Full Metal Lunchbox

For the past two and a half weeks I've been on a 70% raw food diet.

This means that most of the food I've been eating is fresh (never frozen) and never heated above 160°.

Basic information about the raw food diet can be found here.  Wikipedia has a longer article.


By now those of you who know me are scratching your head asking why?


This crazy but good idea came from the same place that all other crazy but good ideas come from: Justyna.



Justyna began her raw food adventure at the beginning of this month, and rather than maintain my normal diet (and buy twice the groceries) I decided to tag along.



Justyna's experiences are documented in her raw food blog.



The first few days of eating mostly raw food were not easy.  It seemed a little unnatural, and I felt helpless in the kitchen.

My digestive system was also full of protest.

By the end of day 3 I wasn't sure I could keep this up.

And then, all of the sudden, I felt cleansed and things got a lot easier.

Now I find myself actually craving fresh vegetables the way I used to crave spicy chicken.



I even look forward to grocery shopping.

(Feels good to walk away from the checkout line with a bag full of only vegetables and seeds.)



So far the results of this change in diet have been mostly positive.  My energy level is way up, I've lost weight, and I feel "lighter."

The only downsides have been occasional cravings for bad foods (which now make me feel terrible when I eat them) and the lower-than-usual energy level I sometimes feel after exercise (which I mitigate by keeping protein on hand).

Justyna has enjoyed even more success than I have.  Not only has she lost weight, her skin is the clearest I've ever seen it.  

She's also become a terrific raw food uncook.  I like her veggie/mango maki rolls the best!

Many of the meals we prepare at home are taken from or inspired by Raw: the Uncook Book by famous raw chef Juliano.  It's a terrific recipe book despite some technical errors and omissions.



..
Looking over what I've wrote so far in this post, I have to admit that this all looks a little loopy--even to me.  But I just can't imagine going back to the way I used to eat, as my occasional forays back into the cooked food world rarely leave me satisifed.  This morning I had some Church's fried chicken, and it still hurts like hell.

(On the other hand, I fried up some stuffed salmon from Trader Joe's for dinner tonight and it tasted swell.  Being on a 70% raw diet means that I can sometimes eat cooked food, but it has to be of decent quality.)

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DISCLAIMER:  Don't run out and try this diet until you read this review from the American Dietetic Association (motto: food should not be fun).