Oct 2012 - 30 day raw challenge, join anytime of the month

[robh]

jhaskell, hang in there. you'll feel great when it's done.

MysticTree, congrats on your weight loss. Glad to hear you got your magic bullet. How big is your new caravan? I saw the pics of the wood burner. It looks like a large space. I was just curious what your new digs are like.


Day 2

I will be breaking my water fast here shortly. I think I will have a celery, cucumber, and apple juice. After that, I'll probably have some watermelon.

[MysticTree]

Magic bullet has suffered a slight accident. Not sure if it's ok or not as no electricity to plug it into. Deep sigh. The caravan is 28 feet long and 10 feet wide. The area where the fire is measures about 10 x 10 probably. It has two bedrooms; both of which are rather too small. There is a tiny kitchen and a teeny-tiny bathroom. No water connected though. It's a big improvement on the previous caravan. Enjoy your fast breaking. Mine was nice today and I feel very full even though I haven't eaten all that much.

[robh]

Yeah the room with the fire is rather large compared to everything else. It's a shame that the bathroom takes up room and doesn't work. Along the same topic, having to go out to the bathroom in the cold sounds like a less than idea scenario. I hope your bullet it ok.

I would like to break my fast when I get home, but there are apples and other fruit in the breakroom. All this talk of eating has me thinking hard about grabbing a piece.

[MysticTree]

You could always grab a piece to eat at home maybe. I don't find talking about food makes me hungry at the moment. I feel quite disconnected from food at the moment. I feel hungry in a rather abstract way. I feel that I could just juice for weeks and months if I felt like it but I don't want to give up food from an academic point of view. I feel that there is something vaguely food disorder about feeling that way.

[MysticTree]

sweetcorn and raspberries for breakfast. Not actually in the same mouthful though :)

[MysticTree]

Got a yen for watercress soup this afternoon. Tomorrow I shall make some. I'm planning to use hazelnuts and pistachios as the basis of the soup and then use some mushrooms, watercress and herbs. I'll let you all know how it turns out.

[ReneeH]

Hey yau'll!!!! How's it going everyone? Where yau'll at???

Ok, I'm still going 100MPH!!! I had to work at my raw kitchen last night and I taught a fantastic Class over the weekend, so I'm exhausted!!!! I've been in bed all day today...eating Apples! I think I ate 5 Pink Lady Apples today!!!!

I read an interesting article today that Victoria Boutenko wrote on not being raw.

[MysticTree]

I saw that article before somewhere. It certainly resonates. We can all only do what we can and want to do. I feel though that there is no more or less competition in the raw food world than there is in any food based regime. Just look at any conventional diet - a club or private group - if you want to see judgemental behaviour and superiority complexes. I found it mildly amusing that in that article, Victoria sets herself above those who eat nuts - it came across that way to me anyhow. I also found it amusing that she found those trying to earn a living from raw irksome. Her whole family seems to earn a living from raw - perhaps that has changed now. I don't know. If people set food or lack of food at the heart of their lives then it will become all consuming. Yes it's good to be kind to ourselves. I am raw for as long as I can be and happy doing what I do. Social settings aren't all that problematic. I just bring my own food if it makes things easier for my host/ess. They want my company not to watch me eat what they bring out of their kitchens. 75% is probably as close to 100% as we need to be provided the 25% is not highly processed muck. We are all different and no one way of eating will suit all of us.

[MysticTree]

200g ish organic button mushrooms.
third cup ish of raw hazelnuts and pistachios soaked (overnight would be best and you could use cashews or other nuts)
water as much as needed to get good consistancy
lots of local watercress - about 100g but more would be good!
Juice one small organic lemon
half a celeray stalk
salt and pepper
pinch cayenne


it was going to have a glove of garlic, half an avocado and some parsley but I left them at home! I think it would have been better with these added.

method: Blend, blend, blend.
Bullet coped ok but one of the leading brand blenders would have been better I think.

Sorry about the rubbish picture. the lighting has been changed in our office and it's no brighter outside . . . and my phone camera is rubbish!

[ReneeH]

I found it mildly amusing that in that article, Victoria sets herself above those who eat nuts - it came across that way to me anyhow.

Hummm... I didn't get that impression at all. Especially from what she says here:

"I have noticed that when I was telling other people about myself being a 100% raw foodist, it came across as if I was claiming to be a better, higher, more spiritual person. I felt so uncomfortable that I repeated in every lecture, “I am just a woman in a green dress. Please don’t put me on a pedestal.” Victoria Boutenko (quoted from the article).

Although she does say,

"For example, while I enjoyed gourmet raw food in the beginning of my raw journey, for several years now, I have completely eliminated food prepared with nuts. In recent years I have decided that it can be healthier, to eat a bowl of cooked green vegetables than a whole jar of raw nut butter." Victoria Boutenko (quoted from the article).

I don't see saying that as putting herself above anyone. Guess that's an example of how everyone reads things differently...

I also found it amusing that she found those trying to earn a living from raw irksome. Her whole family seems to earn a living from raw - perhaps that has changed now. I don't know.

Mystic, I didn't see anything mentioning her position on people making a living from Raw...are you sure that you read THIS article?

[MysticTree]

my bad on the second one ... I was reading it on my mobile and in fact it is Mary Duggan in responses who said that.

The first one I still think it comes across that way a bit but mostly I think she comes across as someone who like everyone else is human and fallible and who hasn't coped well with the character assassination she has suffered - there isn't a food guru who hasn't had this level of attack I think.

[robh]

ReneeH, greetings! I know how it is being busy.

MysticTree, that soup might be a good way to try watercress. I've never had it.


I am wired. I feel like my body is bouncing off the walls. I have heard of people having excessive energy on a raw diet, but this is the first time I have felt it. It's either all the exercise (2 hrs of tennie yesterday and 4 hrs the day before) or it's the cacao. I made cacao date sauce yesterday. I finished it last night before bed (it was like pudding - so good). I have heard that cacao is like crack and has been called "crack-cao" by some raw fooders. Whatever it is, I am out of my gord crazy this morning. I woke up at 3:30am, couldn't sleep. So I went to the grocery store and then walmart. Now I'm just buzzin' like I had 10 cups of coffee. You know those crazy raw fooders on youtube that seem twitchy, hyper and a bit crazy? I think I know the reason why!

I started up 100% raw again on Monday with a water fast that lastest until Tuesday night. Yesterday, I had half a watermelon and ground sesame seeds mixed with coconut nectar. After tennis, I had no appetite. I think I had a few nuts and I finished the pudding thing.

Have a good one.

[robh]

Oct still has a day or two left. :)

After some slip ups on Saturday, I was 100% raw yesterday. MysticTree and others on the forum have inspired me to start fasting Mondays and Tuesdays. So just water today.

Have a good day everyone.

[MysticTree]

I'm with you on the water until 7am tomorrow morning :)

I'm feeling really pretty good and my clothes are falling off me a fair bit so I went charity shop shopping on Saturday and bought lots of replacement clothes. I got a couple of pairs of jeans that are too small at the moment so I have some clothes to wear when I lose even more weight!

[RawMomma7]

Starting tomorrow! I know, last day of the month almost, but I have GOT to get going! So, consider it November early! :)