The convergence of three events catalyzed my entry into the world of RAW food.
- Costco
- Living in Las Vegas
- Coaching
About a month ago on a fateful Wednesday afternoon, I walked into Costco to buy Kleenex and soap. As I was pushing my cart through the aisles, there it was – the Vita-Mix 5200 demonstration and display. I knew a high quality, high speed blender was crucial for making raw food meals.
The gentleman running the booth was mixing, grinding, and blending up a storm.
I chatted with him about Vita-Mix vs BlendTec (another blender option) but knew that my mind was made up. I was going to be a Vita-Mix gal.
I set one in my cart and the rest is history!
The other event that precipitated my entry into the world of RAW is a lifestyle change from living in Las Vegas. In Vegas, I eat most meals at home. In LA, I ate most meals (except breakfast) out or from prepared food.
The raw world is a little intimidating, especially in California. The food served in raw food restaurants seems complicated, difficult to prepare, and chock-full of nuts. I have a nut allergy (all nuts) so going raw for me seemed nearly impossible.
Which leads me to my third catalyst – coaching. I received some guidance from a raw food extraordinaire, helping me realize a RAW diet was possible. I also got hooked up with a bunch of recipes.
My main questions upon starting were the following:
- What do I eat and when?
- How do I maintain a balanced diet?
- How do I not run out of energy with an active lifestyle?
These are big questions! In the early part of my first week, I had an afternoon of overwhelm – makes sense since I was in the process of transforming my relationship with food and re-learning – what to eat, what types of groceries to buy, and how to prepare them.
The overwhelming feeling passed and later that day, I made a shopping list and drove to the grocery store.
I have been buying a TON of greens.
Generally, here’s what I’ve been eating:
- Green smoothies — my favorite is a banana, a coconut with the water and coconut meat, and several handfuls of spinach (for more information on green smoothies and an overall introduction to RAW, Green for Life by Victoria Boutenko is a great resource)
- Salads with raw dressing
- Pumpkin and sunflower seeds
- Coconut date rolls
- Dehydrated crackers/bread with tahini and a little agave; or avocado and tomatoes and sprouts
- Raw cereal
- Some raw chocolate
So how has it been for me? After two weeks on a 100% RAW diet, I feel AMAZING. I have loads of energy and haven’t been excessively hungry. I have no need or desire to take a nap during the day. My thinking has been clear and my creativity is flowing. My mind and body are firing on all cylinders.
My relationship with food is changing. I give food more time. A grab and go consumer lifestyle does not apply.
After this experiment, my plan is to eat raw as much as I can with an overall goal of 70% of my diet. I want to learn how to make more RAW food dishes and also improve my preparation skills (like more precise chopping).
America also has to re-learn what to eat, how to shop for food, and how to prepare it. McDonalds or other fast food is no kitchen!
Jamie Oliver’s recent TED talk prize speech talks about this exactly. He shares powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, West Virginia, and makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.
Within the same seven days, Michelle Obama launched the Let’s Move campaign to combat obesity in the US.
Transformation can happen America! You have to choose to want it first.
