My raw food journey began in September 2004. Some people may think I'm crazy for living this way but I love how good eating raw foods makes me feel. This is my daily struggle with trying to maintain this type of lifestyle and to attempt to get my boyfriend (who is in the picture with me) to eat more raw foods.

Health Diaries » Journey to a 95% Raw Diet » March 2006

March 30, 2006

Fruits

Work has been crazy this week. It is absolutely beautiful outside and I am stuck inside at my desk.

Been eating loads of fruits this week. Honeydew, watermelon and strawberries have been so sweet. I know that I have been eating more than I should be but it tastes so good. And come on... its not like it's chocolate... it's fruit.

Have not been using my Vitamix nearly enough. I would love to hear about any good juices (veggie or fruit) that people enjoy.

I also have my 25th birthday party a week from Saturday. My actual birthday is April 11th but this will be a joint bday party with one of my best friends. I have tons of friends coming in from out of town. I haven't seen some of them in over a year and I want to show them how much I've changed since eating raw foods. I can't wait!

Posted by Mara at 9:10 AM | Comments (4)

March 23, 2006

Bottomless Pit

My stomach has been a bottomless pit for the past three days. I can't even think about all the food I ate today:
1 mango
1 apple
1 small banana
small container of mixed melons
Handful of raw almonds
Celery
Spinach, avocado, tomato, cucumber salad
Chocolate coconut LaraBar
... and the day is only half over. Now that I write it down, it doesn't seem like a huge amount, just more than usual. It just feels like I have been eating non-stop today. It has been 5 full days of eating 100% raw but my body seems to be craving something warm. I have been really cold over the past 4 weeks. My mother thinks that it is from the lack of fat on my body. It is amazing to see how my body changes from this way of eating. I played sports all through high school and also played lacrosse and rowed crew in college. I have always been very muscular and kept up that physique for two years after college. I am now 24 (turning 25 next month) and have a completely different body type than I did a year ago, even maybe only 6 months ago. I am still strong, though not nearly as strong as before, but am not nearly as bulky as I used to be. Clothes from a year ago fall right off. It's crazy because I eat whenever I am hungry now and have so much more energy than when I was playing sports.
I also wanted to mention that I have been doing different cleanses over the past 7 months. I started out with a colon cleanse, then a liver cleanse, and now I am on a candida cleanse. I would suggest doing no matter what type of food you eat.

Posted by Mara at 12:14 PM | Comments (3)

March 20, 2006

I feel like a rabbit

I wonder if I am going to turn orange from all of the carrots that I eat. John and his father own a produce distribution company so I have to talk to him about bringing me home a 50 pound bag of organic carrots one day soon. I always find myself spending more money than I plan to at Whole Foods. It has got to be easier, and cheaper, to have the boyfriend bring a huge bag of them home from work.

Had a wonderful weekend. Went out to dinner three nights in a row and did not have a problem finding something to eat at each of the restaurants, although I did go for cooked food on Sat night. Sashimi, oysters, and cucumber maki rolls on Friday night (i plan on trying to make the maki rolls at home... just a bunch of raw fish and bean sprouts wrapping up in thin strips of cucumber- it was delish). Marinated calamari salad and sesame crusted ahi tuna on Saturday night. And went to a place with a huge salad bar on Sunday night. Had a couple of drinks on Saturday night too. Boy, am I not used to drinking alcohol anymore. I had a great time on Sat night, but the worst headache on Sunday morning... it was like a college flashback. Felt so much better after I started moving around and running errands.

So I'm finishing up work on Monday, 20 mins to go. I always end up laughing to myself whenever I pack up food to eat at work. This morning I put the following items into a bag to eat throughout the day:
- tupperware container full of red cabbage
-2 large carrots
-2 large stalks of celery
-1 cucumber
-small container of mixed fruit
-2 small apples

I pretty much chop up and eat these items throughout the day at my desk. I know that I have to do something about getting back into my hour long walks, but I've been really busy at work recently so I haven't had time to take a real lunch break.

Posted by Mara at 2:34 PM | Comments (0)

March 17, 2006

Avacado, cabbage, and spinach, oh my!

Well, I have been eating 100% raw for 6 days straight. I feel great! I also feel as if I lost 5 pounds this week. I'll have to weigh myself tomorrow morning. I always weigh myself at the same time of day... morning, because everyone is lighter in the morning before eating :)

I ate another organic banana this morning. They are about to go bad and I haven't had time to make a smoothie this week. I also had a salad for lunch. Typical kind - spinach, carrot, cucumber, avocado and lemon juice for dressing. My boyfriend, John, is picking me up from work today to go out to dinner. I'm sure that we will end up grabbing some sashimi, yum.

Last night I prepared a raw hummus with chickpeas, sesame seeds, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper. I think that it is absolutely delicious with carrot sticks, celery, or red cabbage. My mother thinks it tastes and looks like plaster. I am looking forward to eating it this weekend. I can never bring it to work because the garlic smell is pretty bad. I don't want to scare anyone off :)

I am also looking forward to spending the weekend with John. We have both been so busy at work that we haven't been able to talk much this week. I don't even know how to approach him about eating more raw foods. I just want to make sure that he is healthy and really takes care of himself. From what I have read, and how I feel, raw foods are essential to acquiring and maintaining a strong immune system. Throughout college I had pink eye every winter, it drove me crazy. I would have to wear my glasses every day for a month and use these horrible eye drops. This past winter is the first winter that I did not have a problem with my eyes! I did not get sick once, not even a cold. I have more sick days left over from work then I know what to do with.

Posted by Mara at 1:52 PM | Comments (2)

March 15, 2006

Red Cabbage Obsession

Ok, Ok, so last time I wrote I said that I would be doing the detox diet all this week. Let's just say I decided to cut it short. I did the two pre-detox days and felt so much better after them that I decided to just continue to eat a 100% raw diet for a week or two and cut out the fasting part. I haven't weighed myself in over a week but I do feel a lot lighter and more clear headed than I did last weekend.

I was rather hungry on my way home from work last night. When I got home, I actually found myself sitting in front of the tv eating a head of raw red cabbage. I am completely obsessed with red cabbage. I love it! It's great in salads, with hummus, with nori sheets, even by itself. I feel that I could survive off of red cabbage and water for months. No wonder my boyfriend, John, thinks I'm crazy. Just listen to me babbling on about cabbage. Haha.

This morning I enjoyed a small organic banana (which I usually only eat in a weekly banana and berry shake... I usually throw in whatever kind of berries I have around the house - blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries - you really can't go wrong with this smoothie. Throw the fruit into the Vitamix and enjoy. No need to use ice or any liquids) Then I cut up an organic apple and sprinkled flax seeds on top. Really easy to eat while sitting at my desk at work. For lunch, I had a spinach, red cabbage (tons of it), tomato, avocado, and carrot salad with lemon juice. (all organic, of course :) ) Typically, I eat half of it around 12:30 pm and the other half around 3 pm. So I still have half of it to enjoy in about an hour. It is amazing how easily extra weight comes off while eating 100% raw. The first place that I notice it is in my stomach... you can eat a lot and it practically disappears.

Posted by Mara at 10:41 AM | Comments (20)

March 13, 2006

Fasting Detox Diet

Wow, the past several months have flown by. I can't believe that it has already been 6 months since I did my first detox diet. I thought that it would be a good idea to do another one since spring is quickly approaching. I am following the same one that I did back in Sept 2005. The link to website where I found this detox can be found in my previous post.

This is my second day of the predetox part. I will eat the same foods today that I ate yesterday. I begin the day with a cup of warm water with lemon. 30 mins later I drink a fresh apple and carrot juice. I juice the organic produce myself in the morning right before I am ready to drink it. I have to give myself an extra 30 mins of time in the morning to prepare everything. I also soak unsulfered, dried fruits and some raw almonds in filtered water the night before. After I make and drink the juice, I use a food processor to grind up the almonds and add them to coconut milk. I bring the coconut milk drink and the dried fruits to work to eat for lunch. (I wait at least 30 mins between the time I eat fuits and the time I eat anything else). Then I snack on fresh, organic fruits if I am hungry in the afternoon. I stay away from citrus fruits during the detox. For dinner I'll have a spinach salad with avacado, tomatoes, carrots, red cabbage and some lemon juice; everything organic. The predetox portion took some getting used to during my first detox last Sept but I'm really enjoying everything this time through. Starting tomorrow morning, I will be fasting for the three days. Only consuming distilled or bottled spring water.

My boyfriend, John, does not agree with the fasting section of this detox. He graduated college with a degree in exercise science and was a personal trainer for several years. Although he sees how much better I feel after doing this detox, I have decided to not let him know that I will be fasting for three days. Off to go have some of my coconut milk and almond drink. Cheers.

Posted by Mara at 11:26 AM | Comments (2)

March 6, 2006

Making the Decision to Go on a Raw Diet

Let me start off by introducing myself. My name is Mara. I am 24 years old and have always been interested in trying new types of foods to better my health. I have been very athletic my entire life. My family has owned a health food store for the past 11 years so I have always been aware of alternative medicines and treatments.

My initial interest and eventual jump into a raw foods diet began 5 months ago. I just got back from a weekend trip of eating loads of processed foods with a bunch of my girlfriends and I felt so tired and sick. Even my muscles ached.

That Monday, I was so unproductive at work. I kept falling asleep at my desk. I decided that since I couldn't get any work done that I would search online for articles and books about health and wellness. I really enjoyed reading about how people feel so much younger and have so much energy while eating raw foods. I decided to try it out.

I started with a week-long detox fast/diet to clean out my toxins. A copy of the detox that I followed can be found here.

That initial detox was 5 months ago. I've been pretty much 80% raw since then and typically eat cooked food one day a week or one day every other week. I am now trying to step it up to 95% raw. In addition, I plan on getting in some more exercise too; especially since spring is coming. I love to go for long walks outside. I can't wait.

My current measurements:
height - 5 ft 8 inches
weight - 141.5 pounds
bust - 36 inches
waist - 28 inches
hips - 36 inches

I would like to get my weight back down to 135 pds.

I woke up at 7:15 am this morning to get ready for work. I have been drinking room temp spring water all day long at my desk. It is now 2:00 pm and I will be heading out to grab a carrot, spinach, apple, wheat grass juice.

I juice a lot and I finally came to my senses and ordered a Vitamix juicer. I know it’s expensive but, if you are determined to stick to this diet, this juicer is definitely worth the money. I have been using a different kind and have been wasting so much pulp. I spend enough money on organic vegetables and fruits that I should have purchased a Vitamix from the beginning. I also ordered a dehydrator and look forward to trying out some recipes.

I look forward to taking this next step in my raw foods diet and am excited to share this journey with you.

Posted by Mara at 7:33 AM | Comments (4)