What life’s been like as a raw vegan, and preparing for a an upcoming trial with Gabriel Cousens’ “Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine”
When I first started eating differently, everyone around me thought I was nuts. The comments died down once they realized I wasn’t giving up. The end of December 2009 will mark my 6th month on a raw vegan diet.
I recognize a raw food diet seems a bit “wacko.” Cooked food is such a part of our identity, traditions, holidays, and culture. But this is all at the expense of our health; putting comfort, familiarity, and pleasure before the truth about the negative effects of a typical American diet. That is not to say all cooked food is bad, and the only way to go is raw. All it takes is a walk through a Super Wal-Mart to realize our culture is out of control with processed food. We don’t eat enough raw, whole foods!
I know it’s not for everyone, but it’s worth considering (no matter how crazy or impossible it seems). If you have health issues that won’t go away, feel crappy almost every day for no reason, or have extra weight to lose but hate dieting, a raw diet could help.
All or Nothing
One of the reasons I went raw to begin with (aside from feeling like crap all the time) is that I knew I needed to eat more vegetables, and I just never got around to it. I’ve tried and tried to incorporate more cooked and raw veggies into my daily diet, and I continually refused to make it a priority. The truth is, I really didn’t like vegetables that much. Whatever I bought would end up rotting in the fridge. I’d always go for the comfort food, or easiest to prepare meal first.
Apparently I’m an all or nothing kind of girl. I had a feeling that if I started eating a raw vegan diet, I would be forced to incorporate plant foods into my diet, because that’s all there is. Plus eating raw vs. cooked would force me to avoid processed foods.
What have I been eating?
During my 1st six months of a raw diet, a typical day may have looked like this:
Breakfast:
Green smoothie
(Banana(s),
spinach or other greens,
scoop of raw cacao,
stevia drops,
1 cup water,
sometimes ground flax seeds, or chia seeds)
Lunch: chopped avocado and tomatoes with sea salt
Snack: apple, nuts
Dinner: huge mixed green salad with all kinds of vegetables, and dressing
Other dinner possibilities:
zucchini “pasta” w/ sauce
Nori rolls
Ok, sometimes I cheated
For some reason it just didn’t bother me to eat meat occasionally. Over the past 6 months, I’d have meat (beef, fish, or shrimp) 1-2 times per week. (Why it’s better to give in to cravings at first). Sometimes I’d eat sautéed broccoli, cooked dried beans (like black beans), roasted potatoes, cooked soup, or occasionally drink wine or beer. I didn’t have too hard of a time giving up milk, eggs, and yogurt. I really love cheese, but have managed to mostly avoid it.
How I’ve been dealing with cravings and emotional withdrawal symptoms
Three foods that helped get me by in the beginning were raw brownies, various flax crackers, and dehydrated yams flavored with nama shoyu. I felt totally satisfied having the sweet and savory sides of my cravings covered.
Having the raw cacao in my smoothies topped everything. I think it’s the number one thing that has gotten me through the rough patches. It has quite a stimulant effect (also euphoric), so it helped me give up coffee, and helped with mood swings. Having said that, I will not be using it during my upcoming 90 day trial. I’ve noticed I have had intense cravings for it, and also feel overly amped (in a bad way) if I consume too much. I think it’s best used in moderation over the long term.
Other favorite desserts have been banana “ice cream” with cacao syrup, carrot “cake” (a yummy recipe I came up with and will be sharing eventually), raw “cheese” cake, and raw chocolate chip cookie dough.
Hitting Rock Bottom
The raw chocolate chip cookie dough brought out some serious binging tendencies (just like cooked food). I knew I couldn’t keep over-eating these desserts and expect to be healthy and craving-free. I sort of hit “rock bottom” in mid December with emotional turmoil, cooked food cravings, and over-eating on raw food desserts. That’s when I picked up Gabriel Cousens’ book and started reading it again. It reminded me why I started eating a raw diet to begin with, and motivated me to try something new.
Preparation
Now after 6 months, I’m doing an even more hardcore version of a raw diet.
To prepare for this upcoming 90 day experiment/challenge (based on Gabriel Cousens’ “Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine”), I wrote down all the foods I’d most likely be eating. I decided to get many foods from mail order for the first time. I also wrote out some potential meal ideas to get me started.
Mail Order
I decided to get truly raw almonds. California almonds must be pasteurized by law. I was able to order them from RawFoodWorld.com.
Some foods that will become a part of my diet that are very new to me are spirulina, and hemp seeds. I’ve just begun to learn about them. The health benefits are tremendous!
- Altogether I ordered:
- 5 lbs of raw almonds
- Spirulina tablets
- Kelp
- Coconut butter
- Coconut oil
- Austrian pumpkin seeds
- Olive oil
- Chia seeds
- Almond butter
- Tahini
- A hemp protein powder with maca and E3 (Klamath Lake Algae)
- Shredded coconut
- Hemp seeds
- Jar of raw pistachio pesto
- Green powdered Stevia (natural herb version of this sweetener)
All this came to about $300. Ouch!
However, most items are bulk, and should last at least a month.
From here, all I need to purchase on a week to week basis is fresh greens and vegetables, since I’m not eating any fruit for the first month. The above purchase was intended to be for the month of January. I’m hoping some of the items last me longer than one month due to the expense. I’m sure I’ll get a better idea of what I’ll need month to month as time goes on.
My perspective on the cost
I know this all seems very expensive! Don’t let cost scare you away from a raw food diet. Some of these items could possibly be found cheaper, which I’ll be learning over time. Sometimes it’s a matter of perspective. People don’t hesitate to spend $20 on one meal eating out, or $20/week on Starbucks. Look at the cost of a good steak. You are investing in your long term health, and will save countless dollars in the long run with decreased medical bills. As the trial unfolds, I’ll get a greater sense of the monthly cost to eat this way.
Stay tuned for my week to week report over the next 90 days. I’ll be recording all my meals, how I feel day to day, tips, advice, observations, and any affects on my workouts.
Thanks for stopping by!
