How to Stay Raw for Life

I subscribed to more Raw food blogs than you can shake a stick at. Even after avoiding those that conflicted with my personal choices in lifestyle and philosophy, there were 40+ popping up in my reader every morning. Recipes, links, books, health news, calls to action, challenges, and social networks--I enjoyed it all, but couldn't keep up. Unless Raw food was to become my full-time job, I'd have to cut back.

Being a woman of extremes, I didn't just cut back, I cut out. I stopped opening my reader and popping into goneraw or giveittomeraw to see what was going on in the online Raw community. With the move from Southern California to Atlanta, Georgia, I lost real world access to Raw folks as well. (Yes, I'm sure there are some here in the city, but certainly not as much as there was back in the land of sunshine.) Not long after I isolated myself from the Raw world, I drifted away from Raw foods. It happened slowly at first, and gradually my reliance on real foods in their natural state decreased.

I never stopped eating Raw foods. I love them, and I want to feed my family what's best for them, but I went from eating mostly Raw all the time, to eating some Raw some of the time. Consequences, not surprisingly, quickly followed--weight gain, my face breaking out in response to wheat being added back into my diet, overall diminished energy and reduced productivity. Bummer!

So putting aside my usual excuses (not enough money, not enough time), I returned to Raw. Rawfoodrehab has been my support system, and I'm back to visiting a few blogs and thumbing through my Raw food cookbooks. The excess weight is dropping away and other problems are resolving themselves.

How do you stay Raw for Life? Don't try to do it by yourself. While Raw isn't a religion, it is a lifestyle, and any lifestyle is easier to maintain when you surround yourself with people who support it.

At a Crossroads

For the last several months, LB and I have been seriously thinking of the idea of relocation. This had been our original plan, to downsize and move closer to Los Angeles once my Fierce-as-in-Fabulous Teenager graduated from high school. Well, she's done her part, but we've had a tough time making a decision. I've lived here with the girls for about 8 years. This is home to both of them.

The for sale/lease sign is in the front yard. We've looked at homes that we loved, but haven't found the right compromise on price and location. It seems no matter what we choose, either Lovely Boyfriend or The Amazing Wonder Girl will have to make sacrifices. I feel torn.

In the meantime, the stress (along with the rest of life) has thrown me off-course. I'm behind on my novel draft. I've been less consistent with my workouts and susceptible to eating things I wouldn't usually consider.

Because we'll be traveling to visit family and take FT to college in a few weeks, I have to get myself in a strong and good place right now. Traveling can take its toll any time, but particularly when one isn't eating well. So I'm back to being very aware of what I consume and checking my workout record for balance. I'm prepping for Bunny Berry's 100 Day Raw Food Challenge, and no you don't have to commit to being 100% Raw for 100 Days, unless you want to! Check it out.

100% Raw Challenge (Last Week)

Last week's 100 Percent challenge went so well! I stuck to all Raw and my daily workouts were great. Although I'm not a huge consumer of supplements or superfoods (mostly due to budgetary concerns), I did find it helpful to have a green powder with MSM every day. This seemed to eliminate the transition road bumps I sometimes have when I go from mostly Raw to all Raw.

If you decide to try a green powder, look for one without yeast, dairy, corn, egg, processed sugar, starch, rice, preservatives, artificial colors or flavors or other junk you wouldn't want to put in your body. (I do eat corn though.)

A few of the good things in the green powder I use: alfalfa leaf, parsley lead, spinach leaf, watercress herb, wheat grass, kale, pau de arco bark, and lots of others. I can't recommend this brand though. It's expensive, and you have to sign up for a subscription in order to get it. I'm not a fan of that kind of sales, but there are plenty of other green powders out there.

I'm going to keep the green powder in my daily diet. Today, I'll put it in my green smoothie. I'm also doing 100% Raw again this week--starting with lunch, since I had a cup of coffee with breakfast. I 'm taking a Raw food prep class at 118 Degrees this Sunday, so I think it will be cool to stay All the Way Raw until then.

Enjoy the day!

100% Raw Challenge (Wednesday)

Oh Trader Joe's ... you almost had me with that sample! Wonder Girl said it was delicious, but I resisted! If it hadn't been for this Challenge, I would've been right there with the tiny white cup in my hand.

What the heck did I eat yesterday?:

chia pudding with strawberries
1 pear, 3 apples, 1 banana
huge salad of tatsoi, dehydrator-roasted radishes, carrots and onions

I'm going back to the store for a couple more raw treats today.

Yesterday's workout:
back & chest
1125 stairs (Honestly we should be doing more stairs, but my friend, who is in much better shape than I am, claims that she wants to build up slowly.)

Have a great day, yall!