Raw Update

Life is crazy! One wedding down, 2 more (+1 I'm missing) to go. Wedding showers, babies, visits home, changing bedrooms...this month probably was not the best choice for changing up my diet.

Anyway, I suppose I've failed a little bit. I'm at about a 50/50 ratio for raw/cooked foods. I started pretty strong for about a week doing pretty much all raw, eating lots of green smoothies and salads. I've used the dehydrator several times and love it! Even such a cheap dehydrator has made some amazing foods. And even though I've been eating more cooked food than I planned to, I've been intentional about avoiding processed foods and have only had a tiny bit of vegan butter and some vegan ice cream. Otherwise, everything has been whole foods only.

My favorite new raw recipes are:
Banana Soft Serve ice cream! (this stuff is incredible!!! you have to try it, could not be easier!)
Raw Chocolate Fruit Balls (I took these on a road trip - really yummy & easily transportable)
Fruit Tart (the one I posted about in my last entry)
Raw Kale Salad (I would not suggest starting a raw vegan diet with this...work up to that many greens! My body's a little more sensitive to fiber than I thought.)
Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto (Amazing! I had this on cooked whole wheat pasta. Next time I would only put one clove of garlic in, but this stuff is REALLY good)
Raw Nut Burger (I cannot say enough good things about these! So much flavor!)Banana Chocolate Kale Chips (I made this in the oven for lack of time, but they were still amazing. Tastes like smores!)

As for me, I think I've lost 4 pounds, though I can't be sure because my scale is so funny. I weighed myself when I was in PA a week before I started raw and was 4 pounds lighter than that this past weekend in PA. As for other changes, I think I would need longer than 2 weeks (and more of a raw diet than 50/50) to say anything I've experienced is directly connected to the food I'm eating. I can say a few things for sure though...

1. Raw food is easy if you prepare properly. Lots of recipes take very little effort but could take a long time to complete if you need to use a dehydrator.
2. Researching recipes for raw foods has helped to again re-define what can be considered a 'meal.' You can eat fruit for a meal or a salad or a smoothie or just have a couple dehydrated nut burgers. Or maybe some avocado chocolate pudding or banana ice cream. The possibilities are endless because generally anything you eat will be good for you.
3. A sharp increase in fiber intake is not smart. I felt pretty bloated and crummy the first couple days because I started out with a hard-core kale salad. The nutrition in it was through the roof, but you have to ease into this sort of thing if you don't want to experience negative side effects.
4. And probably the most obvious thing I've learned is that raw foodism can quickly become an idol. When you are focused on keeping your body as clean internally as possible, what you put into it becomes the central focus of your life. There is a learning curve when you're first starting a diet. I did spend a lot of time thinking about food the first few months I became vegan. But being raw is different. You can sort of become your own god. I'm not sure how else to explain it right now, so I'll leave it at that.

I will continue to press on the rest of the month! I'm really enjoying incorporating more fresh foods into my diet and hope to continue that when the month is through, though I think it will be easier than I thought to continue eating cooked foods. I've had such crazy cravings for pasta and tofu (and toast!) that I just wouldn't want to give them up. I've heard cravings are totally normal and can be conquered, but I do believe that God has provided some delicious things in this world for us to eat and if they don't make me feel internally awful, I'm going to continue to eat them. :) Vegan foods are so good!!!