Well anywhoo...

... enough of the contemplating the fragility of my life. 

So I thought I would explain the raw vegan thing.  I was counting calories for about the last 6 months, eating roughly 1200 calories.  This number would go up if I also exercised.  I found that it was really hard to stay under my calorie goal, usually cheese or bread would be my undoing.  For me, the more I eat cheese, the more I wanted it.  A spread of cheese, crackers and pickles or antipasto could quickly gobble up half of my calories for the day.  And then what?  I'm starving.  Then I read about a vegan cheese that was actually good.  When I first went gluten-free, I had trouble with dairy, and tried some pretty nasty cheese substitutes.  If you want to stop the dairy cravings, try Daiya ( http://www.daiyafoods.com/ ).  I can say now that I have kicked my addiction to cheese!  I never even think about eating it.  For me, cheese was what was holding me back from being vegan.  But now it's goodbye cheese and hello raw vegan! 


Why?  Well, I hate counting calories, and I didn't see much in the way of results anyways.  But if I eat just fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds, I don't have to count calories.  I didn't really understand this at first.  I thought veggies wouldn't fill you up.  I watched a ton of documentaries and did a bunch of learning.  What happens when you eat breads, meat and fats (like cheese) is that you feel full and satisfied, but you don't get a lot of nutrients (like vitamins and minerals) so you feel hungry again.  Ever had a day where you ate a bag of chips (1000's of calories) but you were hungry later on even though you are more than enough calories?  This is why!  Your body wants nutrients, not calories.

 I talked a little about how I made some changes.  I decided that I could eat healthier, and I didn't want to die young or be uncomfortable in my skin because of the choices I made today.  In the last 2 months, I have kicked, dairy, chocolate, pop and sugar to the curb.  I didn't think I could ever stop eating sugar or chocolate.  I think I ate a piece (or 10) of chocolate everyday.  Not anymore!  I kicked chocolate and pop once before, but it's a slippery slope and before I knew it, I was hooked again. 

Why raw? because the the fruits and veg are more nutrient dense, at least half of the nutrients are lost when they are cooked, and the protein building blocks are destroyed.  So I'm better off to eat everything raw, than cooked. 


The main thing I noticed since making the switch is that I feel great!  I eat fruit and cereal (not raw) and 1 or 2 coffees in the morning, then I have nuts and a big green juice for snack, a vegan raw protein drink and mixed veggies at lunch, and then for dinner a salad or hummus and veggies.  That's it.  Doesn't sound like a lot, but it's so packed full of vitamins and minerals that I don't feel like I need more.  I'm not hungry.  The green juice is high in iron and protein, and I exceed the daily recommended intake of both every day.  About once a week I eat rice or beans, so I'm not 100% raw.  I think for me this is much more sustainable than calorie counting and I can actually see the results.  (hello skinny jeans!) As for eating out, I usually just eat a salad (because of the gluten) so that doesn't change.    

Since the car accident, I've been drinking parsley, kale, lemon, ginger, celery, cucumber and apple juice.  Parsley is super anti-inflammatory and is more protein dense than beef.  Did you know that?  I sure didn't.  I love this site http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2513/2 .  It makes it easier to see that food isn't just about calories. 

I've been getting lots of ideas from this youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/daradubinet#p/u/97/_Lg0clKiaqU