As you may (or may not) know, I haven’t eaten meat in ten and a half months. I didn’t give up meat for ethical reasons (although I tend to be drawn to the people who do), and I didn’t give it up for health reasons (although I tend to feel 93% better when I’m not eating meat). It has been a good run, and I’m actually finding that I’m not craving meat the way I did during my first two tries at becoming a vegetarian.
On Saturday evening, I went to a new friend’s house where I admired buckets of yarn and shared a raw vegan meal. And I know 48 of you are rolling your eyes right now, but hear me out. The meal included red peppers, jícama, pineapple, strawberries, oranges, mango, kiwi, and a nut pâté that was so incredibly good. I walked away from the table feeling So Full and So Healthy, and here’s my plan: One raw vegan meal per day for as long as I can. If I go 100% vegan? Good for me. If not? I’ll forgive myself. All I know is this: After having that meal yesterday evening, the pizza my family ate for dinner this evening didn’t appeal to me in the least. Instead, I had a bean burrito and a bowl of watermelon, and I’m feeling good.
Also, I need a juicer. Why do I need a juicer? I’ll tell you why: I have a funny feeling that carrot and spinach juice would cure my headaches, my cramps, my skin, and my demeanor. Any advice would be appreciated.
You guys. Scout had her first obedience school session this afternoon. While there, we met her brother and sister and had a mini-playdate in the training area. Three tiny furballs jumping all over each other. My heart? It melted. (I’m sure carrot and spinach juice could fix that. I’m hoping the juice would also give me back my edge. It seems that having a puppy in the house is sort of bringing out the insipidity in me. Not a bad thing, but definitely a Thing.)
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Breville for juicing. Congrats on your decision. It feels great to feel great!
I was going to offer up the same advice as the commenter above: Breville. No question. You won’t regret it!
Good for you!
raw food is delicious. Lately I can’t get enough of cabbage.
that is one cute puppy.
The Breville-sayin’ folk speak the truth. Worth every penny. (Ginger+carrot+apple is my favorite juice.)
You can get waaaaaaay too much sugar goin all raw vegan. Watch the fruit. I know a number of people who have tried it and then ended up doing the nourising traditions thing with raw dairy and bone broths and stuff. I’ve read a bunch of books on various kinds of nutritional types lately. My husband and I are protein types, so we could never, ever do it, and I don’t mean because a book said so. Partially it’s because concentrated sugars make me fee really sick, including fruit juice, dates, etc. I was a nonraw vegan in my 20s, was depressed, got sick a lot, and now have low bone density now. Poo! Same with one of my friends. ANYWAY, I highly recommend fermenting yourself some veg. It’s awesome. Also, you can slip some of those weeds from the yard into green smoothies. I’m totally serious. I have a Champion, and it’s pretty cool, but it doesn’t do greens that well and I’d rather have a Vitamix blender these days.
err, guess I should have proofed that typoaganza, sorry
Is ‘insipidity’ actually a word? Wouldn’t it be more like insipiditity-ness? Or insipidity-ism? Also, go the Breville. Can’t beat Apple/Pineapple/Ginger. Yum. Watch out for the wind though.
One of my favorite resturants in OKC is a raw food vegan place. Last year I did a yoga workshop with a guy who is a raw foodist and he did a minidemo on juicing. The thing that really appealed to me about the juicer was all the things that you can do with the pulp. Beat balls, veggie pate, almond flour. All that and juice?!?
Also, I used to suffer from migraines (about two or three a month…maybe not as severe as yours), but since I cut meat out of my diet and include a 20 min savasana in my yoga practice, I haven’t had one. That’s going on three years now. I’m not saying it’s the cure all, but it is something that worked for me.
I eat mostly anything, but will admit that I feel much better when I start out my day with a green smoothie or juice. I can’t wait to hear how your raw vegan experiment goes!
Wish veg was popular when I was young. It is difficult to give up meat now, especially in a social setting, however I did start a diet this Feb with blending carrots, apples etc. This was a good kick start to cutting back. Around the 60 _plus club, giving up meat creates a lot of wierdo looks, and comments. I finding eating fruits and vegs really makes a big differance. I feel a lot better. Good luck with your eating and your new puppy.
I’m also in the Green Smoothie camp. I have one for breakfast every morning (there’s my daily raw/vegan meal). I can’t imagine that juice is very filling and it lacks all the benefits of the fiber. Get a Blendtec or Vitamix (though my old Osterizer was fine for several months – until I got my Blendtec).
I use green smoothie girl’s (google her) basic recipe:
2 c liquid (water, coconut water or apple cider are my go-tos), add greens and blend until you have 4 c, add fruit until 6 cups. Sweeten if desired: honey, agave, stevia, dried dates…
This will give you a 50% fruit/greens ratio, though to start with you may want to have more fruit and work your way up.
Some of my favorite combinations:
frozen bananas, cocoa powder, honey or agave, spinach, and kale or chard.
Mango, pineapple, banana, coconut water, spinach, parsley, and honey or agave.
And my new favorite: Strawberries, rhubarb, avacado, apple cider, spinach, and Italian kale.
Yum!
If it didn’t cost a mint to mail things to the States, you could have *my* juicer. We bought it after watching an infomercial a few years back, used it constantly for a month and now it sits on the top shelf in the pantry, sadly alone.
I would miss carmelized onions WAY too much to go raw vegan….heck, I would miss bacon too much to go vegetarian…
I don’t know how in the world you weren’t eating your own arm off after that meal. I’ve been trying to only eat fruit and nuts between meals and I’m usually starving – STARVING – by dinnertime. I also find that when I work out vigorously at the gym after that type of afternoon I get all weak and woozy. I guess my body just needs meat.
Ive been doing the Daniel Fast, which is essentially a vegan diet and I am loving it. I just finished week one of three and after week three I will probably continue on with the vegetarian diet (or mostly vegetarian) as well. My husband and I are eating more and better than we have in a long time. Neither of us are going hungry or starving all day. I think that is because we are eating what we need without any processed, refined or dairy foods.
I am currently reading “The Beauty Detox Solution” from Kimberly Snyder and I am loving her thought process on foods, food pairing and the raw diet and the idea that what we have always been taught may not be the most accurate information, (for a variety of reasons). I have been raw-vegan up until lunch for a week now and in addition to loosing three pounds (bonus) I am starting to feel fantastic.
I should say that for mother’s day I had pork ribs, stuffed potatoes, and molten chocolate cake for dessert. So raw-vegan has been a learning curve.
Good luck.
Have you ever been to a kinesiologist? Baby has had chronic ear infections since 3 months (she’s 17 mos now) and “doctors” want to give her her SECOND round of tubes bc they wont clear up. (I say, if got wanted holes in your eardrums he would have put them there Himself).
Anyway, kinesiologist man found out (without prick tests) that baby was allergic to apples and all dairy and that in a very roundabout way that was why her ears wont clear. !! So that brings me to point 1) we’re in the market for a juicer as well (MOST juices have apple in it somewhere) and 2) the things that one of those doctors can cure naturally are UH.MAZE.ING. Seriously.
Just a thought…while you’re on your “embrace life and health” gig. :)