Going Raw: Week 1

I first heard about the raw food diet in Mysore, India while studying yoga with ShSheshadri. That was 2002. I thought the guy was a bit crazy when he said all you needed to survive and thrive wàs pineapple and avocados. At the time I was still strongly attached to a complicated cooked food diet, even though I was tired all the time and had hip and back pain. 

Three years later I decided to try this raw way of life. Of course, I had to be complicated about it, making dehydrated breads, complex soups and fancy desserts. it was hard for me to really develop a taste for mand my stools are f the foods. The things I liked most were the fruits and the nuts. I never got used to the taste of sprouted grain and beans. I continued to be primarily raw for a coiuple of years, but regularly caved to temptations of dairy and wheat.

I now understand why I had those cravings. I was trying to subsist on mainly salad, with a few pieces of fruit and a few handfuls of nuts. I never ate enough veggies to meet my caloric needs. I was following the Hippocrates suggestions of low glycemic eating and my body was begging for more calories.

This time around I am more educated about the various types of raw diets and have found the 80-10-10 approach to be the soundest. This approach tells you to eat a lot of fresh fruit, some greens and very little fat in the form of nuts and avocados. I already feel much more satiated and grounded. 

I am also going into it with a much less rigid mindset. I am eating a little bit of cooked food, like steamed veggies and gluten-free grains. It ias more about feeling good then fitting into a category. At this time in my life it also has to be about affordability too. Adding a meal of rice and beans every other day helps to spread out the resources. 

Today marks the end of a week eating high raw. It has been surprisingly easy ans enjoyable. I immediately saw results that have helped me stay motivated to keep it up. From day one I have needed less sleep. I do fine on 6 hours now, where as I used to need 8-10 hours, with a 30 minute nap around 3pm. The first few days I had insomnia and woke up at 3 or 4am and couldn't get back to sleep, but it didn't affect the rest of the day. 

My tongue is pink again, instead of the slight white film it had developed eating the SAD. Digestion has improved a lot. No heartburn or gas, and my stools are more frequenrt and have less undigested matter in them. My energy levels are higher and more steady. In general, I feel terrific!