My Raw Year

I ran out of walnuts the other day, but had some raw pumpkin seeds handy, so I thought I’d try to make some raw pumpkin seed milk.

I measured one cup of hulled raw pumpkin seeds and sprouted them for a day after soaking them overnight. I then proceeded to use the walnut milk recipe. It’s tasty, but not as tasty as the walnut milk. I’ll play with the recipe and re-submit it to you after it’s been perfected.

In the mean time, here’s the recipe (makes almost one-half gallon):

Ingredients:
1 cup of raw nuts/seeds (soaked & sprouted)
3 cups filtered water
2 T of raw agave (or 4 dates)
1T of vanilla extract
1t Celtic or Tibetan sea salt

Equipment:
Blender
1/2 gallon pitcher

Put walnuts into the blender.
Add water until the water reaches the 4 cup (32oz / 1qt) mark.
Add the agave, salt and vanilla.

Blend on high for one minute.
Pour the milk into the pitcher.
There’s no need to strain the milk, as the walnuts blend in completely.
Soaking the walnuts overnight will make them blend more evenly.

I’m excited to be back in the groove, which is more of an attitude thing, than anything else. I feel better when I’m eating vegan, especially raw vegan, and I’ve been drinking green smoothies for breakfast most mornings, and having ginormous salads for dinner with pumpkin seed pesto and zucchini hummus on celery during the day.

I essentially stayed the same over last week. I’ll do my best to maintain while I’m traveling over the next weeks, but I will wait until I return to Portland at the end of the month to jump in with both feet, ramping up to spring time.

Week 1 Weigh-In
Weight: 334.8 (+.6), %Body Fat: 39.4 (+.0% total), %H2O: 44.2, Bone Density: 8.8
Fasting Blood Sugar: 102mg/dL (-4mg/dL)
(+.6 this year, +7.4# since 10/20/08)

I’m getting back onto the raw vegan lifestyle horse. I posted to my personal blog about it on September 11th: An Aspiring Raw Vegan in Portland.

I will be resuming my weigh-ins and measurements this year, and posting those results so that you may follow my progress along this path.

Below are two sets of measurements. The first is the most recent from last week, the Week 0 weigh-in, and the second is from the end of 2008, 15 months ago, the last time I weighed in. Wh

I am very pleased that my weight has gone up only 7.4 pounds in 15 months of ignoring my exercise and diet. I am truly amazed. Even though I didn’t feel my clothes get any tighter during that time, I was certain that I was way off track.

Week 0 (2010) Weigh-In
Weight: 334.2, %Body Fat: 39.4, %H2O: 44.2, Bone Density: 8.8
Fasting Blood Sugar: 106mg/dL
(-42.8# and -2.3%BF since 1/1/08)

January 8, 2008 (first weigh-in)
Weight: 377.6, %BF: 42.2, %H2O: 42.1, BD: 9.2

I drink walnut milk by the glass. It’s a tasty treat, especially when ice cold. I also use it on cereal, and as a creamer in iced coffee or iced tea. Here’s the recipe:

Walnut Milk Recipe (makes almost one-half gallon)

Ingredients:
1 cup of raw walnuts
3 cups filtered water
2 T of raw agave (or 4 dates)
1T of vanilla extract
1t Celtic or Tibetan sea salt

Equipment:
Blender
1/2 gallon pitcher

Put walnuts into the blender.
Add water until the water reaches the 4 cup (32oz / 1qt) mark.
Add the agave, salt and vanilla.

Blend on high for one minute.
Pour the milk into the pitcher.
There’s no need to strain the milk, as the walnuts blend in completely.
Soaking the walnuts overnight will make them blend more evenly.

I found this recipe so early in my raw foodist days that I cannot believe I hadn’t posted it here before, but I hadn’t.

This raw zucchini hummus has been a staple for me from my earliest days in the raw food world. Once you try it, you will see why.

3-6 zucchini (depending on size)

1/4c olive oil

1/4c fresh lemon juice

1/2c raw sesame tahini

1T Tibetan or Celtic Sea Salt

1T ground cumin

4 cloves fresh garlic

Cube the zucchini and add it to the blender until it reaches 32oz or 1 quart. The amount of zucchini required will vary depending on the size of each squash.

Crush, chop and add the garlic. Squeeze and add the lemon juice. Measure and add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until smooth. I use the Whole Food >> Dips & Sauces setting on my Blend Tec high speed blender.

As you make this hummus again and again, over time you will modify it to suit your own taste. This recipe is a middle-way hummus, and isn’t the exact recipe I follow for my own table.

This recipe should yield about 1.5 pints of hummus.

It has been forever since I made a green smoothie for myself. This one I am drinking right now is yummy, but I think I’ll use parsley next time, rather than cilantro. I used two types of kale, the water and meat of one fresh young coconut, half a bunch of cilantro, one, bartlett pear, one small haas avocado, and two tablespoons of raw agave.

The coconut had been in the fridge, so the smoothie was cold. I will have to make some ice for my next smoothie.

Getting back into the groove!

It has been WAY too long since my last post. I will do what I can to post here more often as I get back into my raw living groove.

I am a very BIG fan of Angela and Matt Monarch, and I love their daily video blog. Several days ago they posted about fermenting vegetables. I’ve had great success with fermenting my own kim chi, but had never fermented anything else.

In the video, Wendy mentions that fermented onions and garlics can make bases for raw dressings and mayo, and I thought I’d try out their system. Below is the Angela and Matt video I watched. I’ll report back with the results from my test kitchen.

Enjoy!

It can be really difficult to get yourself going again after going back to regular eating. I am slowly working back through vegetarian to vegan to raw.  At the moment I’ve got some sprouts going and will be brewing up some rejuvelac.

There’s a fresh produce market just a few blocks from where we’ve settled in Portland, and I’m excited to visit there often. I’m planning a juice feast and will see if I can get some kind of deal on organic produce. When I buy from wholesalers it’s tough to use it fast enough (before it rots).

I’m excited to get revved up and back in the saddle.

We’ve switched hosting companies and the transition has gone without a hitch so far.

Thank you for joining the site, and for your ongoing support.

Thubten

2 bags of frozen organic cut corn (or fresh equivalent)
8 medium tomatoes
4 jalapenos
2 large ripe avocados
1 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 Tablespoon Celtic sea salt

Blend lemon juice, four of the tomatoes (diced/chopped), salt and two of the jalapenos (seeded).

Slowly add one of the bags of corn to the blender until the corn is pureed.

Pour blender contents into a large bowl.

Add the four remaining tomatoes (chopped) and jalepenos (diced).

Halve and dice the avocados and add them to the contents of the bowl.

Add the second bag of corn to the bowl and mix with a large spoon.

Cover and place bowl in the refrigerator. Serve with cilantro garnish, and only after corn has thawed completely.

Cover and place in the refrigerator.

Serves 8

(Day 302 – 64 To Go) October 29, 2008
Juice Feast Day 17

Daniel’s GeneWize capsules came today. I am excited for him. He’s never supplemented before, except for some Centrum a few years ago, or some fish oil now and then.

We’ll see how his health is impacted by the GeneWize.

(Day 301 – 65 To Go) October 28, 2008
Juice Feast Day 16

I am learning so many new things about blogging, and
how to earn an income from being in business online.
One video I came across recently blew my mind, and I
can’t wait to implement on my blog everything I’ve
been learning.

Check out the video: 12 Minute Membership Site.

(Day 300 – 66 To Go) October 27, 2008
Juice Feast Day 15

I’m excited to have shed another four pounds in the past week! I feel great and know that I’m on my way to 299# by December 31st. I haven’t weighed under 300# since I was in college in my 20s.

My ultimate goal is 225# with 10% or less body fat. If I can get there by the end of 2009, I will be a very very happy camper.

Week 43 Weigh-In
Weight: 322.4 %Body Fat: 38.1 (-4.4% Total) %H2O: 45.1 Bone Density: 8.8
Fasting Blood Sugar this Week: High of 108, Low of 88, Average of 96mg/dL
(-55.2# Total, -4.2# this week, Avg. -1.3#/week)

(Day 299 – 67 To Go) October 26, 2008
Juice Feast Day 14

This time around my regimen is even closer to the 80/10/10 ideal espoused by Dr. Douglas Graham.  Again, it was not my intention to get to 80/10/10, but I’m glad that I have, if only just to see for myself what the result of such a diet is.

2062 Calories
401g Carbs
289g Sugars
52g Protein
19g Fat
1487mg Sodium
7068% Vitamin A
2051% Vitamin C
147% Calcium
168% Iron

Romaine (2 large Heads)
100 calories
20g carbs
7g sugars
7g protein
2g fat
727% Vitamin A
25% Vitamin C
21% Calcium
34% Iron

Celery (4 Heads)
80 calories
36g carbs
20g sugars
4g protein
1g fat
400mg sodium
45% Vitamin A
25% Vitamin C
20% Calcium
5% Iron

Roma Tomatoes (1.5#)
60 calories
15g carbs
8g sugars
3g protein
1g fat
23mg sodium
35% Vitamin A
90% Vitamin C
6% Iron

Red Bell Pepper (2 large)
75calories
20g carbs
8g sugars
2.5g protein
350% Vitamin A
950% Vitamin C
10% Iron

Cucumber (3 each)
135 Calories
33g Carbs
15g Sugars
6g Protein
18% Vitamin A
42% Vitamin C
15% Calcium
15% Iron

Carrots 4#
535 calories
67g carbs
125g sugars
875mg Sodium
4175% Vitamin A
125% Vitamin C
50% Calcium
25% Iron

Lacinato Kale (1 pound)
265 Calories
53g Carbs
15g Progein
1655% Vitamin A
990% Vitamin C
75% Calcium
45% Iron

Lemons 3ea
65 calories
35g carbs
4g protein
1g fat
9mg sodium
3% Vitamin A
400% Vitamin C
21% Calcium
12% Iron

Basil 2oz
12 calories
2g protein
2g carbohydrate
60% Vitamin A
16% Vitamin C
10% Calcium
10% Iron

Apple Cider (3 cups)
375 calories
90g carbs
90g sugars
180mg sodium
18% Vitamin C
6% Iron

Bee Pollen (2T)
90 calories
13 g carbs
8g protein
25% Vitamin C

Propolis in Honey (.5t)
30 calories
17g carbs
16g sugars

Flax Oil (2T)
240 calories
14g fat

(Day 298 – 68 To Go) October 25, 2008
Juice Feast Day 13

I went to the Denver Raw Potluck Meetup today. What fun that was. There were lots of great people, and some amazing food. I successfully avoided eating anything, probably because I brought a gallon of juice with me to share.

(Day 297 – 69 To Go) October 24, 2008
Juice Feast Day 12

Today was my first day doing all of my juicing with my new Blendtec blender. I took Katrina Rainoshek’s advice and cut the produce into small chunks, not quite diced, so that the blender could grab hold.

In the first batch I loaded the two bunches of chopped lacinato kale and one cup of water, and let that get liquified. I then added the two heads of chopped romaine in three steps, adding more only once the previous addition had been completely blended.

I then poured the very deep green contents of the blender into a nylon bag and squeezed the bag over a bowl.  I was amazed at how little fiber was left in the bag after all of that produce had gone in.

The second batch was the 1.5# of roma tomatoes, the two red bell peppers, and an ounce or two of fresh basil leaves. I decided to leave the lemon and salt out this time.

In the third batch I did only two large heads of celery. Again, I was amazed at how much less waste matter there was left over, about 1/3 of what I’d experienced with the Jack LaLanne juicer.

Because I didn’t want to have to clean up the JL juicer and the Blendtec, I decided against juicing the carrots this morning. Perhaps tomorrow.

(Day 296 – 70 To Go) October 23, 2008
Juice Feast Day 11

I picked up the produce from Growers Organic again, today. I got a case (30 heads) of celery, 1/2 case (10#) of roma tomatoes, 1/2 case (14 bunches) of lacinato kale, 1/2 case (16ea) of red bell peppers, 1# bag of basil, 25# of juicing carrots, 1 case (12 heads) of romaine lettuce, and 1/2 case (16ea) of cucumbers. The total was about $140.

(Day 295 – 71 To Go) October 22, 2008
Juice Feast Day 10

I’m finishing up my produce from the last batch and am excited to get a little more variety in my juice. I do tend to get into a rut with what works best in the juicer and that is tasty.  I expect to add some kale and some basil and cucumbers.

(Day 294 – 72 To Go) October 21, 2008
Juice Feast Day 9

Just got in from The Egg & I, a breakfast place here in Denver. Since I’m on my juice feast, I ordered juice. Thank goodness they had fresh-squeezed grapefruit.

(Day 293 – 73 To Go) October 20, 2008
Juice Feast Day 8

How cool is that? I love the results I get when I’m juice feasting! I have had such great support from my raw food buddies and the experts who have blazed the trail before me. How lost I would be without their knowledge and guidance.

One of my raw food heroes is Angela Stokes. Angela shed 160 pounds after starting her raw food adventure. She was featured in a recent CNN story on raw food and weight loss:
Read CNN Story, or Watch CNN Video.

Angela has made her weight loss program available to others for a very short time through this offer, which expires on Friday. It would be great to have you join me in designing a new body through Angela’s experience and wisdom.

You can also become an affiliate and share Angela’s program with others, but you’ll have to act fast. Just click on the link at the top of the page. Find out more…

Clicking the graphic above will take you to Angela’s home page. You can buy her book here:
Raw Reform.

Week 42 Weigh-In
Weight: 326.6  %Body Fat: 39.0 (-3.5% Total)  %H2O: 45.5  Bone Density: 8.8
Fasting Blood Sugar this Week: High of 123, Low of 92, Average of 109mg/dL
(-51.0# Total, -6.8# this week, Avg. -1.2#/week)

(Day 292 – 74 To Go) October 19, 2008
Juice Feast Day 7

This morning I used my new Blendtec Blender to whip
up my juice with the oils, powders, etc.  I also broke my GeneWize DNA-Guided herbal supplement veggi-caps into the juice and let it whirl! The result was amazing and delicious!

I have two day’s worth of produce left before I have to re-order from Growers Organic. Unless David or Katrina of JuiceFeasting.com have any suggestions of how to improve or augment my juicing regimen, I’ll stick with this for another week.

(Day 291 – 75 To Go) October 18, 2008
Juice Feast Day 6

Went to the Boulder Rawluck tonight, and got to meet some really great people.  I brought a gallon of unpasteurized apple juice, yummy.

Seeing and smelling all of the great food there, including some amazingly beautiful raw lasagna, was a challenge.

(Day 290 – 76 To Go) October 17, 2008
Juice Feast Day 5

My blender arrived today via UPS.  I cannot believe
how amazing this blender is.

I’ve been lusting over Eric and Scott’s Blendtec
blender for years now, and I have finally gotten
my hands one one for myself.

This is simply the BEST blender I have ever used.
Take a look at the Blendtec.

(Day 289 – 77 To Go) October 16, 2008
Juice Feast Day 4

I didn’t set out to do an 80/10/10 juice feast, but that’s how the numbers came out, well, actually closer to 80/5/15, but who’s counting?

Every day I’m receiving the most amazing nutrition available. These numbers don’t include my GeneWize supplements or the Vitamineral Green, and B-12

2025 Total Calories
345g carbs (of which)
288g (are) sugars
34g protein
33.5g fat
5725% Vitamin A
2593% Vitamin C
112% Calcium
114% Iron

Here’s what I’m juicing every day during this six-week feast:

Romaine Hearts (640g two bags)
100 calories
20g carbs
7g sugars
7g protein
2g fat
727% Vitamin A
25% Vitamin C
21% Calcium
34% Iron

Celery (4 heads)
80 calories
36g carbs
20g sugars
4g protein
1g fat
400mg sodium
45% Vitamin A
25% Vitamin C
20% Calcium
5% Iron

Roma Tomatoes (9 tomatoes – 3#)
120 calories
27g carbs
15g sugars
6g protein
1.5g fat
45mg sodium
75% Vitamin A
180% Vitamin C
12% Iron

Red Bell Pepper (5 medium)
150 calories
40g carbs
15g sugars
5g protein
700% Vitamin A
1900% Vitamin C
20% Iron

Carrots 4#
535 calories
67g carbs
125g sugars
875mg Sodium
4175% Vitamin A
125% Vitamin C
50% Calcium
25% Iron

Lemons 3ea
65 calories
35g carbs
4g protein
1g fat
9mg sodium
3% Vitamin A
400% Vitamin C
21% Calcium
12% Iron

Apple Cider (3 cups)
375 calories
90g carbs
90g sugars
180mg sodium
18% Vitamin C
6% Iron Bee Pollen (2T)
90 calories
13 g carbs
8g protein
25% Vitamin C

Honey (.5t)
30 calories
17g carbs
16g sugars

Flax Oil (2T)
240 calories
14g fat

Coconut Oil (2T)
240 calories
14g fat

(Day 288 – 78 To Go) October 15, 2008
Juice Feast Day 3

The other day someone posted a comment/question about the Eat Right for Your Blood Type foods and how someone living the “living foods” lifestyle would interact with that body of knowledge. My comments are below:

I found the D’Adamo book in a friend’s library about eleven years ago. When I ate the recommended diet, I shed 50# in just months and then plateaued. I decided to go to the D’Adamo clinic in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, received an exam and was given a very personal diet for my O/A blood type. I proceeded to shed another 50# in a few months. I felt healthy and well on this diet. It really worked for me.

Since then I have continued to study health and nutrition and found raw food a few years ago. I shifted toward raw food, but kept eating raw or dehydrated beef and sushi-grade fish. After reading The China Study I saw that although I responded well to the D’Adamo blood type diet, I could not continue eating so much meat, and stay healthy.

I know that many of the raw food gurus have type-O blood, and that they are doing just fine. That doesn’t discount the experience that people have around the D’Adamo practices. It’s a matter of personal choice, what works for you.

(Day 287 – 79 To Go) October 14, 2008
Juice Feast Day 2

Today I went down to Growers Organic to pick up my produce for Week 1 of my juice feast. I picked up 20# of roma tomatoes, 25# of carrots, 14 bags of three romaine hearts, 30 heads of celery and 40 red bell peppers. I also picked up two bags of lemons from Whole Foods. All of this produce is organic. The total price for this week’s produce $135.

I am supplementing with local bee pollen, Vitamineral Green, B-12, flax oil, maca powder in my juice once a day, and twice daily with GeneWize DNA-Guided herbal supplements.

(Day 286 – 80 To Go) October 13, 2008
Juice Feast Day 1

Today was my first day of a six week juice feast.  It was amazingly easy today.  I had six quarts of juice: two quarts of apple and greens (celery & romaine), two quarts of carrot and greens, and two quarts of tomato, red bell pepper and lemon.  I added some Vitamineral Green, maca powder, bee pollen and some B-12 to one of the quarts early in the day.

A lot has happened during the past five months.  I am still raw, although I have not been 100% raw the whole time.  I look forward to sharing my experiences during the past months, and I am relieved to be blogging again.

Week 41 Weigh-In Weight: 333.4 %Body Fat: 39.1 (-3.4% Total) %H2O: 44.1 Bone Density: 8.9
Average Fasting Blood Sugar: /-
(-44.2# Total, -0# this week, Avg. -1.0#/week)

(Raw Day 178 – 188 To Go) June 25, 2008
[FBS = 98]

I don’t know what it was last night (or early this morning to be more exact, but I just about lost my mind around midnight.

I couldn’t stop thinking about burgers.  I am nearly twenty years clean and sober and I haven’t had cravings and insane thinking in my head like this since I was still taking 30-60-90 day chips for staying sober in AA.

A little after midnight I got up, got dressed, and drove over to the Burger King.  The drive-through window is open 24/7.  I  ordered a triple Whopper with cheese and a KING sized fries. I drove home and sat in the truck and ate them both.  I made sure to savor each and every bite.

I climbed back into bed and went to sleep.  The voices were gone.  The cravings had gone.  I had fed whatever beast was making me crazy and it was satisfied.  I knew that my juice feast was finally over, and I was okay with that.

(Raw Day 177 – 189 To Go) June 24, 2008
[FBS = 102]
I added some fruit to my juices, some oranges and some grapes.
The cravings didn’t subside. We’re very low on cash now, and I
don’t know how long I can stay raw and/or on juice.

We’re having a new meetup group tonight, one that’s all around
support for raw food living, rather than just about the food, like
the potlucks tend to be.

Week 25 Weigh-In
Weight: 330.0 %BF: 39.4 (-3.1% Total) %H2O: 44.2 BD: 8.8
(-41.2# Total, -2.4# this week, Avg. -1.6#/week) [Avg FBS 101]

(Raw Day 176 – 190 To Go) June 23, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 22) [FBS = 102]

Today is the first day of the rest of my feast.  I had a great conversation yesterday with my friends Loriel and Soleil at Raw Utopia (www.rawutopia.com).  I shared with them about my cravings and my raw dinner with Gina.  They were very understanding and shared with me some of their experiences from when they were juice feasting.

Their view is that when the body craves something, it sends a message to the brain and then the brain sends your awareness a picture of what it thinks the body is asking for.  Since my awareness was focusing on mac & cheese and Whoppers, their view is that my body was craving fat and salt.  The next time I have cravings like that, I will just have some more flax or hemp, or coconut oil (or all three) and some Tibetan pink salt.

They also recommended that it was better to add some fruit to my feast than to stop feasting altogether.  I will see how the addition of fruit affects my FBS.  Today I made some “lemonade” with four lemons and three cucumbers, and that’s it!  I think some of my challenge has been that all of my juice was in one gallon jug and was all mixed together and was not all that appetizing.  I couldn’t taste any of the flavors of what I was juicing.

I also made a quart of carrot juice. We’ll see if I can bring my FBS down with some exercise if it doesn’t come down with the carrots and light fruit added to my juicing.  I walked .5 miles today.  Perhaps my back will be willing to allow me to do so again tomorrow.

(Raw Day 174 – 192 To Go) June 22, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 20) [FBS = 92]
Today Gina and I went produce shopping.  I stocked up and had my
juice. I tried adding yams.

By evening, I was going nuts.  I had walked through
Whole Foods and smelled all of the great food, and was
wanting to buy cheese and meat and bread.  When I got
home I was thinking of places to go.

(Raw Day 173 – 193 To Go) June 21, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 19) [FBS = 98]
Gina came through again!  She lent me her centrifugal juicer, so that I
can continue juicing.  It still takes me two hours to prep, juice, strain
and clean up.  Who needs to walk when I am getting such a workout
juicing?

I have been having cravings for mac & cheese and roast beef and
Double Doubles from In & Out.  I’ve been assured that these will pass,
and yet I’m not too sure.  I know that if I went out and ate those
things that I’d be sick for days, but I am thinking that I could make
some raw foods that would help with my “crazings” (crazy cravings).

(Raw Day 172 – 194 To Go) June 20, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 18) [FBS = 106]
Today is the day that it happened. I busted my juicer. It was a centrifugal
juicer and today it gave up the ghost. I will be shopping for a Vitamix, as
that’s what I have discerned will be the best for my juice feast, and for my
raw food preparation. This is after speaking with dozens of owners of
several brands of blenders. It is finally time!

(Raw Day 171 – 195 To Go)  June 19, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 17) [FBS = 109]
I got my glucometer today!  Although I don’t relish poking myself
every morning, I know that I could have had to poke myself many
times every day, and am grateful for this amazing tool that keeps
me on track.

(Raw Day 170 – 196 To Go)  June 18, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 16)
I was able to go shopping today and stocked up for another three
days of juicing!  I had the opportunity to speak with a woman who
noticed my cart load of romaine lettuce and made a funny remark.
When I shared about my shedding of 57 pounds since Thanksgiving,
39 pounds since going raw, and 20 pounds since starting to juice
two weeks ago, she shared with me that her husband had undergone
gastric bypass surgery, and that she’s always looking for more and
better nutrition for him.

I shared about the nutritional value of kale and romaine lettuce, as
well as bee pollen.  You can learn LOTS more about these things on
www.JuiceFeasting.com, and amazingly enormous resource, both
for juicing and for general nutrition.

(Raw Day 169 – 197 To Go)  June 17, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 15)
Today I used mostly conventional produce to make my juice today,
with the exception of the celery.

4.5# of cucumbers (conventional)
2# of bok choy (conventional)
.5# of Italian Parsley (conventional)
1.5# of Romaine Lettuce (conventional)
2 limes (organic)
1 lemon (organic)
1.5# green cabbage (organic)
2# Napa cabbage (conventional)
3# carrots (organic)

(Raw Day 168 – 198 To Go)  June 16, 2008
(Juice Feast Day)
I’ve been spending a lot of on www.JuiceFeasting.com and have been loving it.
There are SO many resources there.  It is amazing how much resources the
Rainosheks have amassed in one place.  Maybe I will have read all of what’s
there before I turn 100.

(Raw Day 167 – 199 To Go)  June 15, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 13)
I’ve been dosing up on MSM, which is supposed to be an amazing anti-inflammatory,
in addition to being a super duper nutrient.  It is as safe as water, so there’s no
way for me to over-do it.  It does, however, taste a bit icky.  One tablespoon in a
quart of water with some lemon is okay.  I’ve been doing two tablespoons, and it
takes a bit of strength to get it all down.

(Raw Day 166 – 200 To Go)  June 14, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 12)
Today I made some juice with cucumber, green cabbage, celery, lemon and lacinato kale.
It was okay, but nothing to write home about (unless my mom’s reading my blog).

(Raw Day 165 – 201 To Go)  June 13, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 11)
Today we received our GeneWize DNA assessment kit as well as our first commission check!
With that check I went grocery shopping and was able to buy enough produce to make
a gallon of juice.  Delish!

My raw buddy, Gina, brought me a and a quart of her own juice, and also brought over a
better juicer , so I don’t have to squish the pulp to get more juice out.
Thank you Gina!

(Raw Day 164 – 202 To Go)  June 12, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 10)
Today we still have no produce, and I’m surviving on the yummy swamp paste.

(Raw Day 163 – 203 To Go)  June 11, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 9)
Today we have no produce, so I’ve been eating a paste made from Vitamineral
Green, bee pollen, maca, kelp powder and hemp oil. I have also been drinking
quarts of MSM solution, without lemon.  This is hard core, but I think that it is
better for me to do this than to start eating solid food.

(Raw Day 162 – 204 To Go)  June 10, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 8)
One really needs to be independently wealthy to do a juice feast right,
at least that’s how it seems. At least I’m shedding pounds!

Week 24 Weigh-In
Weight: 337.8 %BF: 39.7 (-2.8% Total)  %H2O: 44.0  BD: 8.9
(-38.8# Total, -14.2# this week, Avg. -1.6#/week)

(Raw Day 158 – 208 To Go)  June 6, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 4)
Today I added some cumin powder and some tumeric root juice.
That helped some, but it’s still pretty gross.  I’m amazed that anyone
can stay on this stuff for three months!

(Raw Day 157 – 209 To Go)  June 5, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 3)

I’ve started adding some Tibetan salt, some bee pollen, some
green superfood and some carrots to the mix, but it hasn’t helped
much.

(Raw Day 156 – 210 To Go)  June 4, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 2)

I survived my first day on juice.  I’m juicing two heads of romaine
lettuce, one head of cabbage, two cucumbers, two heads of celery,
one box of spinach, one bunch of parsley, two tomatoes, and two lemons.

All in one jug it tastes pretty gross.  I’ll see what spices I can add to make
it more palatable.

(Raw Day 155 – 211 To Go)  June 3, 2008
(Juice Feast Day 1)

Today is the first day of my juice feast.  I have a centrifugal juicer given to
me by Scott and Eric.  It looks pretty worn and beaten.  We’ll see how long
it lasts.

I’ve gone to the store to stock up.  I don’t want to get too much, as it won’t
last long, and juicing slime is not my idea of a feast.

Week 23 Weigh-In
Weight: 352.0 %BF: 40.0 (-2.5% Total)  %H2O: 43.7  BD: 9.0
(-24.6# Total, -1.0# this week, Avg. -1.1#/week)

(Day 93 – 274 To Go) April 1, 2008
Prompted by a recent study released by the National Institutes of Health yesterday (The Crawford Study), the USDA has announced a plan to recall all fruits and vegetables from the market and to begin paving over farms around the country, beginning in May. Many have been alarmed by this completely unexpected pre-emptive war on disease.

The FDA has backed up the decision stating that people will be spending much less on pharmaceuticals if they just stopped eating fruits and vegetables. Big Pharma is still in shock at the projected loss in profits. The Medicare Trustees announced that since fewer people will be stricken with diseases caused by fruits and vegetables, the Medicare Trust Fund would be solvent through the rest of the century.

Given the marketing muscle of the organic family farm, the move surprised almost everyone in government. Organic grocers have one of the most powerful lobbies in Washington, DC, and sink more than $10 billion each year into buying off members of both the House and the Senate. Apparently the current administration could not be influenced by these peaceful farmers’ pleas to keep the farms.

Mr. Bush tried to explain to a confused press corps exactly what happened: “They mis-underestimated me, plainly simple. Never again will the America be afeared by such a threat again.” Mr. Bush’s father is said to be relieved to never have to answer questions about broccoli again.

Inquiries can be sent to info@usda.gov.

(Day 91 – 276 To Go) March 30, 2008
Last night I couldn’t sleep, so I got up and experimented with my coco-motion recipe. This time I didn’t use cocoa powder. I made a chocolate liquor out of some raw cacao nibs. I did this by putting 1/2 cup of nibs in my electric coffee grinder (which I no longer use, as I don’t drink coffee any more) and grinding until the nibs became a relatively dry paste. Rather than using two cups of cashews, I used three. I didn’t add the coconut butter or flakes, and I use a whole cup of nibs, rather than 1/4 cup of powder. When I tasted the result, I could feel the raw power coursing through my veins. This was my first crack-cao high, and it was amazing. Warning, do not make this in the evening, as you won’t sleep at all that night.

Feel the love!

(Day 90 – 277 To Go) March 29, 2008
The rawluck today was amazing, once again. The people had very interesting things to share about their raw food experience, and the dishes each person brought were fun and tasty. Here’s a breakdown of what was there:

Carol brought some delicious dill pickles (Victoria Boutenko’s recipe, below), Scott brought some raw cashew hummus, Nora brought lettuce wrapped mini burritos, TerriLyn brough a delicious nutty salad (ask her for the recipe), I brought some flax crackers (which went well with the hummus and tahini), and there were several more dishes (including the delicious green tahini) that I don’t know who brought them. This rawluck had about a dozen in attendance, and we had a ball. Scott did a demonstration of how to open a young coconut. Watch for a video of the demo, which will arrive once I figure out how to post video.

Raw Family’s Famous Rawssian Pickles Recipe:
(served at Raw Family booth at all Raw Food Festivals in Portland)

Ingredients:

3 lbs pickling cucumbers
1/2 big bunch of Pickling dill (with seeds)
4 horseradish leaves (for crunchiness)
1 medium head garlic
6 cups of water
9 Tablespoons of sea salt.

Cut one quarter of an inch off both ends of pickling cucumbers. Stuff the cucumbers into a glass gallon jar with garlic, dill (with seeds), and fresh horseradish leaves. If you have hard time finding horseradish leaves, you may use grape, currant or cherry leaves instead.

Mix the water and salt in a blender.

Pour the salt-water into the gallon jar so that the pickles are covered. If needed, add plain water to completely submerge the pickles. Let this jar sit on the counter covered with a cloth for two days. On the third day the pickles will be pickled enough to eat. If you will decide after four or five days that you want them to stop pickling, drain the water, cover the jar with lid and place them in the refrigerator.

Yields: 1 gallon of pickles

Warning: This dish contains large amount of salt, please eat sparingly!

(Day 88 – 278 To Go) March 28, 2008

The yummiest looking dessert I’ve seen recently is this Cranberry Cheesecake with Clementine Gelato. Did I mention that this dessert is raw? You probably assumed correctly that I would only be mentioning a raw dessert here, but oh my, this dessert looks amazing. I will be trying it very soon. Whole Foods has some organic Clementines right now, and I’ll be down there tomorrow.

I found this amazing dessert on the raw chef blog of Russell James. Russell has a FREE recipe e-zine that I just subscribed to. Check it out!

(Day 87 – 279 To Go) March 27, 2008
Today is the day I must decide what I’m taking to the Raw Denver rawluck on Saturday. I had pulled my two gallons of kim chee out of the vat it had been fermenting in and stuck it in the fridge, so I could bring some kim chee, but that’s what I brought last month. I also have two gallons of rejuvelac that I could bring, but I brought rejuvelac to the last rawluck at Raw Utopia. So, what can I make that would be ready by Saturday at 2pm? I will bring some raw crackers!

Please bring something to scoop, or dip with my crackers! Please bring something to spread on them! I would love to know what you’ll be bringing. Join us and have a great time. I will post the recipe for this particular batch after the rawluck on Saturday.

(Day 86 – 280 To Go) March 26, 2008
I have joined a number of Yahoo groups related to raw food and have been making some great connections. I was surprised at the number of results that came back from a search on “raw food.” Most of them turned out to be groups around raw pet feed. I sorted through the hundreds of groups to find the raw foodist (raw people food) groups.

Some of the groups I joined are geographically related, and some are not. In all of them I am enjoying the flood of inquiries, requests for answers about which foods are best, which methods are best, which recipes are best, which approaches are best, etc. The generosity of the members of these groups is amazing. I am happy to lurk in many of the groups, contributing my two cents when and where appropriate.

I encourage you, who are on your own raw food journey, to find and participate in an online discussion group, even if you only read the posts.

(Day 85 – 281 To Go) March 25, 2008

Wow! It looks like we’re staying on track at almost two pounds per week. I’m starting to feel a bit lighter. As my back is feeling much better, I think I’ll start walking on April 1st. On April 1st we’ll start offering the opportunity to sponsor the blog. If you have a raw product or raw-related service, you’ll be a welcome sponsor here. You can also expect to see fitness and general wellness-related sponsors on the blog. This is a very exciting transition.

Join the party!

Week 12 Weigh-In
Weight: 357.6 %BF: 41.9 (-.6% Total) %H2O: 42.4 BD: 9.0
(-20.0# Total, -1.4# this week, Avg. -1.7#/week)

(Day 84 – 282 To Go) March 24, 2008
I was sent into immediate rapturous bliss upon tasting the raw pumpkin pesto sauce I made using the recipe I found on The Daily Raw Cafe. What an amazingly simple and fabulous dish! I’ve made many types of seed and nut pates, but this is flat out the best recipe I’ve found.

Since I don’t yet have my raw kelp noodles, I haven’t used the pesto as a noodle sauce. What I have used it for is as a spread on collards for sprout wraps. Flat out, you have to try this recipe.

(Day 83 – 283 To Go) March 23, 2008
Today I made a first attempt at vegetable juicing. I used a plastic hand-cranked juicer, lent to me by my raw buddy, Scott, of RawDenver.com fame. I had purchased six ounces of wheat grass, which produced four fluid ounces of juice. I took a sip of the wheat grass juice, and that’s all I could manage. I sliced up a cucumber and fed that to the juicer. I fed in some Italian parsley and sliced a whole lemon to put through. The result was okay, but I had to add some agave and drink it over ice.

Before I begin juicing in earnest, I’m going to wait until I can get a commercial electric juicer. I am excited to start juicing. I’ve seen so many people get great results with juicing. Matt Monarch recommends juicing in addition to eating raw, with two quarts of vegetable juice in the beginning of the day, and one quart of fruit juice later in the day. When I read that on his site, I knew how he could live on so little solid food.

(Day 82 – 284 To Go) March 22, 2008
I just got home from a very very cool event, the rawluck at Raw Utopia. There were eighteen people there and we had a blast. The food was great and the conversation was great. I learned a lot about living raw long term. One of the owners of Raw Utopia has been 100% raw for three years and is very excited about my raw adventure (as am I). Check out the Raw Utopia web site.  Portions are still under construction, but something tells me that the site will be rockin’ pretty soon.

I brought a gallon of rejuvelac, and it was nearly gone by the end of the rawluck. I also brought some raw agave for people to sweeten it with. The comments I got were “curious flavor,” and “how do I make this for myself,” and “are you sure you didn’t buy this at the store?” It was very very good.  I made some very cool new friends and have another place to learn recipes and to share my own creations.  If you’re ever in Denver, drop in and join us! Stay tuned!

(Day 81 – 285 To Go) March 21, 2008
I finished “harvesting” my second batch of rejuvelac today, yielding three gallons. I had looked for some rye, but couldn’t find any. I tried a different variety of wheat, and the result seems to be about the same. I have the leftover wheat sprouts in the freezer awaiting my next batch of flax crackers, which will likely be my contribution at the next Denver rawluck.

I am on day one of fermentation of my most recent double batch of kim chee, which produced seven quarts. I’m playing with the seasoning, and will share the final result once it is ready. I put the daikon and carrots through the slicer wheel on my food processor this time, rather than using the grater wheel, and I hand chopped the cabbage, rather than putting it through the slicer wheel, like I did last time. The first batch was too chunky for me, and the second batch was too mushy for me. We’ll see if the methods used in the current batch will allow for a happy medium.

(Day 80 – 286 To Go) March 20, 2008
Now that spring has sprung I am looking at my back yard and thinking about planting a vegetable garden. It is remarkably more expensive for me to produce my own food, than it is to shop at the local grocery store, and yet it is appealing to me to think of a garden full of fresh organic produce that my hands caused to be planted.

In doing research for my garden, I found a source for seeds, www.eatabbo.org, and will be gathering some friends to prepare the garden with me, as my back is not ready for me to be getting up and down, shoveling, or anything else garden related. We will all have fun. That’s for sure!

(Day 79 – 287 To Go) March 19, 2008

I added MSM to my daily regimen. Gina, from the Aurora rawlucks, recommended it. Perhaps that will help prevent any pain once I start my walking regimen. I will start walking again once my back is 100%. I’ve started walking programs in the past when my back was not 100% and only ended up re-injuring myself. Since I would like to walk for the rest of my life, I’m willing to wait a few more days for my back to be all better before starting.

Week 11 Weigh-In
Weight: 359.0 %BF: 40.7 (-1.8% Total) %H2O: 43.2 BD: 9.1
(-18.6# Total, -2.8# this week, Avg. -1.7#/week)

(Day 78 – 288 To Go) March 18, 2008

Today I started taking Arnica Montana (a homeopathic remedy) for my back pain, and it has almost completely vanished. I place four tiny tablets under my tongue four times per day, and that’s it. I’m not taking any more pharmaceuticals. I learned that Ibuprofen is hard on one’s liver, and I was told after my October checkup that my liver function was not 100%. A chiropractor friend recommended milk thistle, so I’ve been taking that. I am hoping that stopping the pharmaceuticals and bumping up the herbals will bring my liver back into line.

(Day 77 – 289 To Go) March 17, 2008

Given that today is St. Patrick’s Day, I thought that I would wax poetic about greens, our good friends that grow in soil and nourish us so completely. I was turned on to green smoothies by my raw buddy, Scott. You can take a look at my recipe for green smoothies, and try one for yourself. I tend to buy at once enough greens for a week of green smoothies.

I have also been enjoying green salads, green avocados, green nut pate (the green comes from the fresh basil I add). I haven’t been getting in to green mangoes or tomatoes, yet. If you have any ideas for fun green recipes, please share them!

(Day 76 – 290 To Go) March 16, 2008
The coolest thing happened last night, I was recognized at the local organic grocery store, Vitamin Cottage, by a reader of this blog. How cool is that?

She was just embarking on testing the waters with a raw diet and wanted to know where the raw crackers were to go with her raw hummus. I told her that the only raw crackers that I’d seen on the shelf at Vitamin Cottage (I’d never seen raw crackers at Whole Foods) disappeared more than a year ago. I recommended Two Moms in the Raw raw chips, which would at least be functional for scooping, if not really crackers.

I also pointed her to my raw flax cracker recipe here on the blog and made recommendations about where to find an inexpensive dehydrator (Bed Bath & Beyond). I may bring raw flax crackers to the next Denver rawluck, if someone will bring something to scoop, like a VERY big bowl of guacamole! Delish!

(Day 75 – 291 To Go) March 15, 2008

Today we had our Aurora Rawluck, and what a great time we had there! Thank you Gina for hosting another great event. I brought peppermint coco-nubbins, and they brought down the house! I just added one tablespoon of peppermint extract to my coco-nubbin recipe, and that was all it took! Three tablespoons would have set people’s mouths on fire, so I backed off to just one.

We talked a great deal about how to make raw food preparation work better for all of us. One of the ideas was to do catering several days each week, and actually find a restaurant that’s closed on Mondays and have a “Raw Night” there. As the ideas flow and change, I’ll make sure to keep you in the loop!

(Day 74 – 292 To Go) March 14, 2008

Today is Pi Day (3.14). It’s also the birthday of Albert Einstein. Isn’t that a bit freaky?

Did you eat raw pie today to celebrate? I have yet to taste a raw fruit pie. My friend Scott makes a mean raw chocolate silk pie. If anyone has raw pie recipes to share, please do so.

(Day 73 – 293 To Go) March 13, 2008

Who knew that growing your own sprouts could be so fun? As I watched my sprouts grow from tiny seeds, I was taken back to my kindergarten class with Miss Price (1970) where we incubated fertilized chicken eggs and watched the chicks hatch and grow. We also had a bunch of caterpillars in our classroom, and fed them leaves from the trees outside. We observed their cocoon making and their emergence as butterflies. It was amazing.

Growing sprouts in a jar in my kitchen has been great fun. I started with alfalfa and clover seeds. After days and days of rinsing and watching they’re ready to eat! The instructions I read on the sprouting jar said to keep them in a 70 degree dark place, so I kept them in the kitchen cupboard. The sprouts looked a bit anemic after they’d grown, so the last couple of days I kept them on the window sill in the kitchen. The tiny leaves are a deep green, and I feel much better eating them like that.

(Day 72 – 294 To Go) March 12, 2008

Now this is simply amazing. I have been doing very little in the way of exercise, as I am barely able to walk, let alone be a pretzel or walk three miles. I’ve been sitting in front of my computer most days, and yet I lost eleven pounds in the last week. Maybe the back pain has been suppressing my appetite. I don’t know. What I do know is that I’m pleased with the weight loss, and look forward to being able to exercise again.

It looks like I’m nearly 20% into the year, and have reached 10% of my goal. Not bad for a rookie!

Week 10 Weigh-In
Weight: 361.8 %BF: 41.7 (-.8% Total) %H2O: 42.5 BD: 9.2
(-15.8# Total, -11.0# this week, Avg. -1.6#/week)

(Day 71 – 295 To Go) March 11, 2008

I did everything I could to find a blog on Alissa Cohen’s web site: www.AlissaCohen.com, but couldn’t find one. There hasn’t been much posted by her or about her since fall of 2007. I even sent her an email asking that she start blogging. We’ll see what happens. If you want to see a blog from Alissa, please go to her site and send her an email.

(Day 70 – 296 To Go) March 10, 2008

This is my week to love Alissa Cohen. I hope you don’t mind. Starting on page 185 of her book, Alissa shares with her readers the stories of people she’s worked with, who have had amazing results living the raw lifestyle. I am one among many, it seems, and I know that it will work. I am feeling better, and looking better, and know that eventually the weight will pour off.

(Day 69 – 297 To Go) March 9, 2008

My raw buddy, Scott, gave me a copy of Alissa Cohen’s book, Living on Live Food. I’ve never had to hold a twenty pound book while reading. It is a tome. I’m enjoying it a great deal. It looks like a great resource for recipes, and the beginning of the book describes what the raw lifestyle is like. I love the before and after photos of people who have used Alissa’s book.

On page 56 Alissa recommends that people eat what they want, when they want when starting out on a raw food diet. This gives the body time to adjust. My adjusting must be completing, because I am not as hungry as I was when I started two months ago. I couldn’t get enough food to keep from feeling starved when I started. I’m noticing that it takes less food for me to feel satisfied, and that I can go longer between meals. Wow! This is cool!

(Day 68 – 298 To Go) March 8, 2008

Today I just got the final edition Angela Stokes’s new e-book, Raw Emotions. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Angela’s insight into what makes humans tick, with regard to food, is profound. Get your copy today.

Way back in the late 80s, I checked myself into an eating disorders unit at South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach, California. It was called The Rader institute. That was my first exposure to eating disorders treatment. I had been clean and sober in AA for five months, but my eating had gotten out of control. My food obsession was taking over. It didn’t help that I was a checker at a local supermarket, being surrounded by food all day. I was dealing with hypoglycemia and what the doctors told me was bulimic depression. I would binge and then exercise until I dropped. I hadn’t thought to stick my fingers down my throat.

I called the hospital from my check stand at the supermarket and made an appointment to check myself in the next morning. At that time I weighed about 100 pounds less than I do now. When I look at photos from that time I think I looked darned good. It was all in my mind, so the facts really didn’t get in the way of my thinking I was too fat. It was after my thirty days as an inpatient that I started going to OA. From my perspective, the cure was worse than the illness. I was cured of my obsession with food. I didn’t binge and exercise any more. That didn’t mean that I stopped eating emotionally.

Getting back to Angela’s book. I wish I had that book twenty years ago. My life would have been so different. I have the book now, and love it. Here’s to a new life!

(Day 67 – 299 To Go) March 7, 2008

I just finished off that batch of rejuvelac. Toward the end it kind of started tasting like a very weak beer. It was tasty until the very end. I am excited to start trying the same recipe with other grains. The challenge looks like it will be finding raw organic grains at the market. I will likely try using rye in my next batch.

(Day 66 – 300 To Go) March 6, 2008

I’ve been regularly asked by my friends whether I’m a chef, since I’ve been whipping up some amazingly tasty raw treats lately. I am not a raw chef. I am a mean cook, but I don’t cook for myself any longer. I love to experiment with food preparation. I have had this passion since I was young. I used to whip up peanut butter and banana “shakes.” I put many other things into those shakes. I am reminded of the good old days whenever I prepare a green smoothie.

One day I will become an actual raw chef. I have several friends who have gone to school to learn how to properly prepare raw food. I usually start with a recipe as base camp, and then go from there. I will prepare the same dish several days in a row, even several weeks in a row, playing with flavor combinations to see how the recipe can be improved, at least for my palate. I will surely be dangerous once I get home from raw chef school, some day.

(Day 65 – 301 To Go) March 5, 2008

With my back still out I am not getting much exercise. Any movement is painful, and it looks like I gained two pounds in the last week. I know that this is just temporary, and it is still a bit frustrating. Any words of encouragement you might have for me would be much appreciated.

Week 9 Weigh-In
Weight: 372.8 %BF: 42.2 (-.3% Total) %H2O: 41.3 BD: 9.1
(-5.8# Total, +2.0# this week, Avg. -.6#/week)

(Day 64 – 302 To Go) March 4, 2008

I’ve been thinking about walking, and when I think about walking, I think about my favorite shoe store, Foot Solutions. The Foot Solutions by my house is the perfect place to go to find the right shoe. I’ve been thinking about getting a pair of Shun Gis. These are the funkiest shoes I’ve ever seen, but the podorthist at Foot Solutions said that they are perfect for my feet, my posture and my exercising. I will go more in depth on these very very cool shoes another time.

(Day 63 – 303 To Go) March 3, 2008

My back is still aching a week since my last yoga class. I am not certain whether or not to continue with my yoga program. I enjoy the yoga classes and get so much good solid exercise during them; I’m just not sure that having my back out for a week or more is worth doing yoga. Maybe I’ll lose some more weight and then try yoga again. I think I’ll start walking, once my back is back.

(Day 62 – 304 To Go) March 2, 2008

Not to drone on about my aching back, but owww! The drugs aren’t taking much of the edge off. My back’s gone out in the past, usually when I’m increasing my exercise or moving houses, as I have to lift lots of heavy things and walk around with them.

I originally injured my back when I was serving in the navy on “Base Beautification Detail.” We were glorified gardeners. This was at Naval Training Center Orlando in Florida, and we were clearing brush and fallen trees. I lifted a log and turned to put into the bed of the pickup and BOING, there went my back. It’s been going out every so often ever since. It’s gotten better each time before, and it will get better this time. I just have to have some patience.

This is a picture of me when I graduated basic training in 1985. I weighed 206 pounds, the same I weighed on my first day of high school in 1980.

(Day 61 – 305 To Go) March 1, 2008

I’m sitting here, still in great pain from my yoga experience on Monday. The Zyflamend, Ibuprofen and Flexaril are having no effect, at least none that I can perceive. I am at least making good use of the time between grimmaces, editing the new Angela Stokes book, Raw Emotions.

Angela’s new book is amazing. It focuses on how we feel when we eat, whatever we eat. I can’t wait to see it in its final form!

(Day 60 – 306 To Go) February 29, 2008

Here we are on the one extra day we get each year to do whatever we please. This quadrennial tradition adds an extra day to My Raw Year, which I think is a good thing. That’s one more day this year to enjoy being raw, one more day to feel great, one more day to lose weight! How cool is that?!

Enjoy your extra day, and spend it being as raw as you can be!

(Day 59 – 307 To Go) February 28, 2008

I had intended to go up to Boulder last night to meet Sergei Boutenko, but my back was still out. Thankfully my yoga buddy, Patrick, recommended a natural inflamation management product that’s been working wonders, Zyflamend. I still picked up the hard core pharmaceuticals, just in case I do this again and the Zyflamend doesn’t help. In any case, I missed Sergei’s lecture, but hope to get him on the site as soon as he returns to Colorado.

I picked up another sprouting jar today and some alfalfa seeds. I’ve never made my own sprouts at home before. This could be exciting. The rejuvelac tastes like sprouts, and I like the rejuvelac, so maybe I will be successful at making actual sprouts, rather than just fermenting them. I haven’t started the flax crackers with the leftover wheat sprouts yet, but expect to do that this evening.

(Day 58 – 308 To Go) February 27, 2008

Last night I poured off the last of the rejuvelac from my first batch and it is as tasty as everyone has said. It has a unique flavor, kind of lemony, kind of fizzy, kind of grainy. When a drink it with a little agave nectar, it tastes even more delicious. I will blend up the leftover sprouts and put them into my next batch of crackers. We’ll see how that goes.

I tossed out probably fifteen pounds of “expired” supplements, cleanses and the like today. I’d been collecting them over the years as I visited different experts about how to be healthy, each one recommending a different preparation or concoction. I’m enjoying getting most of what I need from whole foods, rather than supplementing with so many other things. Now I have more room for all of my yummy raw food in the cupboard!

Week 8 Weigh-In
Weight: 370.8 %BF: 42.2 (-.3% Total) %H2O: 42.1 BD: 9.1
(-7.8# Total, +3.6# this week, Avg. -1.0#/week)

(Day 57 – 309 To Go) February 26, 2008

I went to yoga last night, and did okay. My back’s been bothering me, off and on for about a week. My yoga practice is supposed to help strengthen my core to support my back. Today I can barely stand. I didn’t injure myself during the yoga class. I’m just hurting. I know that eventually this will all pay off. I’m just going to go through a lot of ibuprofen in the mean time.

Reporting on the progress of the kim chee, the CO2 bubbles are no longer appearing, so I’m guessing that the fermentation process has stopped. This is Day 6 for the kim chee, and I’ve put it in the fridge to stop/slow the fermentation. It’s just spicy and stinky enough to get my blood moving. The main difference between the first and second batches was the size of the pieces of vegetables, so maybe that is why it is no longer bubbling.

If you have had experience with making kim chee and have some insights to share, please do!

(Day 56 – 310 To Go) February 25, 2008

I practice bikram yoga and love it. I do my best to get into the studio three times a week. I’m a big guy, and am usually the only one with extra weight in the studio. I know that yoga works for me. When I get to the studio three times or more in a week, my weight drops off. When I don’t, it doesn’t.

I feel good about myself when I’m in the studio. Even though I have to look at myself in a full length mirror for ninety minutes, by the end of the class, I know that I’ve accomplished something. Here are some of my favorite yoga blogs and sites:

Alex is amazing!

When I need to know something specific about my health, I visit this informative site.

Take a look at Lynn! WOW!

Just in case you were wondering how to chant the syllable, OM, here it is on the Downward Facing Blog.

Yoga is certainly much more than just physical, although it feels VERY physical when I’m in a hot studio wrapping myself into a pretzel. Here’s a great expounding on what yoga truly is.

This post pushed my belly button, well, my button about my belly. Take a look.

(Day 55 – 311 To Go) February 24, 2008

Yesterday I took my video camera to the rawluck and filmed several people having very positive reactions to my amazing kim chee. Unfortunately, I had one switch set incorrectly and none of that amazing footage made it onto the tape. I know that there will be many future opportunities to share our rawlucks with the world, so I’m not TOO disappointed, but the people whose generous endorsements of the kim chee recipe will forever be lost to posterity.

I’m going into the kitchen today to do some practice filming. Watch for video on this blog. Anything else that you can think of to spice things up around here, please share them with me by posting a comment or sending an email.

Having a great raw year!

(Day 54 – 312 To Go) February 23, 2008

Today is the last Saturday of the month, which means it is the day of Raw Denver’s monthly rawluck! Today I am taking my tweaked kim chee recipe. We’ll see how that flies. This time I shredded the cabbage and grated the daikon radishes and carrots. Preparing the vegetables in the food processor made it take less than half of the time it did on the first go around. Below is the revised recipe:

3 lb. Napa cabbage – shredded
3 lb. daikon radish – washed and grated
6 carrots – washed and grated
15 green onions
8T + 1T Celtic Sea Saltsalt
6 T finely minced ginger
5 T finely minced garlic
1 T cayenne pepper, ground
2 T red chile flakes

This is a 2-Step recipe

First step:

In a stainless pot, mix 1 gallon of water, and the 8T salt until dissolved. Add cabbage, daikon & carrots and weight lightly with a plate to cover. Soak 12 hours at room temperature.

Second step:

Drain cabbage, etc., reserving the salt water. Mix ginger, garlic, cayenne, chile flakes, scallions & remaining 1T salt in bowl or food processor. Toss the cabbage, etc. w/ the spices. Place in four quart jars (make sure your jars have lids) – Cover w/ retained salt water (you won’t use it all), leaving 1 inch of space at the top. Loosely cover with lid (after 24 hours tighten the lid) and ferment at room temp. for 3-7 days.

I’ve been getting workable results at three days of fermentation. I’m testing to see how longer fermentation affects the flavor. I’ll get back to you on this.

(Day 53 – 313 To Go) February 22, 2008

Britanie Faith hits the nail on the head with her post about the Law of Attraction. It’s great to see that even raw foodists understand how this works.

Take a look at what Heidi and JS have prepared for us on how to get the most out of a birthday, in the raw of course.

Here’s a post from Angela Stokes about her upcoming new book, Raw Emotions. I’ve seen an advance copy and it is amazing.

On Rediscover Raw Food you can find a review of Eat Food, by Michael Pollan.

Terilyn shares with us on The Daily Raw Cafe what was available on the menu at the recent rawluck. Note the delicious kim chee!

The Raw Divas enlighten us with a great post on exactly what fat is and how much of which we should eat.

Visit The Sunny Raw Kitchen to view the most amazing raw dessert I’ve ever seen. I can’t wait to try the recipe at home. Delish!

At We Like It Raw, see what it’s like being raw and working from home. Things get a bit mixed up.

(Day 52 – 314 To Go) February 21, 2008

The routine that I’ve fallen into has been profound. I soak things to make other things and use what’s left over to make even more things. Something’s always soaking or dehydrating, but there’s not much variety. While I have books with fabulous recipes, I don’t have the time or gumption to do much about it.

If you’re an aspiring raw chef and would like to get your creations up on the web for all to see, please write me: thubten@MyRawYear.com. I hope to hear from you soon!

(Day 51 – 315 To Go) February 20, 2008

When I was at the rawluck last week, I met someone who sang the praises of rejuvelac, the liquid result of fermenting sprouting wheat berries. I have never tasted rejuvelac, but have been told that it tastes vaguely lemony and kind of fizzy. We’ll see. I started a batch of rejuvelac today.

I have yet to find a recipe for what to do with the fermented wheat berry sprouts AFTER the third batch of rejuvelac. If someone has a recipe, please post a link to it or post the recipe here. Here’s the instructions/recipe for rejuvelac:

Recipe for Rejuvelac

Ingredients:
Spring Wheat Berries (1c of grain per gallon of container)
Filtered Water

Equipment:
1/2 gallon or 1 gallon wide mouth jar
Cheese cloth
Rubber band

Fill a spouting jar 1/4 full with wheat berries. If you are using a Mason jar, cover the opening with cheese cloth and wrap a rubber band around it to hold the cheese cloth in place. Fill the jar with filtered water and let sit overnight (at least 8 hours). Drain the berries, then rinse and drain the berries with filtered water twice. Place the jar upside down, but tilted slightly to let air in. I placed my jar in a small Pyrex bowl, which held it at a 45 degree angle.

Rinse the wheat berries twice daily with filtered water. After a couple of days you should see them begin to sprout. Once you see the sprouting take hold, rinse and drain them once more, thoroughly, then fill the jar to the top. Let the sprouts soak for two days. The berries will begin to ferment and the water will transform into rejuvelac.

Pour off the liquid into a separate container and refrigerate. You can do this two more times, but only let the sprouts soak for one day each additional batch.

(Day 50 – 316 To Go) February 19, 2008

Today I went into raw food prep overdrive. I made a batch of flax crackers and started a batch of kim chee. Boy does my kitchen smell good! I will keep track of my tweaks of the recipes and make sure they get posted in the Pages section. Please try the recipes and make comments on your own variations.

Looks like my stats stayed about the same in the past week. Riding the numbers roller coaster can be disheartening if I pay too much attention to the weekly numbers. This is a year-long endeavor. I know to expect fluctuations.

Week 7 Weigh-In 
Weight: 366.6 %BF: 41.8 (-.7% Total) %H2O: 42.4 BD: 9.2
(-11# Total, +.4# this week, Avg. -1.6#/week)

(Day 49 – 317 To Go) February 18, 2008

Today I made a tour of some of my favorite raw food and raw lifestyle sites and wanted to share what I found out there with you:

Some of the most amazing looking food I’ve ever seen can be found on Chris Watts’s site. I wish I could just print out the photos and eat them. YUM!

You can learn about the remarkably short history of the grapefruit and watch a hilarious video at the same time on Freshtopia! Enjoy!

Looking for a raw truffle recipe? Check out this recipe on Gone Raw!

Kristen and I are on the same page about GREENS!

I have been learning a lot about my body and my mind during these past seven weeks and meditation has made a big difference. Find out more about meditation on Legally Raw.

Wow! This one’s delicious. It reminds me of my days in Kathmandu and McLeod Ganj. Check out this tasty drink!

Wondering whether or not to indulge in raw cacao? Check out this article posted on Raw Denver.

Minty chocolate deliciousness! Visit Raw Diva Keely to see what’s got my boat floating.

(Day 48 – 318 To Go) February 17, 2008

I started today with making a gallon of almond milk. I drink almond milk by the glass. It is a tasty treat, especially when ice cold. After soaking three cups of almonds for a day, they transformed into four cups of soaked almonds. Here’s the recipe:

Almond Milk Recipe (makes almost one gallon)

Ingredients:
4 cups of soaked almonds
12 cups of filtered water
4 T of sucanat (or 4T raw agave or 8 dates)
4 t of vanilla extract
2 t Celtic sea salt

Equipment:
Blender
Large mixing bowl
1 gallon pitcher
Nylon paint straining bag (or nut milk bag)

Put one cup of rinsed soaked almonds into the blender.
I used three cups of raw organic almonds to get the four cups of soaked almonds.
Add water until the water reaches the 4 cup mark.
Add 1T of sucanat.
Add 1t of vanilla extract.
Add 1/2t of Celtic sea salt
Blend on high for at least one minute.
Stretch the paint straining bag (much less expensive than a nut milk bag) around the mixing bowl.
Pour the nut milk into the bowl.
Depending on the size of your bowl, you may need to strain the milk several times.
Pour the milk into the pitcher.
Repeat until you’ve used all of the almonds.

Save the almond flour that’s inside the bag. You can freeze it or use it immediately. I use it in my flax cracker recipe. Drink the gallon within several days, unless you want to have a “cultured” almond milk experience.

(Day 47 – 319 To Go)  February 16, 2008

Today is the day of the “rawluck”!  We’re going to watch a raw food movie after dinner.  I’m taking my extra delicious kim chee.  We’ll see how much they like it.

Well, they loved the kim chee and we had a great time watching Raw for Life.

(Day 46 – 320 To Go)  February 15, 2008

Today was a day filled with meetings.  I brought my chilled lunch box and enjoyed a pear, and some hempini (raw hemp seed butter) on some of my home made flax crackers.  For dinner I had some home made kim chee and some lemon water.  Dessert was some raw bleu cheese and a pear.  A very basic and not so exciting day.  I anticipate making some coco nubbins tonight for the raw potluck tomorrow evening.

(Day 45 – 321 To Go)  February 14, 2008

Valentine’s Day!  in years past I would have gone out to dinner with my valentine.  This year going out to eat would not be fun for me.  So far as I know, there are maybe a dozen raw restaurants in the whole country, and none of them is in Colorado.  If anyone has a raw restaurant they’d like to plug, here’s your chance.

I have thought a lot about how to make truly raw fine chocolates.  I haven’t figured out a way yet, but I will eventually.  If you have an idea, let us know!

(Day 43 – 323 To Go) February 12, 2008

Today I tried to eat out for a business meeting. We went to a local Indian restaurant. EVERYTHING in the place was cooked, with the exception of the lettuce on the salad bar. I was able to get a plate of raw cauliflower, tomato slices, carrots, and frozen green beans and peas. I was not satisfied with the meal, but I was very satisfied with the heroic efforts of the management and kitchen staff to provide me with what I asked for.

I checked the kim chee today. It’s bubbling a bit as the fermentation continues. I don’t know how to tell when it is time, as there were no such instructions given in the recipe, only a mystifying “3 to 7 days” to wait. I can already tell that I’ll want to shred the vegetables in the next batch, and probably increase the fire in the spice. No matter what happens, I’ll be a happy camper, freed from paying $9 for a half-pint of kim chee.

(Day 44 – 322 To Go) February 13, 2008

WOW! I shed 9.4 pounds in the last week! I don’t know if it was the five hours of yoga or that the effects of raw diet are finally kicking into high gear, but I’m excited! I was wondering if had been imagining that my pants were falling off, and apparently they actually were.

I tasted the kimchee today, and it tasted ready. I really didn’t know what it was supposed to taste like, but it’s yummy now. Three days worked. Maybe next time I’ll leave one jar out longer to see if four days works better.

Weight: 366.2 %BF: 41.4 (-1.1% Total) %H2O: 42.1 BD: 9.1
(-11.4# total, -9.4# this week, Avg. -1.9#/week)

(Day 42 – 324 To Go) February 11, 2008

I am all about chocolate. It kills me that there’s no commercial raw chocolate bars out there, yet.

For a great article on cacao, visit Raw Denver.

(Day 41 – 325 To Go) February 10, 2008

Nothing completes a meal better than a decadent chocolate dessert. Below is the recipe for one of my favorite raw desserts: CocoaMotion.

Cocoa Motion Recipe

Ingredients:

2c raw cashew pieces
1c filtered water
1t vanilla extract
1/4c cocoa powder
4 dates (or 1/4 c agave or sucanat)
1/4 c coconut butter/oil (optional)
1/2 c shredded raw coconut (optional)
Fresh mint leaves (optional)

Place all ingredients (except the mint) into the food processor and process until smooth (about four minutes).

Garnish with mint leaves. Chill before serving.

(Day 40 – 326 To Go) February 9, 2008

Today I found myself driving around Denver with several raw food bars in the console of my truck.  As I stopped for red lights I would roll down my window (it was below freezing that day) and hand the person (assumed to be homeless and/or hungry) one of these raw organic food bars.  The people would often look at me funny at first, then read the label and smile.  I’ll probably increase my food bar stash in the truck so I can continue to be generous with them.

For many years I’ve given people who ask for assistance what I have in my pocket, if I have money, or what food I have in the car if I’m driving.  I love doing that.  I felt even better today as I was giving these people what was likely the most nutritious thing they’ve put in their mouths in a very long time.

May the offerings we all make to those who ask for assistance bless everyone everywhere.  EM AH HO!

(Day 39 – 327 To Go) February 8, 2008

The freshly prepared guacamole I find in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods is amazing. There are days (like today) when one of those with some home made flax crackers is a perfect meal. I don’t know how many avocados go into one pint of guacamole, but it sure beats the hit and miss nature of buying the avocados themselves.

Do you have a guacamole recipe to share? Mine is below:

4 ripe avocados
1 small red onion
4 cloves garlic
4 ripe red medium tomatoes
1 lemon
Cilantro to taste
Celtic sea salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Slice open and scoop out the avocado and place in a medium mixing bowl.
Mince and add to the bowl the onion, garlic and cilantro.
Dice and add to the bowl the tomatoes.
Juice the lemon and add the juice to the bowl.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

(Day 38 – 328 To Go) February 7, 2008

Today I prepared a batch of kim chee.  I hope it’s yummy.  Here’s the recipe I used:

3 lb. Napa cabbage – chopped coarsley
3 lb. daikon – peeled, sliced ½ thick & either halve or quarter the slices depending upon the circumference of the radish
6 carrots, peeled @ sliced ¼ inch thick
15 scallions coarsely sliced
8T + 1T Celtic Sea Saltsalt
6 T finely minced ginger
5 T finely minced garlic
3 T cayenne pepper, ground

This is a 2-Step process

First step:

In a stainless pot, mix 1 gallon of water, and the 8T salt until dissolved. Add cabbage, daikon & carrots and weight lightly with a plate to cover. Soak 12 hours @ room temp.

Second step:

Drain cabbage, etc., reserving the salt water.  Mix ginger, garlic, cayenne, scallions & remaining 1T salt in bowl or food processor.  Toss the cabbage, etc. w/ the spices. Place in four quart jars (make sure your jars have lids) – Cover w/ retained salt water (you won’t use it all), leaving ½ inch headspace. Loosely cover with lid (after 24 hours tighten the lid) and ferment at room temp. for 3-7 days.

(Day 37 – 329 To Go) February 6, 2008

Today I’m spending out of the house and am camping at a local cafe, Scooter Joe’s.  While they don’t have raw food, they do have free wi-fi.  I’ve brought with me my insulated lunch box with apples, maple nut paste and my signature flax crackers.  Delicious.

(Day 36 – 330 To Go) February 5, 2008

I can’t pretend that I’m not a bit disappointed about gaining three and a half pounds. I had really hoped to be losing three to five pounds a week. I just need to keep reminding myself that this is a year-long project, and that year is in the context of the rest of my life. I know I’m making some HUGE changes around food and exercise, and that even though I gained weight last week, I am going to be making progress regardless of what the scale says.

Today I ate a couple of raw bars and some fruit today. Nothing exceptional.

Weight: 375.6 %BF: 42.2 %H2O: 42.1 BD: 9.2

(Day 35 – 331 To Go) February 4, 2008

Oh wow, am I sore all over!  I’m glad that I’m taking today and tomorrow off from yoga.   Today’s the day for my photo shoot.  We’re doing some fun pictures, some business pictures and some before pictures.  When they’re done I will post them.

(Day 34 – 332 To Go) February 3, 2008

I went to my first bikram yoga class today.  I spent much of the class doing my best to avoid vomiting or passing out.  There were about thirty in the class, and wow was the studio hot.  I was the only “gravitationally challenged” person there, which is okay.

I went to breakfast after the class with one of the owners of the studio, my friend Patrick. Patrick asked me what I thought the unique challenges were, facing “fat people.”  Patrick explained that he was considering offering a “Yoga for Fat People” class at Yoga Energi.  I said that one challenge was that the only time I ever look at myself in the mirror below my chest is in a yoga class, and that’s a full ninety minutes of torture.  Another challenge would be having one of the very fit/slender yoga instructors teaching a class full of fat people.  It just wouldn’t fly.

I suggested that they call the class, “Yoga for Weight Loss,” and that they have a heavy person teach it.   Patrick then invited me to become a yoga instructor and teach that class.  I accepted his invitation.  I’ll keep you posted on my progress!

(Day 33 – 333 To Go) February 2, 2008

Today I tried a new flax cracker recipe.  I added two cups of ground flax, mixing it with the almond flour, left over from preparation of the almond milk.  I let that sit overnight while the flax seeds were soaking.  It worked brilliantly!  The crackers hold together much better and have more substance to them.

I sprinkle caraway or poppy seeds on the top before they begin dehydrating.  I also sprinkle some Celtic sea salt along with the seeds.  Extra tasty crispy!

(Day 32 – 334 To Go) February 1, 2008

This month I’ll be starting my new practice area, yoga.  I intend to participate in three bikram yoga classes each week.  I practice at Yoga Energi in Denver.  The bikram (hot yoga) sessions are 90 minutes long.  The instructors are amazing!  I have been encouraged to modify and adjust the poses for my own “unique” body structure.  I’m the only fat person in these classes.

For me, my practice requires only that I go to the class.  If I’m not feeling well or have an injury, I just sit in the back of the room on my yoga mat.  This is a lifelong practice that I am engaging in, and there’s no rush at all.  I feel great after my classes and am excited to have so many new friends on my well being journey.

(Day 31 – 335 To Go) January 31, 2008

I went to see the doctor (an allopathic MD) today to share with him my plans to shed 150 pounds and get my blood sugar and cholesterol under control.  He was very excited for me.  Although he presented me with all of my pharmacological and surgical options, he thinks that this approach will likely be the best for long term success.

(Day 29 – 337 To Go) January 29, 2008

I added psillium to my evening regimen last night and I have a big lump in my gut this morning and a dehydration headache, or maybe the headhache is from too much Sleepytime Extra tea.

I had a meeting with Whole Foods today to see how they want to sponsor My Raw Year. The meeting went well. The local store will start with sponsoring us. It looks like we’ll be adding each store one by one, which will allow for having other brands as grocer sponsors.

The flax crackers turned out great. I look forward to experimenting with flavors for future batches.

Weight: 372.0 %BF: 42.0 %H2O: 42.3 BD: 9.2

(Day 28 – 338 To Go) January 28, 2008

Today I had my usual green smoothie, which tasted much better without the mustard greens. I had a Lara Bar and some Brazil nuts. Later I snacked on some raw goat cheese and dinner consisted of romaine lettuce leaves slathered with guacamole and some tomato, pepper and onion salsa.

I have wanted to make some crackers for some time and now finally have a use for the almond flour left over after my first batch of almond milk. I soaked two cups of flax seeds overnight. Boy to those things get gooey. I then added the almond flour left over from soaking one cup of almonds and then making almond milk.

I spread the mixture over several dehydrator trays and we’ll see how it turns out. I sprinkled some salt on all of them, then added something different to flavor each round. I’m excited to see how it all turns out.

(Day 27 – 339 To Go) January 27, 2008

I had about half of my smoothie left over from yesterday.  I added a banana and some vanilla, but nothing could mitigate the mustard greens.  Never ever again!

I’ve heard that mustard greens are tasty in juices, and I imagine that they are yummy in salads.  I’ll have to try those, as I still have a bunch of mustard greens in the fridge.

The pineapples are almost done and are extra tasty, kinda chewy.

I went to a place with a bar-be-que going this evening.  The smell was so good.  I don’t know if or when I’ll be done with meat, but I imagine the time will come eventually.

(Day 26 – 340 To Go) January 26, 2008

I learned something important today, never ever ever put mustard greens in a green smoothie. They make the smoothie taste WAY too much like mustard, way too spicy for a smoothie.

I went to the The Denver Living and Raw Food Cafe today. It was the biggest group in ages. The food was great and I hung out with several cool people. Teri of The Daily Raw Cafe was there. She’s in the middle of a 90-day juice feast, and had more energy than all of the kids running around. I also got to know the amazing Mila of Raw Radiance.

(Day 25 – 341 To Go) January 25, 2008

Today I chose to dehydrate two of the pineapples I picked up last week because they were starting to get too ripe. This is a great way to preserve produce when it’s not going to get into a dish in time. This is the first time I’ve dehydrated pineapples. We’ll see how long this takes.

(Day 24 – 342 To Go) January 24, 2008

Today I made my famous coco-nubbins. Anyone who has had a nubbin is welcome to comment.

Here’s the recipe:

3 cups raw organic shredded coconut
1 cup virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup Sucanat
1/2 cup raw organic cocoa powder
1 1/2 T vanilla extract
1 1/2 T chocolate extract (optional)
1 1/2 T extract (any flavor you like)

Melt the coconut oil at under 115 degrees and pour into blender.
Add cocoa powder, Sucanat and extracts to blender.
Blend on high until emulsified.
In a large mixing bowl combine the shredded coconut and the mixture from the blender.
Mix by hand until the coconut is covered evenly.
Spoon the coconut into mini (24 muffin) muffin pan indentations.
Place muffin pan in the freezer for thirty minutes.
Remove muffin pan from the freezer and remove nubbins.
Store in freezer bag in freezer or fridge.
Makes approximately 24 nubbins.

(Day 11 – 355 To Go) January 11, 2008

Making room for all of the raw food was an interesting project.  I threw out all of the different flours I used to use to bake with.  I used the containers the flours were in to keep my nuts and seeds, now in the refrigerator.  I had to clear off the bottom shelf of the fridge to accommodate all of the greens for my morning smoothies.  They will not fit in the drawers.  I use the drawers for the salad greens.

I also pushed all of my cook ware to the back of the cabinet so that I could cram the food processor/blenders in.  I put the microwave in the basement!  Eventually I’ll have a 100% raw kitchen, eventually.

Do you have stories to share about how your kitchen is being transformed?

(Day 10 – 356 To Go) January 10, 2008

Coconut oil is very misunderstood, or so I have read. There’s a lot of research out there about coconut oil. Here is the most comprehensive unbiased resource I could find.

I use coconut oil in my coco nubbins, as well as young coconuts (or coconut oil if I don’t have a young coconut) in my green smoothies.

(Day 9 – 357 To Go) January 9, 2008

Perhaps this would be a good time to explain the way I am approaching my raw year. Given that each of us approaches our raw choices as individuals, and there is no “right” way to eat raw, I’ve made some choices that work for me for now. I may make new choices as this year progresses. I expect to.

I am eating as much fresh raw fruits and vegetables as I can. I will supplement my diet with raw beef, raw fish and raw dairy as necessary. As I read The China Study, it is becoming clear that I will likely begin a vegan lifestyle at some point, perhaps even this year.

I have also chosen to allow for green or herbal tea. It may be steeped at more than 115 degrees, but I won’t drink it until it has dropped below 115 degrees. Eventually I will start making my own sun tea with loose green tea leaves or herbs.

I look forward to seeing how this all goes.

(Day 8 – 358 To Go) January 8, 2008

Only so you understand the consistent result of the detox, I am STILL feeling moody. My body assessment today brought a bit of a surprise: I’ve lost no weight. At the beginning of my 90 days raw (about two years ago) I lost about twenty pounds. The advantage of having a whole year to produce my desired results is that having no results the first week isn’t a problem.

I will be adding a new discipline each month. January will be the full month of 100% raw. February will see the addition of bikram yoga three days each week. March will bring walking exercise three days each week. Adding a new discipline each month will allow for the habit to be gradually ingrained. At least that’s the plan.
Weight: 374.4 %BF: 42.2 %H2O: 42.1 BD: 9.2

(Day 7 – 359 To Go) January 7, 2008

I feel moody, but don’t have the lacking feeling. I “murdered” six avocados yesterday. I split and pit them, then pour some Namo Shoyu (raw soy sauce) into the indentation, and then scoop it all out, one bite at a time. Delicious!

I’ll make sure to continue to include avocados, even if it is just guacamole, in my daily regimen.

(Day 6 – 360 To Go) January 6, 2008

I am still moody. Get used to this, I tell myself. It will disappear soon. I murdered four avocados yesterday, but still feel lacking. I’ll try again today.

Having some concern around all of the fat in avocados, I decided to look up some info on avocado oil. Here’s what I found, a scientific study on avocados (STUDY). Here are the answers about avocados I was looking for:

1. Its monounsaturated fat speeds up the basal metabolic rate, as compared with saturated fat.
2. Its high fat content gives a quicker feeling of satiation (“fullness”), thus helping to reduce overeating.
3. Its high fat content makes an overall sound diet more palatable, reducing the temptation to binge on foods high in sugars or saturated fats.
4. Its rich supply of vitamins and minerals also makes the diet more wholesome and satisfying and thus more conducive to overall health and to moderation in consumption.

(Day 5 – 361 To Go) January 5, 2008

I am still moody, a likely recurring theme for another week or so. In addition to my moodiness, I am feeling a severe lack of something. I’m eating plenty of food, and I’m getting a nice variety of nutrients; this much I know for certain. Yet there is a feeling of lack. I asked my raw buddy Eric what this might be.

Eric and Scott were my raw coaches the first time around and are a wealth of information. Eric recommended that I “murder some avocados” and gorge until the feeling goes away. At $2.50 each, this will be an expensive experiment. Wish me luck!

(Day 4 – 362 To Go) January 4, 2008

I am feeling moody, something that I expected.  When I did my 90 days raw last year I was VERY moody during the first two weeks.  I hope that I won’t upset too many people in my life as my body goes through this transformation.

I’ve been told that the moodiness comes from the body detoxifying itself.  Whatever it is, I am extra crabby right now, so don’t post a mean comment, okay?

(Day 3 – 363 To Go) January 3, 2008

My friends Eric and Scott gave me two gifts for Christmas, a dehydrator and the book, The China Study.  I started reading the book today, and expect to use the dehydrator soon.  I don’t have a lot of high end kitchen equipment yet.  I have an ordinary blender/food processor and two ordinary dehydrators.  Each cost about $60 retail.

You can go out and invest thousands of dollars in your raw food lifestyle equipment, but I recommend that you wait until you’ve gotten yourself in the swing before you spend a lot of money.

(Day 2 – 364 To Go) January 2, 2008

I start most mornings off with a green smoothie. My morning green smoothies have a relatively consistent set of raw organic ingredients, here they are:

Young coconut meat and water
Banana, or apple, or pear, or mango
Red chard
Collards
Flat leafed/Italian parsley
Purple kale
Red kale
Green kale
Spinach
Celery
Raisins, dates or agave (if it needs some sweetening)
Hemp Protein Powder
Ground flax
Nutritional yeast
Bee pollen
Kelp
Coconut butter (when I don’t have a coconut)
Frozen coconut water cubes (when I don’t have a coconut)
Raw powdered greens (just in case I missed something)
Apple cider vinegar
ph10 water ice cubes

I start by blending the fruit and coconut meat and milk. I then add the supplements. I then chop up the greens and add them one by one. I taste it to see if it needs some sweetening, then add either dates, raisins or agave. It tastes much better to me cold, so I usually add some ice cubes.

I drink it slowly in 12oz glasses throughout the morning. I keep the blender pitcher in the refrigerator between glasses. Green smoothies are a great way to start the day.

(Day 1 – 365 To Go) January 1, 2008

Today I begin my raw year.  I was inspired to try a raw food diet by my friend, Scott, of www.RawDenver.com.  I went 90 days at 95+% raw about a year ago.  I felt younger and my body felt great.  After the first two weeks of eating only raw food my mind was clear.  It was amazing.

I am engaging in this year-long raw food adventure to improve my health.  In October I received a diagnosis of “pre-diabetes” and decided to use a raw food diet to improve my overall well-being, expecting that the pre-diabetes will disappear.  I will log my weight each week, along with percentage of body fat, percentage of hydration, and bone density.  It is my intention to arrive at 225 pounds and 10% body fat by the end of 2008.  You are invited to join me on that journey, my raw year, my raw adventure.

Although many raw food luminaries recommend against starting a raw diet at 100%, that’s exactly what I’m doing.  For me it is easier to decide once that all I will eat is raw food.  Having to make a decision several times a day about whether or not to eat cooked food, every day for a year, would drive me nuts.  So here I am, on Day 1.  I look forward to checking in daily.

As this year continues, I will be adding features to the blog.  Eventually I’ll be recording some videos of me: in the kitchen, exercising, and going out into the raw universe.  Expect to see some short form programs on many aspects of the 100% raw lifestyle.  You can also expect to see raw food chefs and enthusiasts contributing their knowledge and wisdom to this collection as the year progresses.

Please comment and contribute to MyRawYear.  I know that many people would love to know that more people are out there, raw adventurers.  I know I would!

Weight: 377.6  %BF: 41.7  %H2O: 42.5  BD: 9.3