Early Physical Changes
The first physical change I have noticed is mood. Having a goal and desire to eat healthy (arguably the healthiest way possible) and following through on it has been remarkable for my mental health over all. I feel excited about food and creating meals. I also feel extremely proud of myself for making the move to eat better. My excitement has been so overwhelming I am probably sickening all of my friends and family by talking about how awesome I feel all the time (Haha, sorry guys!).
In addition to the increased feeling of happiness and positivity, I can safely say that I have experienced increased energy. Some of the Rawists I have spoken with have talked about actually feeling some fatigue during the early transitional weeks. They call it "detoxing." When you have adhered to the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) way of living for almost all your life, you would think that the body would behave differently to a new and sudden change in diet. This is why it's been recommended that you should ease into the Raw diet and combine your typical diet with Raw recipes and gradually increase your level of strictness with the diet over time. Personally, I just jumped in both feet first and started with a 75-80% (maybe even more) Raw diet. The only non-Raw food items I have ingested in this past week have been coffee, beer and maybe one or two pieces of candy. Otherwise, it has been all seeds, nuts, sprouts, vegetables and fruit; completely fresh, almost 100% organic, 100% uncooked.
I think maybe one of the reasons my transition has been so easy is in direct result to the diet I had previously. I did eat a lot of steamed vegetables, and maybe one piece of fruit a day. I consumed around 1,600 calories per day on average and ate very low-fat meals. I did eat meat, but not often (I never really enjoyed purchasing it and cooking it, unless it was Salmon) and lots of dairy, pasta, couscous, rice and cereal. Basically, all I really had to do was cut out the meat, pasteurized dairy and grains. I do miss bread though. Hopefully that will all change when I can afford a dehydrator (homemade crackers, mmmm!).
One of the reasons I chose to go Raw was definitely related to problems I as having with my low calorie, low fat diet. I felt like I was tired all the time, I was getting colds and other sicknesses about once or twice a month, my hair thinned and my blood sugar levels became so screwed up I would have late night binges on anything loaded with sugar (cookies, sweets, anything!). I was desperate for some kind of change and it seemed like the right time to go Raw.
One week later, I can tell you that I have more energy, exercising has been easier (seeming to require less effort and almost necessary considering all the energy I feel the need to burn), I no longer feel the sugar cravings as powerfully; my skin, which felt like a soggy rubber-band, feels tighter and I even feel like I have increased flexibility (I use to joke about doing Yoga, but now I really want to because I am constantly stretching and enjoying the way my body feels when I do stretch). In addition, just last night in the shower I noticed that my hair felt much thicker and today I didn't bother putting any makeup on because my skin looks really healthy and clear. This is just the first week too!
On the down side, I do crave some of my old favorite foods at times, but the cravings never seem to last more than a few minutes and it hasn't been hard to cut out those foods at all (surprisingly easy). I do wish that I knew more Raw Foodists too. I worry sometimes that my new diet will effect my relationships with other people. I've already experienced some eye-rolling when I mention that I have decided to eat Raw and people are always asking me how I get my protein (I'll post on that soon, promise). For the most part, my friends have been supportive of my choice, but shy away a little when I suggest trying out a really cool Raw food restaurant I may have found. Still, the downsides have not been enough to encourage me to stop or change anything I am doing. Who knows what the future will bring?
In addition to the increased feeling of happiness and positivity, I can safely say that I have experienced increased energy. Some of the Rawists I have spoken with have talked about actually feeling some fatigue during the early transitional weeks. They call it "detoxing." When you have adhered to the S.A.D. (Standard American Diet) way of living for almost all your life, you would think that the body would behave differently to a new and sudden change in diet. This is why it's been recommended that you should ease into the Raw diet and combine your typical diet with Raw recipes and gradually increase your level of strictness with the diet over time. Personally, I just jumped in both feet first and started with a 75-80% (maybe even more) Raw diet. The only non-Raw food items I have ingested in this past week have been coffee, beer and maybe one or two pieces of candy. Otherwise, it has been all seeds, nuts, sprouts, vegetables and fruit; completely fresh, almost 100% organic, 100% uncooked.
I think maybe one of the reasons my transition has been so easy is in direct result to the diet I had previously. I did eat a lot of steamed vegetables, and maybe one piece of fruit a day. I consumed around 1,600 calories per day on average and ate very low-fat meals. I did eat meat, but not often (I never really enjoyed purchasing it and cooking it, unless it was Salmon) and lots of dairy, pasta, couscous, rice and cereal. Basically, all I really had to do was cut out the meat, pasteurized dairy and grains. I do miss bread though. Hopefully that will all change when I can afford a dehydrator (homemade crackers, mmmm!).
One of the reasons I chose to go Raw was definitely related to problems I as having with my low calorie, low fat diet. I felt like I was tired all the time, I was getting colds and other sicknesses about once or twice a month, my hair thinned and my blood sugar levels became so screwed up I would have late night binges on anything loaded with sugar (cookies, sweets, anything!). I was desperate for some kind of change and it seemed like the right time to go Raw.
One week later, I can tell you that I have more energy, exercising has been easier (seeming to require less effort and almost necessary considering all the energy I feel the need to burn), I no longer feel the sugar cravings as powerfully; my skin, which felt like a soggy rubber-band, feels tighter and I even feel like I have increased flexibility (I use to joke about doing Yoga, but now I really want to because I am constantly stretching and enjoying the way my body feels when I do stretch). In addition, just last night in the shower I noticed that my hair felt much thicker and today I didn't bother putting any makeup on because my skin looks really healthy and clear. This is just the first week too!
On the down side, I do crave some of my old favorite foods at times, but the cravings never seem to last more than a few minutes and it hasn't been hard to cut out those foods at all (surprisingly easy). I do wish that I knew more Raw Foodists too. I worry sometimes that my new diet will effect my relationships with other people. I've already experienced some eye-rolling when I mention that I have decided to eat Raw and people are always asking me how I get my protein (I'll post on that soon, promise). For the most part, my friends have been supportive of my choice, but shy away a little when I suggest trying out a really cool Raw food restaurant I may have found. Still, the downsides have not been enough to encourage me to stop or change anything I am doing. Who knows what the future will bring?
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