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!!