth living very well by primarily eating fruits, vegetables, and nuts that triggered my awakening. As if I had been waiting for this, my habits and beliefs on the subject underwent an unprecedented revolution.
At that time, the idea did not occur to me to have indisputable scientific evidence on the benefits of so-called ‘living’ food before adopting it. Fortunately, because I would still be waiting… The energy and enthusiasm that radiated from those who spoke about it passionately was enough to make me want to try.
Drawing inspiration from great principles to find one’s truth
I was unaware then that living food, as I later realized, does not work for everyone and that there are many pitfalls. However, for my part, it has always seemed strange to me that such a natural diet, close to our physiological needs, could suit some but not others. And the commonly accepted explanations regarding the different profiles of people did not sound right to my ears. Indeed, within a species, all members eat well raw and in the same way. So why would humans escape this rule? It was with this awareness that the necessity to develop the 3H: holistic and humanist hygienism became evident to break free from the rut of dogmatism and connect with other dimensions of human experience: the mental, emotional, energetic, and spiritual.
Between those who eat ‘paleo’ and vegans, between proponents of all-raw without mixing and fans of raw cuisine, between the ketogenic diet and fruitarians, there is indeed enough to lose one’s Latin if one wants to follow THE right method or find THE truth; simply because there isn’t one! It is up to all of us to carve our own path in the food jungle. It is up to all of us to understand the great principles and then adapt them to our unique situation.
Undoubtedly, the great current confusion that reigns is there for us to learn to seek our truth by ourselves without waiting for someone to tell us how we should eat, live, heal, think, etc. As if life considered it more important for us to be in a sincere search for our truth rather than to follow choices, even if enlightened, that have been imposed on us.
The necessity to return to a predominantly plant-based and raw diet
Nevertheless, the industrial food that has become widespread and the increase in epidemics of all kinds clearly show that humans have reached the limits of their adaptive capacities and that it is time to return to a more natural and physiological diet and lifestyle. That is why I believe that each of us will gain significant benefits from introducing more raw plant-based foods into our plates and using certain simple and accessible hygienist practices (such as intermittent fasting, grounding, cold showers, conscious breathing, etc.).
Fascinated by the exhilarating experience I was having with living food and hygienism, I diligently researched and trained to understand all the facets that determine the quality of our health. Amidst all the existing theories on the subject, I let my intuition and many experiences guide me, the basis for validating or not a theory. Not having been shaped by academic teaching allowed me to approach this topic with as few preconceived notions as possible. It is in this way that I assembled, like the pieces of a puzzle, a set of knowledge and observations that allow us to understand our physiological needs and explain the benefits of living food and, more generally, hygienism.
Hygienism as a spiritual path
The holistic and humanist hygienism (the 3H) that I wish to develop is and will never be just a pretext to give oneself love (consciously!), a way to reconnect with oneself and with life; it is not a manual for healing a specific pathology. But this reconnection to the living, in its biological as well as spiritual dimension, often offers, as a collateral benefit, a significant improvement in health status.
It is also important to understand that Optimal Health is only a theoretical state that we cannot currently reach (see this article on the limits of hygienism) due to our toxic legacy (the one received at birth), several decades of conventional eating (for most of us), pollution (of air, water, and food), and our difficulty in managing our ‘negative’ emotions (sources of toxins and dysfunctions within the body itself). That is why hygienist techniques can only aim to optimize our health by providing more energy to our body, improving the quality of our fluids and organic tissues, strengthening our immune system, and enhancing our eliminatory functions. Even though we are all different, with unique legacies and goals, there are a number of principles and laws that prevail for all and are very useful for navigating this food jungle and understanding the logic underlying hygienism. It is for this reason that I am keen to record my knowledge and know-how in a book (to be published in 2025)
synthesizing 10 years of experimentation and research supported by numerous scientific insights. I envisioned it as a map and a compass to guide you in your exploration of the living, far from the dogmatism of a method that would have the solution to all ills. May you emerge enriched by this sharing of experiences and motivated to pursue your quest for truth with full lucidity, the one that will bring you liberation. As Krishnamurti said:”Do not believe what you are told: experiment with it!”. I envisioned it as a map and a compass to guide you in your exploration of life, far from the dogmatism of a method claiming to have the solution to all ills.
May you emerge enriched by this sharing of experiences and motivated to continue, with full awareness, the quest for your own truth—the one that will bring you liberation. As Krishnamurti said: “Don’t believe what you’re told—experience it!”
