As of today, March 19th, 2012, I am beginning a raw food journey. I was inspired to do this for many reasons, but the biggest reason was because I want to feel good again. Since becoming pregnant and having a baby, I just don't feel like myself anymore. I exercise randomly and I eat whatever sounds good and it shows. I want to feed my body with raw, living enzymes from whole foods that are grown from the earth. Cooked food (or dead food) no longer has all the living enzymes that are so good for our bodies and skin. Raw food is also much easier for our bodies to digest. I have recently learned so much about the horrors of factory farming as well as all the hidden GMOs that are in food today and we are unaware of because no label is required by law. I want to know what I am putting in my body and I'm hoping this will also make my skin glow again! My skin has been a mess since having a baby!
What will I be eating? All raw fruits and raw vegetables, raw nuts, raw seeds, raw oils, avocados, and some raw butters such as almond and coconut. I will eat some packaged raw foods such as LARA bars and Go Raw brand. I will be drinking only water and an occassional Kombucha drink which is organic/raw. This is basically a raw vegan diet. I will also be making dried fruits and kale chips in my dehydrator. If you dehydrate below 110 degrees, you are not killing the enzymes and the food is still raw. It does take longer to dehydrate at a low temperature, but it's worth it.
My goal is to make this a new way of life. We will be moving to south Texas in May 2012 and there are so many local farmer's markets where I can shop locally and stock up on fresh produce! It is always best to buy local produce because as soon as a fruit/veg is picked, it starts to lose its vitality. So, if your fruit traveled from Brazil, it was picked a while ago. I am trying to lose the last 20 lbs of pregnancy weight and more. I have struggled with my weight my whole life.
I am posting this on my swatch blog just incase someone else is on this same journey and we can support eachother and also to possibly motivate others to improve their diet. Even small changes are great. I do realize this is a drastic way of eating, but we all have to choose what path motivates us and this is what motivates me. It's not going to be easy as I love my food, but I really want to focus on the long term benefits that I will gain from eating a whole foods, plant based diet.
I will be posting what I eat and how I'm doing with my progress on my blog as well in a separate tab. This is really just a way for me to hold myself accountable.
What inspired me? Check out these movies on Netflix:
-Forks over Knives
-Fat sick and nearly dead
-Food Inc
Other videos that helped me make this decision: (these are on YouTube)
-Earthlings
-Farm to Fridge
