365 Raw; Day 2

Today I am feeling a little withdraw from my cooked and processed foods that I have enjoyed so much. Something fried, or beefy, or cheesy, or all of the above would be amazing right now. What is keeping me from running to the closest mexican restaurant to fulfill my cravings is my memory of how I feel after having those unhealthy meals. Sure, I'm feeling tired now, but I am adjusting to a new diet and just getting into the groove of eating enough of the right things.

Yesterday I did not eat enough, and I was dragging today as a result. Also, my cravings for other foods were only when I would see them in a advertisement or something of that sort. I think that I would not have had been as interested in these SAD food viewings if I was eating enough and not hungry. I intend to juice each morning which should help me start the day with enough energy to keep up the raw adventure that I'm on. Otherwise, I will keep grazing while researching about more foods that I can eat on the raw diet.

I left a few photos at the end of my second raw day video that I had the day before for those that are interested in food porn like I am. I had a cup of sprouts, a banana, a pink grapefruit, a large salad with avocado, sprouts, tomato, cucumber, and a garlic lemon dressing. I also had a few things that were not pictured; green grapes, blueberries...

365 Raw; Day 1

365 Raw; Day 1

Today is the first day of my raw year. So far, it has not been challenging, though I have only been without cooked and processed foods for less than one day. What do I eat? I'll tell you each day what I had the day before, and I will also provide photos of these, often highly photogenic, raw creations.

What is a raw food diet?
The raw food diet is more about a lifestyle than a diet. Yes, one can lose weight on a raw diet, but it is more specifically for people that are committed to ingesting foods that can have only a positive influence the body. Raw foods contain natural enzymes and vitamins that are otherwise entirely eliminated or highly depleted when processed with heat. The natural enzymes found in raw foods are essential in aiding in proper digestion and appropriate nutrient absorption. A few fruits and vegetables contain more of some health benefits after heating, but these benefits can be found in alternate fruit or vegetable sources without heating. Most enzymes and vitamins are retained during only minor heating of 108-115 or less (lowest setting on food dehydrator), as a result, raw many raw foodists use dehydrators for taste, texture, and increased recipe variation. Long story short... cooked foods, more often than not, can be more harmful to the body than nutritious.

Why am I becoming a raw foodist?
I believe that having a raw food diet is ultimately the healthiest way for me to supply my body with the enzymes and nutrients it needs to perform at its absolute greatest potential. I have gained a great deal of weight in the past few years due to my diet and lack of activity. My weight gain has not only made me feel poor physically, but has also left me feeling poor mentally. Part of my dissatisfaction is from my own body image issues in having gained so much weight, having increasing skin problems, and visually unhealthy hair. Another part of my dissatisfaction is with how lethargic I have been due to my current diet and the effect of an increasingly unhealthy cooked foods diet on my body. I expect that I will lose weight, have clearer skin, healthier hair, clearer vision, sharper thought processes, increased energy... I expect the list will go on.

It will be very challenging as I intend to maintain a raw diet that will be as close to 100% raw as possible. Through trial and error, and evolving knowledge of the fine tunings of the raw food diet, I will be better able to discern what is truly raw and what is not and come to peace with the small percentage of potentially non-raw seasonings that I will use throughout the year.

Please, please, please ask questions and give any helpful feedback that you may have regarding my process and the raw food diet.

Thanks!!

Pre-Spring Pantry Cleaning

Today I cleaned out my pantry of all the goodies that I will not eat in the next few days and do not fit into the raw diet. I brought the treats to the school that I am attending for massage therapy where the donation was much appreciated. It was great to actively take part in relinquishing things that will not be a part of my life (for at least the next year). I needed to see that the processed foods that I loved can be loved by others, but do not have a place in my life at this time.

I also started a small list of last cooked meal wishes. Hopefully my transition won't be too painful.

365 Raw!

On February 14th, I am going to begin a raw food challenge that will last throughout 2012 and into 2013, totaling an entire year. I expect that it will be my greatest challenge yet and I'm excited to get it started. I initially wanted to begin on the first of the year and realized I needed to prepare myself, at least mentally, for this huge life change. Directly after the new year, I had too many reservations in starting a raw year challenge. There were too many wonderful goodies in my kitchen that I couldn't part with, one of many excuses.
This time I have made it public, far in advance to many people, that I am going to start this challenge on a specific date. If I cannot hold myself accountable, I hope others will. I will start to blog my challenge daily to provide some detail of what this experience is like. Hopefully, in doing so, I will help others and in turn find additional support.

Raw Curried Cabage Salad

This Raw Curried Cabbage Salad was amazing! I found the recipe on about.com, submitted by Jolinda Hackett. I didn't have any sesame seeds, but it proved to be unnecessary.

The recipe includes
* 1 head green chopped cabbage
* 1/3 cup shredded raw coconut
* 2 tbsp lemon juice
* 1/4 cup olive oil
* 1/4 cup Nama Shoyu
* 3 tbsp sesame seeds
* 1/3 tsp turmeric
* 1/2 tsp curry
* 1/2 tsp cumin

Mix it all together and you have one yummy raw meal.

Raw Watermelon Gazpacho Soup!

This is no Campbell's cup of soup!

I blended together about...

2 c Watermelon
1/2 c Onion
1/2 c Yellow Bell Pepper
1/2 c cucumber
1/2 fresh squeezed lime juice
1 garlic clove
1 whole Jalapeno
3 sprigs fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper

After processing the above ingredients I added some chopped fruit/veggies for texture.
(Watermelon, Onion, Yellow Bell Pepper, and Cucumber).

*The jalapeno I used was unforgiving. I recommend using only 1/3 or 1/2 of a small jalapeno to start.

Overall, this recipe was super yummy and simple.