raw

Today is day 5 of my mom and my 10 day raw food "diet"

I have been sharing with mom about a raw and living food way of life and how I have become more and more passionate about heathy/natural eating. I asked her "if I cook for you for 10 days, will you eat what I make?" She said yes and I went to Publix.

Many people cringe or worry when I say raw food, so I will explain.

Raw foodism is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed, and living foods as a high percentage of your diet.

It is eating food in its most natural and nutritional state. No raw meat...don't worry.

When we cook our food a large part of the nutritional value is depleted from it or the chemistry of the food is changed. Eating raw veggies, fruits, seeds, and whole grains is the best way to get all the nutrition that God intended for us to have when he designed these amazing foods that come from the earth.

I have been on a healthy eating journey since my last semester of college. I look back at the crazy food I was eating during senior year and all the stress I was under. No wonder I had back pain beyond my years and muscle pain all over my body. Yes, I am out of the stressful environment now, but I believe the way I feel now has a great deal to do with diet (and exercise.) The past 2 years have been an evolution of thought and revelation. I am learning so much and I have never felt better or been more convinced that eating healthy is vital to living a healthy life.

Imagine with me a ripe juicy orange. The color. The fragrance. The zest. The juice. This incredible fruit grew from a tree and man had little to do with it( other than the wonderful men who take care,pick, and juice them.) It was designed by a perfect creator that knew that our bodies would need vitamins and minerals and enzymes that this piece of fruit would supply. It is perfect.

I am astounded by fruits and veggies. How they grow from the earth and offer us everything we need.

In our world today that is full of processed foods, and refined flours and sugars it is no wonder we suffer from pain, illness, and most of our nation is overweight. Now this is a touchy subject but I think it is always worth discussing.

Our bodies are temples and we are only given one of these miraculous pieces of art. It is amazing to me how we have become so accustomed to junk food. When our diet contains more processed, messed with, and fake food than natural living green food, something is off.

I am out to seek a way to live that is glorifying to my temple and creator and healing and nutritional.

Ok so the point is I am learning that all natural is the best for my body. And I believe for yours as well. I understand that everyone has to come to a point where they desire to learn about and make changes in their diet. Well my time is now. And I am loving it.

A dear friend of mine introduced this "Raw" way of eating and at times it seems extreme. But at times it makes all the sense in the world.

I have never been one to rush into the kitchen or even crack open a cookbook, but this week I have been making all of mom and my meals from scratch. It has been a challenge and a joy. She is a delight to cook for, even when its not the best tasting dish. (Im still learning:)

Believe it or not there are countless entrees, snacks, desserts, and soups that can be made without heating anything over 118 degrees. I have truly fallen in love with vegetables.

Our first dish was walnut tacos...

Romaine lettuce leaves as the taco shell

Soaked crushed walnuts mixed in cheyenne/taco seasoning/cumin

guacamole (maybe my favorite food of all time)
avocados
tomato/chopped
onion
cilantro
Sea salt to taste
Pinch of Cayenne

So easy and so savory. And so raw. Dad even ate it!!

I have been making juice for us every morning for breakfast.

Carrots, apples, ginger, kale, spinach, lemon...all together or in combination.

Ground Flaxseed mixed in is also a plus! In smoothies as well.

Also a great superfood type powder that I got is called Spirulina. It is a blue green algae packed with goodies for our bodies! You can get it at local health food stores.

Another dish I made was a zucchini pesto salad. This is moms favorite.

I have also experimented with falafel balls, zucchini hummus, Red pepper based soup, and quinoa salad with arugula.

I am by NO means an expert on this at all. Or am I convinced that I will go 100% raw. I measure along with the rookies at this point but I have learned from watching one of the best. I am passionate about learning how to feed my body what it needs to stay well and functioning on the most glorifying level it can.

I was just introduced to a book called "Plan-D" by Dee McCaffrey. Worth a look.

"Processed-Free Livingg is the nomenclature we have coined to describe the philosophy of Plan-D. Others have described it as holistic nutrition or clean eating. The nutshell of processed-free living is this: Eat foods in their closest to natural form as possible, avoid processed and refined foods, artificial sweeteners, and chemical preservatives, and you will reap the benefits of a healthy and happy body. "

"A person who eats processed-free generally adopts the following practices:

Eliminates white sugar and white flour
Eliminates artificial sweeteners
Eliminates trans-fats and foods fried in unhealthy oils
Eats a variety of whole grains
Minimizes consumption of dairy products
Minimizes exposure to pesticides
Always eats breakfast and never skips meals
Reads food ingredient lists and avoids as many chemical additives as possible
Eats an abundance of vegetables and fruits
Incorporates legumes, nuts, and seeds into their daily meals and snacks
Cooks healthy meals
Packs healthy meals and snacks
Makes healthy choices when dining out
Drinks an adequate amount of water
Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
Stays within healthy portion guidelines, but does not obsess about calories
Has a healthy relationship with food and approaches it with reverence
Surrounds themselves with a social community supportive to healthy eating"


YES! I am trying to implement this. Trying. It takes and has taken time.





All this raw talk got me thinking deeper than just food.

I want to live "in the raw."
I crave honesty and truth.
I want to be able to be raw with my loved ones and even strangers.
To be "me" living in my most natural form.
Un-proccesed,.
Not messed with.
Pure.
And in turn, just as raw vegetables have the best effect on our bodies, being a raw being will have the best effect on the ones we love around us.
The most effective for those who take us in.
Not compromised of altered to make us something we are not.
I want to live that way.

I hope you don't see this as crazy, but as an attempt to seek out some truth and health in a blinded world.



love.

sc