Goals and Objectives

I thought I'd write a little bit about what eating raw is, what it's going to look like for me and what my goals are for the next 99 days.

By definition, Raw foodism is a lifestyle promoting the consumption of uncooked, unprocessed and often organic foods as a large percentage of diet. (from wikipedia). In basic terms, it means eating things only God made and not cooking them over 118*. The theory behind it is that there are enzymes in plant foods that our bodies thrive on but that are destroyed when heated to over 118*. Many raw foodists don't eat any animal products at all and are therefore vegan. Some will include raw animal products - cheese and yogurt made from raw milk, sushi, other raw meats, etc. The more raw food in your diet, the more health benefits you will reap. There are raw vegans, raw vegetarians (those who allow eggs and dairy), raw omnivores (include animal products in their diet).

My goal is to have a diet that consists of 90% raw and living foods. I'm going to need and certainly want some flexibility in my food choices. This morning I made granola - made from all raw and organic ingredients - but I cooked it at 300*. But because my goal is to be 90% raw, this yummilicious recipe will fit in nicely to my new way of eating. I ate my granola with some yogurt, a living food.

What's a living food, you ask? In short, it's a food that would grow if you put it in the ground - sprouts, seeds, etc. Why does yogurt fall into this category? Obviously yogurt doesn't come from a seed. Well, the answer comes with the use of a microscope. Yogurt is teeming with good bacteria and since bacteria is a living organism, yogurt is considered a living food.

One of my challenges is going to be sorting through all the information I take in and find out what fits my life, my goals, my objectives. I have a tendency to take what I read and make it law in my life, find that it doesn't work and struggle with feelings of failure, setbacks, disappointments, etc. Already, I've found that there are many who believe that if you go raw, you should go vegan. That's not going to happen with this woman. I am going to continue to enjoy my cheese and yogurt - made from raw milk, of course! I might even had the occasional omelette made with farm fresh eggs! Who knows?! The possibilities are endless! The point is, I'm going to be 90% raw and enjoy my journey.

What I have found, though, is that there is a substitute for just about anything you can think of: can't stand the thought giving up sour cream? Try Cashew Sour Cream. Want a burger? Try this recipe. Sounds delicious to me! I've also found that I don't exactly have the right tools just yet. I really need to invest in a food processor. I have a little one, but I need one with at least a 6 or 7 cup capacity. I would like to get a better blender, but they are EXPENSIVE! I have a juicer that I lent to a friend and am going to see if she's using it still. If not, I'll get that out, too. The other thing I'm going to need is a dehydrator. Hope to pick that one up today! Found a simple one for $7 on craigslist. The right tools are essential for this journey!

After just a day and a half of purposefully eating raw, I've found myself kind of surprised at the fact that it doesn't take a whole lot to fill me up. Raw and living foods are very filling. I suppose this is a very good thing.