Wanna analyze my food intake?

[Minnie]

What do you think of my typical day of eating? :p

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Summary of food and drinks normally consumed:
12 to 16 cups of water
3 to 4 cups of energy soup
½ cup of nut pate on romaine lettuce leaves
chocolate milkshake
2 pieces of fruit and an ounce of dry nuts OR a salad with avocado-almond dressing OR a raw bar

Energy SoupÂ’s basic ingredients (3 to 4 blended cups daily):
1 ½ cups of Rejuvelac (sprouted wheat berry drink); ½ cup of sprouted beans, lentils or mung; 1 cups of sprouted salad seeds, such as barley, broccoli, alfalfa, etc.; 1 tbls of raw seaweed, nori, dulse, or kelp; 1/3 avocado; ½ apple; ½ banana; ¼ lemon; 1 clove of garlic; 2 tbsp onion; about 1 cup of mixed greens such as parsley, cilantro, romaine, spinach, scallions, & celery; and an additional 2 to 4 oz of water as needed to keep things moving in the blender. (after morning consumption, remaining 2 cups stored in mason jars for later in the day.)

Nut PateÂ’s basic ingredients:
mixed soaked nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and macadamias; a bit of oil, lemon juice, and many spices; blended up and then mixed with celery, scallions, parsley, and raisins.

Chocolate milkshakeÂ’s basic ingredients:
1 cup of almond milk with 1/3 banana, 1 strawberry, 1 ½ tbsp of raw agave nectar, and ½ tbsp of raw cacao

(I was doing 6 to 8 ounces of wheatgrass juice, but IÂ’m having trouble with my crops and have to start buying it again. Also I was drinking 2 to 4 cups of fresh squeezed juice daily, but got lazy and I have to start that up again too.)

8:30 am - 4 cups of water

9:00 am -1 to 2 cups of energy soup with two tbls of Superfood

9:30 am - ½ cup of nut pate (about 3 oz of nuts & 1 oz of vegies) on romaine lettuce leaves (for enjoyment)

11:00 am - 4 cups of water

12:00 pm - chocolate milkshake (for enjoyment)

1:00 pm - 1 cup of energy soup

3:00 pm - 1 cup of energy soup

4:00 pm - 4 cups of water (this one is sometimes omitted)

5:30 or 6:30 pm - 2 pieces of fruit and an ounce of dry nuts OR a salad with raw avocado-almond dressing OR
a raw bar (usually if on the run)

7:00 or 8:00 pm - 4 cups of water
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Minnie :D

[gatorgrrl]

sounds good to me. I can't wait to get my vita-mixer so I can have me some energy soup. It just don't taste good to me in a blender. I get it tommorow and then energy soup here I come. Did you do Brenda Cobbs program or something else Minnie?

[Minnie]

Well since I don't know who Brenda Cobbs is, I'd say not hers. I'm not really doing anyone's program. I'm just eating raw, but the energy soup is Ann Wigmore's recipe. :p

Why would a vita-mixer make energy soup taste better? I can't imagine it tasting good under any conditions, but that's just me. :eek:

Minnie :D

[Autumn]

Since you're asking for opinions, I'll give mine. I'd trade some of those nuts for more juicy, whole fruit and lots of greens. Otherwise, pretty good. The longer you are raw, the more likely you will tweak your diet along the way. Kuddos to you for getting that energy soup down. I never could. LOL! :eek:

[Spectatrix]

Why would a vita-mixer make energy soup taste better? I can't imagine it tasting good under any conditions, but that's just me. :eek:
If you don't find it palatable, then why eat it? Find other things to provide similar nutrition. Have a green smoothie, some sprouted hummus, nori rolls, or salad, etc. instead?

[tvillemom]

I have to agree with Spectatrix...if it doesn't taste good, then WHY do you eat it? I've heard that foods that you "force" down, aren't benefitting your body, and may actually cause you harm. (Almost like they become toxic because your body has a reaction to the bad taste). I would suggest a green smoothie..(which is YUMMY)..and then add sprouts to a good salad during the day. Other than the rejuvelac, I can't see what you'd be missing! Good luck with that!
Wendi

[Sharon in Colorado]

Second the fruit uptake. Too many nuts and fats tend to weigh people down.

Aim to get at least 2 full meals of fresh whole ripe juicy delicious fruit. It should give you more energy.

Also fruit contains lots of naturally distilled water, which helps the body to detox/heal at a faster rate.

And fruit contains lots of carbohydrates, which is what gives your body plenty of natural fuel.

[Autumn]

I just re-read your post. I must not have noticed the fact that you don't like the energy soup. Goodness, don't eat it then! I never eat anything I don't like. There is so much to choose from on raw, it is not necessary to eat anything you find unpalatable. :)

[Minnie]

When I started raw I tried to mostly eat things I liked or that were okay to get me started easier, which was good. But then my choices were so limited and I don't get enough nutrition, too much fruit and nuts not enough vegies. I have made dressings that are okay but I haven't found any that I really like. And if I ate greens without dressing that would be just unpleasant too. :o

I have been drinking the energy soup so long that it's not as bad as it was. People get used to things and sometimes even start liking it. (NO I still don't like the energy soup). I remember years ago when I first had plain psyllium husk in water I gagged it up. I couldn't drink it. I started using flavored psyllium husk and I was barely able to tolerate it. Eventually it became easier. Then to be more natural I went back to plain psyllium husk and it was easy to drink. When I first started drinking the energy soup I couldn't imagine consuming it past the time I get healthy (I'm not there yet) because it was so hard to get down EVERY DAY! But now it's not as hard and I'm thinking to continue to get my nutrition in me every day that I would like to keep it up forever. Maybe I'll actually like it or at least not dislike it one day! People get used to stuff! :p

Think about drinkers. I have never met a person who now like alcohol that LIKED their first drink, but now they crave it. I know it's a little different because it's can be addicting. But what about other acquired tastes such as caviar, escargots, etc. Do you think most people liked their first bite of those things? :eek:

If I don't drink the energy soup I wouldn't get enough nutrition, because I just don't like enough raw food yet. (I've been a raw vegan for EXACTLY 3 months now - congratulations to me!) Sorry but that's my truth! :p

Minnie :D

[tvillemom]

Minnie, have you tried a green smoothie? I hate to "harp" on it, but it is DELICIOUS...and maybe you will feel like your getting enough "nutrition" by just adding this during the day.??? Hope this helps, I'm not coming down on you, I just can't imagine drinking something everyday (or even 1/week) if I didn't like it.
Congratulations on being RAW for 3 months! That is a fantastic accomplishment!
Wendi

[Minnie]

Minnie, have you tried a green smoothie?
Wendi

I throw greens in my energy soup and it looks like a green smoothie. :p

But I'll try a true "green smoothie." Please give me one or two of you favorite recipes and I'll try it. ;)

Minnie :D

[Sharon in Colorado]

My favorite is

1 1/2 cups fresh squeezed oj
3 bananas
handful spinach

blend down on low and add

1 cup frozen strawberries or other berries
1 cup frozen peaches or mangoes or tropical

Blend on high.

This will make enough for 2 large meals.

Can use all fresh fruit if want it less thick and 'frosty'.

Take a look around at lots of long time raw foodists who use a lot of fresh whole foods, smoothies and salads. Not too many do much energy soup, wheat grass and a lot of the heavy stuff. Check out Alissa's journal and what she eats and other journals on here. Whole fresh fruits and greens with some seeds and nuts thrown in will provide tons of nutrients. You don't have to eat the energy soup or wheat grass juice to get better or more nutrients.

About your analogy "getting used to the taste of something" - well, maybe that would work if it was a fruit or vegetable - for instance I have never really loved tomatoes but I am holding out hope. I noticed that Shazzie (from her transformation journal http://www.shazzie.com/raw/journal/2000/ ) started liking oranges a while into her own raw journey.

But for the life of me I just don't see how it would benefit me to get used to something like rejuvelac, wheat grass juice or energy soup - or something that has been extracted or isolated and just doesn't have a pleasing flavor.

I also tried to do a lot of Ann Wigmore stuff when I first started. I soaked, sprouted, fermented, dehydrated, did the seed yogurts and cheeses, rejuvelac, all the over seasoned heavy pates, nut loaves, etc. and for all the cost and effort so little of it came out tasteful to me. When I discovered all the raw foodists who were thriving beautifully on whole fresh foods I changed the way I thought about it. Just sharing my own journey :)

[Spectatrix]

Think about drinkers. I have never met a person who now like alcohol that LIKED their first drink, but now they crave it. I know it's a little different because it's can be addicting. But what about other acquired tastes such as caviar, escargots, etc. Do you think most people liked their first bite of those things? :eek:
I think my first drink was probably some sort of sweet wine, so I would've liked that. Not beer or tequila, though... BLECH!

I didn't like my first taste of escargots because it was burned (I was 8 or so), but I liked it the second time I tried it (17). I also liked mild caviar just fine upon first taste, same with oysters on the half shell.