Saturday, May 28, 2011

Raw Food 30-day challenge

I've been fascinated with Raw Food for over two years. I wanted to eat raw vegan for 30 days a few months ago, but things kept coming up to prevent me from doing it. So, in honor of my 3-year vegan anniversary (June 1!), I've decided I will eat a high raw vegan diet for all of June (High-raw is 75-80% raw, allowing cooked foods too). It's nearly impossible to eat 100% raw and it's impractical for me because I have a wedding to attend mid-month and various other activities that would make it difficult. Aside from that, I've heard testimonies about people eating raw for an extended period, then going back to cooked and getting sick (cold symptoms - fever, sore throat, etc) because of the change that's taken place in their bodies. It happened to me in a small form a couple months ago after eating mostly raw for a week. So I'm hoping that by still incorporating some cooked foods, I'll be able to weaken the likelihood of illness, if I do end up switching back.

My main reasons for doing this are:
-I love challenges. I love trying new things and I love vegan food. This gives me an excuse to be creative with my 'cooking.'
-Fruits and veggies are in season! The smell of flowers and grass in the air makes me crave fruits and veggies.
-My mom gave me a (cheap) dehydrator that she somehow ended up with and did not want. Not an Excalibur but I'm hoping it works well enough to make raw cookies, breads, pie crust, etc.
-I want to see the affect it has on my body, my energy level, and my mental clarity.
-Mostly, I feel like I need to. Now that I've been vegan for 3 years, I know my body really well. It tells me what it needs and what it hates and it's been begging me for raw healthy foods for a while. It's time.

I plan to make up meal plans for every day and will try to document the money I spend. My only concerns about this are (1) the cost and (2) that I won't want to stop after the 30 days are over. If after a month of raw eating I feel amazing, it will be difficult to go back to cooked foods, which would make things a little trickier for me when other people are offering me food or I'm going out to eat. But you don't realize that you feel dead and lethargic all the time until you know what it feels like to be full of life and energy. For the past few months, I've already started to see the contrast between fresh/raw foods and pale/dead cooked foods and I find the latter becoming a little mentally repulsive. So we will see what the month holds!

My goals for the month are:
-eat a large variety of high raw, mostly organic foods
-visit a juice bar/raw restaurant and try something new
-exercise 3-4 times a week (currently, I'm not doing anything)
-research about raw fasts and cleanses (and hopefully do one)
-get 8+ hours of sleep every night
-blog regularly about it
-consider ways to sustain a raw diet beyond June

Any questions? - leave a comment. :)

2 peanut butter bombs:

Steph said...

June sounds like it will be an amazing adventure for you. Look forward to reading your blogs and cheering you on. Stay healthy!

Elizabeth said...

Sorry, I'm at Steph's and forgot to log her out. That last comment was me. I love you Jess!