The photo above is simply flax crackers with some fresh homemade salsa. I’ve been getting into salsa this past week. Eating it with jicama slices, flax crackers, kale chips. It’s quite refreshing!

My 100% Raw Food Journey

I have been so busy with a LOT of different things in my life, I’ve been neglecting this site and haven’t been keeping track of my daily raw food intake!

But, I assure you that it’s been pretty much the same faire. I’m usually pretty consistent with what I eat, perhaps to a fault. I need to eat a bit more variety. But for the most part I think I’m eating a well-rounded diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

I do, however want to make sure I post something for Day 75, as I think this is a milestone, and that I have completed 3/4 of my intended 100 day goal.

A Few Quick Notes

Jicama slices and salsa give me *cough cough* gaseous problems. Perhaps too much fiber?

I love cashew milk with my cacao banana smoothies!

When I was having an energy slowdown and possible “detox symptoms”, I was eating almost all fruits and vegetables. Nuts and seeds can be used effectively to reduce the negative effects of the detoxification process.

A Little Bit of Energy Slowdown

Earlier this week I had a slowdown in energy levels. But, at the same time I was really pushing the envelope, if you will. The good thing is that my sleeping habits have improved considerably! My wife calls me the windup doll, because I’m usually going strong throughout the day, but at around 9pm, maybe 10pm… I just start significantly running out of steam. Y’know, like those little toddlers that run around all day, then just fall asleep wherever they were last seen playing?

That’s been me. And one good thing about going raw is that it has cured my insomnia.

Focusing On Inches, Not Weight

Other than that I’ve been feeling pretty good. And I think I’ve lost more weight because regular clothes I’ve been wearing have been quite loose. And pants I couldn’t fit into before, I can now fit into just right!

I never weigh myself, though. And this is just a personal thing. If I get to the point where I have to weight myself every morning, I can mentally set myself up for failure. Weight can fluctuate throughout the week because of water intake, not necessarily calories. So, I am going strictly by how the clothes feel and how I look. And I’ve reduced at least 2-3 inches from my waist size, so there’s definitely an improvement there.

So, not really looking at weight. Just to look good, and to actually perform better on drums and piano. So, I must definitely make sure I’m getting enough food throughout the day!

Food Intake – Day 75

Breakfast

• 1 – small avocado
• 1 – small glass of acai juice

Mid-Morning

• 1 – cacao banana smoothie (with cashew milk, spirulina)
• 1 – small glass of acai juice

Lunch

• 1 – cacao banana smoothie (with cashew milk, spirulina)
• 1 – mostly sprout salad (with lettuce, chard, frisee, raddichio, sprouts, olives, artichoke hearts, salsa with oil and vinegar)

Mid-Afternoon

• 6 – flax crackers
• 6 – kale crackers
• 1 – half cup of garlic dip

Dinner (projected)

• 1 – large salad (with lettuce, chard, frisee, raddichio, spinach, olives, sprouts, tomatoes, avocado with oil and vinegar)
• 5 – flax crackers
• 1 – half cup of walnut dip
• 1 – glass of red wine

The above photo is just another one of my BLT open face sandwiches that I’ve been into lately, simply because I’m enthusiastic about being able to make raw cashew mayonnaise!

Day 69 finds me not my best today…

And I skipped writing about what I ate yesterday, but pretty much ate the same foods as today.

I think I’m either:

• 1. Going through a “detox” phase.
• 2. I’m just a bit frustrated that I don’t have a dehydrator and can’t really afford one just yet.

Matt Amsden’s Famous Onion Bread

So, I was trying to make that onion bread from Matt Amsden’s RAWvolution book and letting the stuff dehydrate in near my kitchen’s south facing window. It’s an experiment so far and we’ll see how it goes. Apparently, it takes more than 24 hours to actual dehydrate the bread so that it’s ready for consumption.

A Bit of Frustration

But I’m frustrated when others around me can’t share in my joys of being a raw vegan. And for that, even though I thank all my fellow raw vegans who support me online, it’s just tough when you’re always exposed to the doubters and critics. It can make it a very lonely life in real life.

Anyway, here is today’s raw diary so far:

Breakfast

• 1 – raw cacao banana smoothie (with spirulina)
• 1 – tangerine
• 1 – avocado

Lunch

• 1 – plate of “finger foods” (olive on raw mayo and a cucumber slice)
• 1 – cup of fresh salsa

Dinner

• 1 – medium salad (lettuces, spinach, sprouts, tomatoes, olives, in oil and red wine vinegar)
• 1 – raw cacao banana smoothie (with spirulina)

. . . .

So, this week I’ve been making cashew milk and I must say that I love the smell and the taste, especially when used with my cacao banana smoothies!

Between almond, walnut and cashew milks, I definitely like the cashew milk the best, followed by walnut milk, then almond milk.

Worried About The Energy

So, today I had so much energy, and I was quick on my feet and very mentally alert. It sort of worried me. Would I come down from this “high”?

“The important thing is not to stop questioning.”
—Albert Einstein

I’m hoping that the combination of raw cacao and raw salads will balance out, because I can surely feel the energy that comes from eating raw salads now. My mind and body are very sensitive to the effects of the raw foods, it seems…

Fantastic Raw Cashew Mayonnaise

Today I made my first batch of raw cashew mayonnaise (recipe courtesy of Amie). I randomly did searches on Google for “raw mayonnaise” and the “raw cashew mayonnaise” caught my eye.

Now I have a raw mayo that I can use with my raw BLT sandwiches!

Day 66

Breakfast

• 1 – raw cacao banana smoothie (w/spirulina)
• 1 – small avocado
• 1 – tangerine

Mid-Morning

• 1 – small salad (lettuces, spinach, sunflower sprouts, olives, tomatoes, cilantro, dill and basil with oil and vinegar)

Lunch

• 1 – raw cacao banana smoothie (w/spirulina)
• 1 – small avocado
• 1 – tangerine

Mid-Afternoon

• 1 – open-face BLT sandwich (w/raw mayo, onion, tomato, lettuce, broccoli sprouts and avocado on 1 slice of raw bread)

Dinner

• 1 – open-face BLT sandwich (w/raw mayo, onion, tomato, lettuce, broccoli sprouts and avocado on 1 slice of raw bread)
• 3 – flax crackers
• 1 – shot of cashew milk
• 1 – bunch of grapes

Notes:

“Make [food] simple and let things taste of what they are.”
—Curnonsky (Maurice Edmond Sailland)

Felt extremely good today. Euphoric. Perhaps the Spirulina I’ve been recently adding to my raw cacao banana smoothies?

Also, I still have to take down my Christmas tree, decorations and lights!

Anyway, it’s better late than never to start this diary for 2009, so here we go…

The Beginning

Just a quick recap…

I’ve been on a 100% Raw Vegan Journey since November 10, 2008. Some folks are calling it a challenge and I’ll admit it can be. But, after more than 60 days of being 100% raw, it’s not really a challenge at all. It IS more of a lifestyle change toward a more positive transformation.

Now I had been a vegan since the mid-1990s, but there were times when I had a relapse and reverted back to eating animal foods. But despite my failures I always got back on track. It’s just hard when you are the only vegetarian amongst a meat eating family, and friends.

Sailing Away on A Raw Food Journey

But people started accepting my way of life, and in August of 2005 I embarked on a “high raw” vegan diet. And for the most part I have been successful. However, it is only recently since I went 100% raw that I have felt the best I’ve ever felt in my life! And I seem to have lots of energy to burn.

So, here we are… this time, I’m documenting what I am eating and how each day’s worth of food is making me feel. It’s all about improvement and steady progression to find the perfect balance of eating healthy raw, organic, wholesome foods.

Day 65

Breakfast

• 1 – cup raw cacao banana smoothie
• 1 – tangerine

Mid-Morning

• 1 – small salad (spinach, lettuces, radicchio, sunflower sprouts, dill, olives, and basil with cold pressed olive oil and red wine vinegar)
• 1 – small bacon avocado

Lunch

• 1 – bunch of kale crisps (with fresh salsa)
• 3 – flax crackers (with garlic dip)
• 1 – tall glass raw cacao banana smoothie (with spirulina and blueberries)

Mid-Afternoon

• 1 – handful of raw olives
• 1 – small avocado
• 1 – glass juiced cantalope

Dinner

• 1 – large salad (lettuces, radicchio, frisee, spinach, olives, sunflower sprouts, tomatoes, dill, cilantro and basil with oil and red wine vinegar)
• 1 – shot of cantalope juice
• 1 – small avocado
• 3 – kale crackers with garlic dip
• 1 – raw cacao banana smoothie

Notes:

I had a LOT of energy today. I was feeling very good. And the foods I ate seemed quite a bit today, but it didn’t slow me down at all. Even after a big dinner I’m still very alert and working on the computer.

I just had an epiphany regarding diet and exercise. You can force yourself to exercise all you want to, to burn calories, but if you don’t eat an extremely healthy diet rich with organic, raw produce, then you’re just going to be fighting exercise every step of the way. Because it’s harder to exercise and perform efficiently if your not getting an abundance of nutrients to give you that energy to go.

It would seem that a raw diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds would provide tons of nutrients and an abundance of enzymes to help the body to perform its best… and it would just be a cycle that is more positive. Plus, raw foods are digested more easily and assimilated into the body faster so that the body doesn’t have to work harder.

I’m also thinking about the whole concept of energy. Running for 30 minutes on a treadmill in a gym, versus going on a 2 hour hike through the mountains or a walk along the beach. Eating a raw vegan diet is making me more aware about how I expend my energy.

Anyway, Day 65 feels very good today!