Geoff has been struggling periodically with the fact that processed junk food and fast food is promoted so heavily on a daily basis.  It's been hard to turn on the tv without commercials for Burger King, Taco Bell, or Subway in our face, and driving through town there's an onslaught of billboards and the smell of charbroiled burgers.  We never made it a habit to eat that junk prior to this raw food challenge, but maybe it's just knowing that Geoff has made a commitment to not stray from this diet for a month that is making him want a Whopper or a Bacon Double Cheeseburger.

I, on the other hand, am not finding that to be so much of a challenge.  I know that after eating this way now for the better part of 3 weeks (including the juice fast), gorging on processed fast food is not going to make my body feel good, and to me it's just not worth it because fast food doesn't even taste that good.  I mean, if I'm going to risk not feeling well due to something I ate, it's going to be something worthwhile and sinful like my mom's cherry cheesecake.

Geoff has found that this entire experiment has him more goal oriented and thinking more strategically.    His weight and fat percentage have both decreased.  He's maintaining an exercise program, and has found that he is now able to run further.  His life-long sinus problems and allergy issues have drastically decreased, and his energy levels have increased.

I'm continuing to ride my bike, do crunches and push ups, but I'll admit that I haven't been out walking as often as I should.  It's difficult, and it tends to depress me at times.  Even just walking on the sloping, gravel driveway up to the road is a frustrating challenge and since I tend to shy away from things that depress me, I'm having difficulty forcing myself to walk more and stay positive about it.  I know, I know- it'll get easier the more I do it, just like my increased ability for all the other exercises I'm doing, but apparently, mentally, I'm just not there yet.  However, it's amazing for me to realize that my body has *never* gotten the vast array of vitamins, minerals, and trace minerals that it's getting now - all in an easy to digest, unprocessed, raw form. 

One thing that has been brought to my awareness is the fact that although I thought prior to this that I ate healthy and knew a lot about health, wellness, and food, I had only scraped the surface.  There appears to be a lot of misconception out there about calories and protein, and you can read up on some new medical studies here.  We've learned a great deal about how much protein a person actually requires, and you can read more about that here. 

I'm now realizing that a 4 tray dehydrator simply isn't large enough, and can see why people recommend the Excalibur 9 Tray Food Dehydrator.  If I'm running the dehydrator, it would be more efficient to have 9 trays and fill it completely full to save on electricity and be able to store more tasty snacks like the zucchini chips or flax crackers we've come to rely on.  The square trays on the Excalibur allow more food space without the hole in the center of the tray like my Nesco American Harvest Dehydrator.

I've also recently learned that raw foodies make a lot of 'pasta' type noodles out of zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, or other similar vegetables using a machine like a Saladacco Spiral Slicer or a Spirooli type spiral vegetable slicer.  Cover these 'noodles' with a fresh marinara, heat it up in the dehydrator or the oven at a low temp and enjoy the healthiest 'pasta' available.  

Geoff and I are both excited to see where this raw food journey will take us.  It's already opening our minds to a new way of thinking, and we've bonded like never before.  We're actually getting more enjoyment out of the food we're eating, we're getting more out of it nutritionally, and we're having a great time trying out new recipes.  I look forward to seeing what the next 3 weeks brings. 

Read the full article here.

Both of us are noticing a drastic improvement in digestion, our skin looks healthier and feels smoother, and my fingernails seem to be growing longer and stronger faster than they ever have.  (Keep in mind, we ate 90% vegan, then went on a 6 day juice fast, binged over Memorial Weekend, and have been raw for 5 days now.)  We both have ample energy for maintaining our exercise routine, although that seems to have peaked and waned over the past 5 days, but some of that might be due to the weather.

A couple of days ago we had seriously toyed with adding raw eggs and unpasteurized goat milk to our diet, mainly for calories and protein, but after eating this way for a few more days, and doing a lot of research, we realized it would be unnecessary. This website discussed in detail what proteins and amino acids are, how much we need, and why.  It's a very important read for anyone concerned with whether or not they're getting enough protein.  

The first couple of days were rough for Geoff.  I'm not sure if it was more mental than physical, but going raw ca be a challenge mentally and make you feel deprived and as if you're starving until your body regulates itself.  After consulting some raw food experts they advised us to eat a lot of bananas and dates for calories and lots of green leafy vegetables for protein (just 4 ounces of kale has 6 grams of protein!).  This site has a handy chart of protein in raw fruits and vegetables. 

Another huge benefit so far is that Geoff's cravings for sugar have disappeared.  In the past, when hit with a need for sugar, he'd consume a lot of empty calories on sweetened junk food, and now the raw food desserts made with fresh fruit seem to be satisfying that desire.

One thing I will say is that eating this way requires some planning unless you want to opt for simple salads and cut up fruits and veggies. If you're going to 'uncook' some of the recipes, they require some time, especially if using the dehydrator. 

Right now we've got a batch of fresh corn chips in the dehydrator, we plan to make some flax crackers when these are done, and make another fresh pie today, this time blueberry.  I think once we get the hang of this routine we can make crackers, granola, and dried fruit in bulk to save time.  We'll also start being more frugal with shopping to purchase nuts, seeds, and grains in bulk, buying ripe bananas in large quantities and slicing and freezing them (try rolling a sliced banana in honey and rolling it in crushed nuts or coconut and then freezing it!), and making the most of the farmers markets.

We've got an out-of-town trip planned soon and it's going to be interesting to plan ahead to see what we need to make, versus what handy food we can bring for meals.  I'm thinking a huge kale and avocado salad which stays great for a few days in the fridge, dehydrated crackers and cookies, fresh cut up fruits and veggies, and Geoff's Zesty Guacamole.  And lots of water with freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice.

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1 tomato- diced
• 1 lime- juiced
• 1 white onion- finely chopped
• small bunch cilantro- finely chopped
• sea salt- to taste
• crushed red pepper- to taste
• cumin- to taste
• cayenne pepper- to taste

We've tried, and loved, the kale and avocado salad, and the flax seed Cheez Its from their recipes.

Yesterday Geoff made a strawberry rhubarb pie that was amazing, even our non-raw friend loved it.  Here's the recipe for it:

  STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE!
based on a recipe at goneraw.com

The pinch of cayenne in the crust adds nice depth….
INGREDIENTS
CRUST
2 C almonds, soaked
1 C dates, (or less, to taste)
2 T agave syrup
1 t cinnamon
pinch cayenne
dash sea salt, (optional)
handful shredded coconut

FILLING
4 C rhubarb, peeled and chopped to 1″ pieces
1/4 C agave
2 C strawberries, chopped
1/4 C psyllium husk (we used ground flax seed)
whole strawberries for garnish

PREPARATION:

CRUST:

    * In a  food processor, process ingredients to a coarse mixture which sticks together easily when pressed..
    * Sprinkle shredded coconut into pie pan to prevent crust sticking.
    * Press crust into pan.

FILLING:

    * In a food processor, process rhubarb to a slushy consistency.
    * Add agave and continue processing until well mixed..
    * Remove rhubarb mix to a large bowl add chopped strawberries and psyllium husk, and mix by hand.
    * Spoon filling into crust and chill 6 – 8 hours, or overnight,  to allow sweetness to develop. (Pie is tart at first, but, as it sits, the flavors meld, and the sweetness develops.)

Enzymes are needed to perform many functions in the body including digestion, assimilation and elimination of food. A drained enzyme supply can result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, premature aging and low energy. Raw foods high in enzymes include sprouts, papaya and pineapple.

Here are couple of great articles on the benefits of raw food.

We are currently on day 3 of our raw food challenge.  Geoff ran 4 miles this morning, and we've both been maintaining our exercise regimen.  Today we both feel like we have a lot more energy than yesterday.  Geoff's dropped most of the weight he put on after 'bad' eating for five days.

The past three days we've been eating huge fruit salads for breakfast with almonds, ground flax, and wheat germ.  Lunches have been kale and avocado salads, the recipe for which is posted here.  Yesterday we made a strawberry rhubarb smoothie with rhubarb, strawberries, a handful of cashew, a little cinnamon, some raw agave syrup and enough water to cover it.  Later in the day we snacked on raw cauliflower dipped in homemade guacamole, and some fruit here and there, along with some flax crackers I had made last week.

Yesterday we made a batch of corn chips in the dehydrator, along with some quinoa, almond meal, and raisin cookies.  I'd tweak that recipe and opt of the quinoa next time- it just throws off the taste.  I think they'd be a good, quick source of protein though, along the lines of a not-so-great-tasting protein bar.  :)

The thing I'm most anxious to try is the raw strawberry rhubarb pie Geoff made last night.  We have company coming over this afternoon, and I think we'll wait and use them as guinea pigs.  If it passes their inspection, we'll post photos and the recipe soon.

So, so far so good with this entire thing.  It's been a little difficult to try to plan meals ahead of time to make sure Geoff maintains the calorie count that he's looking for, but the more I look, there are thousands of recipes online.  Our tastes are changing, and we've been experimenting with different ingredients, quite like mad scientists.  It's been fun, and doing this together has been something that has brought us closer together.  We'll keep everyone up to date as it goes.  And, as always, if you have any questions, feel free to let us know.  

Knowing that we were going to participate in this 'diet' starting today, we really unleashed and went a bit overboard with food over the past four or five days.  The only food I had really craved during the juice fast was a supreme pizza from our favorite local bar/restaurant.  We ordered one on Thursday, and sadly, I have to say that it didn't taste the same at all to me!  The sauce was too sweet, the meat tasted too greasy, and overall, the pizza was too salty.  Two small pieces, and a half hour later I had a horrendous stomach ache.  Completely not worth feeling that way for a couple of pieces of pizza, especially knowing I can make a homemade healthier version that tastes amazing.

Saturday we met friends at a Mexican restaurant for dinner.  After a burrito and two beers Geoff announced we needed to head home around 9pm, and by 9:30 he was sound asleep in bed, exhausted.  It appeared that rather than affect him digestively, the food and beer just knocked him out instead.

We spent the rest of the weekend with friends, where we dined on bbq ribs, chicken, hot dogs, and sweets.  Geoff has, in the past five days gained back a lot of the weight that he lost during the fast, despite still running and exercising moderately during that time frame.  I'd have to say that I gained a couple of pounds back as well, but more importantly, I feel incredibly weak.  I'll attribute some of that to lack of quality sleep, but it feels like a good portion of it is diet related.

Knowing all that, we're both excited about going back to raw foods, but honestly, now I'm looking toward the next 30 days and wondering what the heck we're going to eat!  We're concerned about making sure we get enough calories every day, and need to maintain enough protein. 

Protein seems to be the biggest concern for people with whom we've discussed a raw food diet.  It IS possible to obtain enough protein from vegetables, nuts, and grains/sprouts, without adding meat to a diet.  We're keeping a close eye on protein intake to ensure that neither one of us loses any muscle.  And again, as with the fast, I'll be checking in with myself on a daily basis to see how I feel, and may need to supplement with a whey protein powder if I feel like I just don't have adequate strength to maintain dealing with my neurological condition.

During this month, we'll be utilizing the Breville juicer, a Vitamix, a Hamilton Beach food processor, and a American Harvest Nesco dehydrator. (Until our juice fast when I became obsessed with food, I had never realized that crackers, breads, and cookies could be made in a dehydrator! Tomorrow I'm going to try making homemade corn chips in the dehydrator.)

I'll share a quick recipe with you, one that has become a favorite of ours over the past few weeks.  It's a very tactile recipe, and can be tweaked and personalized, and the leftovers are even better the next day. 

Kale & Avocado Salad

• 1 bunch kale- we've been using red kale
• 2 T olive oil
• 1/2t sea salt (more or less to taste)
• 1 lemon juiced (more or less to taste)
• 1 avocado
• 1 red onion or 1 leek diced
• 1/2 cup sprouted quinoa
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 summer squash or yellow squash diced

Cut the center stalk from the kale and slice kale into thin ribbons.  Put it into a large mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt.  Knead and massage the kale for roughly 10 minutes to break down the cellular wall to make the kale limp like a sauteed green.  This really makes all the difference.  If you've ever eaten kale raw, it's a tough green, but by the time you get done kneading it, it will hardly look the same.

Add the avocado and massage that into the kale.  Add the onion, quinoa, squash, onion or leek and mix those in well.  Add the cherry tomatoes and lemon juice and mix those through. There you have it- a light and fantastic salad for these hot summer months.  It would be great with cucumber, shredded carrots, nuts, or a variety of sprouts.  (We add quinoa for the high protein content and complex amino acids. It also sprouts quickly and easily overnight!)

I made that salad for friends over the weekend, and it was a huge hit.  Tonight when I made it, I sprinkled some nutritional yeast flakes on top for added protein and a slight cheesy taste.  We ate that for dinner along with some flax crackers I made in the dehydrator a few days ago.  This morning we ate a brunch consisting of a huge fruit salad with diced oranges, apples, bananas, dates, pecans, wheatgerm, and ground flax seed on top.  

We're not expecting everyone to go raw, because let's face it, preparing raw foods in a tasty, creative manner is a very time consuming practice.  But, I do think that if people ate 70-80% raw foods, the health benefits would be astronomical. We're not going to get neurotic here, or go overboard with this challenge.  I fully intend to continue to drink hot tea, and if we crave some hummus or something healthy from time to time, I see no problem with that. Our biggest concerns currently remain eliminating white flour, sugar, preservatives (aspartame, TBHQ, and high fructose corn syrup to name a few), and processed foods, (I'll include meat and dairy in this list for this month).  

If you have any favorite raw recipes, we'd love to hear them.  In the mean time, we'll continue to chart our progress, and will be checking back in frequently.

(If you click on "All About Me" and hit Continue there are some handy body fat calculators.)

Many of you have asked us what kind of juicer we use.  We both can’t say enough good things about our Breville JE900 juicer.  It’s very economical, has a large nozzle where you put your produce so that finely slicing stuff isn’t required, the pulp comes out very dry, and clean up is a breeze.