going raw

Photo courtesy of the Roomie

After returning home from the market one Sunday, bags bursting with the vibrant colors and flavors of tropical fruits and vegetables, I couldn't amend the disconnect between the fact that my fridge was overflowing with gorgeous and delicious food, and the fact that I was going to contaminate them with the man-made, mostly brown and white poison that we have grown to consider food. 

After researching the benefits of raw food, I knew--my second experience had been found.

I embarked on the raw diet with the goal of 100% raw, for one week, in mind.

When I began this challenge, on the first day, I seemed to know in my heart I would secretly cheat. I did not see myself successfully completing the experience without coffee, dairy, pasta, or, let's be honest, alcohol.

On the second day, my belief shifted completely, and I knew I wouldn't cheat and, what's more, that I wanted this diet to last for longer than one week. How long, I still have not figured out, but the raw food diet has become a part of my life.

The morning of day two I woke up feeling happy, as cliche as a Disney princess waking up singing, and that feeling didn't fade throughout the day or even the week.

It strikes me that this is the second week in a row that I did not think I would finish the challenge, or feel like I would need an exit strategy, but that it is also the second week where I was wrong on both accounts.

Maybe this will be as much an exercise in exploring myself as it is in exploring the world around me. 

Raw pasta with tomato-avocado sauce

Raw mint chocolate pudding--avocado, banana, cocoa, and mint

To do this experience, I did a lot of research, and found a lot of good recipes. Raw foodism is not all salads and smoothies. Check out my raw recipes if you want to try some raw foodism.