Raw food for 30 days (done)

Raw Food Inspiration

I’ve been looking for a lifestyle change. I picked up a book about the The Paleo Diet
at our local meat shop (T-Bones, owned by former Blues player Terry Yake). The emphasis of the diet is fruits and vegges, lean meats, minimal to no dairy and grains. But I digress, this is about raw foods …

I was recently inspired by a documentary called Food Matters. The thing I really liked about the documentary was the emphasis on the good, raw foods. Other documentaries I’ve watched such as Food, Inc. were great and very informative, but they seem to emphasize the bad things that were being done to our food (again, all great). Food Matters did some of that, but the primary focus (at least how it spoke to me) was good foods and the benefits of eating whole, raw foods. The other topic woven throughout the movie was how little our medical doctors know about nutrition (there was a lot of justified finger pointing toward the medical industry).

One thing I found very interesting was the idea that nutrition enables our body to heal itself. Very elementary right? I mean, we all know that but most of us don’t think about that on a daily basis as we eat; I never did, with the exception being when I get a cold I drink more orange juice. Today it seems the common thought is if you have a sickness of any type, get a doctor to prescribe medicine and we’ll get better. I can’t put my finger on it, but there was just something that clicked when I heard that statement “nutrition enables our body to heal itself”. Maybe it’s just me. Here’s the trailer for Food Matters. The trailer doesn’t accurately describe the vibe of the documetary though, in my opinion.

The second documentary I watched is what really had me thinking about trying a whole food lifestyle. It’s called Simply Raw – Reversing Diabetes In 30 Days. I got the movie because the title alone was shocking. Diabetes, reversed? With raw food only? I don’t have a ton of knowledge on the topic of diabetes. I have friends who are diabetic and have asked questions, so I only know the about the issue generally. If you clicked the link above, scroll down and you’ll see there were 6 people who went to — well, just watch the trailer for yourself.

The third documentary (I watch to much TV right?) was The Gerson Miracle (watch it here on youtube for free ). It’s pretty old school, and pretty amazing. What’s equally amazing is the fact that they had to move their practice to Mexico because it’s illegal in the US to treat cancer with anything other than radiation.

A snippet from The Gerson Institute website:

Raw Food Lifestyle

So I’ve fully immersed myself into the raw food lifestyle. I hate to call it a diet, it’s more of a lifestyle change. For one, there is no counting calories. Secondly, I can eat as much as I want whenever I want. It’s really near impossible to stuff yourself on fruits and vegges, try it. I’m also eating nuts and seeds, specifically hemp seeds because they are wicked high in protein. Another protein source is spirulina — you can buy it in bulk powder form at Whole Foods.

Today (03/25/2011) I feel great. It’s my 5th day on raw food only and I’ve been drinking mostly juice I’ve juiced myself from whole fruits. If you read my previous 10 day juice fast post then you can tell I’ve totally changed my tune. Raw juicing is the only way to go. I was previously doing jarred juice, 100% juice, but pasteurized. I no longer get the sensation of being overly full, just satisfied. If I’m feeling really hungry, I’ll have an avocado or maybe a handfull of cashews and an apple.

The Goal / My Plan

Although weight loss is not my goal, I’ve lost about 5 pounds already. Most likely retained water, but hey. After watching the Gerson Miracle documentary I thought to myself “If they are curing cancer through nutrition, how great would all raw be for my body when I don’t have cancer?”. It’s been more of a trial to see if I could maintain that type of lifestyle, as a preventative measure.

The plan after the 30 days up has yet to be determined. Do I keep going? Do I eat 50/50 (raw/cooked)? I’m not sure. I feel great after only 5 days. I feel light, airy, more alert. My sleep has been more sound and I feel more refreshed on less sleep. If I continue to see these kind of improvements I’ll be tempted to stick with it.

What I’m Eating

Later, I’ll put up a few recipes of smoothies and juices I’ve made. But for now I leave you with a few pics. I will update this blog entry as I move toward my 30 day goal. Each one of the pics below is what was juiced for a single meal.

Spinach, cucumber, apples, celery, lime:

Spinach, parsley, 1/2 cucumber, dandelion greens, apples, lime:

Celery, lime, pineapple, cilantro, oranges, apples:

Dandelion greens, red cabbage, apples, lemon, celery:

Red kale, parsley, celery, apples, kiwi, spinach:

Arugula, red kale, dandelion greens, mango, tomato.

Those are just a few from the last 5 days. I’ve also got some delicious avocado smoothie recipes, coming soon!

Raw Food Books

Here’s a few books I’m digging:

1. This one has some specifics on a 3 day, 7 day, 15 day and 28 day cleanse. Although I have to say I’ve only been following a few of the recipes because I’m keeping it real simple: Raw Food Cleanse: Restore Health and Lose Weight by Eating Delicious, All-Natural Foods – Instead of Starving Yourself
2. This one I bought more for a resource, it has a ton of information on anything you would ever want to know about raw food (more informational and inspirational to me anyway): The Live Food Factor: The Comprehensive Guide to the Ultimate Diet for Body, Mind, Spirit & Planet
3. This one I have not started, but skimmed and it looks like she eases you into raw food gradually and allows cooked food initially. Might be good for a beginner who has a hard time transitioning (I could eat rocks and be happy): The Raw Food Detox Diet: The Five-Step Plan for Vibrant Health and Maximum Weight Loss
4. This one I have not started either, but it’s an uncookbook of a crapton of recipies from a lot of the top raw food chefs: The Complete Book of Raw Food, Second Edition: Healthy, Delicious Vegetarian Cuisine Made with Living Foods * Includes More Than 400 Recipes from the World’s Top Raw Food Chefs

Completed 30 days, going for more

So today is my 31st day and I have to say, I quite like the raw food lifestyle. For the past 30 days I’ve eaten 100% raw foods. No dairy, nothing cooked, nada. It feels like I’m making a major investment in my health every time I eat. I make good eating decisions and I feel like my body is rewarding me. I’ve lost nearly 20lbs and feel much more alert, less groggy. I feel light and airy. My skin feels better and I’m less apt to breaking out. I wake up faster and don’t need any potions (coffee, tea, etc) to get me going.

My desire for sweet, salty and fatty foods has gone. My idea of splurging on food is a few too many almonds, or a few too many figs. I feel pretty good about that. I think I’ll end up adding fish (specifically salmon) and some cooked grains like quinoa. Other than that it’s all raw. I’d like to shoot for 95% raw, the other 5 percent being cooked salmon and grains a night or two per week.

I highly highly recommend to anyone wanting to live healthy to try the raw food diet. It’s not as extreme as it sounds. You’re eating food the closest to the source as possible. What could be wrong with that? Your cravings for bad food will go, and your body will start to detox itself naturally. If you’re carrying extra weight it will literally fall off (especially if you drink lots of water, at least 1 gallon per day).

If you’d like to give it a try (and do) please let me know. I’d be happy to answer any questions you may have. My advice is to get some reading material (listed above) and watch the documentaries I recommend. Think about your health, you only get one body so you need to take care of it before it’s too late.