Things to consider if you want to try the raw diet!
TIME: Surprisingly, it takes much longer to "cook" raw food, whether you are doing extra chopping, blending, soaking, dehydrating, the list goes on.. If you are soaking anything, keep in mind you may need to start the night before.
You will also need to schedule extra time to chew and go to the toilet (no pictures, sorry.) If this is going to be an issue because of your workplace etc., try a weekend cleanse.
MONEY: Ways to save money on produce are PYO's, farmers' markets, buying large quantities of one thing that is on sale. Ways to spend money are weird things you can't really pronounce from the natural foods store. Something for every size wallet!
ORGANIC: IMO, if you are eating a lot of produce, if you eat the peel it should ALL be organic. One of my older neighbors tried to get into a debate with me about whether we should trust the USDA's labels, since he doesn't even trust the San Francisco Fire Department. I am at pains to draw the parallel. If this controversy piques your interest, drop me a comment and I will gladly look into it.
BODY TEMPERATURE: Oh hey feeling like you're going through menopause prematurely (or again). Being cold was definitely more uncomfortable than being warm, but I would notice hot flashes if I walked into a hot room or if I was exercising. Just today, so much blood rushed to my head during Pilates class that my face was beet red for the entire class - kind of like beer glow. Ways to deal with this: get a blanket, eat more, bail.
STATE OF MIND: When I was all raw, I noticed that I was more stressed out and perhaps more depressed for no reason. Maybe I only noticed this because mid whining about something that seemed SO IMPORTANT, my mother told me to go eat a sandwich. When I added a cooked meal, I noticed such an incredible feeling of well-being and happiness after the cooked meal. Maybe this diet will make you slightly bipolar. I did not notice any mood swings today; on the contrary, I was eyebrows-to-the-sky excited all day. I think eating raw may take whatever you are already feeling and amplify it. Recall that colors were brighter for me and I was more into my music. I also cried when reading The Giver; while this is definitely more emotional than I would normally get, I welcomed the ability to live the book so intensely. You will feel like you were leading An Overcooked Life before!
VITAMINS: I stopped taking vitamins within 2 days of this diet because I felt like I did not need them. Definitely do not take A or E because you can overdose on these. If you are going all raw, B complex every other day or so can be nice since you can only get B12 from animal products (and if you are eating raw fish, I doubt that fish munched on dirt to bring you your B vitamins). No need to take Vitamin C - see TIME part above. (If you don't understand this reference, go take a double dose of vitamin C and wait half an hour. I am not responsible for anything bad that may come as a result of this.)
ENERGY: When I was all raw, coffee was unnecessary, but I got incredibly exhausted around 4 PM. I think digesting all that is hard work! Solutions: nap, eat more, cheat and eat cooked. I think drinking a hot cup of tea with non-raw honey is a good way to get some energy back if you don't feel like going all out for a cooked meal. If you are doing this for a cleanse, that has virtually no calories (unless you're REALLY into the honey.)
COFFEE: Don't do it. Just try! I have been a daily user for almost 8 years, and I have no qualms telling you to try to go off it.
Speaking of not coffee, I'm going to hit the sack and add a second part if I think of more logistics tomorrow. If there's anything I missed that you're curious about, feel free to comment!
Suparatri.
TIME: Surprisingly, it takes much longer to "cook" raw food, whether you are doing extra chopping, blending, soaking, dehydrating, the list goes on.. If you are soaking anything, keep in mind you may need to start the night before.
You will also need to schedule extra time to chew and go to the toilet (no pictures, sorry.) If this is going to be an issue because of your workplace etc., try a weekend cleanse.
MONEY: Ways to save money on produce are PYO's, farmers' markets, buying large quantities of one thing that is on sale. Ways to spend money are weird things you can't really pronounce from the natural foods store. Something for every size wallet!
ORGANIC: IMO, if you are eating a lot of produce, if you eat the peel it should ALL be organic. One of my older neighbors tried to get into a debate with me about whether we should trust the USDA's labels, since he doesn't even trust the San Francisco Fire Department. I am at pains to draw the parallel. If this controversy piques your interest, drop me a comment and I will gladly look into it.
BODY TEMPERATURE: Oh hey feeling like you're going through menopause prematurely (or again). Being cold was definitely more uncomfortable than being warm, but I would notice hot flashes if I walked into a hot room or if I was exercising. Just today, so much blood rushed to my head during Pilates class that my face was beet red for the entire class - kind of like beer glow. Ways to deal with this: get a blanket, eat more, bail.
STATE OF MIND: When I was all raw, I noticed that I was more stressed out and perhaps more depressed for no reason. Maybe I only noticed this because mid whining about something that seemed SO IMPORTANT, my mother told me to go eat a sandwich. When I added a cooked meal, I noticed such an incredible feeling of well-being and happiness after the cooked meal. Maybe this diet will make you slightly bipolar. I did not notice any mood swings today; on the contrary, I was eyebrows-to-the-sky excited all day. I think eating raw may take whatever you are already feeling and amplify it. Recall that colors were brighter for me and I was more into my music. I also cried when reading The Giver; while this is definitely more emotional than I would normally get, I welcomed the ability to live the book so intensely. You will feel like you were leading An Overcooked Life before!
VITAMINS: I stopped taking vitamins within 2 days of this diet because I felt like I did not need them. Definitely do not take A or E because you can overdose on these. If you are going all raw, B complex every other day or so can be nice since you can only get B12 from animal products (and if you are eating raw fish, I doubt that fish munched on dirt to bring you your B vitamins). No need to take Vitamin C - see TIME part above. (If you don't understand this reference, go take a double dose of vitamin C and wait half an hour. I am not responsible for anything bad that may come as a result of this.)
ENERGY: When I was all raw, coffee was unnecessary, but I got incredibly exhausted around 4 PM. I think digesting all that is hard work! Solutions: nap, eat more, cheat and eat cooked. I think drinking a hot cup of tea with non-raw honey is a good way to get some energy back if you don't feel like going all out for a cooked meal. If you are doing this for a cleanse, that has virtually no calories (unless you're REALLY into the honey.)
COFFEE: Don't do it. Just try! I have been a daily user for almost 8 years, and I have no qualms telling you to try to go off it.
Speaking of not coffee, I'm going to hit the sack and add a second part if I think of more logistics tomorrow. If there's anything I missed that you're curious about, feel free to comment!
Suparatri.
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