I'm back! Maybe not with a vengeance, but definately with a resolution to eat raw raw raw. My honeymoon was filled with overindulgence, as it should be, with all of my favorite cooked foods. I like to think of it as my last hu-rah; completely devine and utterly destructive. I came back feeling heavy, malnourished, sluggish, and sick. I had been eating about 80% raw for at least a month leading up to the wedding and was feeling an ultimate high. It's amazing what eating such nutrient dense food can do to your body (flushing you out) and to your taste buds (your cravings fend off and you start to appreciate simple foods like biting into an apple). I do not regret turning my back on my health on the honeymoon, even if the results proved to be detrimental to my weeks of hard work...it was my honeymoon! So no, I refuse to appologize for it. BUT I came back 10x stronger. It gave me a solid comparison of raw vs. cooked, how I feel when I consume these foods, and confirmed to me even more that raw/vegan is what I strive to be.
So here's the exciting news! Three things actually. One, is that Michael, who I can quote as once saying "anyone who eats 100% raw is stupid" is now not only 100% supportive of me and my lifestyle, but is excited to eat 80-90% raw himself! The other percent is when he is offered free food, he won't turn it down, cooked or not.
The second piece of exciting news is that I stumbled upon a raw/vegan support group, went, and LOVED it. I get emails from Agi, a local raw foodist, one of which was a posting for a potluck raw/vegan dinner. I've dismissed emails like this before, but being a week back on and feeling the need for some support, I considered going. Time flew by, and the day of, I found myself stressed trying to plan on what to bring, among other doubts. What if these people don't like me? What if they hate my food? What if they think I'm just an inexperienced little girl looking to trim my physique and they don't take my dedication seriously? Hmm. Just go, I told myself. I dragged Michael with me. We were in this together now. As we pulled up to the beautiful house in rural Spanish Fork, UT we walked in and were greeted by an extremely pleasant little Irish woman. "You made it! Were you the ones that just called?" she asked enthusiastically. I had to explain awkwardly that we had heard through the grapevine about this meeting and went on to introduce ourselves. It helped that I hadn't come emptly handed; I presented a barley-cilantro dish I had made. We walked through to the kitchen area where everyone greeted us cheerfully with smiles and nice-to-meet-yous. There was an array of food on the counter, some of which I recognized (kale chips) and a lot of which I didn't (chia seed pudding). I have a lot to learn! Surprisingly there were three other young couples there who were new to raw foods, making it an easy transition. The one girl had brought the delicious pudding and I got the recipe from her right away (I've made a constant supply of it since the meeting). After dinner we gathered to watch a documentary and follwed up with a discussion. The entire evening was so much fun! I learned a lot from the older, more experienced raw foodists there, all of whom had amazing stories about how they conquered their diabetes, baby weight, thyroid disease, high blood pressure, heart disease etc. issues through their diet. It was also good to relate to the younger crowd who, like us, is looking more to prevent those diseases than treat them. It's amazing to learn just how raw food cures, heals, and protects on all levels. Michael and I both left feeling great about our new lifestyle and friends. It's great to know I'm not aone.
The third piece of final wonderfullness is that I just got my...Excalibur Dehydrator! It came in the mail today, and man, do I feel spoiled. That, with my Vitamix, is all I really need to make living raw a breeze. I spent two hours filling the nine trays with assorted fruit (strawberries, apples, peaches, kiwi, pineapple, grapes), veggies (green beans, carrots), as well as a "fruit leather" which is essentially a fruit roll-up, strawberries and bananas blended and spread out, let to dry, raw granola, and my first batch of raw carrot-raisin bread! The next twelve hours can not go by fast enough for me! Overall, I feel more than motivated, but PUMPED for this change in my life! I know the potential it has for me, as I lived it long enough to gain the benefits. I fell back down the ladder and experienced what happens, and now I've been raw-and-going-strong for two weeks and it is truly unbelievable. Much much much more to come!
