Fresh off a delicious and vibrant raw Sunday brunch that filled me up as much as beer-can-chickens of the past, I jumped out of bed the next day, energized as ever, and traveled to Boulder, CO. I hit restaurants full of fresh, organic ingredients that were prepared in contemporary, diverse, delectable fashions. As always, there were plenty of taste bud-pleasing salads and the occasional raw appetizer to sustain my raw habit. But, for some reason, I wanted more.
It's not the first time this has happened. During recent travels I'd found that meal after meal of ordering raw at restaurants resulted in eating mostly salads. This, along with staying in hotels where I couldn't make green smoothies and raw dinners, was becoming a major threat to staying on the raw wagon.
It was the final evening of a week in Chicago when I, out of sheer exasperation at the thought of another un-organic salad that wouldn't have many vegetables, ordered vegetarian lasagna. I relished the half-entree I split with someone else. Not only was I full, but about half an hour after finishing I felt overly stuffed and sluggish. I even skipped going out afterward because I felt so full and tired. Still, the lasagna was tasty.
Later that night I wrestled with how I felt about "cheating" on my raw food diet and ultimately concluded that on the road there just aren't enough raw food restaurants around to satisfy the nutritional need for more than salad after salad. Surprisingly, I woke up the next morning feeling alive, vibrant, and, in general, great. My digestive system was in such good shape from the raw food diet!
Since, I've experimented with different ratios of raw to cooked food and found that somewhere between 90 and 95 percent raw maintains all of the benefits I feel from eating raw food, namely, increased energy, mental clarity, improved immune function, and my personal icing on the cake, no dark circles under the eyes.
It's been an eventful journey since the beginning of my Raw Food Challenge 104 days ago. From great enthusiasm, to feeling I've failed, to having a revelation about raw food (even raw foodists eat cooked food sometimes*), I'm committed as ever to this way of eating. I love creating delicious meals in my raw kitchen, and now, when I'm out, I sometimes order steamed veggies or a baked sweet potato to go with my raw salad, assured in the knowledge that I'm not derailing my aspiration to have vibrant health from eating raw organic foods.
It was the final evening of a week in Chicago when I, out of sheer exasperation at the thought of another un-organic salad that wouldn't have many vegetables, ordered vegetarian lasagna. I relished the half-entree I split with someone else. Not only was I full, but about half an hour after finishing I felt overly stuffed and sluggish. I even skipped going out afterward because I felt so full and tired. Still, the lasagna was tasty.
Later that night I wrestled with how I felt about "cheating" on my raw food diet and ultimately concluded that on the road there just aren't enough raw food restaurants around to satisfy the nutritional need for more than salad after salad. Surprisingly, I woke up the next morning feeling alive, vibrant, and, in general, great. My digestive system was in such good shape from the raw food diet!
Since, I've experimented with different ratios of raw to cooked food and found that somewhere between 90 and 95 percent raw maintains all of the benefits I feel from eating raw food, namely, increased energy, mental clarity, improved immune function, and my personal icing on the cake, no dark circles under the eyes.
It's been an eventful journey since the beginning of my Raw Food Challenge 104 days ago. From great enthusiasm, to feeling I've failed, to having a revelation about raw food (even raw foodists eat cooked food sometimes*), I'm committed as ever to this way of eating. I love creating delicious meals in my raw kitchen, and now, when I'm out, I sometimes order steamed veggies or a baked sweet potato to go with my raw salad, assured in the knowledge that I'm not derailing my aspiration to have vibrant health from eating raw organic foods.
During my time in Boulder I enjoyed Kennebec Spiced Chips at Oak at Fourteenth, Sauteed Mushrooms and Ajo (roasted garlic) at Med, Munson Pumpkin Fritters with Walnut Aillade at Cafe Aion, and Tomato Soup with Olive Oil at The Kitchen. They tasted like scrumptious rare treats and rounded out all those staple salads.
I even made it out after dinner every night.
*http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2010/08/09/what-cooked-foods-do-we-eat/, http://greensmoothiesblog.com/victoria-boutenko-on-not-being-raw/
I even made it out after dinner every night.
*http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2010/08/09/what-cooked-foods-do-we-eat/, http://greensmoothiesblog.com/victoria-boutenko-on-not-being-raw/
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