Raw on the Road?

S did some traveling this past weekend. This is what she had to say about her first experience being Raw and on the Road:

"I left for Dayton to visit J feeling good about my raw diet. I carried carrots, lettuce, celery, sunflower seed, peaches, apples, well you get the message. I was well prepared. Day 1 - went well, I had lots of energy. Day 2 - Had carrot and raisin salad in the morning. My granddaughter wanted to go to a restaurant to celebrate her birthday. I began to get a little concerned as I haven't gone to a restaurant in the past two weeks. I planned to eat salad and that would be it. Everyone around me was ordering lunch and didn't quite understand my raw diet. Soooooo to fit in with everyone else, I ordered manicotti. Figuring that it didn't have meat maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Wrong and thus began my 24hr downfall! I had ice cream, soda, fritos, and popcorn. By Day 3 - I was so fatigued (no energy), bloated, and an upset stomach.

I am a dialysis patient for 8 years. I've been eating raw for two weeks and began to feel better the second week. This past Monday after treatment it felt like I went back to square 1. However after a colon cleanser and time I feel much better today. So you start again. If I'm learning anything through this process it is if you fall down get up. Don't beat yourself up about just start all over again. Be proud of yourself that you've even made the decision to eat right and go on!"

Seems like S and I were feeling the same things. Two days later she wrote:

"Great (dialysis) treatment tonight. NO TEMPERATURE!!!!!!!!!! and a little energy. I was able to go up the stairs to get my pj's which is a big deal. I haven't been able to make it up the stairs after dialysis for 2 months. You know I'm in my 3rd week. When you initially said 21 days I thought, 'she must be crazy.' I didn't want to eat raw one day let alone 21- NO WAY. After several days I began to feel better and I could actually smell the toxins coming out of my body. Raw is the way to go!"

Yay S!!! Day 11 for me and I feel wonderful, too. I think once you get through Day 10 it's gravy -- okay, it's lettuce. Whatever! Worked out with my son at the YMCA. It felt so good! I'm even sleeping better! Will I stop in 21 days? Not sure....

Some Days are Easier Than Others

I've got the blues. The raw food blues. The cleansing reaction blues. And it feels so bad.

Just imagine a mournful tune to go along with that. Had such low energy Thursday evening and most of Friday. Felt like I did when I ate peanut butter sandwiches and french fries all day. Not sure what was up. My husband suggested I cut back on the fruit, after all I am a bit insulin resistant. That made me angry. How dare he suggest I give up something else! I liked my fruit, damn it! I grumbled all through the grocery store. Oh, yeah, one more symptom -- mood swings. Finally took a deep breath and got a grip. There I was in the midst of abundance -- banks of vegetables in every color, piles of peppers and greens and squashes, and roots and herbs. Things I'd never even tried before. Okay. Maybe he was right. I cut out the morning smoothie on Friday. By Saturday was feeling better. By Sunday a.m. I was walking 3 miles and watching the sun on the water. Spotted a small shark feeding just below the surface. Feeling good! Until around noon when the headache began and the nasuea. Even going to the beach in the afternoon and breathing that wonderful air didn't help. The headache got worse. Finally I went upstairs and did another enema. Relief! Yeah! So, I guess it was a cleansing reaction and I'll live. So how does that explain today? Decided I had to have hummus. Made some in my vitamix blender with a can of (cooked) chick peas, a small sweet hot pepper, chopped red onion, sea salt, lime and cilantro. Spread it on lettuce leaves and topped it with a avocado/tomato salsa. Wonderful! Ate all of it! But now I'm craving all kinds of cooked things. As I cooked dinner for my kids tonight (chili for taco salads) I wanted to eat one so badly! This, day 8, has been my most intense craving. I want to chuck it all and eat chili. Or toast. Or corn chips. Or some of the talapia my husband fried last night. Okay. This too shall pass. I'm not really hungry, having eaten more than a cup of hummus and half a head of green leaf lettuce, so I think I'll drink some water and distract myself. Some days are easier than others. Thank goodness tomorrow is coming.

Cheese Doodles Won't Kill You -- It's the Guilt

This was P a little over a year ago, before beginning her journey to radiant health. "I don't really look like this anymore," she said last week, after 7 months of 60% raw. "Now, for the first time in years, I look like an advertisement. My hair is crawling down my shoulders and I'm in a size 8 or 10 (depending on the cut). So perhaps, I can be one of the poster people." She thinks she's joking. I went to High School with the girl. She turned heads even then!

So what about cheese doodles? P writes: "I was a little disturbed with myself Monday and Tuesday because I snacked once each day on something totally out of the diet - Monday I ate a handful of Cheese Twists and Tuesday I ate a pack of peanut butter crackers. By Wednesday I realized I had better get some protein in my diet so I grabbed some raw sunflower seeds and that seems to have quieted that burning desire for cheese and peanut butter. The rest of my diet was the juicing regimen described earlier in the postings and water in between, so I really needed a protein source.

Wednesday was a good day and I drank nearly a gallon of water, which is very important when cleansing. I went to the gym with my parents and experienced the machines I'll be using for toning and body sculpting. That was fun and a tad painful. I met the aerobics trainer who was leaving as I was coming in and she was celebrating her 49th birthday and looking quite fabulous. She was great to talk to and I discovered that she also needed some help in knowing where to get appropriate and tasty proteins sources outside of meat. I look forward to showing her some recipes -- not necessarily the raw recipes -- but still relatively healthful and full of protein. You never know who you're going to meet that needs help - so just be prepared to share.

Does anyone notice hearing more bowel/intestinal sounds? Well, maybe it's just me. Well its Thursday and I'm armed with my juices and sunflower seeds for snacking!"

Nope, P, I haven't noticed any internal sounds. Could be the enemas I am doing daily for the 21 days. Or could be I'm just not paying attention! I agree with P that nuts and seeds are a great way to feed hunger and the desire for traditional protein sources. I buy raw almonds in bulk for the natural food store and keep some in my purse and car. Before leaving Optimum Health Institute (OHI) one of the instructors said, "A piece of fried chicken won'k kill you. It's the guilt that'll do you in! So, if you eat something you didn't intend, enjoy it and move on." Good advice.

What is That Stuff?!

I've been doing a lot of web research on the raw lifestyle. Some folk are very careful to make sure they're combining their foods in particular ways. Some folk eat mainly fruit. Some just like veggies. Some do a lot of sprouting and dehydrating and create all kinds of complex recipes. Me, I'm keeping it simple -- foods I can find in my local market and prepare without a whole lot of extra work! My past visits to the Optimum Health Institute, however, have sold me on the power of green drinks and green foods. I am not a fan of wheat grass juice and don't have a wheat grass juicer anyway, but I do like some of the supergreen drinks and powders. My favorite is Nature's First Law, which can be ordered on line from the shop of the same name in San Diego, CA. I met the owners during one of my visits there. Such beautiful men! They are definitely an advertisement for the lifestyle!

So -- what's in the cup? That was my breakfast this morning: 1/2 mango, 1/3 frozen banana, 1/2 cup fresh pineapple, a tablespoon of ground flax seed and 2 tsp. of Nature's First Law. Tossed it all in my Vitamix with a little cold water. (Ground the flax seed first on the high setting.) Looks grizzly. Tastes wonderful. And amazingly, I haven't been hungry all day! My energy has improved already. Took a 2 mile walk this morning then even did a little upper body work at the Y. I can't wait to see and feel what comes next!

Beyond Lettuce, Cucumbers and Tomatoes

By day 3 S was moaning, "I don't know how much longer I can eat celery for breakfast!" Celery! There's so much more. Went to my local Publix supermarket this evening just to see what was new. Wow! What was that fuchia thing with the bright green spikey things sticking out of it? The sign said "dragon fruit." I put it in my cart. How to eat it? The checkout clerks were clueless. Finally one said, "Let's ask Baby. She'll know what to do with this!" They were right. "Oh," she said, "you cut it in half and just eat the insides out. It's like a very sweet kiwi with teeny, tiny seeds. But kiwi is cheaper!" So -- now I know what to do with it, besides admire it's shape and color.

S told me today that her dietician is appalled that she is only eating raw food. "We've just gotten used to you not eating meat," she cried, "do you want to die?! What about protien!" S is unworried though. Hey, I've met folk who have been raw for years and are beautiful and vibrant -- just as we intend to be!

My Body, My Temple

First day of raw eating for me after 3 years of junk! Easy so far: a couple of apples, 1/2 a banana, almonds, a large salad. (Okay, I sprinkled a little feta cheese on the salad...) P is really excited. She wrote: I can't say enough how excited I am!...This is quite a journey, but I look forward to not feeling this weight in my womb and to finally feeling healthy again in that area of my body. My breasts are also full of cysts and I’ve had two surgeries. This diet should definitely help this problem as well as any other culprit diseases “hanging around” my temple. How about that, I called my body my temple and that is a REAL beginning for me. Because I’m not disciplined, I worry a little about falling off the wagon, but I guess its best to simply pray and take it one moment at a time. During this moment, I’m drinking water and looking forward to my apply and orange for lunch at 1:00!"

P has been eating for radiant health for several months now. She's a big juicer. She sent the daily regimen she has been following up until now for me to include:
"Right now my regimen is as follows:
What I drink first before anything touches my mouth –
1 portion of an aloe leaf (about 2 -3 inches of a large leaf)
1 lemon (cut in half and remove seeds only)
About 1/2 quart of water (distilled if you can get it, I don't have it)
Blend, strain and drink.
(Keep the left over pulp to wash you face with after steaming your skin. I even dip my fingers in it after rinsing the pulp off and use it as a moisturizer)
This drink will begin to clear out the gunk remaining in your system. You will begin going to the bathroom eventually without any prompting.
Next I make my morning drink --
A bunch of carrots
1 or 1/2 of a beet
1 or 1/2 stick of celery
1 handful of cilantro
1 handful of parsley
1 large piece of ginger root
1 piece of broccoli stem if you have it
Juice this and it is your breakfast.
Next to take to work for lunch.
1 apple (only quarter and remove seeds)
1 orange (remove peelings)
1 or two bananas (of course remove peelings)
1 large pieces of ginger
1 small palm of flaxseeds that have been soaked over night and DO include the flax water they soaked in.
About 1/2 blender of water
Blend this and carry for lunch, and if you can't finish it for lunch, drink the rest on your way home, as it will begin your healthiest part of dinner.
At home, eat dinner and enjoy it! Your appetite will change, you won't want quite as much and some things may not appeal to you as much as before. I still like oxtails, but they don't sit well with me anymore - and I'm not still dumb enough to keep trying!!
Between these meals drink only large cups of water - no coffee - it is poison, stay away from it. This is my life for the most part. I still love a chicken wing and many other fried things. But for the most part, my appetite seems to be changing.
This regiment takes a little discipline in the morning, but we should be up early enough to meditate, pray, study and take care of our temples so I'm really struggling to get up at 5:00 or 6:00 am. The most important thing you can also do is go to bed by 9:00 pm. The hours between 9 - 12 are the most beneficial for the entire night.
My skin usually has a peachy tone now and sometimes my urine is pinkish and my bowels are usually red/orange. No big deal. Eventually, when I am healthier and rid of tumors, I will back off of the daily juicing and eat more solids. At this point in my life, I have to take the bull by the horns and fight for good health!"

Thank you,P, for sharing your process.

Me and My Girls

This weekend I talked to two close friends who were facing health challenges and were ready to be proactive about it. I've known one for all of my 45 years and the other since we were 17. Though my friends don't know each other, we have many things in common. We were all raised Seventh Day Adventist, though I am no longer practicing. All three of us are African American, though we look nothing alike! We're all type O blood types. Which may mean nothing at all. All 3 of us are singers, though we've never sung together. P and I have 2 children, S has 1. Coming from a SDA background we were all familiar with certain healthy living standards, but now, facing our challenges, we are ready to take it further. We've agreed to begin a body/system cleanse for the next 21 days. Oops! S -- I didn't tell you it was 21 days? Don't worry. One day at a time! Our challenges are different. I am 5'3 1/2" tall and currently 210 lbs. I am pretty healthy, but have very little energy and am showing signs of insulin resistence. P is facing the challenge of cycstic ovaries and S has been on dialysis for several years and struggles with a weakened immune system. Will this cleanse make a difference in our lives? P has been 60% raw since January and has already seen great changes in her health, losing 30 pounds, increasing her energy and finding her normally beautiful skin to be even more beautiful! S has been moving toward raw for 3 days and is already feeling a little better. I start tomorrow morning. Our plan for the next 21 days is influenced by my stays at the Optimum Health Institute in San Diego, CA. Raw food. Green drinks. Colon cleansing. I'm starting this blog to serve as our visual support system. We want radiant, vibrant health. We were created for radiant, vibrant health. We want to live in Joy. We were created to live in Joy! So here we go!