Why 30 days?

Well, it’s about establishing a relationship with yourself and your food choices and being committed to something that you wouldn’t normally do. And I say relationship because there’s always the potential to go back to your other boyfriend or girlfriend while you’re going raw. You know them… those relationships you have that make you feel good when no else could, but you know they’re no good for you… ben and jerry… mcdonalds… krispy creme… you may even have a relationship with 5 guys… however you do it, I won’t judge. I, personally, I’ve been in a great relationship with raw food for the past few weeks, and it feels great. It makes me feel healthy, strong and alert. And raw food treats me well… I wake up in the morning thinking about what to eat for the day, and I cap my day with a raw food snack at night.

But it’s only been a few weeks, and all relationships are great in the beginning. So, I need to give it a month. After a month, I can make a decision about whether or not this is something I want to continue with… to commit to… like any relationship. And even if I don’t stick with it, I will take away valuable information from this experience. So far, I’ve learned that the relationship I had with “normal” food has not been a good one, and it’s been self-destructive. My definition of eating healthy has changed, as well as my definition what really is food has changed (it’s like having someone in your life for a long time, losing them, and ending up in the arms of someone better who’s been there for you all along… but you never thought of them that way… raw food won’t treat you bad… raw food is love…). I’ve also learned I can lose weight with a healthier diet, and very little exercise. And I feel like my body has become re-energized.

And a 30 day challenge doesn’t have restricted to a raw food diet. If there’s ever anything you’ve wanted to try… like working out, or stopping a bad habit, or pursuing some other passion…. give it 30 days. Everything changes in 30 days… after doing something for 1 month straight, it becomes part of a routine. I did p90x, and the first 2 weeks were horrible. After a month, I felt obligated to see where it was going to go, and I had to see it through to the end. It became a routine and I didn’t miss a workout until the end of the 10 week program. Same thing with yoga…. been going for 3 years straight. If you do a raw food diet for 30 days, I guarantee you that based on how you feel and how you see your body transforming, you will think twice about going back to “normal” food again. And you’ll learn to love yourself better.

And my hope is to drop the whole “diet” part from raw food and turn it into “lifestyle”.

I am man, and as man, I must watch football. I love my nachos, chips, wings and pizza, but that’s the kind of talk that got me to where I was in the first place. So, what can I munch on instead while yelling at the tv for the next 3-4 hours?

One of the things I like about going raw is the fact that you need to think ahead when it comes to eating, and I’m quite horrible when it comes to planning for anything. So, being temporarily more organized is a plus. You also need to have a have an idea of how much raw food you have in the house because if you run out, you don’t want to be tempted by some other non-raw alternatives. Snacking is healthy when it comes to eating raw because you really don’t have large meals for lunch and dinner and I’ve actually found myself becoming less hungry. (one of the great benefits to doing this is your body is chemical free, and the chemicals in most non-raw foods actually make you crave more food… non-raw food is extremely addictive and it’s done on purpose). The other thing you need to plan ahead for is the prepping the meals in general… you need to know what ingredients to use in your dishes. And, if you want to “cook” a raw food dish, you’ll have to use a dehydrator.. And if you use dehydrator, it’s going to take a good amount of time for “cook” a finished dish. So, you normally you need to plan at least a day ahead for cooked raw meals, because some raw meals take 4-12 hours to dehydrate.

Hey, I thought you couldn’t cook, veggiebro?

You can’t “cook” food the traditional way, beautiful people, so instead you dehydrate the food. Raw food has to be dehydrated using a temperature of no more than 104 degrees. So, yes, it takes a long time to “cook” anything at that rate, but by dehydrating food at that temperature, it doesn’t destroy any of the nutrition and enzymes within the food…  So, if you’re going raw for real (like, f’ real, f’ real), get a dehydrator (I’ve actually heard there are now stoves that have built in dehydrators. And, if you are buying a dehydrator, from my experience, the more you pay for quality, the faster your food will “cook.”) But, back to football… what am I eating?

I prepped some celery stalks, brocolli, and carrot sticks. Still missing the naughty food factor. Luckily, earlier in the week I bought some sweet potatoes, so I decided on sweet potato chips.

Ingredients

• 3-4 Sweet potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp of Himalayan sea salt
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp of paprika
• 1 tbsp of chili powder
• 1/2 tsp of cayenne
• 1 tbsp of cumin
• 1 tbsp of onion powder
• 1 tbsp of honey
• 2 tbsp of agave nectar

Instructions

• Slice the sweet potatoes into slices as thin as you can get them (use a spiral slicer or something like that)
• Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour them over the sweet potato slices
• Spread the slices on the racks of your dehydrator for about 8-12 hours (WHAT!?!) No I’m not joking… but it’s WORTH IT!

After the chips done (if you want soft chips. take them out early, if not, let them stay in until crispy like potato chips), take them out, freak out your friends by telling them you’re on a raw food diet, explain to them how you no longer eat cooked food because you want to look fabulous and live forever, and share a chip with them. It may change their lives.

Most of the sushi you see (the individual rolls of sushi pieces with a seaweed wrap) are called Norimaki. Inside-out norimaki, with the rice on the outside and the seaweed on the inside is an American thing. I’ve seen a good number of custom sushi recipes here in the US, like barbeque sushi, sweet potato sushi, cheese steak sushi, even sushi with cream cheese and sausage. (honestly, whatever tastes good mixed together with rice is pretty much a decent sushi roll… but someone needs to break out and do some soul food sushi… chicken and waffles roll, anyone?)

Oh, yeah, this is a site about raw food… stick to the subject, veggiebro.

Anyhow, like i said earlier, I’m starting to mix up my foods a bit more. It’s dinner time and my daughter asks me to buy sushi for her from the local Sarku Japan (bleah)… but, I’m going to do her one better. I’ll break out the Daddy Rolls make her some sushi instead… and, I’ll make myself some as well… heck, yeah! And I thought ahead and bought everything I need. For rice, I’ll be substituting chopped cauliflower. (Just so you know ahead of time, I’m not an artistic sushi maker… my first sushi rolls always look like crap. My sushi looks better the more I wrap, but first ones look terrible. But they still taste good.)

Raw Sushi Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 package nori seaweed wraps
• 1 cup of cauliflower
• 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• Himalayan sea salt to taste
• Thin slices of carrots
• 1 Avocado, cored and sliced thinly
• 1/4-1/2 of a cucumber
• Bean sprouts (optional)
• Cayenne pepper (optional)
• Pickled ginger (you know, the pink leafy stuff you normally get with sushi – optional)
• Tamari for dipping

Directions

1. Put the cauliflower and vinegar in a food processor and chop until grainy.
2. After chopping, shake a little sea salt into the cauliflower.
3. Lay a nori wrap on a flat surface and spread a layer of the cauliflower mixture to the edge on about 3/4 of the wrap
4. Near the edge, place a row of carrots, avocado, cucumber and bean sprouts on the cauliflower mixture.
5. Tightly roll the sushi mixture from the edge where you’ve placed the veggies.
6. Once you’ve completed the roll, seal the edges with a little water (almost like an envelope)
7. With a really sharp knife, cut the roll about every inch or so.
8. If you want a little more spice, you can shake a little bit of cayenne pepper on the rolls. (just a little)
9. Put some tamari in a bowl, grab a roll with a slice of pickled ginger, dip it in and enjoy.

Nice! Here’s a pick. Like I said I will not win any artistic sushi competitions, but I will win on taste, darn it!

Enjoy and stay raw, beautiful people!

For the “taco shells”, we will use romaine lettuce. It’s a long leafy lettuce that wraps quite nicely around foods due to its natural shape.

For the “meat”, we’ll use ground nuts and other spices. Toppings are easy because most taco toppings (except sour cream and certain olives) are mostly raw. Thus, nut meat! (keep your minds out of the gutter, folks… this is your health). You’ll need a food chopper/processor of some sort as well.

Ingredients

• About 3-4 leaves of romaine lettuce
• 3 tbsp of Water
• 3 tbsp of Olive Oil
• 3/4 cup of Raw Almonds
• 1/2 cup of Raw Cashews
• 1 tsp of Chopped Garlic
• 1 tsp of Cumin
• 1 tsp of Himalayan Sea Salt
• 2 tbsp of Cilantro (fresh is better if you can)
• 1/4 cup Red Onion
• Chopped Tomatoes (optional – or you can use a fresh salsa, not from the bottle, but fresh)

Instructions

1. Take the nuts (almonds and cashews), water, olive oil, cumin, sea salt, garlic, cilantro, and about 3/4 of the red onion and put them in your food processor.
2. Mix until the nuts are ground a little bit finer for about 20-30 seconds.
3. You may need to try a little bit first to make sure it taste to your specifications. (PS, don’t go crazy with the cilantro… unless you love for cilantro) Add some more salt and cumin if need be.
4. Spoon out and spread the nut meat over the romaine lettuce leaves.
5. Sprinkle the remaining red onions over the nut meat mixture.
6. Add tomatoes or fresh salsa, and dig in!

And that’s it, folks! Raw tacos!

PS: Weight check-in. I’m down another half a pound! 160 > 157. Cruising along and feeling great!

It got this recipe from an Ani Pho raw food cookbook, who is highly regarded as a top-notch, world-class raw food chef with several great books in print. This recipe is for Avocado Cups. So, here’s how we do it…

Ingredients:

• 1 Avocado
• 1/4-1/2 a Cucumber
• 1 Tomato (or you can slice up a cherry or grape tomatoes… I like them sweet and this is what I added to the recipe)
• 1-8-1/4 Red Onion (depends on if you have someone to kiss at night… added this too)
• 2 Tbsp of Chives (fresh or dried)

Topping

• 1 Tbsp of Braggs Amino Acids
• 2 Tbsp of Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp of Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Tbsp of Crushed Garlic
• 1/4-1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper

Instructions

1. Pit and dice the avocado into squares and place into a bowl. (Don’t discard the avocado shells)
2. Shave the cucumber and dice the shaved part into squares and add to the avocados
3. Dice the tomato and onions add to the tomatoes and cucumber
4. Chop the chives up (if need be) and add to the mixture.
5. Take the mixture and spoon them into the avocado shells
6. Next, mix the last 4 ingredients in a bowl well, and pour the topping over the avocado mixture.
7. Eat up!

I love dates. I love the taste of them. I love the sweetness they provide me when I’m going raw, because if you were/are a big consumer of sugary products (and most of us were as kids, and perhaps as adults… candies, most morning cereals, specialty drinks from starbucks, “fruit” juices, breads, milk… well, pretty much everything has sugar in it… I could go on for a while), you’ll find yourself craving something sweet every once and a while. And dates, much like apples, pears, watermelon, bananas or any other sweet fruit (even carrots sometimes taste sweet after you’ve gone raw for a good amount of time) can fulfill your desire for something sweet.

Now, here’s the kicker.

I’m allergic to dates… and all other dried fruits…

Well, I WAS, until I went raw for the first time.

Now, I’m not asking you to try this… nor am I promoting this in any way, but I got over my food allergy to dried fruit by going raw the first time around, and now, I can eat dried fruit without a problem. In the past, my allergic reaction to dried fruit was really bad… potentially fatal. My throat would close up, my chest would get tight, I would get nauseous and pretty much just throw up anything in my stomach. When I did a raw food fast the first time around, I wanted to move beyond simply snacking on raw foods and eating salads. I wanted to prepare foods and make meals like raw burgers and breads, breakfast bars, pretty much raw versions of anything I made with cooked recipes. But, I found a lot of the recipes I researched used dates or other dried fruit. The first recipe I tried with dates was a raw ketchup recipe (it was a decent recipe, but I didn’t really care… I really missed processed ketchup… notice I didn’t say REAL ketchup… you know, the red stuff made with sugar, salt and high fructose corn syrup). I was about 2 weeks into my raw food diet when I really felt the need to try some different recipes. I blended up the other ingredients and added the dates, just like the recipe suggested, gave it a taste and waited for my allergic reaction to kick in.

Nothing. Not a sniffle. Not a twitch. Not a dry heave. Nothing. And it didn’t taste that bad either.

So, I picked up a date and gave it a sniff. My allergies in the past were sensitive enough to be triggered even by the smell of dried fruit. No reaction at all. I decided to really tempt fate and nibble off a bit of a date. And to my surprise, I tasted the sweetness of a date for the first time in my life without having an adverse reaction. After finishing off the date, I tried my luck at eating a raisin and later a dried cranberry. I didn’t like the taste of either of them but I didn’t throw up or have any difficulty breathing. I had to ask myself, “what happened? How is it possible that I was suddenly no longer allergic to dried fruit?” That’s when I realize what eating a raw food diet was doing for me. I think my body was no longer busy fighting the chemicals from processed and cooked foods I was putting in my body and it was able to focus on other things like fighting food allergies. Like I said, I’m not telling you to try this, but I’m just letting you know this actually happened to me.

Some raw food enthusiast believe when you’re eating cooked and processed food, it isn’t really food in the truest sense of the word because it’s devoid of nutrients that your body needs, and you are, in a sense, poisoning your body. The human body really only has the capacity to break down actual food, and everything else is simple waste that either gets deposited by your body or retained by your body in the form of fats and other items which are bad for internal and intestinal health… and since you’re potentially poisoning yourself, your body isn’t receiving enough raw nutrients to be able to fight off basic things like allergies or basic sickness (since I was eating fairly healthy before I went raw, I never related my dietary habits to my resistance to disease, but I hadn’t been sick for close to 3 years… I went through flu season last year without a sniffle at all or any medication) And, from what some raw food nutritionists believe, if you eat poorly long enough, your body will stop managing your sugar levels effectively and potentially leave you more susceptible to other diseases like diabetes and cancer (some have reported a raw food diet even helps with autism). This is actually the basis for chronic illness treatment at places like the Gerson Institute.

So, what am I saying? Personally, I do not know if a raw food diet can cure cancer or any other chronic disease. Diabetes, sure, a raw food diet can definitely help, or if you have any other intestinal health issues, consuming food with a high nutritional value can really help. All I know is what was working for me. And that I’m no longer allergic to foods that used to affect me. And my body can endure some pretty highly contagious environments (kids both had strep throat last year during my raw food diet and I didn’t get sick at all…). But, if you’re feeling tired all the time or you’re feeling generally unhealthy or stressed, think about what you’re putting into your body and ask yourself if it really is good for you. And if you know it isn’t, you should figure out a way to stop eating it, because there are most likely long term effects on your body you may have never even considered.

By the way, did I mention I love dates?

P.S. Still raw. Down another 1/2 pound. 160 down to 158 so far.

So, why the gigantic run-on sentences? Because it’s how I felt all day (AND because I went to art school for college… we didn’t stress grammar much… just art history and pretty pictures…). I felt a little manic and really energized. I snacked all day on cashews, dates, bananas, and oranges all day, along with a few stalks of celery and the salad I had for dinner. An increased sense of energy is one of the best reasons to go raw. The amount of energy a body has once it’s fairly chemical free is truly remarkable. My nostrils were clear, my senses were super sharp, and I started to feel really bad for putting my body through what I did over the Thanksgiving holiday. But, enough with the self guilt…

I’m doing great right now, and I’m really in a groove. The most important thing is to stop myself from getting bored eating only raw food. I love to cook and I love the process of cooking and prepping food, and for now, it feels like I’ve only been snacking and grazing. So, I need to start mixing up my foods a bit more (instead of just making salads) and start making actual raw meals. Everything I do, I’ll share with you all.

Well, in the past I was a big time coffee drinker, and over the thanksgiving holiday, I caved in a drank about a cup a day. Now, I don’t entirely poo-poo on coffee drinkers, because studies have shown there are a few health benefits to having a cup a day… most notably for men, lower rates of prostate cancer (and us brothers are most affected by prostate cancer… if you haven’t had an exam yet, put away your pride and get one). Here are a few other benefits from the huff. Also, if you do drink coffee, I have a 2 word limit when it comes to ordering a coffee from starbucks… if you have to say anything more than grande coffee or tall pike, you shouldn’t get it. Everything else is just sugar, layered with sugar, layered with coffee, and another layer of sugar. And espressos are for people who are seemingly bored with everything in life, so don’t do that either. (honestly I have a whole theory on how Starbucks is ruining the American economy in general, but I’ll elaborate another day)

But, when I’m going raw, I’m going raw, baby! If it didn’t come from the ground, or if there are any type of unnatural preservatives in my food, I’m not going to ingest it during my raw fasting time. With that said, your body on day 2-3 starts to go into a bit of a shock from the withdrawal of the bad foods you’ve been feeding yourself, but also from the additive ingredients you may find in other items you may have been consuming, like coffee or soda. (Speaking of soda, I haven’t had a soda in about 15 years… just too much sugar and overall bad for your health… it’s even more insulting when soda companies put the word “diet” on a label… THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS DIET SODA!!! Crap is crap, regardless of what butt it came from… You should be drinking water regularly or juicing during a raw food diet.  Sugar is bad, but an artificial sweetener is pure chemicals. Way worse…

Right now, I can feel a headache coming on from the lack of coffee. It’s starting from the back of my head, and it’s slowly making it’s way to a point on my forehead, and it’ll sit there for a few hours, making me regret changing my dietary habits yet again. But I’ve done this before. The first time I went raw, on day 3 I was actually sweating like a drug addict going through withdrawal and I really didn’t think I was going to be able to make it through the day without a sip of caffeine. But I held on, and I did it, and in the end it felt like my body had experienced a biological rebirth… and that’s when I knew I was doing the right thing.

For breakfast/lunch, I had some decaffeinated tea, 3 bananas, 2 oranges, some salad, cashews, dates, and a crap load of water (whatever dieting you do, it’s very important to hydrate a lot… also, water helps stave off hunger). My starting weight, after a VERY happy thanksgiving, is 160. My goal by the end of this will be 150 or less. I will keep you informed of all my meal choices and weight check-ins.

Remember, I’ve done this before, so if you never have, you may find this to be difficult. (My daughter tried to go raw and she was very proud of herself by being raw for 6 whole hours). So take your time and pace yourself. If you can get through the first 2-3 days without straying off course, you’ll be fine and it gets easier.

So, why Wednesday and why not right now? Well, one, you may not have the necessary food in your household yet and you may not be able to readily identify outside eateries that can help with this challenge… So for your house, do yourself a favor and remove any tempting foods you may find yourself craving that you know are bad for you… crackers, cookies, leftover thanksgiving dinner, breads, ice cream, and any other non raw foods. Some people make the mistake of keeping roasted peanuts and other roasted nuts thinking they’re healthy for you and perhaps even raw. But no, that’s not the case. If you are going to to go raw, get raw almonds, cashews, or peanuts. Nothing roasted or covered with honey and salt. Not good for you. Also, get rid of potato chips and other snack related foods. No yogurt (yogurts not raw). No meats (chicken, beef or even fish) No sushi, because it contains cooked rice… (there is an awesome raw sushi recipe that I’ll show you all later on in the month.). Oh, yes and NO COFFEE, especially any coffee with a creamer of any sort. So, what should you get and what can you eat?

Well, let’s take a look at what qualifies as raw food. Raw food is essentially any non-meat based food that has never been cooked. The food can be dehydrated if you want something somewhat warm, but it can never be cooked or even steamed above a temperature of 104 degrees (if you’re planning on doing this long term, you may want to get a dehydrator machine). When food is cooked, you lose nutrition and enzymes your body needs to help repair itself and stay healthy. So, any fruits of any amount is fine (not Doles fruit in a cup or anything like that). Vegetables are fine as well obviously… cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes, or really anything that grows from the ground is fine. Raw nuts of any sort are ok, and help with protein. Also, if you find yourself getting weak and lethargic, take a multi-vitamin to help offset the lack of dairy and meat you’re no longer getting. Also, look for raw snacks in your local super market. There may be a good number of raw food snacks you may have never noticed and give them a try. (Two Moms In The Raw make some nice snacks as well as ) As for beverages, the best thing to drink is water, and drink lots of it. For warm beverages, with coffee off the list and it being winter, find yourself a nice decaffeinated tea. If you’re in a Starbucks, ask for a hot Passion Tea… you can sweeten it with a spoonful of raw honey! NICE!

Also, eating raw is not about just sucking on a celery stalk. Any combination of raw foods is perfectly fine. Salads are great, and you can top any salad off with crushed cashews, topped with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. And speaking of olive oils, no crisco (do people sill use crisco?) or vegetable oils or butters or margarines, just good clean extra virgin olive oil or almond oil. You may even find it necessary to purchase a good raw food “cook” book, just so you won’t get bored with eating singular items of food all the time.

So, what to get?

• Fruits (apples, grapes,
• Vegetables (carrots, lettuce, avocados, celery)
• Nuts
• Olive Oil or Almond Oil
• Spices like cayenne
• Raw honey
• Agave nector
• Dried dates

For a more concise list on what you can buy, click here. Happy shopping, and good luck. Get your last few days a dining debauchery over with.