After trying to figure this thing out for the past week or so, I've decided that for practicality sake, I will lower my raw goal to 70% a day. This will allow me to eat raw all throughout the day and enjoy a nice meal with my family in the evening.
Really, I could eat fruits and veggies, salads and smoothies, energy bars (homemade) and snack mixes (nuts, seeds and dried fruit) all day. That's not the problem. I actually enjoy these foods. It's the amount of time to prepare the "gourmet" raw foods that help to add more variety into my food selections that is the problem. All the soaking, sprouting and dehydrating and the amount of coordination and organization that requires me to do this well is, at this stage of my life, prohibitive. What would be ideal is that I'd have a windfall of money - an astronomical amount - that would allow me to hire a raw food chef to prepare my entire family's meals every day. Of course, since that is not happening any time soon, I'll simply strive to eat raw 70% of the time. The evening meal I prepare will be comprised entirely of foods that I can both pronounce and recognize, but they can be cooked (basically, a cooked meal with God-made foods).
As for my half marathon training, I ran 3 miles yesterday. For now, it's all just prep work. The "real" training schedule actually begins week after next. I'm hoping that my hip heals up by then. It's really been uncomfortable since last October when I ran the 4.0 mile leg in the KC Marathon as part of a relay team - all up hill, too. After yesterday's run, it was really bugging me. I went to the chiropractor and he did an amazing adjustment that made me feel 1000% better - said my hip was rotating backwards. I'll see him again tomorrow. It's still tender and I'm icing it three times a day. I'm praying that it will be healed completely and quickly!
And on a final note, I just want to say "Thanks" to all of you who have asked me about my "Raw Food Adventure." I so appreciate it! It's helped me to stay accountable and focused. I never know when someone is going to say, "Hey, Loula! How's that raw food thing going?" and knowing that it could be at any moment helps me to smile and say "No" when I'm trying to justify that brownie batter could be considered a "raw" food...
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Showing posts with label goals. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
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.
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.
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