The "Billion Dollar Meal"...

Take a look at the ingredients of just one of the culinary delights designed by my guest on today's podcast.

Young Thai Coconut Meat Spinach Raw Cashew Butter Goat Colostrum Chlorophyll Whole Leaf Aloe Buffered Vitamin C Crystals Collagen Vitamineral Greens Silica Grass-Fed Whey Protein Isolate E3-Live (Brain-On) MCT Oil Four Sigmatic 10 Mushroom Blend (Reishi, Chaga, Cordyceps, Enokitake, Maitake, Shiitake, Lion's Mane, Tremella, Agaricus Blazei, and Meshima) Rice Bran Solubles Hemp Milk

From the Billion Dollar Meal above, to the Million Dollar Smoothie, to my son's favorite - "The Dragon Bowl" - and beyond, Khalil Rafati features an amazing assortment of superfood creations at his "Sun Life Organics" juice and smoothie bar spread across California. But Khalil hasn't always been a health freak who creates very expensive smoothies.

He went to Los Angeles in the 1990s and had it all. He was working with Hollywood movie stars and legendary rock musicians. But it wasn't long before he found his way into the sordid underbelly of the City of Angels. At 33, Khalil hit rock bottom. He was addicted to heroin and cocaine, overtaken by paranoia and psychosis, and written off by his friends and family.

He was 109 pounds, a convicted felon, high school dropout, and homeless junkie living on the infamous Skid Row in downtown L.A. So how does someone with nothing, who feels like they deserve nothing, and who just wants to end it all turn their life around?

What's the best way out of a hole? Quit digging.

Khalil's book "I Forgot to Die" is an incredible true story of pain, suffering, addiction and redemption. How one man ultimately conquered his inner demons and wrote a new life story. Today, Khalil is the owner of Malibu Beach Yoga and SunLife Organics, a rapidly growing chain of popular juice and smoothie bars in California. He also founded Riviera Recovery, which is a transitional living facility for drug addicts and alcoholics.

Among the many things Khalil and I talked about:

-How to guarantee a celebrity won't want you around them...7:30

• In most cases, Khalil's travel lifestyle is very upscale; he is hired for his culinary expertise.
• "You don't need to be special; you just need to be transparent."
• If you want to guarantee a celebrity will never be friends with you, ask for a selfie.
  • They just want to be normal.
  • Oftentimes isolated from the rest of the world.
• People are enamored with Khalil's transparent approach to telling his story.

-The story behind the "Billion Dollar Meal" and the "Million Dollar Smoothie"...15:10

• Khalil is a devoted Ben Greenfield disciple
• Most recipes at Sunlife Organics are Khalil's
• The recipes were just what he was eating, and people asked him what he was eating.
• Smoothie is vegan
• Eat for purpose, versus for pleasure
• Has become the best version of himself

-How I treated a problematic erection with fermented beet juice...21:30

• Recommended by Dr. Mercola
• The efficacy of the Gainswave treatment

-The story behind (or that led to) Khalil's book, "I Forgot to Die"...26:00

• Rough childhood
  • Abuse, neglect
  • Acted out; shame; desperate for attention
  • Arrested several times as a teenager; major legal trouble by age 21
  • Drove to CA with $800 to his name.
• Drove to CA with $800 to his name
  • Started detailing biz; net several A-list celebrities as clients
  • Began dealing drugs
  • Quickly lost everything; lived under a bridge; self-induced psychosis
• 33 years old, bottomed out.
  • Charity: Failed musician's assistance program
  • Did menial jobs; saved funds
  • Invested in precious metals
  • Opened Riviera Recovery (when gold maxed in price)
  • Opened Sunlife Organics, capital provided by Rick Solomon

-Why Khalil's menu is a good value, in spite of the high price...37:50

• Extraordinary quality of ingredients
  • "Royal jelly"
• Khalil can buy in bulk; can't buy on your own for less at a Whole Foods
• Coco Yo coconut milk yogurt (link needed)

-Does money buy happiness?...45:15

• Enables freedom
• Enables purchases that bring happiness (like $35 smoothies)
• $50,000 out of pocket costs for the book
• Attracts a desirable mate
• "I lived without money for decades and it sucked."
• Tells kids, "Being wealthy, giving, being a person of influence is a better high than shooting crack."

-Ben and Khalil's thoughts on modern methods (NAD, ketamine) of addiction recovery...53:30

-And MUCH more...

Resources from this episode:

-Book: I Forgot To Die

-Khalil's Instagram page

-The fermented beet juice Ben drinks

-The erection peptide Ben mentioned called "Melanotan"

-The Gainswave treatment for acoustic sound wave therapy

-Four Sigmatic Mushrooms

-The coconut yogurt podcast

-What Tucker Max did with MDMA therapy

-The holotropic breathwork audio course by The Renegade Pharmacist Ben mentions

-The Clearlight infrared sauna that Ben and Khalil use

-Peak Brain Institute

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Do you have questions, thoughts or feedback for Khalil or me? Leave your comments at http://bengreenfieldfitness.com/iforgottodie and one of us will reply!