My Raw Food Experience

I haven't blogged in a while, I guess you can say I have had a bit of the old writers block. I've also been very busy with the Hope Eternal Loud Music Festival, a little something I put together to celebrate the recovery of a good friend of mine who was diagnosed with a very rare form of uterine cancer this year. Green Inside Herbals has taken a back seat because I am still trying to figure it all out. Being new to this line of business has been a little bit of a challenge. Anyone who knows me from my Eternal Embrace and Triple Moon Entertainment business knows me to be smart, savvy and decisive, but for some reason, my Herbal Business self just has not found her sea legs yet.

This past month has been a very positive and transformational month for me though. I have been told that my ability to change easily and quickly is not always beneficial, but I disagree. I love change and the more I grow in this life, the easier I may have it in the next life. (At least I hope that is the case!)

About a month ago I suddenly started to receive information about raw foods in my email. I don't recall how I started to get them, maybe facebook put a trace on an inquiry that I made to an aquaintance who was trying to go raw and sent the website www.rawepicurian.net to my email, or perhaps some of my herbal buddies turned me on to the idea. At any rate, I began to receive blogs regularly, not thinking too much of it, I would read the recipes with a vague interest. Until one day I was sent a blog about Sarma Melngailis' new book Living Raw Food. It was probably Sarma's unique beauty that caught my attention first, but I began to read the synopsis of the book and became fascinated. In 1999 I breifly encountered a Raw Food workshop being held in Newburyport, MA and I was intrigued, but at the same time scared. I didn't want to eat raw meat and raw eggs. Boy was I mis-informed. I picked up Sarma's book, one of two in a series, and devoured it. Soon enough I began to incorporate raw foods into my every day eating, then I suddenly lost all my desire to eat otherwise. In a month's time I went almost completely Raw Vegan.

As a still breastfeeding mother, I worried at first that I would not be providing enough nutrients for my daughter, but because breastfeeding is merely supplemental at this point and she eats everything now, I surged ahead. I was relieved when I read that certain vegetables and fruits, including coconuts have more protien than meat and that our bodies are more efficient when we eat our fruits and veggies in liquid form.

Not only did I suddenly have amazing energy because of this new eating, but I loved food again. I went through quite a long period after my pregnancy, where I detested food and craved only sweets. It was not pretty and I felt that something had to be done when I received a blood test back where my tryglicerides were through the roof! I had originally met with a dietician who counciled me about portion sizes, that helped tremendously as we are now consuming double the portions that we did fifty years ago. I also began running and joined a Pilates class which has been such an amazing experience for me because I previously did not like to exercise and now I love it. Now, finally, after I made these adjustments, I am beginning to feel better about myself, not only my energy and eating habits, but better over all, more confident, more aware, more myself it seems.

Although recently, I must admit, I fell off the wagon, I jumped right back on. It was hard though. I guess learned behavior patterns can often derail progress. It helps to have amazing resources on the web. If you are interested in exploring more about the benefits of Raw Food health, check out www.rawepicurian.net and www.crazysexylife.com both of these sites are inspirational in their own way and support people looking to add more raw food into their lives. The raw epicurian is all raw food recipes and they even do monthly give-aways, and Crazy Sexy Life has quotes, articles and stories about everyday people who are making the transition to living healthier.

I am not 100% anything. Why be so strict when I know that I will fail, that is why diets never work. But I make an effort (and yes, it is an effort some days more than others) to do a little each day. In the morning I always have a smoothie or a peice of fruit. In the afternoon, I may have a salad or sometimes I eat just a simple dish of tunafish or share chicken fingers with my daughter. And for dinner I will have a plate of veggies and some rice or a small peice of chicken. I want to try to eventually be about 85% raw, but I am not going to kill myself. As long as I am exercising every week at least three times a week, and eating that way I know I am doing a world of good for me and for my child.

We also implemented Meat Free Monday's at our house, which I borrowed from CSLs website. I read that more and more communities are advocating MFM to try to reduce our consumption of meat. From 1950, we have doubled our meat consumption and also doubled our body masses. Since cows and other meat animals are being fed diets of grain rather than grass, to make them grow fatter quicker, they are unhealthy and get sick easier due to a comprimised immune system which is why they are injected with the antibiotics that we have now built immunity against. I am making a concerted effort to only purchase grass fed meat when I buy meat at all anymore.

I also found these great bars today at the supermarket. Usually supermarkets don't carry anything raw, but Lara Bars are 90% Raw and they are Vegan. If I get a chocolate craving or a sweets craving, I can turn to Lara Bars. I think their base is made of dates, what my Mother calls "God's Candy".

I can't wait to buy Sarma's first book too, I was reading it at the bookstore a few days ago and couldn't put it down. She is an inspiration for me, we are around the same age, she grew up in Newton, MA and went to Mount Ida Summer Camp and I went to college in Newton at Mount Ida. She is a saavy NY restaurant owner and also has several online companies. As a multiple business owner myself, it is nice to have a peer like her to admire and connect with. To learn more visit her restuarant Pure Food and Wine www.purefoodandwine.com or her oneline wholesale raw food store One Lucky Duck www.oneluckyduck.com.

At the end of the day, it is all how you feel about yourself, maybe you will find that eating Raw is not for you which of course, there are plenty of additional ways you can improve your health. I myself, finally found something that is working for me and it took 32 years to figure that out and I am still trying to work at it!