We're into day 11 of our 4-week raw experiment, and I'm really happy so far. Yes, I definitely feel better having cut out the processed stuff and sugar, but what I'm enjoying the most is the simplicity of eating lately.
For the most part, I do not absolutely love baking and cooking and spending hours in the kitchen. I do enjoy high-quality, rich-tasting food, but I find that there are many other things that I would rather spend my time doing than being in the kitchen all afternoon. Therefore, I usually look for ways to make healthy, yummy meals in about 30 minutes or less. Normally this looks like pan-searing some fish or baking chicken and sauteing some veggies on the side. During this time, we're still making the fish or chicken but adding a salad with like dried cranberries and sliced almonds or diced fruits and veggies. Easy. And that's what I like... easy, healthy meals that I don't have to think too much about.
I'll admit that we deviated from the plan and went out for pizza with our kids and some friends a few nights ago, and I don't feel guilty at all. :) Honestly, this experiment is for Stephen and I to test, for ourselves, the benefits of eating more natural foods and less processed, junky stuff and we're truly enjoying it. However, we still value good family time and good friends and are not going to pass up opportunities to enjoy them over a meal just so we can stick to "the plan". haha
By the way, I'd like to add that my kids, though they are not fully in this thing with us, have been absolute troopers! They have been drinking green smoothies and snacking on fruits and veggies almost exclusively. Although at dinner the other night, Kinsey noticed that the lettuce in the salad was baby spinach (which admittedly we've had quite a bit of) and her eyes filled with tears and she said, "Mom, after you're done with this new lifestyle thing can you please buy some romaine lettuce again??" Haha Stephen and I tried not to laugh at that statement, but it was so sweet and a bit amazing that she was only asking for romaine lettuce! I made sure to pick some up while at the store last night. :)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Friday, February 17, 2012
Day 5: Going Raw
So today marks day five of our raw(ish) diet, and we've survived so far! :)
This has already been quite the experience for me, particularly. I've been surprised at how in some ways it feels easier than I expected, and yet how in others it is requiring a lot more of me than I thought it would.
The best thing that I am noticing is that my energy level throughout the day is really steady. I normally get tired and sometimes even weak in the afternoons but for the last few days I have not only not felt a dip in energy, I actually have more. I spent most of yesterday afternoon organizing my closet and the kids' rooms. That, my friends, is proof that we're on to something! ;)
I will say that I don't think my body is really use to the changes yet and I find myself wanting to eat all day long, which was not the case before. But it feels really good to snack on fresh fruit or some snacks from my new favorite brand, Go Raw. They have some great things to munch on that are full of super healthy, raw ingredients. I've been surprised that I have actually found a few items that I truly enjoy because I honestly did not think that would be the case. I have also found a few that taste like they were dipped in the toilet before they were dehydrated... seriously. So it really is trial and error. But to find something that is so surprisingly pleasant can be very exciting, and may even cause you to exclaim, "These are awesome!!!" when you taste them in the store. haha
I definitely still have cravings from time to time, particularly for chocolate ice-cream and occasionally pasta. (We're only on day 5, though) I'm hoping that those will get better over time as I retrain my body to crave the natural foods that are good for me instead. And it is good to see that I can retrain my taste buds as well!
My focus during this time is on finding healthier alternatives to the normal go-to foods that fill the grocery stores and restaurants. I've already learned so much just by more closely examining what is in so many of these products and realizing that there is way too much sugar, preservatives, and nasty chemicals that I can't even pronounce in many of the things that I thought were harmless. We're talking stuff like bread, yogurt, cereal.... basics that have become far from basic when we take a closer look.
On the other hand, I do not want to become a person that obsesses over every tiny little thing. We should be responsible for our own health without letting fear dictate our decisions. But for me, that doesn't mean being ignorant either. The food that our grandparents ate is far from much of the "food" that we eat today, and as a result we are seeing ever increasing numbers of deadly diseases. When some of the leading causes of death in our generation were so rare just a couple of generations ago, it would be wise for us to take a step back and examine what we are doing. I didn't realize that so many health issues are directly related to our diet, but it makes sense. We build our immune system through eating healthy foods and through a healthy lifestyle. That thought has kept me very encouraged so far to keep going, even when cravings have come up!
I hope to check in sometime next week with more updates. This is really exciting for us!
This has already been quite the experience for me, particularly. I've been surprised at how in some ways it feels easier than I expected, and yet how in others it is requiring a lot more of me than I thought it would.
The best thing that I am noticing is that my energy level throughout the day is really steady. I normally get tired and sometimes even weak in the afternoons but for the last few days I have not only not felt a dip in energy, I actually have more. I spent most of yesterday afternoon organizing my closet and the kids' rooms. That, my friends, is proof that we're on to something! ;)
I will say that I don't think my body is really use to the changes yet and I find myself wanting to eat all day long, which was not the case before. But it feels really good to snack on fresh fruit or some snacks from my new favorite brand, Go Raw. They have some great things to munch on that are full of super healthy, raw ingredients. I've been surprised that I have actually found a few items that I truly enjoy because I honestly did not think that would be the case. I have also found a few that taste like they were dipped in the toilet before they were dehydrated... seriously. So it really is trial and error. But to find something that is so surprisingly pleasant can be very exciting, and may even cause you to exclaim, "These are awesome!!!" when you taste them in the store. haha
I definitely still have cravings from time to time, particularly for chocolate ice-cream and occasionally pasta. (We're only on day 5, though) I'm hoping that those will get better over time as I retrain my body to crave the natural foods that are good for me instead. And it is good to see that I can retrain my taste buds as well!
My focus during this time is on finding healthier alternatives to the normal go-to foods that fill the grocery stores and restaurants. I've already learned so much just by more closely examining what is in so many of these products and realizing that there is way too much sugar, preservatives, and nasty chemicals that I can't even pronounce in many of the things that I thought were harmless. We're talking stuff like bread, yogurt, cereal.... basics that have become far from basic when we take a closer look.
On the other hand, I do not want to become a person that obsesses over every tiny little thing. We should be responsible for our own health without letting fear dictate our decisions. But for me, that doesn't mean being ignorant either. The food that our grandparents ate is far from much of the "food" that we eat today, and as a result we are seeing ever increasing numbers of deadly diseases. When some of the leading causes of death in our generation were so rare just a couple of generations ago, it would be wise for us to take a step back and examine what we are doing. I didn't realize that so many health issues are directly related to our diet, but it makes sense. We build our immune system through eating healthy foods and through a healthy lifestyle. That thought has kept me very encouraged so far to keep going, even when cravings have come up!
I hope to check in sometime next week with more updates. This is really exciting for us!
Monday, February 13, 2012
The Raw Diet: An experiment
So today marks the first day of a month-long experiment for Stephen and I. For the next four weeks we will be following a slightly modified version of the Raw Food diet.
What exactly is this? The Raw Food diet, or as many would say, the Raw Food lifestyle, is one where not only does a person eliminate processed foods from their diet, they also eliminate most cooked foods from their diet and focus mainly on fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Cooking a vegetable breaks it down and less of the nutrients can be absorbed by your body. However, drying things like fruits does not break it down. This diet is also for the purpose of eliminating toxins from your body, which are so prevalent in processed foods in the form of preservatives, hormones, pesticides, and even just large amounts of sugar.
Stephen and I are doing a modified version of this. We are keeping eggs and fish (and occasionally organic chicken) but much of our diet will be things like fresh veggies, fruits, berries, green smoothies, nuts and seeds. We are also keeping in organic milk, raw organic peanut butter, plain greek yogurt (without sugary additives) and raw honey.
A typical day for us might look something like this:
Breakfast: Eggs with sliced avocado, berries, fresh juice
Lunch: Apples and peanut butter, green smoothie (Berries, banana, fresh spinach, Perfect Food powder (Super Green formula), greek yogurt, and a little milk)
Snack: Almonds, kiwi/ pomegranate seeds (yum!)
Dinner: Grilled Tilapia (cooked with olive oil, salt and fresh garlic), baby spinach salad with dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and (homemade) balsamic vinaigrette.
Things we will be giving up for the next month include:
-Coffee (ouch!)
-ice-cream (double ouch for me!)
-pasta
-bread
-processed meats and chicken
-cheese (we normally eat a ton of this)
-regular processed yogurt
-juice (except that which we juice ourselves with fresh fruit)
-condiments like ketchup, mayo etc
What we have been hearing from others on the Raw Food diet is that they have noticed a drastic difference in their health. Their energy has skyrocketed, they have more mental clarity and focus, their complexion improved, they have lost extra weight that they carried. Some health issues have gone away and even some diseases have been reversed.
It makes sense to me. If we are eating fresh healthy foods and avoiding foods that are not good for our bodies we should naturally have much better health, right? Needless to say, I have high hopes for this little experiment. I plan to blog a couple of times a week during this process to share what, if any, changes Stephen and I are noticing. Here we go! :)
What exactly is this? The Raw Food diet, or as many would say, the Raw Food lifestyle, is one where not only does a person eliminate processed foods from their diet, they also eliminate most cooked foods from their diet and focus mainly on fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. Cooking a vegetable breaks it down and less of the nutrients can be absorbed by your body. However, drying things like fruits does not break it down. This diet is also for the purpose of eliminating toxins from your body, which are so prevalent in processed foods in the form of preservatives, hormones, pesticides, and even just large amounts of sugar.
Stephen and I are doing a modified version of this. We are keeping eggs and fish (and occasionally organic chicken) but much of our diet will be things like fresh veggies, fruits, berries, green smoothies, nuts and seeds. We are also keeping in organic milk, raw organic peanut butter, plain greek yogurt (without sugary additives) and raw honey.
A typical day for us might look something like this:
Breakfast: Eggs with sliced avocado, berries, fresh juice
Lunch: Apples and peanut butter, green smoothie (Berries, banana, fresh spinach, Perfect Food powder (Super Green formula), greek yogurt, and a little milk)
Snack: Almonds, kiwi/ pomegranate seeds (yum!)
Dinner: Grilled Tilapia (cooked with olive oil, salt and fresh garlic), baby spinach salad with dried cranberries, sliced almonds, and (homemade) balsamic vinaigrette.
Things we will be giving up for the next month include:
-Coffee (ouch!)
-ice-cream (double ouch for me!)
-pasta
-bread
-processed meats and chicken
-cheese (we normally eat a ton of this)
-regular processed yogurt
-juice (except that which we juice ourselves with fresh fruit)
-condiments like ketchup, mayo etc
What we have been hearing from others on the Raw Food diet is that they have noticed a drastic difference in their health. Their energy has skyrocketed, they have more mental clarity and focus, their complexion improved, they have lost extra weight that they carried. Some health issues have gone away and even some diseases have been reversed.
It makes sense to me. If we are eating fresh healthy foods and avoiding foods that are not good for our bodies we should naturally have much better health, right? Needless to say, I have high hopes for this little experiment. I plan to blog a couple of times a week during this process to share what, if any, changes Stephen and I are noticing. Here we go! :)
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