March 31st marked the fabulous finale to my official RAW experiment, but my actual experience didn’t just end there! After 31 days of ~99% RAW, I felt better than I had in ages. So even though I was excited to nibble on some of my old cooked-food favorites, I was also eager to eke out as much RAW advantage as I could.
I remained RAW going into April, and even considered pushing through for a full 45 days. Unfortunately, around April 3rd I developed a flu that laid me out flat: fevered and nauseated and totally pathetic. I hadn’t been so sick in years, and for the first 24 hours all I could stomach was a single orange. By the second day my tummy had settled a bit and I was able to think about eating again . . . but all I found appetizing was warm, hearty fare. Following my body’s cues, I made a mild Thai curry, and man, that tofu rocked my world!
These days I’m averaging about 75-85% RAW. Some travel days I’ve been as low as 40%, while others I just shoot back up to 99%. But typically, I’ll eat whole raw fruits and vegetables throughout the day, and add a wee bit of cooked food in at dinnertime. I still spend most days caffeine-free, although I’ve had some incredibly pleasurable weekend cups of coffee. The same holds true for alcohol, which has been equally as easy to abstain from and equally as delightful to indulge in. Each day, I still start off with a big green smoothie, and I can’t imagine that changing any time soon. Overall, my body seems to know what it wants and has finally figured out how to tell me so.
I feel so good, eating this way. I feel energized, centered, and very healthy in every sense of the word. Most importantly, it feels sustainable. This is a very balanced place I’ve found, and quite honestly, I’m reveling in it.
Food Journal
By way of comparison, I’ve done a rundown of a typical daily menu the way I’m eating right now. The numbers really aren’t much different than when I was RAW. Ideally, my day goes something like this:
Averageday, xX Month 2009
- Green Smoothie - 1 medium banana, 1 medium apple, 1 lemon, 1 orange, 2 kale leafs, 1 tsp Spirulina powder
- herbal tea with agave
- 1 apple + 1 pear
- carrot sticks
- kombucha
- Giant Salad w/ red leaf lettuce, purple cabbage, grated zucchini, red bell pepper, a jalapeno, half an avocado, and slivered red onion tossed in lemon juice, red salsa, olive oil, and nutritional yeast and topped with brown rice and black beans
- big pile of raisins
- herbal tea with agave
Total Calories: 1918
76% from carbohydrates (1462 calories)
14% from fat (273 calories)
10% from protein (182 calories)
Total Carbohydrates: 401 g
- Fiber: 65 g
- Sugar: 225 g
Total Fats: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Omega-3: 686 mg
- Omega-6: 3733 mg
Total Protein: 53 g
Vitamins – I was well over my vitamin requirements *except* for these:
- Vitamin E: 38% DV
Minerals:
- Calcium: 47% DV
- Iron: 82% DV
- Magnesium: 98% DV
- Phosphorous: 80% DV
- Potassium: 144% DV
- Zinc: 77% DV
- Copper: 100% DV
- Manganese: 221% DV
- Selenium: 76% DV
Also, daily BM’s, w00t!
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http://www.theorganiclife.wordpress.com sarah
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http://www.theorganiclife.wordpress.com sarah
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TC
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http://www.theorganiclife.wordpress.com sarah