Even reaching this halfway point is something of a milestone for me. I've never done an "experiment" like this before. I've never even gone vegetarian for a day. So, halfway through...how do I feel?
Well, let me break down what I'd heard about this lifestyle, and then put forward my personal feelings so far. One of the most attractive things about eating RAW was the obvious health benefit: So long as you're careful in getting all the vitamins and minerals you would from a SAD (Standard American Diet), health is purported to soar. One question I get frequently is, "But where do you get Vitamin 'X' or'_______'?" Well, it is necessary to do your research, because the last thing you want to do is suffer from malnutrition during what would otherwise be superbly healthy for you and the earth. And researching everything you eat requires planning and reading and lots of time (READ: commitment). So I've tried to be careful and I've read up on a number of sources on how to have a relatively balanced diet. And yes, my health is in much better shape (pun intended). I noticed while going to the gym the other day that I seemed to be able to work out for longer than before. When I get proper sleep and eat enough, I do seem to have a little more than the average amount of energy. And of course, eating high-fiber, low-calorie foods has led to weight loss.
The issue of weight loss and hunger have been pretty big for me personally during this trial. A problem I had especially after the first few days of the trial was my sudden lack of hunger. I won't lie; I have always been a hungry person, feeling hunger even when my body certainly didn't need more food. With the sudden increase in fiber and perhaps because I'm eating (and digesting) in a completely different manner than before, my hunger suddenly ceased to occur as often and sometimes I ate far less calorically than I knew was healthy. I've been trying to curb this bad habit, since I have no wish to mess with my metabolism or lose muscle weight out of "starvation".
One nice thing about eating RAW is the fact that because the food is more typically low calorie than cooked food, you can eat in greater quantities and still be eating a healthy amount, so for big eaters such as myself this should be a plus. This seems to counteract what I said before, but I think the lack of hunger was definitely psychological in part. Most of the time I'm more motivated to eat my food than before, because there are many flavors and tastes in raw food that we so seldom appreciate when taking it cooked or as one of hundreds of ingredients in processed foods.
Steve Pavlina, whom I got the 30 days RAW idea from, said during his trial (he so liked the feelings he got from this lifestyle that he eventually ended up going completely raw) that his emotions were intensified. This is a little harder for me to evaluate, since I am by my Romantic nature a very emotional person, and I place high value on the expression thereof. So this may be hindsight bias (in a sense) speaking, but I do think my emotions have been a little stronger lately. I cried whilst watching The Kiterunner, and though it was a heartwrenching film, I almost never cry when reading books or watching movies. I have been a little more sensitive, looking back at my interactions with people over the last few days.
Would I consider going completely RAW? Currently, my answer is no. I think 100% raw is wonderfully sustainable for the earth, but not for my lifestyle in the long term. I will certainly be incorporating much more raw food into my diet, and continue sprouting, making smoothies and juicing when possible. If this blog didn't make it obvious, I am a definite proponent of the RAWvolution! I encourage all people to take as many steps toward it as their lifestyles can sustain. The best you can do is try.
With that said, I do look forward to 15 more days of complete raw-dom. If there's one thing that can't be said about raw foodism, it's that it's tasteless. There is an abundance of tastes, both impressively subtle and suprisingly bold, and my perception of taste has definitely been amplified by this diet. I better appreciate the subtle, natural flavors that our beloved planet puts out for us, hassle-free. And it's about time for some examples...
I have been keeping a log of everything I'm eating for my trial, and will frequently put up accounts of meals I've eaten or shopping or the joy of finding new fruits and the like.
From Day 7, here is a green smoothie that's fairly easy to make and (suprisingly, for the cynic in me) tasty!
The ingredients: Ice, water, 1 box of raspberries, 2 bananas and a handful of spinach leaves. That's right, spinach! You don't even taste it in the finished smoothie as the fruit is so overpowering, but you definitely get the health benefits, and it's so good...
Color is such an integral part of our food that we tend to forget about it. I once discussed this with Jessica, who asked me to imagine how much our enjoyment of our food would lessen if suddenly all the color disappeared. So true--I love looking at all the colors of my food, especially the beautiful crimson of these raspberries, and the fresh, crisp green of the spinach. My desire to eat is increased tenfold.
Could you imagine a raspberry that wasn't so delicously colorful? I don't want to.The smoothie ends up being delicious, though a little textured because of all the seeds. It's quite filling as well, and is a nice complement to a big breakfast, though it's fine on its own.
I'm feeling beet at the moment, so more delicious RAW sharing next time.
-Jessica
