My Raw Journey

I suppose it is time for update on how I did adding more raw foods into my diet!

Actually, two days later (July 27th), I accidentally came across the RawFu 100 Day Raw Food Challenge. It was exactly what I needed! Bunny Berry created this site to help people who wanted to add more raw foods to their diet. She uploaded videos nearly everyday, featuring guest speakers, recipe demos and much more. It was truly a great experience. And something that really surprised is that there were more than a handful of Jesus followers on the forum, it helped me remember my intentions for joining the challenge.

The 100 day challenge began on August 1 and ended on November 7 or 8, I can't remember. I actually ate predominately raw for the duration.

At first, I didn't notice any differences when I incorporated more raw foods in my diet. So, I naturally began going back to eating more cooked vegan foods....and some cheese. Then I began to notice the differences in my body!

Warning: Graphic!
Things I Noticed When I Ate More Cooked Foods: (i.e. things that disappeared when I ate raw)
--heartburn
--acid reflux
--shooting pains in uuper back and chest
--larger stools, with some bleeding during bowel movement
--increased body odor
--eating to finish meal, even when not hungry (stuffing myself)
--stretching/ripping sensation in the intestine area

So, now I am beginning to wonder exaclty which cooked foods cause some of these things to happen. I'm leaning toward thinking it has to do with dairy and breads, but I'm not sure yet.

At the moment, I'm not really eating much raw. On the last day of the challenge I was celebrating my birthday and I had a majority of cooked foods. I plan on getting back on track by mid-January. That is when I start my internship. I plan on having a green smoothie on the weekdays for breakfast and bringing a big salad for lunch everyday. I'm not sure what I'll do for my dinners yet. I don't want to plan too much, I'd rather start slow.