Hi Veggies!
Last time I left you all, I was still figuring out raw veganism. I have made a little progress since my last entry. Let's just call this day 2 of complete rawness. (No cooked food, 80% carbohydrates, 10% proteins, 10% fats, with a prenatal vitamin). I still find it incredibly frustrating to buy fruit only to realize it is tasteless/not ripe. You will NOT survive on sub par fruits and vegetables. Therefore, I recommend finding a farmer's market, co - op or buying as much organic goodies as possible. Personally, I don't taste a difference between organic/regular bananas. On the other hand, my apples MUST be organic. I bought a bunch from my local grocer. They were so bland, and I had planned to eat 5 of them. Torture! I got through it...but I am slowly learning how to get the most bang for my buck!! I'm not afraid to buy some frozen raw fruit for my smoothies. Just in case I'm in a hurry! Get fruits ripe, and get enough of them!
Initially, I pieced together a "meal plan." However, it didn't work out well. Too many odds and ends, and meals. Now, I stick with about four meals a day, and things are much easier. I basically drink two large banana based smoothies for breakfast and lunch. For lunch and/or dinner I have a big salad. If I am still hungry later, I eat some whole fruit. I also have NO idea how to create a raw meal, and I had troubles googling meals that would be appropriately high carb/low fat. You will find many of the raw food resources include high fat recipes with lots of avocado, nuts and seeds. Again, my goal is to maintain a fat percentage around 10% of my daily caloric intake. I decided to buy a book called Easy to be Raw by Megan Elizabeth, and I found a salad dressing I love love love consisting of mangoes. If you are interested in this lifestyle or just want to incorporate some raw foods in your diet, I highly recommend the book. I also made stuffed peppers from the book, and although they are nothing like the kind I grew up on, I definitely enjoyed them. Very happy!
The hardest thing for me still is to get in the calories, however the smoothies have been a remedy. These smoothies are gargantuan, and it takes me awhile to sip them. For example, today I made one with 4 frozen chopped bananas, and almost 2 cups of chopped mango. I just added cold water to make it pourable. I drank this with a HUGE salad with cucumber, tomato, green onions, cilantro and mango dressing. The best thing about raw dressing is you can add as much as you want! My goal at the moment is to take in above 2000 calories a day. I am not sure why, but even if you are overweight, it is essential to take in at least 2500 calories a day as a woman on this diet. We shall see, if I start to balloon -- you will know first. Ha!
Anyways (in the last few days!) my energy level is higher, and I find myself getting more done around the house. I can chase my two year old from one end of the house to the other. At the gym, my endurance has definitely increased. And "elimination" is EASY! This week I have not been strength training because I pulled something in my rotator cuff. I am sure of it!! It hurts when I lift my arm laterally! I believe I played a little too rough with my son over the weekend! Anyways, it is wise to rest when your body calls for it. I will be doing a leg work out only. I have been focusing on 30 to 40 minutes of interval training every other day. Which apparently melts fat!
Speaking of workouts -- I tried creatine supplementation for the first time the other week. I got a free pack with my sun warrior raw protein. My husband uses the powder before his work outs for extra "juice." He told me to make sure if I take it to "cycle" it, and only use it for 8 weeks at a time. He added, that vegetarians usually feel the effects more than meat eaters. Well...they sell it in GNC. Seemed harmless enough. BUT with in ten minutes of taking it my muscles started tingling all over. First the tops of my hands/feet, then my legs, and travelled up. I nearly flipped out, and my husband had to calm me down. When we arrived at the gym (somehow - because I was driving!) I was quite twitchy and I couldn't sit still. If you saw me, you would have thought I was on something. It worked though, I zipped around the gym lifting faster and heavier than normal. I felt great! Anyways, the twitching/itching tingles died down in an hour. What the heck!? WHY do I get the crazy side effects!?
In the future, I hope to get all the energy I need from my fresh fruits when I stick to the raw lifestyle 100%! TBA.
Lastly, I just wanted to let you all know it is possible to be a healthy and happy non meat eater! I got my blood drawn at my doctor's office:
B12 - Perfect!
Cholesterol 119 (under 200 desirable) Triglycerides 54 (30 - 150 acceptable) HDL 53 (more than 40 desirable) LDL 55 (less than 70 desirable)
Note ---- my normal values are not perfect, just rough estimates. In fact, I believe LDL levels can be more high in people with out cardiovascular risk factors (such as family history of heart disease, etc.) But you get the general idea!!!
Anyways, Peace and LOVE!
Fear not, I will bring you some yummy visual aids shortly. I have been taking pics of all my creations!
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