♥ My Rawsome Adventures ♥

Day 3 of cleanse

2010-03-12T20:09:00.002-07:00

I am on day 3 of the master cleanse, and I feel pretty fine really! I seem to have more energy, and hardly any hunger pains. The only time I seem to feel hungry is when I'm around food, naturally. Still, I don't know how people can do juice fasts for upwards of 90 days. That must be not only a test physically, but an extreme mental battle of will. I am going to be glad when I can start eating food again, and I think I'm going to eat only "raw chili" the first day. It's Alissa Cohen's recipe, and I've made it before. It's tasty! When I make it I'll make sure to post the recipe! One thing that is really easy and nice about juice fasting is that I don't have to think of what I'm going to eat, or put any effort towards it at all! It's kinda nice. Still, unsustainable!

I'm a bum!

2010-03-10T21:02:00.002-07:00

Yes, like the title of this post says, I have been a huge bum! So, my ankles are healed, good thing, it only turned out to be my tendons or ligaments that were strained. No fractures thank goodness! Still, I've been so bad about updating anything about myself, either on here, on facebook, emails...anything electronic I've been shunning lately! Mostly it's because I can't get on the computer most of the time, but I don't know what my aversion to it has been! Thus, I am a bum. But, the good thing is that about a week ago I started a program that my chiropractor suggested, and it seems to be going well! I really should have started blogging about it the first day! It's basically a program that helps rid your body of candida, which is a yeast that can build up in all people, and throw off your body's natural hormones and keep your body holding on to fat. So, this program is really interesting, and I am already seeing results. It's probably the hardest thing I've ever put myself on though! But you know what they say...no pain no gain! I guess!

So this program basically consists of a 5 week cleanse, with a special diet, and supplements, and additional cleansing methods. This past week, the 1st week of the program, I ate a diet consisting of plenty of vegetables, lentils, brown rice, eggs, and lean meats, plus olive and coconut oil. I can't have any processed food, fruit, grains, or dairy. The funny thing is, I am eating more raw food than I was before, because of all the vegetables! I can only have 1 serving of lentils or rice, and 1 serving of meat (which I hardly eat anyway) a day, so basically it's bring on the vegetables!! I actually feel very similar to how I felt when I was eating raw, but better because I'm giving my body a break from wheat and sugars, which I think it could use! What I did think would be the death of me though, were the supplements I have to take. I'm not a very good pill taker, but I've since become pro! I have to take 55 pills a day! They are all natural herbs, liquid calcium, omega 3, fiber pills, primrose oil, etc. It's gruelling! But, I definitely feel better when I do take them.

So, week 2 mostly consists of a 5 day master cleanse. Yes, the infamous master cleanse. It's really not so bad, I just finished day 1. Although, I guess we'll see how much worse it gets tomorrow! I drink 2 liters per day of a lemon juice (that's the only fruit allowed) and pure maple syrup and water mixture, lots of water, and continued supplements. It sounds like it wouldn't be healthy, but it can be when done in short spurts. I believe that fasting is very healthy for the body, the same with juice fasts and water fasts. I am actually seeing benefits already that I noticed when doing yoga. I noticed that I had a much better breath capacity, which is odd because I haven't been doing any strenuous exercise lately. I really believe that it's because my lungs are being cleansed, and are better utilizing the oxygen I'm taking in. I don't feel my lungs burning as bad when I hold my breath in or out, so I'm able to hold it for longer. Strange but true! I also had increased mental clarity when doing yoga, and I've been able to figure out some things that have been bothering me.

So, each week I also meet with my chiropractor, and they take my body reading, show me some exercises to do, and let me sit in the super hot sauna for 30 min. Next week I am going to get a lymphatic massage. I hope that it goes well! So as of 2 days ago I lost 4.1 lbs and lost 1.6% of my body fat. Let's hope that the scale is accurate :(

So, I will sincerely try not to be a technophobe and try to update each day on how I feel, and my progress!

Don't do what I did...

2010-02-07T12:38:00.002-07:00

I am actually seeing some results from all my hard work!...but they aren't exactly the ones I was hoping for. I was so gung ho for exercising about 3 weeks ago that I seriously was doing my aerobic dvd and yoga almost every day! I felt really good, until my ankles started to get sore. I figured it was just sore muscles, and that they'd feel better once I exercised more, but the pain kept getting worse, until the point where I couldn't walk without pain. So I figured, I better stop. I went to the doctor, but since I don't have insurance I wasn't about to pay for x-rays, and he told me that I either strained the ligaments in my inner ankles, or I might have stress fractures. Joy! Apparently my feet are slightly pronated, and flat (I never knew), and since I was working out without shoes (in my carpeted room), and jumping around and twisting, it was a recipe for disaster. So please, don't be stupid like me, and wear good shoes that are supportive for your unique feet! Better yet, get a medical examination before working out, especially if you've been sedentary for awhile. I know that everyone recommends that, but hardly anyone actually does it! Also, the scale at the doctor's office said that I was actually heavier than what I started out as, whereas my Wii Fit said that I had lost 10 lbs. So I am at a loss as to how much I really weigh, but I guess that's sort of a good thing because I don't want to be preoccupied about weight, just muscle tone.

It was so hard the first few days when I had to just sit around and be lazy. I felt so dejected and frustrated, and I just wanted to cry. I felt like there was no use in trying to be healthy if I wasn't seeing dramatic results, except for those of the injury kind! But of course these were just old, plaguing emotions that need to be conquered just as much as the food emotions, and I'd only been working out for 3 weeks, so what can I expect, really? My body will start to heal itself and release it's extra fat (energy!) when it's ready, I know it. I am wearing 2 foot/ankle braces, just soft velcro things, and they seem to be helping. If the pain doesn't go way in 2 weeks I have to go back and get x-rays, and I'm praying I won't have to! I can still do yoga as long as I don't put too much weight on my ankles, so I don't feel like too much of a lazy bum. It's such a shame because my aerobic dvd (Jillian Michael's 30 day shred) was kicking my butt in a good way, and it's so effective (apparently a little too much so in my case)! I am going to start it up again, but with good shoes next time! Haha. I also can't wait until it gets warmer so that I can start biking more, and playing tennis. So the moral of this story: To get healthy requires perseverance, and not getting discouraged to the point of giving up whenever life throws a stone in your path. Keep doing whatever you can, and work around it! I am still trying to learn this! Good nutrition is also going to be more important than ever now!

My Conquest

2010-02-07T12:14:00.005-07:00

My goodness, it's been so hard for me to keep up to date on this blog lately! But I think I have the antidote. See, I'm starting to run out of things to say about raw food, but there are still plenty of amazing raw recipes out there to share, as well as "mostly raw" ones that are very healthy! There is a lot going on at my house too (well, a lot for me, which still isn't that much!), things that keep me preoccupied and away from the computer. So, I think I'd like to take this blog into a more expansive direction. I still want to write about raw food and recipes, but I want to also share other healthy recipes or ideas that I come across that might not be totally raw. I am going to extend it also to include exercise, home improvement stuff, pretty much anything interesting that promotes well-being and health. But mostly it will still be about food!

So this whole new outlook on food has really, truly helped me. I made myself accountable to God, which for me, is really the only thing that works every time. I went to Chuck-a-rama the other day, which was very risky for me since buffets + me = gluttony. But surprisingly you can even eat mostly raw at a buffet like Chuck-a-rama if you have the willpower! I had a giant salad with lots of veggies, and some beans, some fresh fruit, and some mashed potatoes for my "treat". It might seem like a waste of $11 for eating only that, but to me it was worth it, just because I can now say that I once conquered a buffet for probably the first time in my life. Sugar is usually my weakness, but strangely I didn't even crave the cakes or brownies or anything. It's easy to lose your taste for refined sugar when you train your tongue to be satisfied with natural sugar (like fruit)!

My flimsy little fruit bowl is a trooper.

The Plan

2010-01-13T16:10:00.002-07:00

First off I wanted to say thanks to those of you (all 3 of you!) who still read my blog after all this time, it's so nice of you to!

As part of my plan to achieve my goals, and achieve my new mindset, I wrote down my strengths and weaknesses pertaining to food. This is so I know what to look out for, and what tools I have to help me. My weaknesses list is much longer than my strengths list, but I know over time this will become the opposite. A great tool that I have at my disposal is my journal. It's going to act as sort of my own personal therapist :). I think that when I start to have emotion driven cravings and disparaging thoughts that I can work through them by writing them down and analyzing them. As far as my food plan goes, there are a few goals that I want to be able to perfect by the end of this year, or sooner if possible!

1. 50% of calories raw. Since I am shooting for around 1400 cal/day, this means I will try to shoot for no more than 700 calories from cooked food. I know that this is a raw food blog, and I will continue to post raw food recipes, and talk about raw food, but I have also learned that a transition is necessary to attain a raw food lifestyle, and stick with it!

2. No deprivation! I am not going to deprive myself of cravings. I am going to indulge in what I want, but to a degree that allows me to keep loving myself afterwards! There is a difference between treating myself to a cookie, and hurting myself by eating the whole box! I'll also count these indulgences towards my cooked calorie count.

3. No feeling guilty. I won't even indulge the thought. Life is too short!

4. Remove temptations. I'll try to keep destructive foods out of my house, or at least out of reach.

5. Do some sort of exercise every day. No health plan is really complete without exercise! Mostly I do yoga and some aerobics dvds.

I would say I'm on "day 3" of my plan, but that does kinda sound like someday there will be an end to it, if days matter. So, let me just say that I am in the baby stages of my new "lifestyle". That sounds better to me :)

All you need is LOVE!

2010-01-13T14:56:00.004-07:00

Although I really do hate the whole New Years Resolution thing, only because it's not taken very seriously. I do think that we should reevaluate ourselves often and try to find things to work on! As for me, I think of the saying: "God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things. Right now I'm so far behind I'll never die!". This is so true. But, this year I've decided that I'm going to change my mindset. I'm sure I've said this before, and I'll say it again...I HATE DIETS! Self deprivation just doesn't work! I've also realized that motive makes all the difference. Why do I want to be healthy? Better question, why should I be healthy? I truly believe that for myself, the only way that I can answer this is to give myself a sense of accountability. If I truly believe that my body is a gift given to me and that it will transcend death someday, then I need to take that belief seriously. 1 Corinthians 3: 16 says "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" The answer for why should I is quite simply, "because it's one of the greatest gifts I've been given, and it my duty to take care of it".

Another one of my goals in my life, and one I want to focus on this year, is to learn mastery of mind over body. This is why I like yoga so much, because that is what it teaches. It's true that the mind and body are invariably connected in varying degrees, but the more we can separate the two, and learn "mind over matter", the more that we can see our bodies more as vessels, and not our "true selves". Don't I want the vessel that houses my true self to be the best I can make it? Yes! So, it's my mind set that needs to change.

So, after much pondering, I've decided that it all boils down to one word...LOVE! I'm throwing the words deprivation and self denial out the window to go lie in a muddy puddle somewhere, and I'm embracing the word love. It is my motive! I am not ever going to get healthy with a mindset of self deprivation. I am going to get healthy with a mindset where I love my body so much that I'm going to treat it right. Scenario: an apple vs. a donut. Self deprivation says "You totally should not eat that donut, it's so bad for you, force yourself to choose the apple." But self loves says "That apple is going to do so much good for your body, it's just what your body needs to work optimally! Choose that one!" Now, it's going to take years for me to master this mind set, I know it, but it's my ultimate goal!

It's been too long!

2009-12-21T12:48:00.002-07:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a year since I last updated! I moved a couple times, lost all motivation to be healthy... and here I am again, back where I started! I have been thinking a lot about the reasons why it's so hard for me to stick with healthy habits, and I am in the process of coming up with a new approach to raw, one that I think will really help me make the lasting changes that I truly want to make. I will share it soon, once I have all the details hammered out. It's a program that most anyone can follow, so anyone can do it along with me if they feel so inclined! I am also going to try to find my old, original journals, back when I had first gone raw for a month. I think they will be an inspiration to me, if only to help me see how I was thinking and feeling at the time. More soon!

Raw Milk?

2008-11-09T15:55:00.005-07:00

This book I'm reading has also prompted me to learn more and more about raw foods and what they really entail. I know that most of the raw foodists that are in the the news are vegans, and so naturally people think that all raw foodists are vegans. This is simply not the case. I think we all need to approach animal products in our own ways, according to what we believe may be ethically right as well as how eating animal products makes us feel. As for myself, I don't do well with cow's milk. Actually, I there are few dairy products that I even eat on a regular basis. I simply don't like the taste of plain milk, except in cereal, or with chocolate (which isn't exactly nutritious), or if it's mixed in smoothies or soups/sauces. The problem is, when I do eat it, it goes right through me. That is why I prefer almond or rice milk. However, I can handle cheese in moderate amounts.
So I was reading this author and I was surprised that she advocates drinking raw milk. At first I thought, "uh oh that bacteria will kill you". It can, I learned, but only if you are drinking untested milk from cows who are crammed into smaller areas where disease is allowed to spread and are fed hormone injected feed with all manner of chemicals or whatever else they put in there. That is why the milk in the grocery stores has to be pasteurized (heated to kill most bacteria). However, cows who are allowed to roam as they please, who are fed organically and who are regularly tested for disease, produce milk that is absolutely safe to drink. People have been drinking unpasteurized milk for hundreds of years. Granted, I would only feel safe drinking raw milk if it were regularly tested and certified ok by the Dept. of Agriculture. Also, many people have milk allergies, so it's not for everyone. Still, I went online to see what I could find about raw milk, and found this website: raw-milk-facts.com. It also led me to this page where you can find local people who sell safe raw milk products. I am thinking about maybe trying some raw cheese! I was also surprised to learn that there are many raw foodists who themselves drink raw milk, and advocate its healing properties. Hey, it's worth a closer look!

So...why raw milk?

Well, from what I've learned I think the single best reason that raw milk is better than store bought milk is the degree of calcium absorption. Have you ever wondered why they sell Vitamin D fortified milk? That is because in order for calcium to be absorbed vitamin D must be present. Also, phosphorus aids in assimilating calcium. However, when milk is heated, the enzyme phosphatase is destroyed, therefore the body cannot absorb the phosphorus correctly. That means the body cannot create calcium the way it should. It's a sad but true fact that the countries with the highest intake of milk also have the highest rates of osteoporosis. Why is this? Could it be because this milk that we are led to believe to be such a "calcium rich" food has been altered so much as to be rendered largely useless? Here are some other reasons why raw milk is better in my opinion. When milk is heated/pasteurized it loses:

at least25% of it's vitamin C
about 38% of the B complex vitamins
the factors that actually inhibit bacterial growth
much of it's vitamin A

This debate about milk has been going on for decades, but this is my two cents. Milk, as a food, is probably better in it's raw, natural form, such as all other foods (in my opinion). Why not give it a taste?

I am a slacker

2008-11-09T15:37:00.004-07:00

Ok, yes I am a total slacker. I really need to update my blog more!! Well, about that juice fast...

Well, I did a lot of research on high quality juicers, and I've come to the conclusion that the more expensive, better made ones are worth the price. So I really want to get a Champion juicer, and the cheapest one I could find was $220. So, someday I will be able to buy one, hopefully soon. That being said, I did decide to go on a juice fast on Nov. 3rd. However, I didn't do it the right way. For 2 days I drank only herbal tea and bottled juice from the store. Did I feel better? Yes, but it was 2 days in when I started to realize that by only drinking pasteurized, barely fortified bottled juice that I was probably doing more harm than good. I came to this conclusion because at the time I was reading a couple of books that my mother-in-law had me borrow. One of them was written in 1954 or so, and is called Feel Like A Million, by Catharyn Elwood. Needless to say, some of the info was pretty dated (they still used DDT back then), but overall the book was really informative and interesting. Especially when she goes over each of the essential vitamins/minerals/amino acids etc. that our bodies need and how they work together. I took a look at my juice bottle and realized that I was basically only drinking fruit sugar and vitamin C. What about all the other nutrients that my body should have each day? I could definitely get them from juicing my own fruits and vegetables at home, but what I was doing then wasn't cutting it. Therefore, I have decided that I am not going to juice fast until I can do it properly, because that is really the only way to do it!

Fasting

2008-10-30T11:07:00.003-06:00

I admit it, I've always been a little bit baffled about the concept of fasting. Why is it necessary? Why do we (some of us) do it for religious reasons? What good does it really do? Well, I've been reading about fasting for 3 days now and it is really fascinating! Fasting has been used for thousands of years to help heal disease and chronic illness. When we allow our bodies a break from digesting, it can set to work on the cleansing. Little did I know, Europe continues to use fasting even to this day as a major method of treatment. Why do we as Americans know so little about fasting, or have a stigma against it? I guess when most people think of fasting they think 'starvation'. But really, most fasts, at least those done for medical reasons, are actually juice fasts. The juice intake provides all the calories our bodies need while at the same time giving our digestive system a break and allowing our body to rid itself of toxins, bad tissue, and poorly formed muscle. Not only does juice fasting offer amazing physical benefits, but many people and many religions use fasting for spiritual reasons. Many believe that fasting brings us closer to our spirits and closer to God by humbling us and reminding us that we rely on the Lord for all we have. Many spiritual fasts are water fasts, but from what I've read doing a water fast for more than a couple days can really wreak havoc on the body. Not because it is necessarily 'bad' but because it is so effective. When doing a water fast, toxins are expelled so quickly from the body that one could be in serious distress if not already used to fasting for long periods of time. Still, the concept of a water fast, for spiritual reasons, is intriguing to me.
So...I've decided to take the plunge. I really want to add fasting, for physical and spiritual reasons, as part of my lifestyle. I am used to fasting on the first Sunday of every month, but I admit, sometimes it's more like starving myself because I don't take advantage of the spiritual benefits. In addition to my monthly religious fast (which is completely abstaining from food and water for 24 hours) I would also like to add periodic juice fasts, such as maybe 3 day fasts every month or couple of months. I also want to add in a large fast of maybe 30 days every year. This would translate roughly, if I did my math right, to almost 1/4 of the year where I am not eating solid foods. I think that if I can do this consistently, when the time is right I might be able to do a prolonged water fast, if I feel it's good for me.
So my new goal is to start off small. I want to say that I could do 30 days no problem but I know myself, and I know I'd cave and probably end up binging. So, starting Nov. 2nd, Sunday, I'm going to fast for 6 days. Day 1 will be abstaining from food and water, and days 2-6 will be my 5 day juice fast. I am going to buy a juicer tonight hopefully. To keep it pretty inexpensive I will juice fruits and veggies that I can buy in bulk for cheap, like apples, oranges, spinach, melons, other greens, carrots, celery etc. I also found a homemade detox lemonade that I could use which only contains lemon juice, water, and pepper. I think I am going to make some vegetable broths with the leftover pulp and drink that as well, along with herbal tea. They say that the hunger pains will subside once the digestive system goes into hibernation, after a few days. To prepare, I am eating less calories and trying to cut out everything but fruits, veggies, and grains until the day I start. More updates on this later! Wish me luck!

God's Beauty

2008-10-16T15:29:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I've been on a real fruit kick lately. I just can't get over how beautiful some fruits and veggies really are. Look at this strawberry...
GORGEOUS! It's a natural beauty! The next time I'm craving pizza I'm just going to pop open this page and take a long, hard stare at this beaut...

bad cravings gone! Time to buy strawberries!

Anti-cancer foods!

2008-10-16T14:50:00.005-06:00

I read a great article on prevention.com today about the best anti-cancer fighting foods. You'll rarely find a doctor say this, and it blows my mind as to why not, but there are some foods out there that can actually help cure some cancers, because they can actually force cancer cells to die through a process called apoptosis. Here are some of the best foods:

pomegranate juice
ginger
broccoli, bok choy, brussels sprouts
garlic, onions, leeks, chives
citrus fruits, berries
dark chocolate (over %70)...or heck why not use raw cacao!?

It also recommended blending 1 tsp of turmeric with black pepper and dissolving it in oil, to use in soups, salad dressings, on vegetables, etc.

Cutting out meat and dairy also helps combat cancer, but adding fresh fatty fish has shown it's benefits.

So...not so surprising, but what is one diet that incorporates all these foods in their best (raw/natural/organic) form? That's right, RAW!

Eat yer apples!!

Something Pretty

2008-10-12T17:35:00.002-06:00

Ok, so this smoothie isn't really anything that special, but it's so pretty! I used fresh raspberries from my parents' garden, 1 banana, and some almond milk, if I remember right.

What I have been searching for!

2008-10-12T15:13:00.006-06:00

I've been neglecting my blog lately, because I've been neglecting myself! Sometimes I go anti-social for a couple weeks at a time, and become very apathetic, but I can feel myself coming out of this slump so hopefully I'll write more and have some cool things to share. Today I had a total epiphany, thanks to a great article that I read. I finally checked my email today and I got a new newsletter from Raw Food Right Now, and they had posted said article. After reading it I just felt so happy! I totally agree with what they are saying! I've been feeling the same way for awhile, but I thought I was the only one out of the entire raw food community, and I'm not! I don't think it will be bad to post the article, as long as I post a link to it (I hope not!). So here it is!:

The 100% Raw Trap

I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the awesome post Anthony from RawModel.com recently did over at We Like it Raw.

Go give it a read and then come back here: Anthony Talks about the 100% Raw Trap.

I don't think it's ever been put so elegantly as Anthony has just done.

For the record, I'm not 100% raw. Sure, I've been "100% raw" in the past, but what does that really mean, anyway? If I eat 100% raw for 25 years and then eat some cooked food am I not "100% raw" anymore? The label breaks down pretty quickly under circumstances like these.

When Heidi and I first went raw in 2004, we didn't go 100% overnight, but shortly after, we did go 100%. At the time, 100% raw was the buzzword. Not only was it the "it" phrase, it was the only way according to everything we read back then. This was also during a time when the phrase "cooked food is poison" was a common chant by many raw people, both online and offline.

It was all or nothing.

This is before raw blogs and raw communities really started popping up around the web. People were under the assumption that you had to be 100% raw. And we thought that everyone was 100%! But just a few years ago, we started hearing one raw food "guru" after another come out and say they now recommended 80% raw foods for everyone and 100% only if you felt it was right for you. Not only that, but every raw foodist we've talked to that did go 100% overnight, does not recommend that anyone do it overnight. The body chemistry and emotions are too complex for such a radical change.

How Eating Cooked Food Helped Me to Eat Raw

It's funny, because when people ask me how raw I am, I have to sit and think about it...

"Hmmm, I guess I was 100% raw Monday and Tuesday, but ate some cooked food on Wednesday...then today I've had...let's see..."

To me, it's become a total non-issue.

In fact, when I was trying to stay 100% raw, that is when I also had the most difficult time staying raw! I have had my times, just like Anthony, where I binged on cooked food, felt guilty, and went on a downward spiral...and this is coming from someone who never had any food issues ever before going raw!

But one day, over a year ago, I decided that I'm going to eat whatever I want, with love, consciousness, and intent. My only stipulation was that it had to be vegetarian. Once I did that, eating was no longer a dogmatic struggle, but was easy and fun! Not only that, but now I find it so easy to eat raw! Imagine that! Cooked food helped me eat raw!

Now what's interesting about this, is when you reach this point, you start to develop a relationship and communication with your body. You are no longer fighting it, but working with it together towards a common goal: Optimal Health. (Notice that I didn't put the word "raw" in there.)

Once I was able to let go of the 100% dogma and find my own gradual path to success, my body easily let go of so many foods that were harming me, and I was easily able to embrace and truly desire the foods that are good for me. My diet stabilized and I no longer was on any sort of yo-yo diet.

My Ultimate Goal

My new ultimate goal with diet and health is to only eat the foods that are the absolute best for my body and to truly only desire those foods. And friends, I am nearly there. I look at foods I used to eat and say "I could have you right now if I wanted, but I truly, truly don't. I really just don't want it!"

That's freedom.

I can't imagine where I would be if I was still trying to force myself to eat 100% raw. Being in the raw food world for nearly four and a half years now, I've seen so many people come to raw food and quit because they couldn't go "100% raw". They go back to eating junk because they are trying to obtain something that is unrealistic to obtain in a short amount of time.

The fact that people have heard of raw food and gotten absolutely excited, only to give up because they couldn't "do it right" is a sad reality of the current raw food movement. How many people have completely given up and may never try to eat raw again because others put on the facade that you have to be 100% raw?

I, for one, always want to be open and honest about where I am on my raw food journey. This is especially important since I co-run a very popular raw food website.

Let's all just be who we are, love where we are at, and always have our eyes on the goal that we are heading towards, whatever that may be for you. Be open to change, let go of your dogma...and do everything at our own pace.

With much love,

~ JS
The article is a breath of fresh air and makes so much sense to me! Lately I've been thinking about what it means to call myself "raw". People don't really know what I'm talking about if I say that I'm a "raw foodist". Actually, the first question I usually get is "does that mean you eat raw meat?". Then we have the obnoxious (albeit sometimes well meaning) ones that if they see me eating some cooked food have to point and say "uh oh, you are eating cooked food, you aren't allowed to do that! I thought you were a raw foodist!"..Sigh.. So I've been thinking that maybe the term "raw" just isn't the best word to use to describe how I eat. I don't want to say "vegan" because that has it's own connotations. I don't like labels as it is, but I feel like I need to be able to at least describe my diet in a way that is encompassing and makes sense. "Fresh" is a good word, so are "un-processed" and "natural", because all those things could mean "raw". I think that someday I'd like to be able to say that all I eat are "fresh and/or natural foods". This could mean raw, but it also could mean natural cooked foods. I know that this is a journey because my diet is a path, rather than a destination. I've said this before but I also don't believe that 100% raw is necessary or 100% healthy, so I believe that by eating only "fresh and/or natural foods" we will be eating the healthiest diet on the planet.

Still, however, since this is my raw food website, and since I believe the more raw foods we eat the better, I will still share lots of yummy "raw" stuff!

I know I've been focusing too much lately on what I shouldn't eat, rather that what I should. The best part of that article was when he said that he was going to "eat whatever I want, with love, consciousness, and intent." Isn't that really what it should be about?

More boring blather...

2008-09-22T23:17:00.003-06:00

So this past week has been another hectic one, and I'm sad to say filled with lots of cheating on bad foods (chicken sandwich, fries, burger, cheesecake..). What I'm happy about though, is that I have only eaten bad food lately because of necessity (meaning there was no other food), not because I really wanted the food. In fact, I went to a BBQ yesterday and ate a hamburger, but what tasted the best to me was the veggies I put on it, and the veggie salad that I had on the side. Weird. In fact, earlier in the week I was eating some french fries from the BK lounge, and I realized that I didn't even really enjoy the taste, but I was just eating them out of habit, almost like subconsciously I was thinking that I need to eat them because they "go with" a chicken sandwich. In actuality I would have much rather eaten a bowl of pineapple instead. Now that is really something that tastes good. Speaking of pineapple, I ate an entire one today. I really don't recommend that though, considering my mouth hurt for hours...ah the acid, it tastes like, burning!

Anyways, so after a week of eating much too much junk I find that I am craving healthy foods. This leads me to believe that my body is starting to recognize what it really needs to be healthy. Sometimes I lay awake at night just thinking of creations that I can make...

So there is an Asian food market by my house and I thought I'd check it out. I hope I can find bean sprouts there. Also, they probably don't but I wonder if they have durian? I really want to try that stuff, just to see what all the fuss is about. The very fact that durians exist just proves to me that nature has a sense of humor. I mean, it's supposedly the most delicious fruit on the planet (the "king of fruit"), tasting like vanilla pudding or some such, but the fruit is covered in huge sharp spikes, and supposedly smells like really bad feet. I wonder who the first person to eat one was, and did he stumble upon it by accident? Well enough about smelly fruits, I will try to share some new recipes soon. Adios for now!

Recipes galore!

2008-09-22T22:10:00.002-06:00

Ok so it's not really "galore" but I have a few things to share that I made that I thought actually tasted really good! First I made the key lime pie recipe from Alissa Cohen's book, but I modified it a bit (the crust).

Key Lime Pie Tarts

Crust: 1 C dates
2 C soaked almonds
about half a cup shredded coconut (I use dried because it's much easier)
about 2 Tbs of coconut oil (just to make it stickier)

pat it down in muffin tins or tart tins and deydrate for about 12 hrs (or until hard)

Filling: 1 C soaked dates
1 large avocado
3 whole limes, peeled

Mix up thoroughly in food processor and pour into cups. Garnish with coconut! These are tart but yummy!

Ok I took this recipe from Raw, the Uncook Book

Milkshake: 2/3 cups favorite nuts (I used cashews), soaked for about 2 hrs*
2 C water
1 Tbs vanilla extract
2/3 C maple syrup ( I suppose you could substitute with honey)

Blend all together and then pour into ice cube trays to freeze. Once frozen, let thaw for 5 minutes, then blend for a ice cream-like treat!

*If you don't strain the nuts they will retain their pulp which gives the milkshake a grainy texture. For more smooth taste use a nut milk bag or cheesecloth and strain the nuts after blending.

This is also from Raw, but I left out the dates and raisins which was very bad, because my cookies were not very sweet! :(

Oatmeal Cookies: 2 C oat groats

1/2 C raisins

1/2 C raw almonds, coarsely chopped

2 or 3 apples, coarsely grated

Place oat groats in a FP and grind until fine. Add dates, raisins, almonds and apples and mix batter well. Mold into shapes and dehydrate at 90 degrees for about 12 hours or until desired texture is reached.

Sprouts

Ok no recipe for these, but these are what my sprouts looked like before I attempted to make bread (this is kamut). Austin kept saying that they look like maggots...rude! It's the only thing I've been able to sprout so far, but they didn't turn out too bad! Too bad I can't say the same thing about my bread! :(

Watermelon Soup (a.k.a. a smoothie in a bowl)

Ok I didn't get too creative with this one. Basically it's watermelon and mango that I put in a blender and made soupy. I should have added big chunks of fruit so it didn't feel like I was eating a smoothie with a spoon! But it was good none the less!

So I'll make sure to add more recipes once I make them!

Oh my it's been a busy week!

2008-09-15T22:56:00.005-06:00

Ok, so I have been HORRIBLE about posting this past week! I've been so busy, and out of town, and things have been a blur. I did get to go to Boise to see one of my favorite bands, Sonata Arctica, and it was so awesome! Ok, so every time I try to do one of the 30 day raw challenges something hinders me, and I can never finish it out. I lost track of what day I'm supposed to be on over the week, but I'm really thinking that there is no need for me to even do the 'raw challenges' anymore. I already know what I need to eat, and who cares really if I'm eating 100% except for myself? I think that's the whole point of the challenge, to do it for yourself, but I don't even need to do it for myself, so why am I doing it? I think the only thing I'm really accomplishing is confusion. I have managed to stay mostly raw, except I did eat cooked for my birthday on Saturday. Also, Sunday my mother in law brought me over a cake...and I ate half of it, (it was small!) lol! However it's obvious how chocolate cake effects me now, and it's not good. I've never felt like I needed to throw up after eating my raw creations (however I can't say that about my raw bread if I had eaten it), but after eating that cake I needed to lie down!

So, speaking of the raw bread...let's just say it was inedible (the picture was too horrible to post). I've decided that until I can move into a kitchen with adequate space/light that I am going to just buy my sprouts from the store rather than do it myself. In fact, I was at Whole Foods the other day and I saw some 7 grain sprouted bread for sale. I think that I'm going to have to start eating bread like that, because there is no way I'm going to find raw, sprouted bread for sale, and I'm not sure I'd want to eat it if I did! However, I haven't given up on making raw, sprouted crackers. That will be my next experiment! I've been doing a lot of research lately on whether or not raw, sprouted grains, or cooked grains are better. I've come to the conclusion that raw grains are certainly more packed with nutrients, but that cooked grains allow us to assimilate the nutrients better. I think a good mix of both would be conducive to a healthy diet. I also learned that flax seeds are not processed by the body in their whole form, so to get the most of the omega 3 that they offer they must be ground (and probably soaked as well). I am making raw Doritos soon, so I'll share if those turn out well.

I don't have any pictures to post yet because they are in my camera and the computer I'm on will not let me transfer them, but hopefully tomorrow I will have at least 2-3 things (with recipes) that I have made lately posted. I did make manage to make pie tart crusts, and they look yum!

I guess my next big experiment will be to start sprouting rice to see how it tastes and whether or not it's worth it to eat it raw rather than cooked. Beans will be next after that, although I think I can just buy bean sprouts from the store (the ones that can be eaten raw anyway...the ones that can't I will cook). Mung bean sprouts are mmm good!

Oh and I have to mention that I went all the way down to Sugarhouse on Saturday just to go to the one and only raw food restaurant in Utah, and they were closed until the 15th because they went to some raw food festival in Arizona. How sad for me! Hopefully soon I will have another reason to go down there... /tear.

Anyways, today I ate:

-a small salad
-a giant peach
-some pecans
-a baked potato (with butter...gasp!)
-some chocolate cake (blast that cake, staring at me from my fridge!)

I must make Austin finish that cake else it be my downfall.

Oh, I'm also going to try to put up my journals from the very first attempt I had at going raw a little over a year ago to commemorate my 1st year. I did a 30 day challenge and I learned a lot.

Happy Day! Adventures with Sprouts

2008-09-07T13:07:00.004-06:00

Alright...so today is "technically" day 6, but...yesterday was sort of "fall-off-the-wagon-day" so I have decided to count this as day 5, lol. Ok, ok, so I'm not doing 30 days consecutively but I'm still doing 30 days! Lol. Yesterday was my last cheat day, except for my b-day that is in 1 week. If I can make it raw that day then ok, but if not then ok too, as long as I keep it healthy.

So, today has been a happy day! I found my cousin's blogs from my sister's page and it was so good to read about their families and how they are doing! I miss everyone so much, all my friends and family are elsewhere it seems, and I'm under a rock here lol. Not really, but it's hard to keep in touch when life gets so hectic and full. I guess today I am just feeling grateful for life, and I have a lot more energy already since doing the 30 day challenge. I am a lot less lazy, although I feel like I still have a LOT to get in order. Did you know that laziness is a sign of disease? I never realized that, and I've been lazy for a long time!

So yesterday I started my sprouting, and today they are looking quite the same really, except my wheat berries look like they might be starting to split open to make way for a sprout. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day they'll be ready to use. I hope my kitchen gets enough light for them! It's amazing but since I've gone raw I feel like I have a new found respect for life in it's simplest form...the seed. It's amazing how things grow. I was thinking about the difference between plant forms of food and meat forms. I really do believe that God intended us to eat mostly plants, because a. He made it easy for us to create plant life, and b. We can benefit from a plant's fruit/seed/nut for years without killing the plant itself. But when it comes to meat, each time we eat it the animal has to give its life. We cannot create animal life, only take it away, and once we take the meat that we need, the animal is gone forever. Which seems more productive? I am starting to believe more and more every day that meat should only be eaten sparingly, and in times of need. I don't believe that it is wrong to eat animals, but I do believe that we eat them much too much. I've tried to find a word that describes what I could call myself or my thoughts on food, but ya know, I really don't want to be just a label. Why do I have to call myself anything, even a raw foodist? I think that if people ask about my chosen diet I'm just going to say "I try to eat the healthiest I can every day". :)

So today I am making a bunch of desserts to eat, like cashew cookies, a key lime pie, and also oatmeal cookies...all raw! Oh yes, it is going to be good! If I have enough walnuts I'm also going to try a milkshake...sounds strange, I know, but we'll see how it is! I'm charging my camera now so I'll be back later with some pictures...

Day 4, ho hum

2008-09-05T23:47:00.003-06:00

So today was kinda uneventful. I ate:

8 oz almond milk w/ carob (chocolate milk)
a salad with avocado and tomato
1/4 watermelon

I think I'm gonna make tomorrow a dessert extravaganza day. I have these really good recipes that I wanna try! Also, I'm going to start some sprouting to see if I can really do it, lol. I'm going to try to sprout wheat berries, chickpeas, and kamut. I hope my basement has enough sunlight! It should take 2-3 days but if I'm successful then I'm going to make bread! Oh yess..

I'm starting to get hungrier than I have been so I'm sure I'll be eating a lot more from now on. I'm really glad it's the weekend so I have time to actually prepare stuff, and make crackers too.

Day 3 means pea soup!

2008-09-04T22:34:00.003-06:00

Today I accomplished something that I don't think I've ever done before in my life. I got full off watermelon! The one that I bought was just so delicious that I ate a massive container of it! Then out of curiosity I looked up how many calories a whole watermelon has in it. Would you believe that a 15 in. watermelon has approx. 1355 calories? Holy! Which means that watermelon was meant to be shared! :) That's probably why God made them so huge :)

Still, I'm not really concerned about calories anymore. As long as I'm eating enough, and eating the healthiest food on the planet, then there is no need to count them really. Especially because it's almost impossible to overeat on fruits and vegetables. I will need to watch my intake of nuts and oils, but when eating a raw and living foods diet it would be hard to overdo it on those even. Unless I ate an entire coconut cake with tons of coconut oil, nuts, and dates. Holy saturated fat! The funny thing is though, even saturated fat is necessary for us, and when we eat a balanced diet nature doles out everything that we need in perfect proportions. Such a comforting, freeing feeling!

So anyway I have to talk about this "un-cookbook" that Austin bought me (he is a very supportive hubby, I'm so grateful!). It's called Raw, the Uncook Book by Juliano, and it's got some really awesome stuff in it. Well since I went on my little "I'm gonna eat rice and beans and bread rant" the other day I realized that I never actually tried sprouted rice or beans, or grains...so how do I know that I won't prefer them? I probably better try them before I spout off stupid stuff. Well, this book has a recipe for mango essene bread, and from the photo it looks sooo delish. If I could manage to make it, and it turned out decent, then I would totally eat that instead of "real" bread. Plus I could make it without the sweetness and use it for sandwiches and stuff. I really should make the recipe soon...if it's good I'll probably end up eating the whole loaf! Imagine mango bread with raw preserves or some almond butter....heavenly!

Well today I ate:

half a whole watermelon....oy it was good
a small salad
8 garlic croutons (oopsie)
a big bowl of pea soup

Let me just say, Alissa Cohen's pea soup turned out really good. Here is the recipe:

Pea Soup

2 1/2 C almond milk
2 C peas
1 small avocado
sea salt to taste

Throw everything in the blender and mix well.

I'm starting to like cold soups, even if this one did remind me of the exorcist. I was going to take a picture of it, but once again, my camera is dead!

Day 2

2008-09-04T00:18:00.005-06:00

*Sorry if the dates on my blogs seem a little off. I always blog late at night so I'm writing about the 3rd, but technically it's the 4th..

Something really struck me today when I was reading Alissa Cohen's book Living on Live Food. She says: "Knowing how to eat a raw and living foods diet isn't enough. If you don't know why you're doing it - if you don't have a dream - you will fail." This is soooo true! So I've decided that my "why" is "because I want to be the healthiest I can be. Because I want to treat my body like the precious gift it is, so it in turn will treat my spirit with love and respect". When I think about it that way I realize that I'm not eating raw so that I can prove to anyone that I'm 100% raw all the time, but I'm eating raw foods because I feel they are the best food choice. But do I feel like they are the only food choice? No, and I think that's because it's unreasonable to think so. I think that there are some foods that were meant to be cooked, such as certain beans and potatoes, and since those foods are not bad for us then they cannot be bad if we eat them. On special occasions and when I feel like eating a cooked treat then I can say, "ok I'm going to go out to eat and get a yummy healthy dish, and if it happens to have something cooked in it then so what?" Honestly, am I eating raw because I never want to taste cooked food again because it's a carnal sin or something? No! I'm eating raw because that's the best fuel that I can put into my body, but some cooked foods are good too. The last time I did my 30 day challenge I came to the conclusion that there is absolutely nothing unhealthy about eating cooked rice/beans/grains. Are they the most healthy eaten in their raw or sprouted forms? Probably, but eating them cooked a few times a week will not hurt me, and will probably be beneficial in every way. I am still really trying to do my 30 day totally raw challenge (after all I am only on day 2 lol), but after that I am going to slowly start introducing those good cooked foods that I mentioned. I will not eat a lot of them, but I'll eat them when I feel like I need to. I have tried to listen to my body over the past year, and I have already decided that 90% raw works better for me than 100%. Ok that being said, do I sound like I'm justifying bad habits and bad foods? I hope not!

SO........today's menu was very limited, I wasn't feeling well (maybe detox?), but I got really hungry tonight and didn't have anything prepared, so I gave in and ate some Smart Pop :( I did however, resist zingers, so at least I am learning some self control!

1 banana
2 peaches
some Smart Pop

I really need to eat my produce that I bought a few days ago, and eat all of it!! I just need to eat more, period! I think tomorrow I am going to pack a salad and lots of fruit for work, and make a raw soup. I really love Alissa's corn chowder. I think I'll try her pea soup too. If it's good I'll share the recipe tomorrow! Oh I also got some locally grown green beans today, yumms.

Officially Day 1

2008-09-02T22:20:00.006-06:00

Alright, today was the first official day of my 30 day raw challenge! I did go buy some neato Rubbermaid containers and I got them for a good deal, but I'm still working on the whole cleaning my kitchen thing. I totally need to get a bunch of mason jars or something so I can keep all my dry goods (like nuts/seeds/grains etc) organized and readily available. I wish I had more counter space!! When I get my own house I am totally customizing my kitchen! Think how much space would be available in a raw kitchen with no stove or microwave. I could fill the space with sprouting racks and 3 VitaMixs so I could make tons of raw dishes simultaneously :P...in my raw dreams of course....

So anyway today I bought enough yummy stuff to make lots of soups and salads. I love getting good deals on avocados! Also I got a whole watermelon for around $2.50 which will make for some tasty eatins. I estimate that I got enough food for about 2 days and it cost about $15. So that means $2.50 per meal, which ain't too shabby. I guess eating healthy really isn't as expensive as people make it out to be. Sure I could get a cheeseburger and fries at McDonalds for $2.50, but I could also make a yummy pea soup and avocado salad for the same price. I guess when it comes down to it it's all about putting the time and effort into making nutritious meals rather than grabbing an insta-meal of toxic fats and craptastic chemicals.

Creepy Ronald gives a big thumbs up to healthy food! Just don't stare into his beady eyes or they will consume your soul.

Anywhoo, after all this food talk it's funny to note that all I ate today was:

3 bananas
a TON of frozen grapes
some Ruby red grapefruit juice (not raw I know, but the machine was out of water!)

I find that when I switch overnight from eating SAD to raw I don't end up very hungry for the first week or so. I think it's because my body still has a lot of stored energy that it needs to use up. Then after awhile the hunger hits me hard and I end up eating A LOT. And, I'm sad to say this because it kinda grosses me out, but last night I ate one of those steakhouse burgers from Burger King, and I am probably still digesting it. That thing was a monster, and I can't believe I ate the whole thing. I need to learn that just because I get something for free doesn't mean that I should eat it. I find myself saying that very phrase "I can't believe I ate the whole thing" a lot, and I hope that the next time I say that it will mean that I just ate an entire raw chocolate pie or something instead of a greasy pizza :). Tomorrow is a new day! I'm gonna try to get some exercise in!

Day 1 of September raw challenge!

2008-09-02T00:58:00.004-06:00

Alright, so I decided to do another 30 day raw challenge and just start over completely and new. However, today was not the best day to do it, lol. I've realized that there is no way that I can follow this diet if - a. my kitchen is disorganized, and b. I don't have any tupperware or anything to bring along my raw food with me. So....tomorrow morning I'm going out to buy some containers so that I can actually bring lunch/dinner to work with me! And also tomorrow I'm completely cleaning my kitchen so that I have space to work and create. I HATE my kitchen, maybe that's why I don't clean it? I would sell my soul for a dishwasher, or even cabinets that close all the way and don't have spiders in them >: Ugh, I can't wait until I can afford my own house so I can get out of the dump I live in!

I've noticed that my living surroundings are really affecting my moods and abilities to succeed. I think that if we want positive energy we need to make the area around us exude positive energy, otherwise it will only bring us down. I certainly feel really blah because of the place I live in. There is hardly any light/windows, it's stuffy, and we have a spider problem. I'm greatful at least that I have shelter and a place to call my own, but sometimes I feel like I'd rather live in a treehouse or a tent than a basement. However, I've been reading a lot about sunshine, and I've decided that my mood will probably greatly improve if I can just get about 20-30 minutes of sunshine per day. Whether it's taking a walk, riding my bike, or just laying out, the positive effects should be enough to get me through spending the rest of my day indoors.

Today was also a gorgeous day. It started off rainy and ended up with super clear skies and sunny, yet slightly chilly. It was as if I could feel the onset of fall coming. I absolutely love fall, it makes me so happy! For some reason my moods are very closely linked with the weather, and my memories too. If I could have 1 practical superpower it would be to control the weather (aside from manipulating time of course :P)...however I sure wouldn't tell, else people would know why winter ceased to exist (global warming?). Well enough of my blather, I'm sure tomorrow will be a better raw day. I'm going to start writing down what I eat, because that's what I did when I first went raw and it seemed to help. It also gave me a sense of accountability. Wish me luck!

Snacks!

2008-08-26T11:17:00.003-06:00

So, I never re-posted after I did my juice fast, which was about 2-3 days, but I did feel better after awhile, and I didn't even feel hungry. I think that I'm going to try it again once I get a juicer and can actually make some real juice!

Anyways...I signed up again on the Raw Food Talk forums today because I really do need the support. Today I've decided that it's time to make the change (again) and get back on track to raw. I know I'm constantly falling off and getting back on the wagon, but I figure as long as I don't give up then things will start to get easier.

So I've decided to start swimming again! It's such a fun way to get in shape, and it really is so aerobic and builds muscle as well. Today I'm going to WSU to check out their pool to see what's up and if I want to go there (I might as well since I can get in for free).

So here are 2 recipes for today, together they'd make for one tasty snack! I am going to make this as soon as I can dehydrate the crackers!!

Chunky Almond Hummus

Ingredients:

* 2 cups soaked almonds
* ½ cup tahini
* 1 large garlic clove, minced
* 2 large lemons, juice of
* ¼ to ½ teaspoons Celtic sea salt (to taste)
* 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
* 1 teaspoon basil

* Almonds should be soaked for 8 hrs

Directions:

1. Break down the almonds using a coffee bean grinder or food processor.
2. Put the broken down almonds into a food processor along with all the other ingredients. Try to achieve a smooth consistency. Add a little water if necessary.
3. Process until you have it the way you like it. Some people like chunky bits of nut to remain, while others like it smooth - or you could take half out while chunky and process the rest to smoothness - they actually do taste a little different!
4. Serve with green vegetables, such as lettuce, cabbage, and kale, or spread on flax
crackers. Also good, of course, as a dip.

And to eat the with the yummy hummus...

Flax seed crackers

There are many versions of flax crackers because you can pretty much add whatever you want to them! Here is a recipe from Karen Knowler that I tweaked a little:

2 cups flax seeds
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes
2 cups fresh tomatoes
Juice of 1 lemon
1 clove of fresh garlic +/or ½ large onion, chopped

What to do:

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor. Add water if a little too dry.
Press mixture flat onto a Paraflexx sheet into a large square or rectangle, making sure that the mixture stands only a few millimeters tall. (The thicker the cracker the harder to eat and the longer to dry).
Score the size of crackers you’d like with a knife or spatula before dehydrating. (I usually score the large square 3x3 or 4x4 depending on what I want to use them for).
Dehydrate around 115°F - 125°F overnight and flip over once one side is dry. Dry to completion.
Store in an airtight container, somewhere close to hand for when the cravings strike!

A true life challenge

2008-08-04T19:50:00.002-06:00

Warning: This post is long and boring and reeks of emotional baggage! Read at your own risk! :)

So I realized that it's been about 1 year since I first tried to go raw. Naturally I find myself thinking "so what did I learn?". Plenty!!! As a matter of fact, things are getting more and more complicated as I go along. I am still going off and on raw, but I'm trying! Recently I've admitted something to myself that I should have admitted years ago. I am a full blown, food addict! Trying to become raw has truly brought out things that I've tried to stuff in a dark corner of my psyche for years. No, I have never been obese, and yes, I could have a much more destructive relationship with food, but nonetheless I found myself displaying the symptoms of addiction over and over again within the last year. This is one challenge that I'll probably struggle with my whole life, but I am so grateful for what I have learned in regards to my health so far, and I know that the path I'm on will help me achieve freedom from the emotional connection that I have with food. I also know that if I hadn't been prompted to learn about these things that I would only get worse and slide further down the (chocolate covered) mountainside. I think that maybe it's different for everyone, the paths they choose for health, and I think that maybe we gravitate towards the diets that our individual bodies need for optimum health (that is once we've decided to be make healthy choices!). I'm really starting to believe that that no 1 diet is perfect for everyone.

I think the moment I really realized that I had a problem was when one day I was driving home from work, and I just felt like I had to have a chicken sandwich, and fries, and ranch, and a corndog, and some chocolate right now or else I would not be happy for days, and I couldn't stop myself! It was so sad! It was like there was another me inside me making me go to Wendy's when my "real self" was saying "no I don't really want this!" After gorging myself I felt so guilty, more than I ever have about food in my life. I wanted to crawl in a hole and never face myself again, because I felt like such a hypocrite, knowing what I know and still hurting my body with food! I haven't had a moment like that since, but I know that it could still creep up on me if I don't take preemptive measures. I realized that it was easy for me to hide my addictions from even myself, because looking at me no one would probably assume that I have problems with food, so I felt that if it wasn't manifested physically it must not be for real. But now I feel like everything is on the table and I can look at things objectively now, and I can see why I make some of the choices I do. Now I can sort of look in to my self and say "I know why you're doing that, and there is no truly good reason, so stop it!" Austin has helped me a lot too, he stops me from being compulsive and talks me out of my cravings, lol. Actually, I have started to crave really healthy food again. Right now I am seriously craving flax crackers with guacamole, and also bean sprouts big time. Odd!

So I also decided that a major thing that I've been neglecting is exercise. I know it will help me not just to become healthier physically, but also make me happier, less prone to hating myself, and make me feel like I am accomplishing something good. I think that when it boils down to it, any kind of addiction has it's roots in self loathing. I think that we all need to love ourselves more, especially me, because if I truly loved and cared about myself I would do everything it takes to constantly better myself. Does that sound self-centered? Maybe only if we stop caring about everyone but ourselves!

Anyways, for the first time in my life I feel like I have real, realistic goals, and I know what I need to do to achieve them! I've already set myself up on an exercise program, and I've set up my schedule hour by hour for each day so that I can stick with things (and I won't have "no time" as an excuse!). I am starting school back up again this semester, even though it's only 1 class, and I already feel so much better about that. The hardest thing is obviously going to be the food thing, but I know that I'll just take it 1 day at a time, and that's really all I can do. I also have spiritual goals that I'm working on, but that's a different conversation (although directly related)!

So right now for today I am juice feasting beacuse I made bad food choices over the weekend, but I'm really starting to get hungry! Actually it was worse around mid day, I actually feel ok right now. I don't know how people do this for 90 days, even a week seems like it would be torture! Oy! But now that I think about it, I might even be able to continue this juice fast for another day or so, just so I get all the gunk out of my system...it will help me feel like I'm starting anew. Let's see if I can do it :/

Musings

2008-06-30T12:23:00.004-06:00

So...I haven't yet left for my trip (I was supposed to leave 6 hrs ago >.<) so to pass the time I went through some of my other blog posts because I had forgotten a lot of the things I wrote. It's kinda like reading back through a journal and some of the things I said made me go "what?!" lol. I suspected they would though, since all of us are constantly changing, especially me (and my ideas). So I was reading one of my old posts where I said that I would "probably still eat molten chocolate lava cake once in awhile, because there was truly no raw version that could taste that good". The funny thing is, as of now I am not even craving that cake whatsoever! The thought of eating it just makes me cringe almost because my body can no longer easily handle that much sugar. I could probably take one bite and I'd be through. Now I'm sure that there is no raw version that would be exactly like the original, but why should it have to? When I break this down I think, "why do I want to eat molten chocolate lava cake?" and the answer is "chocolate!!!...and the compliment of ice cream on the side". Now, I've never been a huge ice cream fan (or dairy fan in general), so raw ice creams completely satisfy me. And I have seen some magnificent looking raw chocolate desserts which look even better than the lava cake. It's so funny how I hold on to certain cooked foods because somewhere deep down I feel like I need them, when really it's just the sugar addiction talking. On that note, I wanted to share another recipe from Russell James that looks to satisfy even the most rabid choco-holic.

Marbled Chocolate and Orange Tavoletta

For the crust

3/4c carob powder
1c almonds
1/2c dates
4T coconut butter
2t vanilla extract
2t cinnamon
1/4t salt

1. First process nuts, cinnamon, salt and carob powder into small crumbs.

2. Add dates, coco butter and vanilla extract and process again.

3. Press into the bottom of 9” square pan and place in fridge whilst working on filling.

Note: Before making this chocolate you should place the grated cacao butter in the dehydrator to melt. Alternatively you can melt it in a bowl over another bowl of hot water.

For the marbling

1c cashews
1T agave
1/4c coconut oil/butter
1/2c water
5T melted cacao butter

1. Mix all ingredients in a high power blender until completely smooth.

For the filling

2c cashews
1c orange juice
1T orange zest
2c cacao powder
1 1/2c grated cacao butter
2T vanilla
1c agave nectar

1. Mix the cashews, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, and agave nectar in a vita-mix until smooth.

3. Add cacao butter and cacao powder, and blend again.

4. Pour chocolate mixture onto base and use a spatula to achieve a level surface.

5. Drizzle the marbling mixture over the top in lines using a plastic bottle or a spoon. Drag a toothpick across the top to create the marble effect.

I realize that I share a lot of dessert recipes...but hey, can ya blame me?!

Something delish!

2008-06-29T20:55:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow I'm leaving for Bryce Canyon! We're gonna be there 2 days and have fun camping, hiking, taking pictures, all that fun stuff. I've never actually been there even though I live only about 4 hours away. I'll probably burn horribly, lol. Anyways, I thought I'd post a yummy recipe before I leave so that I can dream about making it when I get back. This trip is going to be tricky food wise, but I'm gonna make sure I have plenty of fresh fruit on hand, and maybe a couple pre-made salads. Still, I'm afraid the hotdogs and s'mores are gonna do me in! Must...resist...chocolate... Actually, my chocolate cravings are once again diminishing, because I find that carob completely satisfies me. So maybe it won't be as bad as I think. I've heard of such things as travel blenders that come with a cup so it's possible to have fresh smoothies on the road. Is that going too far?

Oh, I also wanted to share how excited I am over my new game Wii Fit. It's so fun, and cheaper than a gym membership (if you're lazy like me and don't like to leave the house much). You can do yoga, strength training, cardio, and balance exercises. It also keeps track of your weight and BMI, and helps you set goals. I'm going to play with it for a month and see if I improve any. Wii Sports is also very fun to play, and you can actually break a sweat if you get into it. I know it's hard to find a Wii, but it's worth it, even if one just uses it to improve their health! I am also doing my yoga dvds which I have been neglecting for far too long. I can't wait to feel like my spine is flexible and healthy again!

I found this recipe from The Daily Raw Cafe. It looks so unique and yummy!! This would be perfect as a dip for veggies, or if you're like me and love love love peas, you could probably just eat it with a spoon!

Sweet Pea Guacamole
3 cups fresh peas (or use a 20 ounce package of organic frozen peas, rinsed, defrosted and patted dry)
1 small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Juice of one lime
sea salt and pepper, to taste

1 Place peas, onion, jalapeno and garlic in food processor. Process until you achieve a smooth and creamy consistency.

2 Transfer into a bowl, stir in cilantro and lemon juice.

3 Season with sea salt and pepper.

It's been too long!

2008-06-28T10:07:00.005-06:00

Oy vey! I know I should update my blog more but I haven't had much to say lately! Well, I should have lots to say, but I wait so long to write that I forget everything that was interesting to talk about!

So, it's been almost (1 month shy or so) a year since I first decided to try raw, and I must say that I have learned sooooo much not only about the lifestyle but about myself. I've been on a few months, off a few months, but overall I'd say this year has been about half raw, half not. I know I shouldn't get down on myself though, because I was transitioning from a fullblown SAD diet, junk food and fast food every day, to a raw vegan diet. Hello, that transition is going to be hard! The more I read about the raw diet the more people I read about who have had the same challenges. In fact, I read about 1 person who took 5 years to transition to raw. This makes me feel so much better in knowing that I don't have to be perfect, just keep trying! I may not eat the healthiest on the planet, but I certainly eat light years healthier than I did a year ago. I've come to learn that the raw diet is not a destination, it's a journey, and even if I were to master the eating part it may still take years for me to embrace it emotionally.

Lately I've been doing the best I can with making good choices, and it's funny because instead of telling myself "I'm gonna eat 100% raw, or 90% raw today" I just eat what I want, and many times I do end up eating 100%. But I've decided we live in a very complicated world, that offers many yummy tasting foods, and that most things should be taken in moderation, and some things avoided completely. My goal is to get to the point where I don't have to consciously think about what I am eating, just eat what I want - and have these "wants" be the healthiest foods. Every day is a journey! I've also decided that I am not going to weigh myself or measure myself except in monthly increments. I don't want my life to revolve around my scale. In fact, I don't even want to really know how much I weigh because I don't want it to even to be an issue. Someday I will get to this point!

So anyway, enough with my blather. I found this recipe from Russell James who happens to be an amazing raw food chef. If you go to the link it will take you to his blog, and you can even sign up for his newsletter for even more delish stuff. The recipe is kinda complex, but it looks soooo worth it - just take a look at that pic!

Pomegranate Cheesecake with Clementine Gelato

For the base

1c cashews
2T agave
1/4c coconut oil
2t vanilla extract
¼t salt
2t lemon juice

• First process cashews to flour.

• Add remaining ingredients and process again.

• Press into the bottom of 9” springform pan and place in fridge whilst working on filling.

For the filling

3c cashews, soaked
1c coconut oil
1/2c lemon juice
2T vanilla extract
1/2t salt
3/4c agave
1 1/2c pomegranate juice
1/2c beetroot juice (optional, just for colour)

• Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth.

• Pour on top of the base.

• Place in the freezer to set. Once it’s set, the cheesecake can be moved to, and stored in, the fridge until ready to eat.

For the Clementine Gelato

2c cashews
½c coconut butter/oil
¼c agave nectar
1t vanilla extract
1c almond milk*
1c clementine juice
2t clementine zest
Pinch salt

• Blend all ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth.

• Pour mixture into a rectangular container and place in the freezer to set.

*Almond milk is made by blending 1c of almonds with 3c of water, and straining through a nut milk bag or sieve.

Something is happening to me

2008-05-11T21:50:00.003-06:00

Yes, something strange is happening to me and I don't really know how to explain it. I was thinking about all the horrible things going on in Darfur right now, and how much crap is going on in the world today. I know that I really shouldn't dwell on the negative all the time, and I know that all I can do is make a little difference, but I know that if we all made a "little difference" then we'd make a big difference, especially if we stopped caring less about celebrities and more about our worldwide brothers and sisters who are in danger. Now, I really don't think society is so far gone that we just don't care about these things happening, I just feel like we don't know what we can do about them, and we have our own busy lives to worry about, our own families, our own sets of problems. Lately I have been likening this to the way we treat our bodies, and the responsibility we should take for our own health. I think that it's easy to chalk it up to everyone just not caring, but really, we do care, even if we don't realize it until we are sick. I think that the main problem is that we just don't know what we can do, we don't know how to change our habits, and we have been so indoctrinated by people who care more about the bottom line than they do our health, that we believe what we are told and have these total misconstrued ideas about health and nutrition.

So, like I was saying, I feel like something is happening to me, and I can't stop it. The more I try to deny or ignore the things I've been learning the more sensible and apparent they become. The more I learn the more I see around me, and the more I worry about those who wonder why they are sick, and just don't know enough about what they can do to heal themselves without taking truckloads of meds. Tonight I was reading a book, New Choices in Natural Healing, and it was talking about how heart disease is really a 20th century disease. It quoted Thomas Edison as saying "the doctor of the future will give no medicines but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause of disease". Even Hippocrates said "let food be your medicine and medicine be your food". As I'm reading this book I'm getting this burning feeling in my chest, like my heart is so full and wanting to burst out of there! I know it was the Spirit talking to me and finally giving me answers to my prayers as to what I should do with my life. I want to educate people and help them. I want them to be able to see past what they think they know, and give them facts. I want to shout it from the rooftops, it's that important! And I know that the 1st step is making sure that I have my own life in order, so that I can be an example, and practice what I preach.

Ok, so enough about me and my blabbering for today. I'll try update soon! Ta-ta for now.

Summer = Produce Heaven

2008-05-03T12:37:00.002-06:00

I went to Macys foodstore this weekend, and yipee!! I am starting to see the first beginnings of summer based on the beautiful produce on display and the beautiful prices as well >;). Giant avocados, 4 for 5 dollars! Giant juicy pears, perfect tomatoes, giant pineapples...yum yum. The only drawback is...they're not...organic :*(. Now, it used to be that I got really hung up on this, because I know most raw foodists will absolutely not eat anything non-organic, but you know, I think that eating more fruits and veggies, even if they aren't organic, is still better than not. Don't get me wrong, I believe all the hype against the pesticides that are used, and I'd love to grow my own garden as soon as I can get some land, but until then I'm not going to stress over it. If the kicker is that I won't eat raw because I can't afford organic, then I won't buy organic. Still, I have found some great, cheaper organic foods that are worth the extra 10 cents per pound or so, including apples, bananas, spinach, lettuce, and sprouts. I have heard that organic broccoli is pretty cheap too, so I'll look into it.

Thankfully I live near peach country, where the hugest, most beautiful, tastiest, juiciest, most scrumptious peaches I've ever eaten are grown. This summer I am buying a box full! And I'll eat them all myself! There are also local farmers around here that grow cherries, one of my faves. I am doing what I can to find a farmer's market around here, because summer is really a raw foodists happy time (if you're like me where summer is actually a season, not a way of life). I'm sorry that I get into raptures over produce, lol. Speaking of it, I'm gonna go buy me some, and then bask in the sun...sounds like a satisfying Saturday to me :). Adios for now!

It's been forever !!

2008-05-03T12:05:00.003-06:00

Wow, it's been almost 2 months since I've written, I feel horrible!

To tell the truth, I'm still in the process of transitioning to raw, I am hitting some speed bumps on the road to health if you will. As of May 1st I have gone raw once again, and I feel better in 2 days than I have in 2 months! Despite my shortcomings, however, I have learned so much about myself, and really why I am doing this whole raw food thing anyway. I've been thinking too hard, trying to hard to be perfect, and stressing too hard over recipes! It's really easy to get caught up in the excitement of raw food, and want to create perfect, gourmet raw dishes that have an ingredients list a mile long, some of which are hard to find. I think I was starting to get caught up in this, and I couldn't see how easy it was just to modify a recipe to what I had in the house, or just enjoy something simple, like a tomato, just for the sake of it. Eating raw is so EASY, but I was making it hard!

Well, on August 1st or so, it will be the first year anniversary of me really trying out the raw food lifestyle. I hope that by then I can be fully transitioned, but if I can't, I'll keep trying. The other day, I realized something profound as I was biting into a beautiful, juicy ripe strawberry. In actuality, a perfectly ripe strawberry tastes better than pizza, it really does! The taste is sweet and yummy, it fills me with sunshine, and makes me feel light and happy. Now, when I take a bite of a piece of pizza, the addictive elements of the food go straight to my brain, and make me think "ooh this is really yummy I need more...MORE!" But in actuality, it makes me feel sluggish, fills me with grease, and makes my stomach upset and heavy. And when I break it down, I don't like cheese, bread, or tomatoes more than I like a strawberry, but it's the combination of those processed foods, the grease, the animal fats, and other addictive substances that make me believe I like it more. Food is so psychological, I really need to get to the bottom of this when it comes to me! I'm thinking of a juice fast, but I think that will come later, once I can get in solid comfort with my raw diet. I am at the point again where I'm really starting to crave fresh fruits and veggies...I dream about them!

I wonder, those who eat raw say that they look and feel younger...why is this? I have felt this way too, and I have a theory about why it works for me.

Eating raw reminds me of sunshine.
Sunshine reminds me of California.
California reminds me of my childhood.
Therefore, eating raw makes me feel younger! :)

I wonder if feeling younger inside translates to looking younger in my face?

So, last pondering of the day before I share a recipe. God has blessed me so much lately, and he's given me answers. Since I was 14 years old I've pondered the question "what I am supposed to do with my life?", and in the past 2 weeks I've gotten my answer. I understand now why I didn't get it right away, why He didn't just send down a little sticky note from heaven saying, "here is exactly what you need to do!" as soon as I asked. God knew that I had a lot of discoveries to make in regards to my body and my health, and He waited until I knew that it was right before he showed me what would make my life rewarding. I have decided that I am going to do a double major, in Health Promotion, and Art. The Art so I can become better, for myself, and do it on the side because I love it and it's a huge part of who I am...and the Health Promotion and Education so that I can make a difference by helping others make good health/food choices. I'd love to study nutrition as well. I would love to work with children, because the problem with obesity is effecting younger and younger generations. I would also love to work with prenatal care, and educating pregnant women on making the best food choices for their babies. I came to this conclusion one day as I was waiting for my husband outside the pizza place that he works at. They have an all-you-can-eat buffet there, and I saw a family with 2 overweight parents, and an overweight, sweet little girl walk in. I've never been so effected by my choice of health education as I was at that moment, because I realized that little girl was not there because she necessarily chose it, but because her parents maybe didn't know better. To think that the habits she is learning may lead to such diseases as juvenile diabetes or goodness knows what else, breaks my heart. I feel so much better now that I have a goal, and I really feel like I've found my calling. I know God answers prayers...I know that.

So, here is a great recipe that I found on the Raw Food Cafe (link on the left) that looks so yummy. I happen to have the ingredients too, I'm making it for lunch!!

Avocado Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup cashews
juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 head Romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, leaves only
2 ripe avocados, cut into small cubes

1 Combine oil, cashews, lime juice, agave nectar and cumin in a blender. Process until cashews are smooth and creamy. If needed, use water a 1/2 tablespoon at a time

to reach desired consistency.

2 Combine the lettuce and cilantro with the dressing in a large bowl. Top with the avocado pieces.

New Recipes!

2008-03-05T10:25:00.004-07:00

These past few days have been good! It's easy to eat healthy when there is a lot of healthy food in the house, but easy to eat badly when there is bad food. So I made a goal to use every last drop of the good food I have because I don't want to waste any. Also, I want to show Austin that I'm serious about it and will use it, because if I show him that it's something I'll stick with then he'll be more apt to agree that we buy a VitaMix, hehe. I also finished my recipe book! Of course it's just a fraction of the recipes out there, with all the books and online recipes, but I wanted to make something that I could share w/friends and family in case they ever want some healthy alternatives. Well, I'm almost positive now that I am indeed lactose intolerant, because I haven't eaten dairy in days, and my bloaty, gassy symptoms stopped. I was never a big dairy person in the first place, and now I think it will help me avoid things like cheese. Plus, I think that giving the excuse of "I'm lactose intolerant" when declining dairy is more acceptable than "I'm a raw foodist" lol. So I read something ironic today, along the lines of my last post. As I was coming to terms with the fact that I'll never have a figure like Nicole Kidman's, I read in a magazine that she's "wanted Marilyn Monroe curves her whole life". I guess it's true for all of us, even celebrities, that we only want what we can't have. I am for sure making my pizza bread tonight, finally! I also found this recipe for raw veggie pizza with a nut based crust that looks way good, so I'll make it soon and share it.

So the other day by accident I made a shake that tasted just like an Orange Julius! It was sooo good. I also made some chocolate pudding, and some raw spaghetti!:

Orange Julius

half a banana
juice from 2 oranges
8 oz almond milk, or vanilla almond milk
1 tsp vanilla extract (omit if using van alm milk)
ice

It comes out very nice and frothy, just like a "real" orange julius. Scrumdidlyumptious!

Chocolate Pudding

1 avocado
1/4 C carob powder
squirt of agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla
water to blend

Ok, so I just put all this in a blender, adding water as I went...but...I'm pretty sure this recipe would be TONS yummier if instead of water I used almond milk, and used an electric mixer to make it creamier instead of my crappy blender. I could also substitute cacao powder instead of carob, but for me, that would be way too chocolaty.

It doesn't look very creamy but that's my blender's fault.

Raw Spaghetti

sauce:
1 tomato
dash of oragano
dash of garlic powder
drizzle of olive oil

noodles:
zucchini strips

Just pour sauce on top and eat! I'm not gonna lie, I'm not a huge fan of zucchini, so I didn't eat much of this. I am thinking of trying butternut squash next time instead. The sauce was good though.

Recipe book

2008-03-01T16:48:00.003-07:00

I have amassed so many recipes online that I've decided I'm going to make my own, personal raw food recipe book! I figure I'll have around 30 recipes or so, and I can put them in a 3 ring binder so that I can continue to add to it. All the recipes I've found are free and are just shared throughout the world wide web, so if there is anyone who is interested in getting a copy of my book just let me know and I'll print you a copy for free (when it's done of course, which may take awhile, who knows!)!

I also recommend Alissa Cohen's Living on Live Food as that has many, many great recipes!

Update!! NO more diets!!

2008-03-01T15:40:00.005-07:00

Ok, it has been TOO long since I've written, what is wrong with me? Well, the 100% raw challenge hasn't gone super well...I've been about 60-80%...but, I learned something about myself. Well it's pretty obvious to me that I'm an emotional eater, but I never realized how much so. First of all, I really need to stop the whole "diet" mentality, it's what causes me to fail every time. I thought that I was strong enough to do the raw challenge for 30 days, but I realized that once I start to challenge my body it challenges me right back...and it always wins! The stupid thing is that it's all in my head too. I know that if I just told myself "ok, you can eat whatever you want for 30 days" then I'd probably choose yummy raw things that I love and know are good for me. But if I tell myself "ok, you are only going to eat 100% raw foods every day" then those cravings start to pop up, and I slip. So ya know what? NO MORE DIETS FOR ME! Forever!!!!!! From now on, I'm taking the knowledge I've gained (and hope to gain lots more continually) and I'm just going to make the healthiest choices in regards to what I put in my body. Since I believe that raw foods are the best for me, I will be eating mostly them. I realize now that eating raw foods is not a "diet", but an ideal, a lifestyle. It's a conscious choice, every day, to nourish my body in every way. Since today is March 1st, and I just got back from grocery shopping, I'm going to get my mentality back on track, and start to eat as healthy as I possibly can, because I love my body, and I'm grateful for it. I've found that when I'm tempted to hurt my body, if I repeat this phrase - "my body is a gift" - over and over I feel better, and I realize the truth of it.

On a different note, it's almost spring, and that makes me want to jump for joy. It rained today, and I didn't even mind it - I like rain. But then it turned to snow...BLAH! Oh well, it was 50 degrees there for awhile, and that is warm, so I can't complain!

Well, I said that I would post my measurements for March 1st, and I'd better do it. I hope I haven't done too much damage these past 2 weeks! My digital camera is stupidly dead (again!) so I can't take a picture, but I'll try to post one soon. I'm only going to measure the parts of me that matter, however, because some things like my neck, wrists, ankles...those aren't going to change, lol.

Bust - 40 3/4 - 3/4 gain
under - 34 - same
Waist - 34 1/2 - 1 3/4 in. loss
Hips - 40 - 3/4 gain
Butt - 39 3/4 - 1/4 gain
Thigh - 18 - 1 1/2 in. loss
Calf - 15 - same
Bicep - 11 - same

Ok so overall, since Feb 1st, I lost 1 1/2 inches, lol. Weird how I gained on some parts and lost on other parts? I am hoping that by Austin's birthday, May 6th, I will be a lot closer to my ideal size, because I want to look good for him! I have finally embraced my body shape, and I realize that I'll never be a statuesque beauty like Nicole Kidman or Uma Thurman, it's just ain't happening. I think it's ok to be short and curvy! Look at Salma Hayek, she looks dang good! She's 5'2", and will always be voluptuous. She happens to have around the same body type as me, with bigger than average hips and bosoms for her height.

I only wish I could look that good someday! But with my own face :P. Ya know, I'm sick of thinking that I "shouldn't" wear this or that, because I'm too chubby, or my legs are too muscular, etc...I've decided that I just don't care anymore! As long as I'm healthy I am going to wear what I want, what I think looks cute, because I like the clothes more than what the clothes look like on me. I'll never be a supermodel, but why should I have to miss out on wearing cute things just because they might not look AS good on me? It's stupid! I'd still only wear what is flattering though, no tube tops or anything crazy, lol. I've realized that I can only be what I am - nothing more, nothing less. Here's to women of every shape and size embracing their unique bodies! Cheers!

The REAL Day 2 of raw challenge!!

2008-02-12T22:50:00.007-07:00

Wowzers, tonight I made the raw burritos from the video that's posted on this blog, and they were seriously so good I ate 4 of them!! I modified the salsa to my liking though, using just tomatoes, a bit of onion (I am slowly trying to learn to like them raw), and fresh parsley. I've decided parsley is a great alternative if you hate cilantro (like me). It gives food a nice flavor, reminicent of cilantro, but without the overpowering blast of kick in the face. I also used some black olives (which aren't really raw but oh well), and the mock cheese from the video (the miso makes it tasty!) and wrapped all it up in a giant romaine leaf (didn't use the cabbage). Mmm scrumptious! The only thing that would have made them better would be to add guacamole, and I couldn't because my avos aren't ripe. I've had some bad luck with avocados lately - either they're too ripe and nasty or too hard and green! These burritos were so good that I actually am FULL from them! I haven't really had that "full" feeling at all since I've been eating raw, but tonight it was like I ate too much before I realized how full I was, and then it hit me! Still, feeling full on veggies isn't such a crime eh?

So, I've been 100% raw (besides the olives and miso but seriously...i'm not THAT obsessive) for 2 days now, and I can tell you that I certainly feel a difference between being 100% and 90%. I wouldn't think that 10% makes a difference, but I have more energy than I did in January. I also have less cravings. Er..make that NO cravings, really...except for raw pizza! I want to start my dough but I haven't yet! It's amazing, so I'll see how I feel after 30 days and modify my diet accordingly. Today's fixins were:

apple
2 bananas
5 cookies
4 raw burritos

It doesn't seem like much but I ate a lot of nuts today, which are very filling, and I don't feel deprived of food at all.

Also, I shared some of my raw cookies with some co-workers and they ALL liked them! It was amazing, I felt so proud, lol. I feel sooo much happier today, which is a complete contrast to this past weekend. Oh, and I also resisted getting anything from Taco Bell when hubby stopped there, even though I was very tempted to buy some pinto beans in a cup to add to my burritos. I am happier now knowing that I stuck with 100% raw today. Well, more tomorrow!

Raw Chocolate Chip cookies!

2008-02-11T22:34:00.000-07:00

These have been waiting a long time to make their debut. I have found a few really tasty sounding recipes online, but the one I used today was from Alissa Cohen's book. I had fun making them last night and tonight I had fun eating them! They smell like "real" cookies, and kinda look like them, but they have a taste that is all their own - a deliciously tasty taste! :)~

I'll have to experiment with more recipes to find the "perfect" cookie substitute!

Raw Chocolate Chip Cookies:

Dough:

1 C cashews

1 C walnuts

1 C dried apricots (soaked for 2 hrs)

1/2 C raisins (soaked for 2 hrs)

1 Tbs honey

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 C water - or less for thicker dough

Chocolate Chips:

1/2 C dried apricots (soaked for 4 hrs)

1/2 C carob powder

1/4 C water

1/2 Tbs honey

For Dough:

In a food processor blend the cashews and walnuts into a fine powder. Remove from food processor and set aside. In FP blend the remaining dough ingredients until smooth. Add in

cashew and walnut mixture and blend again until smooth. Remove dough from processor and form into cookies on a dehydrator screen.

For Chips:

In a blender add the ingredients and blend well until creamy. Place small bits of the chocolate chip batter onto the tops of the cookies and press into cookies. Dehydrate the chocolate chip cookies at 105 degrees for 6-12 hrs (more like 18 hrs in my case).

***

Maybe I am doing something wrong but I swear I need to dehydrate things much longer than recipes call for, because they refuse to get "hard". Maybe they're not supposed to? Who knows. I am going to start my pizza dough tonight, because I'm seriously craving it. I can't wait till more foods come into season so I can make a greater variety of things.

Another thing I'm excited about is sharing my food creations/knowledge/experiences with people. My mom and sister are two of the only people who haven't thought I am crazy for eating this way. What I really want to do is get together with whoever wants to and have a "raw day"! It could start with breakfast and end with dinner, with snacks in between. I'd love to show my family how to prepare raw things and share recipes! I want people to be able to see how many things they'll actually like and how there are endless possibilities. Of course, I would never consider myself an expert, since I haven't even mastered the lifestyle myself, but I am still in the position to share what I know with whoever wants to listen! I've learned that eating raw can take more time and preperation than eating cooked, but I've decided that since it's my health on the line, it's time well invested.

Back on track!! And caesar dressing!

2008-02-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

So the past week has been hard for me emotionally. I felt sooo out of whack, and this in turn throws everything else out of whack. I wish that I was stronger, but I'm one of those people who's every aspect of life needs to be balanced in order for me to function normally. I swear I'll never get a stress related ilness because I'd shut down way before I'd get to that point! I think it's the fact that winter is almost over, and I'm depressed because it's not ending fast enough. I can only take so much of winter before I start going crazy! My mom had me borrow this book of hers called "Eat, Pray, Love", and it's just what I need to read right now. It's really helping me feel less crazy, and happier - more insightful. It's helping me see that I'm not the only one who has freak out sessions!

Anyway, so I've eaten way too much crap this past week, and I can feel it. I am waking up stuffy again, I feel bloated, and I really hope I'm not gaining back pounds/inches. Bottom line: I don't want to undo all the good I've done because of 1 crappy week. So, today is "officially" the first day of my 100% raw challenge, lol. Also, I don't want to get discouraged by measuring myself, in case I packed on a little more, so I'm only going measure myself once a month (the next update will be March 1st!)

First off, I wanted to share some good deals that I found! I went to Costco over the weekend and found a huge jar of sundried tomatoes for only $8. Also at Costco I found a 3 lb. bag of dried apricots for about $7.50 (they have other fruits too) which will last me forever! They also sell raw nuts in bulk bags, which are slightly cheaper than if you were to buy them at a health food store (but not by much). Also, all the produce I bought over the weekend was organic, and it really wasn't that much more expensive at all. I got a whole head of romaine for something like $2, which is enough for 3-4 large salads. Same with spinach. On a side note, why is spinach so dang dirty when I buy it? Anyways, all I did was put my greens in a colander, clean off the leaves bit by bit, then stored them in a huge ziplock bag for easy grabbing when I want a salad! My system is working out well. I used to be intimidated by lettuce, as stupid as that sounds, and I always just bought the bagged stuff. But now that I know how easy (and much cheaper!) it is to prepare heads of lettuce for salads I am much more confident when it comes to eating greens!

my lovely romaine! what tasty, leafy delights

Please keep in mind that I am still sort of a novice when it comes to dealing with fresh fruit and veggies, since I grew up in a processed, boxed, frozen fooded world. Anyway, so this morning I had an organic banana and apple for breakfast, and a yummy salad of romaine, spinach, cucumbers and tomatoes with raw caesar dressing for lunch (the one from Alissa's book). The dressing was so good! The pine nuts really do resemble a parmasean or feta type of cheese. I didn't thin it out enough though, it could use some tweaking. I also didn't use all the ingredients, like the date and the garlic. It probably would have been more flavorful if I had.

Raw Caesar Dressing - (from Living on Live Food)

1 C pine nuts1

Tbs flax oil

1 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/3 C olive oil

1 date, pitted and soaked

1 large or 2 small cloves garlic

2 1/2 Tsb lemon juice

2 Tbs water

1/2 Tbs white miso

salt as needed

1. In a food processor, blend the pine nuts, flax oil, and sea salt until grainy

2. Remove and place in small bowl

3. In a blender combine the remaining ingredients until smooth

4. Pour this mixture in with the pine nuts and mix by hand

**Try not to cream the pine nuts, because the grainy texture will give it a cheesy taste.

Organic produce

2008-02-06T00:37:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been so ridiculously long since I've written anything of note! These past few days have not gone so well, but it's been a learning experience. Firstly, I am SO not prepared to be 100% raw until maybe Thursday, because I have no money! I have been surviving on free handouts from friends and cheap fruits like apples and oranges. On that note, I bought some organic produce today! I swear the prices at Good Earth were as low as Smith's, if not lower, and the fruit was much better quality. I can't really taste a difference in the apples and oranges (I do in the bananas though), but it's good to know that I don't have to bust my wallet just to eat healthier. Tomorrow is plasma center again, so I won't have any time before work to go shopping. I don't have time after either, since the store closes at 8 and I'm off at 9. Man, 1-9 is a crappola shift, it's like my whole day is gone. I guess I could get up at 7am and do stuff, but I am a night owl, so it's not happening!

I slipped up big time this morning, because for lunch I ate a large fries from Carl's Jr. Now that I think about it, it's total EEW, knowing what they put in those things. But when I'm late to work, I haven't eaten, and I have no food to bring with me, I feel like I have no choices and end up eating something crappy. And afterwards I payed the price big time! I felt so lethargic and lazy, and my stomach hurt bad. I have never once felt that way after eating anything raw. So, even though eating french fries is unhealthy, at least it showed me how my body reacts when I feed it such unnatural things, and that helps me learn.

I have my modest little shopping list that I calculated will make 8 yummy recipes, plus snacks, but I just haven't gone out and bought them, since it's the first of the month and >>rent<< is my highest priority right now (blah). So once I get my finances in order it's shopping time! Then I'll be able to update more, and post some more yummy raw recipes. I am amassing soooo many! The internet is such a great source, and people are so creative and willing to share! Someday soon I am going to compile a book of recipes that I can add to, so that I always have good ideas for meals. I need a week off or something to get my bearings, and time to do everything that I need to do. How can I expect to get my life in order when things are so chaotic around me? UGH, why do I have to spend all my time making money, which barely pays the bills anyway? Oh well, enough ranting! There will be something yummy posted soon, I promise!

Day 2 of challenge!

2008-02-03T03:17:00.000-07:00

Ok I admit it...today wasn't the best day. I was such a bum!! I was supposed to go shopping, but I'll have to do it tomorrow! I'm thinking that I am going to really "start" my challenge tomorrow, because the past couple days have been strange/lazy days. I feel like there is some unseen force working on me that wants me to fail, and I won't let it win.

Well, I went online to research what might have triggered my panic attack yesterday, and I got a little freaked out about vitamin B12. A deficiency can trigger those symptoms, however, I really, honestly doubt that I have a B12 deficiency, especially since I've only been eating raw for a month, lol. Still, I have decided that the healthiest way to go about getting enough B12 is probably to supplement, so I'll have to check that out when I go to Good Earth next.

So the other day I had some tomato soup (not raw), and I forgot how much I love it! So today I searched to see if there were any decent raw substitutes, and I found this video on YouTube. Sounds sooo good I can't wait to try it!

Also....omigosh, I had to post this picture of Alissa Cohen's raw chocolate cake. I have this strange habit of staying up late to look at pictures of raw food. Obsessed much ya think?!!

Measurements 1/31/08

2008-02-02T00:07:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know I was supposed to have a picture to go with this, but my camera is charging so maybe tomorrow...anyway, here are my measurements for the last week of the month!

1/31/08

Neck - 13 3/4 - no change
Bust - 39 - lost 1 inch
under - 34 - same
Waist - 36 1/4 - same
Hips - 39 1/4 - lost 3/4 in
Butt - 39 1/2 - lost 1 in
Bicep - 11 - lost 1/2 in
forearm - 9 - lost 1/4 in
wrist - 6 1/2 - same
Thigh - 19 1/2 - same
Calf - 15 - same
mid - 12 - same
ankle - 9 1/4 - same

Total: 3 1/2 inches lost

So far, for 1 month, I have lost (if my calculations are correct) 18 1/4 inches! I hope this isn't a gross exaggeration lol.

On another note, my 1st day of my raw challenge didn't go so well. I don't know why but I had a panic attack tonight, and it was the weirdest panic attack I've ever had. I haven't even had one for years, so I am wondering if it has something to do with what I am eating (or not eating)? I don't think I ate enough today, that could be the problem. For some reason I felt very disconnected from reality, and I wasn't thinking straight. All I could think of was "get some food" so I went to Taco Bell, because it was closest, and got a burrito. If I was thinking clearer, and not freaking out at that moment, I might have picked a healthy raw option, but tonight was a weird acception. Anyway, I feel lots better now, and I am already making a shopping list for everything I'm going to buy tomorrow to make next week 100% raw!

30 day raw food challenge!

2008-01-30T22:24:00.000-07:00

So I was browsing the rawfoodtalk forums, and I decided it's time that I try the 30 day raw food challenge, for February (which is only 29 days but ya). I think that I am prepared enough that I can go 100% for 1 month. I want to do it so I can know that I can! Although I already eat mostly raw, it would be a good way to force myself to learn how to sprout grains and beans, instead of cook them, and I think it will also help me stay on track when it comes to raw so that I don't give up after 1 month again. The forums are great! You can chat with other people who are going for the same goals, and share success stories and recipes. So, February 1st is the day! I think that if I was to try the challenge for January I would have failed, but I feel like I have a solid foundation now, and I really think I can do it...I should say, I know I can do it! I'm going to have to be very strict on myself though, and make sure that I am uber prepared with recipes and food. Wish me luck (or I should say, wish me willpower)!

*It's also going to be very important that I eat enough so I can get complete protein, but I am confident I can do it (I also have the plasma center to regulate it).

Oh and I still haven't got what I need for the pizza bread, because I can't afford to buy any sundried tomatoes until next week :(. Boo for only getting paid once a month!

An interesting day

2008-01-29T03:21:00.000-07:00

I am in kind of a rambling mood so I apologize/warn in advance! Well, over the weekend I went shopping with my cute little sis, and I needed some new pants, so I was having a dilemma: which size pants to buy? I am dedicated to raw food now, and I know that consequently I will shed inches, so I bought some pants that are 1 size too small. This will give me something to look forward to! One of the pairs is "skinny jeans" which I've never worn, but I know that when I can fit into them that I'll look proportionate and less like an orange on 2 toothpicks.

I had a craving all day for a pizza bread wrap stuffed with veggies, and covered in Caesar dressing...omg yum. Luckily, Alissa Cohen has great raw recipes in her book for this. I can't wait to make it! I wish I had thought of it earlier though, because today I had nothing to bring with me to work, and I was starving, so I went to the grocery store on my break. I must say, sometimes I do stupid things for no good reason and I don't know why. Example: wandering around the store on my break and choosing, of all things, microwaveable macaroni and cheese, just because it was $1. It seems as if the part of me who used to eat that junk surfaced for a moment and it "seemed like a good idea at the time". Nevermind that the ingredients list was a mile long and included, among chemicals I'd never heard of, palm oil. To me, if mac and cheese contains palm oil, well then something isn't right. Anyway maybe it's mostly because I've been eating mostly raw, whole food for 3 weeks, but I could only eat a few bites of the mac and cheese (which was bland, totally not worth it) and I felt like I was going to hurl. It was weird, I've never had a reaction like that to any food before (the flu is the exception). I swear the only thing that kept me from being sick was my heavenly Jonagold apple. It was the antidote to my poison.

So I've come to the conclusion that some days are really good raw food days, where every recipe turns out scrumptious, and then other days the raw food gods like to point and laugh, and play a few jokes. Today was one of the latter. Being as I have a sick sense of humor, I've decided to document it with pictures too! Anyway, tonight was supposed to be wheat crackers (not raw, but I'm working on making my own) topped with slices of tomato and avocado, and 1 olive. So I thought while I was at Smiths that I'd try one of their organic avocados...ya that was my first mistake. I took it home, all eager for it's deliciousness, and then disaster struck. Let this be a lesson - never and I repeat, never, eat an avocado that looks like this, or you just might...well, die. I'm serious. :)
Needless to say I will not be going to Smiths again for my organic produce...that is just gnarly. So, sans the avocado I still managed to make some pretty little tomato sandwiches, that I was greatly excited to eat...
...that was until my cat decided that she needed to sit on my lap, and then proceed to jump on the table with my beautiful creations. Sadly, I watched my dinner transform into this, right before my eyes:And it saddened me. Luckily, however, I still had a bit of tomato left over, so I just made a few more sandwiches and ate them along with a small bag of raw sweet potato chips.

Tomorrow I am going to the store to grab everything I'll need to make pizza bread and wraps. I hope they are good!

Cheesy Chips

2008-01-26T10:32:00.001-07:00

I adapted this recipe for cheesy chips from Alissa Cohen's book:

1 sweet potato
2 Tbs olive oil
salt
nutritional yeast

Slice the sweet potato paper thin using a spiral slicer (or I just used my food processor). Brush on some olive oil, sprinkle salt and nutritional yeast. Dehydrate at 105 degrees for 8-10 hrs. Leave off the nutritional yeast if you just want a classic salty chip!

I'm not gonna lie, these are really good. The greenish stuff you see is the nutritional yeast, which really does taste cheesy. I could snack on these during a movie and not even miss popcorn or white, fatty potato chips! The best thing is (and I know that I shouldn't be thinking of calories but you can't beat this), 1 potato makes a ton of chips and the whole batch only has about 350 calories. A bag of lays would have that many in a small bag!

Some fun facts on the sweet potato:

Nutritionally, sweet potatoes are an excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of potassium and vitamin C, B6, riboflavin, copper, pantothetic acid and folic acid. Despite their "sweetness" they have been shown to stabilize blood sugar levels and lower insulin resistance, making them a beneficial food for diabetics. The sweet potato is not in the yam family, nor is it closely related to the common white potato. Therefore, it is not included as part of the nightshade family and does not contain the toxin solanine. Because of this, sweet potatoes pose no risk when eaten raw! However, they should probably be eaten in moderation, or with other foods, because raw sweet potatoes contain a trypsin inhibitor that can make them hard to digest.

Raw Balls, and Eggless Deviled Eggs

2008-01-25T01:33:00.000-07:00

Ok, so "raw balls" sounds kinda funny, and there are many different versions, but I invented my own! I guess pretty much everything could be considered a "raw ball" as long as it's raw, and shaped into a ball, but I wanted to make something that would be a good dessert, and also help me get enough calories for the day. So I made chocolate and vanilla treats, and they were scrumptious!
Rachael's Raw Balls (tee hee):

base:
2/3 C macadamia nuts (can use walnuts for less fat)
2/3 C cashews
2/3 C shredded, dried coconut

chocolate sauce:
1/8 C honey
1/8 C carob powder
salt
bit of water to blend

vanilla mix:
2 Tbs raw almond butter, heaping
1 Tbs vanilla extract
salt for zing
bit of water for thinning

Put all the base ingredients in a food processor and blend until slightly chunky. Add to either chocolate or vanilla sauce, mix in a bowl, and form into balls. Refrigerate or freeze to harden. Enjoy!

~~~~~~

This next recipe was taken from Raw Baby Alex, and it's Egg-less Deviled Eggs:

Hollowed out cucumber pieces, filled with the following:

2 cups cashews - (Ground fine in the coffee grinder, or food processor)
Celery diced fine
1 Green onion diced fine
Garlic powder to taste
Mustard powder
Ground black pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons pure water

I placed all the ingredients into a bowl and stirred until it was all incorporated. Add more water for blending if necessary. Spoon mixture into the hollowed out cucumber pieces. Sprinkle the tops with paprika. Serve chilled.

Ok, so mine don't look very "egglike", but I was in a hurry! Still, they were tasty! I actually recommend going easy on the mustard powder, and maybe only using either the garlic powder or the onion, depending on how spicy you like them! I also imagine they would taste good with some chopped black olives thrown in for more zing, but I didn't try it so don't take my word for it! This recipe also inspired me to come up with one of my own, so I will be sure to make it soon, and share it if it's good!

Measurements - 1/24/08

2008-01-25T01:27:00.000-07:00

Neck - 13 3/4 (no change)
Bust - 40 (lost 3/4 inch)
under- 34 (no change)
Waist - 36 1/2 (lost 3/4 inch)
Hips - 40 (lost 1/2 in)
Butt - 40 1/2 (no change)
Bicep - 11 1/4 (lost 1/4 in)
Forearm - same
Wrist - 6 1/2 (same)
Thigh - 19 1/2 (same)
Calf - 15 (lost 3/4 in)
mid calf - 12 (same)
Ankle - 9 1/4 (lost 1/4 in)

Total: 3 1/4 inches lost this past week

I'll post an updated picture next week! That will mark 1 month! Also, I think that I am going to start giving my measurements monthly as well, because I think I'm past the stage of rapid weight loss, so my measurements might not change much from week to week.

Snacks!! and an update..

2008-01-24T01:45:00.000-07:00

My goodness, I haven't written in nearly a week because I've been so busy! I did feel that it was important for me to address something though, in regards to calories. On one of my past posts I mentioned I was only getting about half the calories I should have been eating...and that's bad! I would never encourage anyone to eat that little of food, but I wasn't feeling very well that week, so I wasn't very hungry. I think that it's hard for a lot of raw foodists to get in the daily nutrients/calories (unless you're eating cocao butter pie), so I thought I might post some snacks that are easy and tasty, to help meet those needs. I should say, however, that when we're eating the foods that are the best for our bodies, calories shouldn't be first on our minds, rather, we should be focusing more on eating enough of these good foods.

Good snacks!: (these calorie counts are all approximate)

Stalk of celery, or 6 baby carrots with 2 TBS raw almond butter - 210-230 calories

6 average whole wheat crackers w/ 2 TBS almond butter - 310 calories
(if you choose to eat raw crackers I don't know the calorie count, but it won't matter much because they are healthier)

6 whole wheat crackers with slice of tomato, avocado, and 1 olive - 160 calories

Sweet potato chips (1 sweet potato, sliced thin, dehydrated with 1 Tbs olive oil and salt) - 180 calories

1 sliced apple with 2 Tbs almond butter - 250 calories

1 tangerine with handful of walnuts - 360 calories

~~~~~~~

I also invented 2 new recipes today! I know, me invent recipes? That's unpossible! I will test them and share if they end up good!

Anyway, an update on how things are....well, I wanted to list some benefits that I've noticed so far, after being mostly raw for 3 weeks:
- Skin is softer and more supple
- No insomnia
- I am not depressed, my mood is balanced (even despite the fact that it's mid-winter!)
- digestive upsets are gone, no gas or indigestion
- eyes are brighter, teeth and gums healthier
- not tired during the day
- improved memory
- not stuffy when I wake up

Also, 2 strange things happened to me yesterday. First, I actually got a "happy buzz" off eating a carrot! Usually I only feel that way after eating chocolate chip cookies, but I swear, when I was eating my salad my body had the same "yay!" reaction. It was odd! Another strange thing is that I found out I really truly like spinach! Who would have thunk it? I am starting to crave vegetables, and I want them more than fruit even. I haven't even thought about chocolate lately, my carob powder keeps me satisfied! It's so weird because I used to be able to eat a bucketfull of sugar every day, but now even sweetener like honey is too strong sometimes. I've found that as much as I love fruit, I really can't eat a ton of it without feeling way bloated. Also, I don't like eating it past lunchtime either, it just doesn't seem appetizing. Weird! Lots of weird (I like that word) things seem to be happening to me, when I really think about it, but overall I still feel pretty much normal!

I feel like my body is cycling through my addictions, getting rid of each, one at a time. My first one was caffeine, which wasn't too hard to get over, and I really don't miss soda at ALL. It's much, much too sweet for me, and I won't touch aspartame. Next was sugar, which wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, thanks to natural sweeteners, fruit, and my friend carob, lol. Now that my need for sugar has pretty much passed, I think my body has moved on to salt. It seems like I still have to put salt on most everything just for it to taste good, and not bland. I am going to try experimenting with herbs and spices so that I can get lots of flavor without the need for salt. I've already avoided much of it by not eating packaged and processed food. I wonder if there is such thing as a fat addiction? I read somewhere that when people crave meat they are most always just craving fat, so maybe there is such a thing. I wonder if that's next for me?

Measurements 1/17/08

2008-01-18T09:19:00.000-07:00

These are late, but here are my latest weekly measurements as of yesterday!

Neck - 13 3/4 (no change)
Bust - 40 3/4 (3/4 inch lost)
under - 34 (inch lost)
Waist- 37 (no change)
Hips - 40 1/2 (3/4 lost)
Butt - 40 1/2 (inch)
Thigh - 19 1/2 (1/2 lost)
Calf - 15 3/4 (3/4 lost)
mid - 12 (1/4 lost)
ankle - 9 1/2 (no change)
Bicep - 11 1/2 (1/4 lost)
Forearm - 9 1/4 (no change)
Wrist - 6 1/2 (1/4 lost)

So if I did my math right that is a total of 5 1/2 inches lost this week! That means my grand total is 14 1/2 inches so far! That makes me feel a lot better because my weight went up around 7 lbs when I was last weighed at the plasma center, which drives home the point that while weight fluctuates, measurements are more accurate.

Today I feel pretty good, and hungry like I thought I would! Yesterday I was only able to eat bananas because I had acid reflux SO bad. I wonder if acid reflux is a detox symptom or if I just had it for some other reason? Who knows. Today I'm going to the library to pick up some books on raw food, as well as other inspirational books. Namely I am interested in reading something by Gabriel Cousens. I'll try to be back later with a new recipe!

Food Pyramids and Disease

2008-01-16T22:46:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be interesting to compare the American food pyramid, with the Asian pyramid that I found, to see how our priorities lie in regards to nutrition. First we have the American food pyramid:

This pyramid advocates eating 2-3 servings of dairy, and 2-3 servings of meat daily. Fats and oils are "use sparingly", which shows how stuck on "low fat" we still are. Also, maybe it's just me, but 6-11 servings of grain seems a little much to eat in 1 day. This doesn't even specify whole grain, but mentions pasta, and bread. It also mentions nothing about the beverages we should be consuming. Still, if Americans actually ate this way, I think we'd still be tons healthier than we are now.

Lets move on to the Asian Diet food pyramid that I found:

Wow, if Americans ate like this imagine the health benefits! First off, this pyramid includes daily physical activity which is something most of us obviously don't get. It also specifies noodles and breads, but adds & other whole grains, which is very important. Notice how there are no serving sizes, and how grains, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, veggies, and veggie oils are the only things that should be eaten daily. Notice how the oils is not placed at the top to be used "sparingly", probably because this diet is naturally low in fat, so there is no problem with oil. Also in the "optional daily" is fish and shelfish or dairy. Red mead is ranked as monthly (which is even less than sweets!), and poultry and eggs weekly. I also like how beverages are included.

There is no question in my mind which one is healthier, but it seems like it all comes down to mentality. We as Americans have the mentality that dairy and meat are healthy, good foods, that are pretty much ranked equally with fruits and veggies (according to the serving sizes on the pyramid), and I believe this is wrong. If our pyramid looked more like the Asian pyramid, and we actually ate that way (and we incorporated exercise!) I think that as a society we'd be so much healthier, and could avoid many of the diseases that are so commonplace.

On the subject of disease, why are we so resigned to it? Should we just accept it as inevitable? Chalk it up to bad luck or genetics? I say no. While there are many conflicting theories as to what causes disease, I believe the biggest reason is toxicity of the body, especially the glandular system. I also believe that our bodies can heal themselves of disease when they are functioning optimally. Now what can we do to ensure that our bodies are functioning optimally? That is the billion dollar question! It is what I'm in search for, and right now, the closest I've come to an answer is "eat more whole foods, especially raw ones". They contain everything the body needs, and in the exact amounts and compositions that nature intended!

Beans, the wonder food

2008-01-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

If you are like me and want a good source of protein besides animal, where can you turn? BEANS! Beans are a great source of iron, B vitamins, folic acid, potassium, selenium, magnesium, and even some calcium. They are also a good source for soluble and insoluble fiber! Beans provide little fat and absolutely no cholesterol. A serving of beans provides about 120 calories, and the carbs are low on the glycemic index, which means they do not cause a steep rise in blood sugar, as do many other carbs. With as much protein (7 grams) in a 1/2 cup of beans as in an ounce of meat, legumes can provide many tasty options for meatless meals. However, beans are not considered a complete protein, because they lack the amino acid methionine. Including grain products such as corn, rice, and wheat (these all contain methionine) as part of a balanced diet, within 24 hours, will complete the set of essential amino acids.To reduce the explosive properties of dry beans, it is necessary to soak them for 2-4 hours, drain the soak water, and then let them simmer and cook for another 2 or so hours, depending on the type of bean. Once they are done cooking, if you again discard the water and rinse they will lose much of the indigestible sugars that cause their musical-ness!

However, and this is VERY important, there are only a few types of beans that I would suggest eating raw, as most raw, dry beans are very toxic.

Beans that can be eaten fresh:
- Green, string beans
- Lima beans
- Edamame
(maybe more but this is all I've found that is healthy)

Beans that can be eaten raw but sprouted:
- mung beans
- chickpeas (garbanzo)
- lentils
(maybe more but this is all I've found)

Beans that SHOULD NOT be eaten RAW:
- kidney beans (these are extremely toxic even after as little as 5 beans)
- soy
- pretty much every other dried bean (besides those above)

Some raw foodists would say "if a food can't be eaten raw then that means it shouldn't be eaten at all", but I disagree with that theory. I believe that beans, as well as grains, are essential cooked foods! So break out your favorite bean recipe and enjoy these little gems, because they pack a nutritional punch!

A weak day

2008-01-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

Today I woke up feeling very weak and kind of nauseous. My heart is racing every time I even walk across the room, and when I tried to eat my orange I could only eat half of it. This same thing happened to me around the same time (2 weeks in) when I last went raw for a month. It's like I am repeating the pattern. I believe it comes from not eating very much lately. I have probably been taking in around 500-700 calories per day, for the past week, which is about half of what I need...but the odd thing is, I don't feel hungry at all. If my predictions prove right, however, then tomorrow I will be famished. When I look back on my old food journal, I was doing the same thing before; not eating a lot, not being hungry, then having a weak day where all I wanted to do was rest, then starting to feel much hungrier and eat normally. I wrote down a big shopping list of essentials that I can eat every day, as well as enough stuff to create at least 7 raw recipes for this coming week. I can't wait to make my raw pizza!! I am going to start adding in a lot more nuts and seeds, and other oils, so I can make up my calories that way (since fruits and veggies don't offer many). I was supposed to go to the plasma center today, but I get tired and weak as it is after I donate, so I knew to donate today would not be a smart choice. I was going to measure myself today, but couldn't find the tape measurer, so I'll do that tomorrow, along with the PC. Well, I'm off to Carlos' Produce to see what I can find there. I wonder if they have any organic produce? I am sooo craving cherries! However, I think that to buy fruit in season will not only save me tons of money, but also assure me better quality. I have been researching farmer's markets around here too, but they are mostly seasonal, July-Oct or so. Adios for now!

An update....I felt much better later in the day. I need to start eating a lot more!

My thyroid

2008-01-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

So I was doing yoga today, and they have some specific exercises that are supposed to stimulate your thyroid, and help balance out your metabolism. At first I thought, "ok, whatever, they are probably just saying that", but then after doing them I could feel the glands in my neck getting a little sore, like they were swelling! When that happens it means your glands are too toxic and are releasing junk. Yoga says that your glands are the guardians of your physical and mental health, and I really believe that. They also have specific exercises that help cleanse the liver and kidneys. I was skeptical about that too, but since I felt immediate results from the thyroid exercises I can only assume those ones work as well. In fact, a clean liver is the key to beautiful skin, and my skin always looks more glowy after I do yoga (not flushed), and I often have to pee, which maybe means my kidneys are releasing junk? Who knows. All I do know is that I feel sooo good after doing yoga, and feel strong and poised. The kind of yoga I do, kundalini, relies on breath techniques to cleanse the blood. I feel like kundalini yoga and raw food are the perfect match, because they are each so cleansing, and they magnify each other when combined. I like to say that my yoga "teachers" are my DVDs, since I've never actually taken a class (I prob should), and my absolute favorite DVDs are the ones by Ravi Singh and Ana Bret. Check them out on Amazon! They get consistent 5 star reviews, and the DVDs are so fun that you'll want to collect them all. My favorite is Yoga Beauty Body, which is geared toward women.
Sometimes this makes me feel so happy that I get teary eyed. I know, sounds lame, but it's true! This is the DVD that made me feel like I was floating once, lol. If I had lots o' money I'd buy all their DVDs and rotate them. I have 4 so far but I want to add more! :)

Food/Caffeine addiction, and Milk

2008-01-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

I found an answer to my problem yesterday. Why couldn't I stop eating Papa Johns? I found this great site Freedomyou.com, and copied some of their articles on food and caffeine addiction. It is so interesting!

Food Addiction
Excerpt from FOUNDATION TO ALL FREEDOM
by: Ron Lagerquist

Eating raw and whole foods assist the body in maintaining a healthy homeostasis, resulting in the natural reaction of hunger. Processed foods disturb homeostasis, saturated animal fats, refined oils, sugar, salt and additives upset the homeostatic balance. Hunger becomes distorted into cravings.

Consumption of massive amounts of sugar, salt, caffeine and fried foods have a drastic effect on homeostasis. The body reacts as it would to any addiction, powerful cravings override the body’s natural needs. Also food allergies can cause addiction due to homeostatic disturbance. You usually feel better when eating the food you are addicted to, however you may exhibit symptoms of feeling irritable, gas, nausea, depression or headache the next day, even in a few hours or minutes after you have eaten the food.

Milk, wheat and eggs are the most common allergic foods. Each contain large protein molecules with strong glue-like bonds. Many food allergens are the undigested protein fragments of meat, dairy products, wheat and eggs. If the appropriate enzyme necessary for digestion of these protein molecules is not present, they enter the blood undigested. In the bloodstream these protein fragments cause the immune system to respond, attacking these fragments as if they were invaders. Homeostasis has been imbalance and if these foods are continually eaten, the body will become dependant for homeostatic balance causing an allergen-based food addiction.

The brain also maintains homeostatic balance. Eating natural food allows the brain chemistry to function normally. Sugar, alcohol, caffeine, and chocolate cause imbalances in the brain’s normal chemistry. Neurotransmitters are proteins that electrically connect the nerve cells of the brain. In certain people, chocolate induces a neurotransmitter high creating daily cravings for chocolate. Some binge on sweets and starches for the serotonin effect, which acts as a mild sedative. Just like drugs, these experiences are short-lived, resulting in the need for more of the substance that caused the imbalance in the first place.

Caffeine Addiction
Excerpt from FOUNDATION TO ALL FREEDOM
By: Ron Lagerquist

There are more coffee drug addicts in the US than drug addicts of any other kind.
Charles F. Withal

Caffeine is highly addictive. Quitting coffee can cause withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, sleepiness and irritability. The acidic nature of coffee can lead to stomach ulcers. When the excess acid enters the bloodstream, it also increases calcium loss in urine. Both coffee and tea have no nutritional value. Tannin, the substance that makes tea cups brown and coats tea pots, is used for tanning leather. Imagine the stomach after twenty years of tea drinking.

Coca Cola put cocaine in their drink at the turn of the century. It sold extremely well. Some consumers succumbed to the addictive quality of cocaine and started to drink undiluted Cola syrup. When cocaine was banned for use in soft drink the bottlers switched to caffeine. The top selling soft drinks are loaded with caffeine: Coca Cola, 62 mg; Mountain Dew, 49 mg; and TAB, 45 mg. Similarly, instant coffee contains 66 mg per cup.

On those warm summer days, young children can drink large amounts of caffeinated pop. Children with half the adult weight and three times the sensitivity. One can of cola for them is equivalent to 3 cups of instant coffee for an adult. Caffeine, combined with sugar, salt, and a diet high in synthetic food, creates one unmanageable youngster.

Caffeine is also be found in cold remedies, diet pills, wake-up pills, chocolate, and pain killers. Over the counter and prescription pain killers will add to your caffeine quota: Excedrin, 65 mg; Midol, 32 mg; Anacin, 32 mg; Darvon Compound, 32 mg; and Fiorinal, 32 mg. Instead of healing the cold, caffeine slows down the elimination of mucus and destroys vitamin C.

In a survey, the four top reasons for people quitting coffee were: central nervous system disorders, 39%; gastrointestinal problems, 37%; to break the addiction, 19%; and fibrocystic breast tumors, 15%.

Monkeys are sensitive creatures. During the Boer War, the enemies of the British often poisoned their food supplies. Soldiers used monkeys to test the food. They chose what to eat by holding the food to their lower jaw and if the food was poisoned, the monkey would throw it away. A natural health practitioner, fascinated by the account, decided to test baboons to see if they had a similar ability. An apple was injected with strong coffee by a hypodermic needle. Two apples were given, the untouched apple was eaten hungrily by one baboon, a second baboon received the injected apple. He held it to his jaw, let out an angry screeching sound then tried to attack the experimenter. When he was given a good apple he went off to the corner and ate happily.

Caffeine is able to penetrate deep into vital tissue. Evidence shows that it may be linked to male infertility and also birth defects by passing through the placenta. Drinking coffee during breast feeding will cause caffeine to be present in mothers' milk.

Caffeine has a powerful effect on coronary arteries and the pulmonary and systemic vessels, causing a greater flow of blood to the heart muscle, but decreasing the flow of blood to the brain by constricting cerebral blood vessels. Caffeine can cause abnormally fast, abnormally slow and irregular heart beats. It also wreaks havoc on blood pressure, commonly producing hypertension. Coffee has been linked to heart disease, pancreas and bladder cancer, and hypoglycemia.

Here is also a great article on the lies we have all been told about cow's milk and calcium

http://www.freedomyou.com/nut

rition_book/Milk%20and%20Cookies.htm

A unique way to enjoy art

2008-01-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

I feel blah

2008-01-13T09:38:00.000-07:00

I feel very blah today. I woke up with a stuffy nose, and a sore throat. I don't know if it's because I just have allergies, or if it was because I ate like 100% cooked yesterday. I did ok until my hubby and his friend ordered Papa Johns, and I had just HAD to have 1 bread stick. But of course, 1 bread stick turned into 3, and then I had to eat a piece of pizza just cause, and some chicken wings (because I didn't want them to go to waste). Why is it that with cooked food I can just eat and eat and eat, but with raw I get filled up so fast? I'm not really mad at myself because of the food I ate, more like why I ate it. I didn't really need it, I wasn't that hungry even. I've decided food is seriously almost a drug to me. If it's there, in front of me, I have a really hard time resisting...it's almost impossible at this point. Then once I start I can't stop. It's weird because, take for instance the chicken wings...I wasn't craving them, I didn't particularly want them, but it was almost like my body was telling me I had to have them. It's not like this with raw food though, which is part of the reason why I think it's so good for me. I have a destructive relationship with cooked food, but a healthy one with raw. I am hoping that eating mostly raw will help me get over my destructive relationship, so that I can eat some cooked food once in awhile with self control, and a clear head. Oh well I am going to the store again today to buy some fresh food for the coming days, so I'll be prepared and ready the next time pizza comes my way!

It's another day, another chance at a clean start and good choices!

Raw burritos!

2008-01-12T18:14:00.001-07:00

I STOLE THIS!! Just wanna throw that out there! It's not mine...obviously...I found it on YouTube, but the recipe looks so yummy! I will try it someday.

Ok, so I admit it tonight wasn't a very raw night. I needed to use up my veggies so I could buy some newer, fresher ones, so I threw everything in a stir-fry with olive oil and some nama shoyu, and also cooked some black beans. It was way tasty, but I should have just done it raw...oh well...at least I kept it whole foods. SO, I really do feel like I'm making progress finding good recipes, and I still have SO many more to try. It's funny, because when I first thought about going raw I was thinking "this is going to be SO boring...salads at every meal?!"...but I couldn't have been more wrong. There are endless possibilities!

Pasta!

2008-01-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

Today I got a Santa Fe salad From Arbys (I know, "bad" huh :P), and it had chicken it in, which was weird because I haven't had meat in 1 1/2 weeks. A strange thing happened to me too...I found that my taste buds are sharpening, and the taste of the chicken was too strong and not too tasty. In fact, Aust ended up eating half of it. The rest was good though, although I could make my own almost raw version at home, if I could find the right sauce for it. That seems to be the key to making a good dish...the sauce. This experience has shown me that I'm really not craving meat, because I have no desire to eat it again for awhile, especially hamburger. My pasta primavera was good, but the sauce wasn't the best. It was pretty watery. I don't know if I should attempt to make anything creamy w/ nuts until I can get a VitaMix, because they end up grainy and gross. Maybe I'll try boxed almond milk in my next alfredo sauce, with more spice and less lemon. It just needs to be thicker/creamier. The zucchini noodles as "pasta" ended up being really tasty, and I've never been a fan of zucchini. They sort of absorb the flavor of whatever sauce is put on them. They also look just like pasta (but have a crunchier texture of course). I had a beautiful pic of them but lost it!!

Pasta Primavera

Wide zucchini noodles (just use the veg peeler)
Fresh garden peas
Chopped red pepper
Small chopped carrot
Baby tomatoes, halved
Fresh shredded basil
Fresh chopped parsley
Lemon zest

Alfredo Sauce
Adapted from Rawvolution’s recipe

¾ cup water
½ tsp honey
1 clove garlic
¼-1/3 cup lemon juice (unless you like a lot of lemon I'd go easy on it)
1 tsp sea salt
1 ¼ cup cashews

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

I feel grateful because I'm getting to the point where I can appreciate the smell and look of cooked treats, but I don't really crave them or even have a desire to eat them when I see others eating. I am still in an exploratory stage with raw recipes, so maybe when that dies down a little I'll start craving the cooked more...who knows. Or maybe by then I'll have amassed so many scrumptious raw recipes that I'll be satisfied. I hope so! I am no natural born cook so for me it's all about trial and error.

Philosophical blather

2008-01-11T10:04:00.000-07:00

I have this annoying little habit of turning anything and everything to a philosophical discussion inside my head. I guess it's just my nature to think too much and dissect every little thing, but the only cure is to write it down! So, I've decided to torture other people as well by sharing it! Plus, I figure if anyone reads it they might understand a little bit more of why I think the way I do. That being said, my philosophical blather is always subject to change, and can really only reflect what I am feeling at the moment. If I were to know everything and solidify all my beliefs by age 25 then I'd be a fool for sure! And of course, all the stuff I spout off really only pertains to me, so I don't want to come across as preachy or force any of my beliefs on anyone...I just like to share!

The biggest snowstorm of the year!!

So, the other day I stumbled upon a dilemma, but I think I've found the answer. I asked myself the other night, "why does cooked food taste so yummy and a lot of raw food taste so icky? If God wanted us to only eat raw foods then why would he give us the knowledge to create blueberry cheesecake, or onion rings, or stuffed chicken marsala? :)" But, then that begs the question, did God give us that knowledge? I have a hard time believing Satan would, but then again, I do believe Satan is behind the fast food industry...but that's a whole other can o' worms, so lets not go there...anwyay...so, let's be hypothetical and assume that God did give us all this knowledge regarding yummy food that isn't so good for us. That leads me to 2 conclusions. Firstly, that my original question is wrong in its entirety, because most of our taste buds have our priorities wrong. It could be that cooked food is supposed to taste icky, and the raw food the yummiest. Still, I have a hard time with that because let's face it, there are some cooked things that taste good, because they just taste good. Such as refined cane sugar, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, etc. Even if I was able to go 100% raw for my whole life I couldn't deny that those things DO taste yummy (to me, anyway). So the second conclusion (the one that I agree most with) is that God gave us these yummy cooked foods as treats, as things that should be eaten sparingly. First off, I need to clarify between what I believe are essential cooked foods, and cooked treats. Essential cooked foods, things that I believe we need lots of, would be grains and beans, maybe potatoes once in awhile. Cooked treats would pretty much be everything else. That being said, I am making sense of my conclusion about cooked food in 2 ways. 1. I have gone on an epic quest to find raw recipes that are great substitutes to the cooked food I'm used to (not an exact match in taste per-say, but yummy in their own way). 2. I believe that all the food out there, raw and cooked, is for use to enjoy. The problem is that most people, especially Americans, eat the cooked foods in so much excess that we throw our bodies way out of whack. We indulge in things that should be eaten sparingly, every day, as if eating mac n' cheese is good for us, and normal. To me it is not normal. It used to be, but now it is just a treat. Now if I go the other way, and say I eat only 100% raw 100% of the time, then I look back and say "gee, there was this cooked dish that I absolutely would sell my soul for...too bad I can't eat it because it's 'bad' or 'poisonous'...", then how sad is that for me?! I believe everything on this earth can do us good, and God put everything here for a reason. Granted, some things should be taken in moderation, like cooked treats, and some other things very moderately (like drugs), but to deny myself something I LoVe forever is cruel and unusual punishment. So if it's my birthday, and I want pineapple, I will be quite content. But if instead I am craving some cake and fetucchini alfredo , I'm going to eat it, and then thank God and ask him to bless my delish treat. Now, there may come a time when I no longer want certain cooked treats, and that's fine...more power to me. In fact, I expect that to happen as my tastes change. But, I'm not going to lie to myself and say "I don't like that" when I really still do. Hopefully I live longer and healthier by eating mostly raw, but life is still too short to deny myself molten chocolate lava cake...for my whole life - because let's face it, no raw creation will ever taste as good as that original! Give me something that does and I'll eat my hat (and the whole cake :))!

Another thing that baffles me is why I'm so into this raw thing, since I am a very analytical person, and there is SO much information about nutrition floating out there...more than anyone like me will be able to grasp. It's like I'm going on 10% research and 90% intuition...but I consider myself a very intuitive person and have learned to trust that. Still, I feel like the more I learn the more I don't know, like I'm running on faith with this whole thing. It's not entirely faith however, because I have felt the positive effects firsthand, and I wish I hadn't stopped for 3 months. I couldn't help but go back to raw though. It's something I can't deny anymore because it just makes too much sense to me. If I ever end up denying it in practice I still won't be able to deny it in my heart! I feel finally freed from food (say that 10x fast). I am no longer anxious about how I'll get healthy and stay healthy...I am no longer afraid of the journey. I know now that all I need to do is take care of my body, feed it the purest things, exercise my heart, mind and soul, and everything will fall into place. It's such a calm, peaceful, free feeling! I know that God answers prayers and that he will make all things known unto those who ask. Each one of us may get different answers about some things, but they will always be the right answers for each of us unique beings!

So yesterday...

2008-01-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday I got an OK at the plasma center. I am amazed! I have been eating an essentially vegan diet for 1 week now and my protein and iron weren't even low. Afterwards though, I chose a not so healthy bag of potato chips to eat. I could only make it to 7-11 before work so I didn't have many choices. I guess a convenience store is "convenient" only for junk! Why can't fruit be more convenient? I thought the quick rise in blood sugar from the potatoes would keep me from feeling dizzy afterwards, but I got dizzy anyway. I'm sure an apple would have been better. Oh well, I drank some juice too and felt better.

I have noticed that the puffiness under my eyes is starting to smooth out. This has been my #1 aging concern because all the women on my mom's side got really puffy eyes, and all of them had surgery to fix it. I will never get plastic surgery on my face (unless of course I got maimed and disfigured), but I also don't want to look older than I am. I think part of this diminishing puffiness is due to less sodium intake. I also use an eye cream from Aloette (my FAVE skincare system) which has a lot of aloe in it to help with swelling. Maybe when I start to lose fat in my face I will lose it from my eyes too? Lol. Still, I think a big part of it is genetics. Once again, I am finding that (and this also happened when I went raw for a month awhile back) my teeth and gums look so much better. This sounds gross but at the end of the day I hardly have any plaque on them at all. They also seem whiter. Because of this I have started brushing more often and flossing every night. If my teeth look nice I should probably be ensuring their health as well. I used to use Listerine a lot, but I heard that the mouth can actually get more germy because Listerine kills 99.9% of good and bad bacteria. If that .1% left just happens to be bad bacteria, there will be nothing to stop it's growth.

My mood is lifted today also, despite the fact that we had the biggest snowstorm of the winter 2 nights ago, so I'm grateful to feel happy. I also lost 4 lbs. since last time I donated at the PC. I am not too concerned with this week's sudden, rapid weight loss, because for one, most of it is probably water weight, and for two, I have been yo-yoing with the same 30 lbs. or so for the past few years, so my body loses it fast (but gains it back fast as well). The last 10-15 lbs. I'm sure will be much more stubborn. But hey, as long as I can get down to my ideal size of 3-5 I won't pay much heed to my weight. After all, I hope to get more muscular with yoga and muscle weighs more than fat..

Chocolate Turtles

2008-01-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Wow I am actually up early today. Actually, I woke up not tired around 7:45, but lay in bed for awhile because my mind hasn't decided that 7:45 is "decent" yet. It's like I couldn't believe that I wasn't tired. I've been able to fall asleep a lot faster lately, and wake up easier. Anyway, I promised I'd post a recipe! The chocolate turtles are yummy, they were just very sticky.

Chocolate Turtles

1/2 C carob powder (i suppose you could use cacao too)
1 C raw honey
1/8 tsp vanilla (or more if you like the vanilla taste)
2 C walnut pieces

Mix the carob, honey, and vanilla together in a medium sized bowl. Stir in the walnuts until well coated with the carob-honey mixture. Place spoonfuls of the combination onto Teflex sheets (or wax paper or cellophane) on top of a mesh dehydrator screen. Dehydrate for 24 hours at 105 degrees. You may have to place in freezer to cool so you can peel them off without them being too sticky.

If you have an extra mixture, feel free to drizzle it over some apples or other fruit! It's so good you'll feel like you're cheating...but you're not!

measurements 1/10/08

2008-01-10T10:04:00.001-07:00

Well, my chocolate turtles turned out tasty. Sadly, I can't find the cord to my camera so I can't post any pictures until I have more time to figure it out! I go to the plasma center today so I will know if I've lost any weight, and if I'm getting enough protein and iron so far. I know that I originally said I would post my measurements monthly, but I'm too curious so I'm going to post them weekly (the pic will still be monthly though).

In inches -
Neck: 13 1/4 (3/4 inches lost)
Bust: 41 1/2 (1 1/2 lost)
under - 35 (1 1/2 lost)
Waist: 37 ( 2 in lost)
Hips: 41 1/4 (1/4 in lost)
Butt: 41 1/2 (1/2 lost)
Thigh: 21 (1 in lost)
Calf: 16 1/2 (1 in lost)
mid - 12 1/4(1/4 lost)
Ankle: 9 1/2 (same)
Bicep: 11 3/4 (grew? 1/2 in)
Forearm: 9 1/4(1/4 lost)
Wrist: 6 3/4 (1/2 lost)

I tried to measure in the same spots as last time, but some of these maybe a little off. Still, this makes me feel so much better! I don't feel very light right now, but I can see that I am making some progress! So far I've lost 9 inches all over my body. And maybe gained muscle in my bicep (dunno that could be a fluke). Well, off to the PC!

Ugh, snow!

2008-01-09T11:02:00.001-07:00

Today is not a fun day so far. I planned to wake up around 9:00, make a couple yummy raw dishes to take with me today, and do some yoga. But, last night I stayed up much too late reading Shazzie's food diaries, lol. Then I dreamed I went to England and saw her house with the messed up lawn that her neighbor mowed accidentally (I'm sure it was somewhere in that journal). And my cousin Rebecca was there too, for some odd reason. I also dreamed that I went clothes shopping in England but there was nothing cute and all the sizes were measured in "stones" lol! So, I slept in much too late, and I only have 1 hour before I have to leave for work, so I have nothing prepared and no time to do yoga. To top it off, it's freaking SNOWING like a mother outside.

The weatherman grossly underestimated this storm. He said it was supposed to stop at 5:00AM, but it's 11:00 now and it's still going strong. The roads are horrible, the weather is horrible, I feel like doing absolutely nothing. I don't even feel hungry. I hate snow , I honestly do. Ok, so it's good for about 1 week, the week of Christmas, then after that there really is no point. Last year I self diagnosed myself (I have all the symptoms, why go to a doctor?) with SAD - seasonal affective disorder. I am 99.9% sure I have it. It's better this year than it was last year however. It is the lack of sunlight that just totally saps my energy. My house is always a mess in the winter, it sucks, but I can only clean for short intervals before I get exhausted. Even eating raw isn't helping me a lot so far in this department (but it's only been 1 week so...). I know Austin would never want to move some place where it didn't snow, he loves it for some bizarre reason. I guess it was the fact that I grew up in California, and all my best, happiest memories are from my childhood. I was outside a lot and I think I've learned to associate happiness with the sun. In fact, weather is pretty much the #1 factor that effects my mood. A week ago or so it was really warm for 1 day, like 40 degrees. The wind was blowing and the sun was out...I felt elated that day, like I was on a serotonin buzz! I was happier than I'd been the past month. Most of the time during the winter I feel flatlined, I feel nothing. My mood is neither happy or sad, just nothing. Then, when I start to get the first whiff of spring, I feel my soul come alive again! Only a couple more months...

Anywho, on a side note I made some chocolate turtles last night, so they should be done dehydrating tonight! I had some extra mixture and I didn't want to start another tray so I just drizzled some chocolate over my precious Jonagold apple (the tastiest, juciest apple in the world), and made my own fruit and walnut salad! Eat that McDonalds...you with your bitter dry apples, and candied cooked walnuts...meh! Needless to say it was quite sweet and I could only eat half of it. My sweet tooth must be diminishing, yay! I'll put up some pics and a recipe tonight.

Yacon and Honey

2008-01-08T22:57:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine and I were talking about natural sweetners the other day, such as honey and agave syrup , and he suggested I try yacon syrup instead, as a great tasting, raw sweetner. Curious, I googled yacon, and now I am intrigued! Here is a little info on this tasty tuber:

How Sweet It Is…and Healthy too!

Fresh Yacon tubers are crisp and juicy with a delicate flavor reminiscent of apple or melon and a surprising sweetness that increases in storage. They can be eaten raw, (fresh or dried) steamed, baked, roasted, or juiced. The somewhat bitter skin can be scrubbed off with a stiff brush, peeled with a vegetable peeler, or removed after baking.

While satisfyingly sweet and flavorful, Yacon remains low in calories. This is due to the fact that the sugar contains high levels of oligofructose (inulin), a form of sugar that is not metabolized readily by the human body. For this reason, Yacon shows much promise as a food for diabetics and as a base for a low calorie sweetener. Even a tea made from dried Yacon leaves is purported to have the ability to level out blood sugar levels. Research on the benefits of Yacon for diabetics is being carried out in Argentina and Japan. Oligofructose is known to aid digestion and promote beneficial bacteria in the colon, so it may also help prevent colon cancer. High in fiber, low in fat, and rich in oligofructose, Yacon is considered by many to be a superfood of the future.

Apparently it also grows well in North America (it's from Bolivia/Peru). It's too bad the syrup costs around $30 for 16 oz. or so! Someday I want to have my own garden where I can grow lots of exotic things, like yacon and goji berries.

However, going the cheaper route, raw honey is also an amazing natural sweetner. Sometimes it gets a bad rap because many people are unaware of its benefits. For instance, raw honey aids the stomach and digestion. It is good for allergies, healing ulcers and burns, and has anti-cancer properties. It is also an antiseptic, antibiotic, antifungal and antibacterial. Sounds to me like a much better choice than refined cane sugar!

Withdrawal

2008-01-07T11:20:00.000-07:00

So either my cooked food withdrawal symptoms haven't hit me yet, or I've transitioned very easily this time around! I haven't even felt tired. There was only one night, while I was sleeping, that I had a splitting headache, probably from lack of sugar. I knew I had a headache because I kept waking up slightly and it felt like someone had just hit me over the head with a hammer. When I woke up it was gone...good timing eh?! So, that's really the only symptom I've felt so far. I haven't even had any strong cravings like I did the first go. No more desire for chili cheese dogs or onion rings, although I did crave a cupcake for about 2 minutes last night. I think part of what is making this transition easier is that I am not going 100% raw like I was last time. I'm just not stressing as much about it. If someday I could get to 100% that would be great, but until then I'm just going to do my best and eat the best foods possible. I also am not super rich right now, so I can't get down on myself if I can't buy expensive things like raw honey, lots of raw nuts, or cacao powder. I bought some vanilla almond milk in a box, because I can't afford to make my own almond milk...it's probably not raw, but ya know, at least it's better than cow's milk! Breakfast today was a banana carob shake..yum!! Here's how ya make one:

One ripe banana (the sweeter the yummier)
One cup vanilla almond milk (or reg)
As much raw carob powder as desired (I sprinkled in prob 1 TBS)

Blend and drink immediately! This tastes like a banana split in a glass!

I also did yoga today again, it's been months! I really shouldn't ever wait that long in between workouts, because yoga really is a work in progress and my muscles tend to tighten up really fast if I stop. Still, that is what I love about yoga...it's an exercise that compares you and your progress to no one but you. It's really a lifetime goal to just get stronger and more flexible. I forgot how good it makes me feel inside. I know this sounds cheesy but sometimes it makes me teary eyed because I feel so happy! So, once again I am going to try to do yoga every morning before work, because the benefits are just too good to pass up.

Here is lunch!! Raw corn chowder and lime pepper crackers (taken from Ms. Cohen's book)

The crackers are very tart and yummy! A little too thin though, I will know better next time.

Tostada!

2008-01-06T12:07:00.000-07:00

This is my attempt at making a tostada. The corn tortilla was a little bland, so I think I need to add more spice or salt to it next time. Also the beans could have used some spicing up. I just used the recipe for nachos in Alissa Cohen's cookbook. Yum! But filling...

Before/measurements 12/30/07

2008-01-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm posting a "before picture" of me on here...as butt ugly as it is. It's very small for good reason. I guess people are supposed to look really bad in their before pictures, and then the after is a sexy bikini shot :P. I am also posting my measurements so that I can document my progress more accurately, and not rely on just weight change. I think this will also give me some sense of accountability...to myself, and to maybe the 2 other people who read this blog :P. I will post a new pic and new measurements near the first of each month following, until I get down to my ideal.

Measurements: (as of 12/30/07)
Neck: 14 in.
Bust: across - 43
under - 36 1/2
Waist: 39
Hips: 41 1/2
Butt: 42
Bicep: 11 1/2
Forearm: 9 1/2
Wrist: 7 1/4
Thigh: 22
Calf: 15 1/2
Mid-calf: 12 1/2
Ankle: 9 1/2

Lol, I measured like every single part of my body :)

Food

2008-01-04T22:00:00.000-07:00

I got enough food tonight to be about 98% raw this weekend. Going to try to make corn tortillas (so I can make burritos) and lime pepper crackers in my dehydrator. Can't wait! I also discovered that I can buy organic food at Smith's. Although, there isn't much of a selection, so I'll probably have to go to Good Earth for most things. Right now I am not eating organic however, because I am short on funds. Tomorrow I'll compare some of the prices at GE to what I payed at Smith's today for my supermarket produce. I know I should eat organic, so I might have to just budget that in. I can certainly taste a difference. I hope that GE sells raw buckwheat, but I'm not sure if they do. I hope they sell raw flax seeds! Two appliances I am saving up for are a spiral slicer, and a coffee grinder (for seeds). I also really wish I had enough to buy a juicer...someday! If I can convince my hubby that I am serious about raw food, then he might even let me buy a VitaMix for next Christmas. Maybe even for my birthday. We'll see!

Vitamin B12

2008-01-04T11:21:00.000-07:00

One of my biggest concerns with my new diet is that I'm not getting enough vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin B12. I did a lot of research on the best plant sources of calcium, protein, and iron, and I am confident I can reach my needs there, but there really isn't a true reliable source of B12 that comes from plants. Some people claim that you can get it from nori and such, but I read that those forms aren't efficiently used by humans. So, I decided that I would eat eggs to get my B12, which is better than meat. However, upon further reading, there are some studies that say that there is enough B12 in 2 eggs to last us 3 years without a deficiency...therefore, our bodies need very little B12 to function properly. I could always take a supplement, but I don't like the idea of them for some reason, don't really know why. So the other day I discovered Life Water by Sobe, and it is fortified with B12. That's kinda supplemental, and it's in the form of a sugary drink, but I'd rather drink that than take a pill. Also, Propel Calcium water is fortified with B12. Those drinks do have carbs in them from the sugar, but they also supplement with vitamin C, E, calcium, and a few other things. So, I am wondering which is better between those flavored waters, or pure water and an egg once in awhile? The pure water and egg are actually natural, and the flavored water is manufactured, but flavored water comes without all the egg's extra fat and cholesterol. I am confused on this!

So I seem to be doing just fine so far, it's not nearly as hard to adjust as it was the first time. I've got lots of yummy recipes lined up, just need to go to the store tonight and stock up for the weekend. I think I have lost 3 lbs, but that's probably water weight. I also woke up very happy today, I think my winter depression is lifting. Sometimes I wonder what my "ideal" weight actually is, because I honestly can't remember what it's like to be in impeccable shape. I do know that I have a lot of crap stored up that my body needs to release, a lot of old junk from years past. It's like my body is an old, dingy closet that needs to be de-cluttered and repainted. It could take awhile for me to completely detox...anywhere from a few months to 2 years. Oh, btw if you are looking for raw recipes, the best place I've found to find great ideas is the raw food talk forums on alissacohen.com. Someone on there found raw pasta! They are 100% raw kelp noodles. The website is www.kelpnoodles.com, and the brand is Sea Tangle. I wonder if I can find them at my health food store so that I don't have to order them by the case. I'll have to do some hunting. I hope they would taste good, because I could make the yummiest pasta primavera with them.

My Dehydrator

2008-01-02T03:14:00.001-07:00

So I used my dehydrator for the first time today. I made salt and vinegar potato chips, and onion rings. The potato chips would have been better if I hadn't used so much vinegar, and if I had sliced them thinner, but they weren't SO bad. I haven't tried my crispy onions yet, I am going to save them for salads. I have so many yummy things I can make, but not much money right now, so my budget is squeezed. Lately, like tonight, I have had insomnia. As I lay in bed all I can think about are raw food creations, it's really odd. Like I am craving good food. Tonight I couldn't stop thinking of watermelon/mango soup. I am also craving a salad made of sliced oranges, raisins, carrots, apples and pineapples, with apple nut cream. Yum! So, this sounds kinda pathetic, but I figured I should make a list of all the things that are "wrong" with me, so that I'll know how to make myself better. Thankfully it's not a very long or serious list, but some of the things have a potential to progress badly if left unchecked. I won't share this list though, for fear of TMI!

I think that right now most of the bad things about me are psychological, especially anxiety. I have learned to control the attacks, but it still runs my life in a lot of ways. I have heard many people say that a change in diet has changed their mental as well as physical health. I hope that it will for me! On the plus side I have a strong immune system, and strong muscles and bones, and I know that I can be healed quickly if I give my body what it needs. As the weeks go along I will observe how I feel and see if any of these "bad" things go away. The last time I tried eating this way for 1 month I felt that many of them did. Well, I'll keep you updated if anything actually interesting happens!

Trees are Celestial!

Tomorrow is the day...

2007-12-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I was supposed to start my diet on Saturday, but I haven't been feeling well these past couple of days, so tomorrow, Jan. 1st, is the day. Tonight I bought everything I'll need for tomorrow so that I can be prepared. Originally I was planning on doing a 4 day detox to start out, but I was reading my book by Alissa Cohen, and she says that going from eating a SAD (standard American diet) to an extreme fast, like juice or tea detox, is hard on the body and can leave me feeling starving and depraved (which I know will happen), and then discouraged. So, I'm just going to eat what I want, as long as it's raw. I can't help but look back on the first time I heard of a raw food diet. I mean, really researched it. I went to raviana.com, my yoga "instructors", because I was intrigued by how youthful and glowing Ana is on the dvds. She advocates eating a mostly raw diet, and when I first read that I said to myself, "well, too bad I could never do that, it's much too extreme." Still, the more I read the more I realized that I wouldn't really have to give anything up, I'd just have to prepare all the foods I love in different ways. Then the more I read about it the more it started to make sense, and now it is something that I just know has merit, and I really can't think of food and nutrition the same way again...even if my actions say otherwise. Knowledge is one thing, but actually doing it is another. Well, tomorrow happens to conveniently be the start of a new year. I have my goals, I know what I need to do, now all that's left is to pray that each day I'll have the strength to be my best self. As with everything, I need God's help with this.

Today I was reading up on Carol Alt, who is a raw foodist, but not a vegan, which is intriguing because most people would never think of eating meat raw! She knows a lot, and I think I'll have to check out her book. I think that I need to talk to a holistic doctor since according to Carol Alt each person's body make-up is different, because we all come from different ethnic backgrounds from ancestors who have adapted to different diets. That totally makes sense to me now. I know that God gives each of His children in each place the tools and foods they need to lead happy, healthy lives. He knows we are different in some ways, and he knows exactly what we need. I hope I can find out what "I am", and what diet would be best for me. For now I can experiment and listen to my body. I wonder how hard it would be to find a holistic healer? Around here they must be few and far between.

I have been amassing lots of good raw recipes, so now there really is no excuse for me to get bored, and say "there is nothing to eat!". I am amazed at how creative some people are with food, I am definitely not that way. The internet is such a great source to gather yummy raw creations! Well, more tomorrow. Happy New Year!

Happy Christmas!

2007-12-26T10:24:00.001-07:00

So yesterday my husband once again displayed his perfection, and reminded me just how unworthy I am to call him my love (he did this unknowingly of course, like always). He tricked me into thinking that we wouldn't be able to buy a dehydrator (1 of 2 things that I really wanted for Christmas) until after the new year (and I was ok with it). Then lo and behold, he surprises me with the exact one I wanted, and even had it rush shipped so it would get here on time. So now that we really didn't have enough money I could only afford to get him a $4 blanket and some candy. The poor unselfish guy!

I was very spoiled by my parents as well. They gave Austin and me a digital camera (the 2nd thing I really wanted)! I am soo excited to use it, and it's just what I need to post pictures for this site. So enough about material things...I hope everyone had a safe, happy holiday, and got to spend quality time with friends and family. I'll try to keep the "reason for the season" in my heart all year!

Next Saturday

2007-12-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hey All!

I just discovered this cool site and figured it would be a great place to post my raw daily journals, recipes, and photos! Next Saturday is going to be the day when I start, and I'm actually starting with a 4 day detox, so more on that later! I have been amassing recipes and have been writing up meal plans with shopping lists, so that I don't waste any of the food I buy and also so I'm prepared. I have been planning my meals so that I'll be eating about 90-95% raw each day, but I'll be eating some good cooked foods as well. More than anything though, I need a digital camera!! Maybe I'll get one for Christmas? Please Santa?