Adventures in Raw Food! 

I’ve been meaning to write this post for some time now! I ventured into a raw plant based diet back in May, and I kept it up for a month and a half. Anytime you make changes in your diet to clean, whole foods rich in enzymes & nutrients, you will experience a detox. I was already eating very clean…I was eating a plant based, vegan whole foods diet pior to going raw. I guess because my diet was so clean beforehand, I didn’t think that I would’ve experienced a detox. But sheesh, what a detox it was!

The first week of going raw I had boundless energy, felt lighter and that my skin felt more hydrated. I made the mistake of not eating enough the first day, but after the end of the second, I got the hang out it. You definitely have to make sure you’re eating in abundance, and fruits are the most calorie dense…so eat up! I was “smashing in” lots of bananas, mangoes and many other fruits like papaya, melons, etc. Now for some reason there are a lot of people who are scared of eating too much fruit. Honestly I don’t understand why this is! Fruit is so healing and cleansing for the body. It gives us energy, hydration, vitamins and essential nutrients. Fruits are super easy to digest, and that’s super important for folks suffering from eczema. Our issues are internal and healing the gut and detox systems are key, and plant based foods do that wonderfully!

Soon my body started to go into detox mode….

By the second week I was starting to feel really tired, like I just couldn’t get enough rest. My skin started to break out, my face was getting red, itchy and oozy in spots, and my legs and feet were going through it more than usual. My body was detoxing, and all I had to do was keep up the diet, rest up, stay as stress free as possible, stay hydrated and ride it out. I increased my probiotic intake and took extra proteolytic enzymes at night. Rebounding on a mini trampoline when I wasn’t in pain definitely helped with my healing because it stimulates the lymph system. Even when I was in pain, I would try to push through and at least get in a few minutes of bouncing.

I also lost a good amount of weight, which was much needed. Although my summer was pretty much hell with the ups and downs in my skin I was experiencing, I’m glad that I changed my diet up for a bit. Just going raw really kick started my body into another round of cleansing, and it showed me how powerful raw foods can be. I still eat pretty raw now, and sometimes do a day or two of just raw foods. After a month and a half, I was craving rice and potatoes pretty hard core, so I started incorporating cooked foods again. My typical daily meals is vegan (I was incorporating fish for a little while, but now I’m full on back on the fruits and veg), and I pretty much consistently eat lots of raw fruit in the morning, and then transition into cooked foods for my “linner”, always with a large raw salad and something cooked (potatoes, stewed beans with rice, soup, steamed squash with veg etc etc), and I end the night with a green drink for great cleansing at night and awesome elimination in the morning.

Here’s what a typical raw day would look like for me…

Breakfast

1. Half a watermelon, about an hour or so later a smoothie with bananas (3, depending on how hungry I am, maybe more) and some other fruit like papaya, mango, berries etc.
2. 1 whole small melon, same as above with a smoothie later.
3. Nice cream (like a smoothie blended with no liquid) and some fresh cut fruit later on.
4. A smoothie of 5 bananas, and some other frozen fruit, maybe some fresh cut up fruit later.
5. Papaya boat, and maybe some fresh cut fruit later.

Linner (I eat the biggest meal of the day before 6pm because this time is best for optimal digestion):

1. A bowl of cauliflower rice and a massive salad with mixed veg and always an avocado and homemade dressing.
2. Collard burritos and a massive salad.
3. Zoodles (zucchini spirals with sundried tomatoes, garlic, onion, fresh tomatoes and parsley) and a massive salad.

*I’d usually snack on some fresh fruit hours after my linner, and then the last thing I consume is a large green drink with a various mix of veg. This is typically what I will have: Kale, Apple, Ginger, Cilantro, Parsley & Celery.

*I did use oils during this time as dressings and marinades for the cauliflower rice and zoodles. You can definitely omit the oils if you’re trying to go completely raw and processed food free. I still incorporated nuts and seeds, but I think this was like in the second week. I kept it just straight up fruit and veg for like the first week.

I feel that you gotta be a bit creative when it comes to eating raw meals. Look for inspiration on the web for different recipes and just have fun with it! After eating more raw foods your taste buds will totally adapt and will crave these fresh, whole foods! I would wake up in the morning craving my fruit smoothie and fresh papaya and mango more so than usual! Even vegetables had a bit of sweetness to them…like I could taste all the nuances in each fruit and veg, it was quite amazing!

Some of my fave raw food YouTubers:

• Sweet Natural Living
• FullyRawKristina 
• The Raw Boy (he has an awesome instagram!)
• Rawvana English

When buying fruits and veg in abundance, look for sales, farmers markets, buying in bulk and buying in season are all tips that will allow it to be easier on your budget. Also do check out the Environmental Working Group‘s Pesticide list which will help you when shopping for which produce should always be bought organically and for which foods you can “get away with” buying conventionally.

If you are going to jump into a fully raw diet or you have in the past, I would love to hear your experience on it!

Take care warriors!

-Jen