Kiwi!

I was excited to see Kiwi in the grocery store this morning! I've been waiting. It's one of my very favorite fruits. These are zingy little bastards. Maybe the tiniest bit under ripe but OMG YUM!!! I had 6 of them for lunch today.

I love Mondays! I know I'm strange and I'm okay with that

My gorgeous salad from lunch yesterday:

! Well I am not sure how it is really possible but I feel so much better than I did even 10 days ago.

I have this full body calmness and a very clear headed feeling. I just feel relaxed and full of ease. There really is no other way to describe it.

 I've only been approximately 75% raw and it has already made a huge difference, I was really suffering though.

I was depressed and had a defeatist attitude and had an Inflammatory Bowel flare that was the worst I can actually ever remember having.

To say I am encouraged is an understatement!

I have been having predominantly fruit as my first meal of the day ( after my hot water with fresh lemon juice and stevia that I have with my husband as he drinks his coffee when we wake up. I gave up coffee and I'm okay with it right now!)

 Then the last few days I find myself naturally fasting until at least noon sometimes even 1 p.m. (I am not getting any exercise yet so I'm definitely less hungry).

Then when I do get hungry I'll have as much fruit as I feel like eating and then a couple of hours later a big salad and maybe a handful of nuts. I've been making this dressing that I like, it is raw cashews, tomatoes, lemon juice and a sundried tomato or two which adds a richness and a saltyness that I love.

I have been either making it cooked vegan dinner for us most nights or we've been eating and Amy's vegan meal. Dairy free gluten free Amy's for me.

I want to transition to occasionally a raw dinner as well. Maybe one or two a week. I'm taking it slow and putting no huge demands on myself though!

I haven't weighed in a few days but the last time I checked I had lost 4 pounds in the last week.

Of course I want to lose weight I need to lose over 80 pounds still! But now my focus is actually more on health.

I believe our health is our wealth!

I'm planning on trying to start getting a little sun everyday soon.

~~~ Cheers!

So Far So Good

Well its been a while since I've journaled. I'm doing well though!!!

I've been fairly high raw (between 60 & 70%) the last week or so and I'm finally feeling well!!

I can breathe better every day because my sinus loves the no dairy.. at least I think that's what it is.. could be no gluten is helping as well.
I am slowly working toward higher raw and going to be adding more salads for dinner occasionally and eating a vegan cooked meal occasionally at night.. I want to transition slowly because I am not putting crazy demands on myself but I can not unlearn what I know..

I just can't in my right mind continue with the SAD diet. Once I learned what raw eating can do for us I just can no longer ignore it and sit around in ignorant bliss... I am excited.

Yesterday I put on my new Boston proper 18 jeans and they are already getting big!

Food today.. planning grapefruit banana raspberry fruit bowl for breakfast and then a mint..cucumber.. honeydew.. greens juice for a snack.. salad for me for lunch and DH will have leftover Vegan dinner from last night for lunch and Vegan dairy free gluten Amy's meals for dinner. So 75% raw today.

I have had some detox but mostly just horrid headaches although two days ago I woke and my back had seized up like I had somehow really wrenched it and I could hardly walk all day. I was 80% better the very next day. Strange! Detox fascinates me and I am looking forward to more. Bring it on!

I Am Back!

Well it's been almost a year hasn't it.

I am back on High Raw and about 4 days in at about 75% raw.  I've been having lots of fruit through the day and making a cooked vegan dinner. An occasional salad or green juice after lunch..  Night before last I actually made a raw green green soup that turned out really pretty good.

Last night I made jasmine rice with fresh peas, carrots, corn, onions, tumeric and garlic. It was really good and my husband loved it.

DETOX:
I had really horrible pounding migraine the second day and have just pretty much felt like doing absolutely nothing but sleeping and lazing around the last couple of days. I'm actually looking forward to more detox!

Transitioning to High Raw

I am on about day 4 of a bit of transitioning to High Raw again.

This time I am not putting any pressure on myself for any percentage but I am really wanting to eat LOTS of raw.  I think it was the months and months of very low carb that has my body so dehydrated and craving fruits and lots of veggies.

The last few days I have eaten bunches of fruit and I've made great salads.  I am eating pretty close to 80% (estimate) without really having to try too hard.

I also realize I have been depressed.  I have read that lack of enough carbs can cause low serotonin.  I think being depressed I just didn't realize it and now that I am starting to come out of it.. it's sort of like not knowing how bad your vision is until you put on glasses.

I am feeling good.. I went for months without really wanting to leave my house.. and slowly I am feeling I am coming out of this.

I have family coming to town so I am sure I will have days I will eat more cooked than other but again no pressure on myself right now.  I plan on contributing huge, beautiful salads to meals and to keep lots of fruit and fruit salads in the house.  I am also planning on making Summer rolls.  OMG I totally LOVE Summer rolls and what a wonderful way to get lots of raw veggies.

I need to lose about 100 pounds.. Right now though I am really trying to not focus so much on weight and more on health.  I just feel horrid.. my whole body aches.. my back and hips ache.. the weight really has taken it's toll. 

Tonight I am making a huge salad.. one of my favorites from my last venture into raw.  It's grated carrot, broccoli and raisins.. with soaked raw pumpkin seeds and a dressing with honey and lots of fresh lime juice.. I also this time added some fresh dulse (nice for saltiness!) that I put thru the food processor with the veggies.  This salad is beyond amazing and my husband (who supports me but is not eating as high raw as I am) loves it. 

Feelin' Juicy~

Why Do I Have to be so Extreme?

I want to go back to High Raw.

Why do I have to be so damn extreme though?  Every time I go back to raw I put huge, high expectations on myself and always let myself down.  I lose out on the wonders of continued Raw Food eating because I am so all or nothing in my thinking.   I have to try my best to be easy on myself when I have a day I have to eat cooked food.. Lately I've seen lots of the long time raw foodists admit not to eating cooked occasionally.. and to not being totally Vegan.

I want to just stop putting labels on myself.  I know a high raw lifestyle would help me so much.  My health is not great and I am a good 80pounds overweight.

I just have to give myself permission to NOT BE PERFECT. 

I've just ordered a few supplies (mostly nuts and seeds that are truly raw.. hard to find at a normal grocery store)..

I will transition slowly.. we have lots of food in the house and I am not throwing anything away this time (another example of my extremest tenancies is constantly throwing away food I don't consider "worthy".)

Looking forward to making my Ginger Almond nori rolls soon!

HIGH RAW GINGER ALMOND NORI ROLLS:

 

1 knob fresh ginger

½ clove garlic

1 T nama shoyu

1 C sprouted Almonds (soak overnight, rince well, drain an hour)

juice of 1 lemon

water if needed

I added this gold hot sauce my sister turned me on to from the Oriental market (about ¼ C) and doubled this above recipe to have extra pate for raw, dehydrated crackers!

It's basically a yellow hot sauce with a touch of sweetness - could use whatever hot sauce you like.

Blend all above into a paste.

For veggies:

Green leaves (arugula, spinach, whatever green you have (not optional)

Mung bean sprouts, shredded carrot, thin sliced red bell, green onion, celery or zuchinni.. whatever else you have.

To assemble:

Lay nori down and lay greens on bottom half of the nori. (make sure the greens are dry) this acts as a moisture barrier. Add rest of veggies ( I use a veggie peeler and make ribbons of zucchini and carrot and cut anything else up in very thin strands.

and roll up as tight as possible.. (I needed and used a bamboo rolling Mat)

Use a VERY sharp knife to cut.

Can also make these as hand rolls

THIS STUFF IS THE BOMB!

I'll be back.

I'm Back..

And this time I am going to be much less demanding of myself to be incredibly high raw.

The strive for perfection became the enemy of my good.  This time around I will just start out doing what I can and not be so damn hard on myself.

I am coming off a very low carb diet (again) and this time I was so extreme (seeing a pattern here) in my low carb idealism I was eating close to no carbs.. and ended up having an "extremely abnormal" EKG.. several times.. and had to come immediately out of ketosis. 

Right now I am waiting on blood tests and a referral to a cardiologist but I am pretty sure it's electrolyte imbalance and (extremely low potassium, calcium and magnesium) as I was next to never eating dairy and hardly a green veggie in site..

I wanted to lose weight so bad that now I have screwed up my health.

I am starting out with just an occasional salad and maybe a nice low glycemic green juice every once in a while. 

I will talk here about allot more that just Raw foods and health too.. I have so much going on and I know I need a place to let it all hang out.

Today I remembered how much I love veggie wraps made the Summer roll style.. and I will be making some soon with a few shrimp in them (not going Vegan or even Vegetarian).  No extreme anything for me... ever again.

I may count a few calories here and there.  Not sure.  I feel if I can eat high volume water foods (fruits and veggies) I may not have to worry about calories.. but on the other hand I may be kidding myself.

I made a huge pot of Red Swiss Chard and added a bunch of roasted garlic and some white beans.  Since being low carb for so long I am first starting off with just adding some damn veggies!!!