I want to scream it from the rooftops: I have been a raw vegan for 30 days! I wanted to try raw eating for a while now. Raw Vegan is even written on my vision board. I have always been a health food nut, always eating fruits and veggies, but inevitably I end up eating all the garbage on top of the good stuff. I have spent various years being vegetarian and this past year, I drank tons of green drinks and was close to being vegan. At that point I knew I was ready to eat raw in 2011! I did not pressure myself; I literally took it one day at a time. I started out not knowing if I would make it past the first day. But so far I have done it for an entire 30 days. Now I feel like I can do this for a lifetime. I have had hardly any cravings and I'm hardly ever hungry, probably because I have been able to eat as much as I want! I started out the first two days just juicing! The remaining days I have eaten raw food. It has probably been the best 30 days of my life...
What I eat: raw fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds (mostly organic) and a small amount of cold pressed olive oil, Bragg's vinegar and almond milk!
Sample day: Fruit, Chia Seed pudding, green juice, big salad (w/avocado basil dressing), carrot ginger juice, guacamole and cauliflower chips, 3 macaroons and 2 oranges.
My gurus: Gabriel Cousens, Diana Stobo, Philip McCluskey, Dr. Joel Fuhrman and The Life Regenerator.
Slip-ups: peanut butter, couple glasses of wine (I came to find out wine is considered raw but in many cases not vegan, so that was a slip-up), a tiny bit of mayonnaise, carob powder and soy milk. Yes, I did have some slip-ups and it was mainly from a lack of knowledge.
Supplements: Vitamin D3 and B12 (my favorite brand is Mega Food). I'm not a big supplement person but I always take vitamin D in the winter and if you are going to be vegan it is good to take B12!
Habits I incorporated that promote raw lifestyle: Dry Brushing, Rebounding and Lymphatic Massage.
Tools: Good juicer (my favorite is Green Star) and Vitamix (or good blender). In my opinion, these are two tools you must have if you are going to be raw.
Life savers: Once Again Organic Raw Almond Butter with apples, Chia Seed Pudding, Two Moms in the Raw Blueberry Bars and Emmy's Raw Organic Macaroons.
Toughest Day: I live in New England and we have had the snowiest winter on record. There was one night when my husband made the most incredible pot of soup for him and the kids. I wanted some soup so bad especially because it was so cold out. The next morning I was glad I had chosen to drink a green drink instead!
Results: I lost 17 pounds and feel amazing; everything works better, mind is clear, my poops are better, skin is clear, and I'm sleeping deeply! My body is on its way to a full recovery!
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