RawFu: Brutal Truth Edition

I will be joining Bunny Berry again and the RawFu community in another 100 Day Raw Food Challenge.

I know that when I eat mostly raw, my body feels its best but sometimes it is easy to slip back into old habits, which has happened to me. I've been unmotivated the past month or so. But for the last week I have been more motivated and a little less lazy (and more aware of my laziness or idleness). It's time to feel good again!

In other food news, instead of always asking my husband to make a few choices for the better to improve his health and diet, I'm making more food for him. And not just vegan dishes that we can share but other whole food dishes that include meat, chicken or fish. I feel good about this because I know he is eating healthier food (rather than just always making canned chunky soup and boxed macaroni, pasta and rice-a-roni). I would prefer that he incorporate whole foods for heart and brain health. As I increase the amount of foods I am making for him, hopefully he will feel a difference in his body. I think it will help improve his mood and energy levels.

Note: We don't often make food for each other or eat together because we have very different schedules. I'm gone 60 hours a semester for the time being. He works at night and sleeps in the early morning when I am leaving for work. This should change by mid-May.

Vision Board 2009

Inspired by Bunny on RawFu, I created a Vision Board for 2009. I've become lazy over the past month. I don't have a lot of specifics in my goals, because when I get super specific I set myself up for failure. But basically I want to spend more time seeking Jesus, doing yoga, and eating salads and smoothies. Each aspect is an important part of my spirituality. This is a simple start. I may do some more vision boards that each focus in on these and other aspects of my life.

I do have some goals that are more specific, but for now, I'm keeping that part to myself.

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.

Mustard Green Smoothie?

I will never try that again! I never had mustard greens before and didn't realize that they had a distinct taste when blended up. When I opened up the top of my Vita-Mix I literally drew my nose away...it smelled mustard-y (and mustard with strawberries and bananas just doesn't sound good to me)! After a minute or two the smell kind of diminished so I stuck a straw in there to take a small sip.

It seriously had a burning type sensation in my mouth...I don't know if I just had them in my fridge too long or what, but I will never do that again! Now I am off to find a recipe to make with the rest of my mustard greens!

Fruit and Veggies.

A few things have changed since last year concerning what I eat (see posts below). I still have my off days but I also feel like I've made some good attempts at eating more healthfully.

One thing I had trouble with last year was getting enough fruits in my diet. Now that I have been introduced to green smoothies for several months now, I get a lot MORE fruits in my diet! For a while I was drinking a green smoothie daily, for about 35 to 40 days straight. Now, I have about 3 a week, but I would like to get back to having one daily.

I enjoyed the smoothies so much that I purchased a Vita-Mix, and I love it!I have been trying to focus on making more meals and using less processed foods. With school out for the summer, this has been much easier.

I also ate about 90% raw for two weeks in a row. I actually really did enjoy the foods and preparing the foods with my hands, but I really need to get a dehydrator and food processor before I move any further in that direction. I know there are many who eat predominately raw without the dehydrator but I really crave things like flax breads and sandwich patties.

My goal this summer was to really incorporate more raw but before I get myself more educated on eating healthfully on a raw diet, I need to work on some other things at the moment, like getting rid of fleas, giving away and throwing away extra 'stuff' and my online class. I'm just glad to be cooking more and not relying so much on processed foods!