So here I am at age 47 trying the raw food diet! This is the first time I’ve ever tried any kind of diet other than “eat what I feel like.” My daughter (known here as starfruit) got me interested in this. Today is my 8th day of 100% raw and so far, I’m really liking the results! I was able to quit coffee for the first time in 30 years, I’ve lost 8 pounds, and my mood is much improved. Of course, like everyone else, I’ve had the cravings and other detox symptoms, but overall, it hasn’t been too hard.

My food choices are mostly influenced by Victoria Boutenko’s books. Since my cooked food diet was pretty simple and bland, I’m content to skip the “raw gourmet” phase, and have been emphasizing the liquefied greens. For the past 8 days, I’ve mostly consumed green smoothies, green soups, flax crackers, some fruit, and a few nuts.

This morning I was craving oatmeal, which used to be my standard breakfast, so I tried soaking rolled oats in nut milk (blended water, almonds and dates, not strained) and then eating them with sliced strawberries. I liked it very much, but I noticed that it made me feel heavy and a bit grouchy afterwards, and brought back my coffee cravings. I think from now on, if I want to eat grains, I’ll stick to sprouted ones (I’ve got a “EasyGreen” sprouter on order.)

I was still hungry after the oats, so I made a smoothie with an orange, a banana, a peach, a plum, and about ¾ of a head of romaine lettuce. It was very tasty, but not as satisfying as some of the ones I’ve made with the darker, heavier greens like kale and collards. I ended up drinking the whole batch (about 1 ½ quarts) at once, since it didn’t have the green “bite” I’m used to, and then I felt too full! But, unlike when overeating cooked food, that feeling wore off soon. In the future, though, I think I’ll eat lettuce, and drink darker greens.

For lunch I felt like something different, so I made “pate” with pecans, zucchini, daikon, and ginger root, and rolled some up in nori and some in cabbage leaves. It was pretty good! I’ll have a dark green smoothie soon for dinner, and that will be it for today.

Thanks for reading this! I look forward to posting my daily progress, now that my daughter has alerted me to this forum.

Yay Daddy you've joined!! Welcome. Yum your pate sounds so good. I need to get a food processor hmmm I don't think my tiny kitchen will accomadate. You are doing great. I'm so proud of you.

xoxo,
Starfruit

Hi Leafdrinker.....LOVE that name, !

So glad you're here, so glad you're starting "The Journey"......that's great you and Starfruit can support each other. Very cool.

Best wishes! I like the Boutenkos too (got to go to a seminar once). There are a lot of other interesting books. I always recommend lots of reading.

Enjoy your food
Elakti

hey there...welcome and congrats on going on the journey....i am the girl who was texting your girl while you were visiting and wishing you well and saying hello and sending good warm wishes your way lol ....that is soo amazing you are doing this as well!! i was soo excited for her when she said you were doing raw now too!! you are doing great and all of your food sounds yummy!!! i heard you make the best green smoothies in town
that pate sounds good too!!
i am very excited to have you join us on the raw diary section!!
congrats again!!!
I am super excited about your journey!!
have a great night
love ya
earthangel
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hey Elakti and earthangel, thanks for posting to me, and of course thank you so much for all the support you've given to Kristin. You all have been a great help to her.

An interesting thing has now happened to me several times: I start having doubts about staying raw in the evening, and actually go to bed convinced that the next morning I'll go back to cooked food and (especially) coffee. I tell myself, hey, I'll still benefit from a green smoothie every day, and more fresh fruit and salads than I used to eat, right? So I go to bed feeling fine about it all. But then the next morning, I always wake up more convinced than ever to stay raw! I am sleeping better and awakening more refreshed than I have since I was a kid. This stuff is truly amazing.

The other interesting thing about yesterday was that I think I found the limit of how much clorophyll I can handle in a day! I think in total I consumed 3/4 bunch of romaine, 1/2 bunch of kale, 2 sheets of nori and about 6 cabbage leaves. I had mild indigestion in the evening and kind of felt like I had greenness coming out of every pore.

This morning the first thing I did was make dough for flax crackers (the "Igors Crackers" recipe from the back of the 12 Steps book). It felt so great to be making "bread" for myself. It will sit all day to ferment a little, then it will be the first use of my new dehydrator. I'm excited!

My breakfast smoothie was an orange, a banana, 3 huge straberries (I always keep the little leaves on too), a big scoop of papaya and about 6 leaves of lacinato kale. It was one of the best ever. The papaya (first time I've tried it) made it really smooth.

I have all these frosty mugs, the kind that have a double wall with water between the layers that you keep in the freezer, that I used to use for beer. Anyway, I like my smoothies cold, so I always add 4 or 5 ice cubes, and then drink them in a frosty mug. It's amazing how easy it is to gulp down a quart or more of smoothie this way.

Well, enough for now. Have a great day everyone!

Morning! That's really interesting about the night thing. I used to think like that too. Maybe it's cuase that was when you would have some snacks and some beer or wine and so your used to that kind of thing at nights? I don't know. I'm so glad your feeling great though and your crackers are gonna be great. YOu better make me some when I'm home. Oh wow that smoothie sounds great! YOu should try a little papaya by itself too. I love that flavor. I'm sure I'll talk to you guys later. Maybe after mom's recital.

xoxo,
Starfruit

Oh yes, I tried the papaya alone too, and it is excellent. (Ironically, I also just tried starfruit for the first time, and was not fond of it, though I am certainly fond of you!)

For lunch today I made guacamole and ate it with carrot and celery sticks and a few leaves of cabbage. For anyone interested, my most delicious guacamole recepie is: 1 avocado, 1 tomato, about 1/3 bunch of cilantro, 1 garlic clove, juice of 1/2 lime, 1/2 tsp sea salt. Mix in food processor, or chop the cilantro and then mix by hand.

Hey there, Mr. Chlorophyl! Your are doing great! Your food sounds delicious, and you sound like you're enjoying it...already reaping benefit of better sleep. Cheers! Cheers! Salud! ---but now there is something else in the beer mug!

Enjoy!

Elakti

ya i don't really like starfruit either haha i love yor guacamole maybe i'll make some soon...

xoxo,
Starfruit

hello there...wow what a great day and great accomplishment..i know the feeling and i too have had those thoughts..oh well i don't need to be raw i will get benefits from adding extra here and there..but my raw buddy gets me through it...your dear truly is a star!!! we have really connected and i feel like i have known her for years!! she is a big part of the reason i made it this far!!! so thank you for raising such a dolL!!!
and great job on sticking with it.....i love greens!! kale is the best stuff?? i love it plain it tastes so good!! your smoothie sounded yummy....i like papaya as well..but not the hawaiian strawberry papaya..(the little guys bland taste) ooh and i don't like starfruit at all either..it doesn't taste like you would think..i have learned to stay AWAY from exotic fruits...did kristin tell you about the time i tried durian?? or jack fruit haha..it was the worst!! anyways...keep up the good work..that guac sounds out of this world devine!! i bet you would really have quite the treat with your crackers tomorrow!!!!!!
enjoy...
take care and have a wonderful night
love
sach
xoxoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hi All. Well, tough night last night.

I uncovered the "Igors Crackers" dough and started spreading it on the dehydrator and was overwhelmed by the powerful garlic smell. The recipe called for 4 cloves and it wasn't so strong when I mixed it, but I guess the 12 hours of sitting really intensified it. My wife actually had to run upstairs and shut the bedroom door, that's how strong it was. So that batch of of dough is now in the compost. Perhaps I'll try again today with no garlic.

Also, I started worrying today about eating all these raw greens that I buy at Whole Foods. Where I live, there is no other source of organic greens,and as it is, I have to drive 20 minutes each way to WFM. Most of the greens are from "Cal-Organic" company, which I researched and it's a division of a huge conventional farm. So I can't help wondering (a) how good is the soil there, (b) how long ago was it picked, and (c) who has handled it between the field and my blender. Is a green leaf that was picked about a week ago and starts to go bad a day or two after I buy it really close to "live"? And what about the risk of e-coli infection? If anyone has thoughts or information about the viability of consuming mass-produced organic greens, I'd be most interested.

Then, to top that off, I started reading the latest book by Gabriel Cousens, called "Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine", which is a cookbook, but has a very lengthy preamble laying out his latest theory, which I won't attempt to restate, but suffice it to say is very compelling and the bottom line is: the main thing making us all sick is sugar (all forms), so we shouldn't be eating any fruit with a high glycemic index for the first 3 months of the detox process, and very little after that. This includes all tropicals, bananas, dates, apricots, oranges -- all the good stuff. I just don't think I can stomach greens blended only with low-glycemic fruit like grapefruit or blueberries. That banana goes a long way towards making it palatable!

So, to prevent a long story from getting longer, in summary, I'm feeling at this early morning hour like I can't think of anything that it's OK to eat if I want to be healthy. Meanwhile, I went and had a lemon yogurt and some wheat crackers before bed last night because I was feeling so down. They felt soothing at first, but after 20 minutes made me more grouchy.

Anyway, thanks for listening.

HI there...well..i know that cal organic is a big company that sells most of our organic things here and is pretty reputable the small store by my house that does only organic and vegan sells it..and he tries to keep only things he knows personally are of high quality and great..so as far as i know it is still great...all things you purchase and not grow yourself are going to be still raw and good for you...but not Living actually...it is hard to compare though..if you want living you should make sprouts they are the best..cheapest and great additions to any meal!! and they are living and you will feel great when you eat them....
i love lots of sprouts and kale salad!!!
hmm as far as cousens goes...i think he is a great guy and has a lot of good things to say...i don't personally follow his diet because i think to each his/her own..i think people that need it can benefit..but it is a higher fat content..and i like the less fat fruit things ....i have type 1 and have done great so far on higher fruits and veggies lower fat type of foods....doug graham is an awesome guy and i think has a lot of GREAT theories..he is a fruit guy..and a lot of people on this site are fruit people haha...they eat mostly fruit...his website if you want to check it out is www.foodnsport.com and he has lots of info and an awesome book...people rave about how great they feel with so much fruit and lesser of others..the 811 or 80 10 10 is the new "fad" of raw haha..but it is a good thing...
hmm well that is all the tips i have for now good luck today and keep on keeping on!! push through the toughness you can do it!!!
love sach
xoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Thanks sach for your encoragement! You're right about all the different theories. There's a very funny segment in the DVD called "Interview with Sergei Boutenko" (available from rawfamily.com) where he says how if you listen to everyone, you'll end up a "breath-air-itarian" or something like that, but even then, you won't be able to find pure fresh air! The bottom line is, our bodies are amazing and we can live a long time eating practically anything, so all each of us can do is find what feels best personally. After much hemming and hawing, I ended up having some sprouted grain cereal (not raw) with yogurt, some grapefruit juice and a cup of green tea. I clearly needed to dip back into how I used to eat to get some perspective. However, my goal now is to rebuild and refine my conviction about sticking to raw food, and get back on the path asap.

Hey dad aw I'm sorry. Cal organics is the bst company we use it at work and all the organic places in nyc use it too. IT really is is the best organic stuff you can get
Cousens is just another theory. I've never followed it and Sach is right most people on this forum don't and are doing great. I don't know if you have read any of Bryan's posts but he has been raw for forever and eats a ton of fruit. We even ahve some fruitarians on here. So don't worry. Eat green smoothies. They are what's helping you ya know. DOn't worry about what all these books say. And sorry about the crackers. Maybe just try one clove of garlic.

xoxo,
Starfruit

OK, I'm back on track. Made a new batch of flax/carrot/celery/tomato dough without garlic and it's dehydrating now. Smells great! Had a yummy smoothie with kale, orange, strawberry and papaya mid-morning. My 10-year-old even had a glass of it! For lunch I just had zuchini "pasta" w/tomato sauce, and cauliflower avocado lemon "mashed potatos". I'm feeling much better about it all.

yay yummy foods. Did you get your spiralizer?

xoxo,
Starfruit

Hi Mr. Chlorophyll
It's so cool that your daughter got you interested and now your'e on here and going for the RAW journey! It would be a dream come true to have that connection with my father. Good for you both!! The love in the space is truly palpable.!!
I can't get over it!
Peace,
OneSource

I like your new nickname daddy. He he. Thanks onesource. Yeah it is so so wonderful having him do this to. I hope your night was good.

xoxo,
Starfruit

Hey there..well sounds like you are doing great!!! and those few things you had just helped you along by helping you see the reason you like eating raw and what you are feeling like when eating cooked goodjob....keep up the good work!! your yummy lunch made me hungry haha...
take care
love sach
xoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Thanks oneSource for your beautiful post. I love your name for me -- "Mr. Chlorophyll" makes me want to adapt the song "Mr. Cellophane" from Chicago to a raw food version. And thanks again earthangel for so consistently checking up on us all. Sorry I haven't posted on any of your threads yet. All in good time.

Interestingly, yesterday's lunch gave me gas all afternoon. Those two items would not have been my top choice, but I was trying to make something that would appeal to my 10-year-old. (She loved the zuchini but not the cauliflower.) Anyway, my theory is that I got the gas because there were no leaves in my lunch. I seem to really need the enzymes from leafy greens to digest fat. In the evening, I had a smoothie with spinach, banana, peach and stawberry and it settled my stomach very nicely.

Today for breakfast I had a deliciously bitter smoothie made with 3 collard leaves, 3 red chard leaves, a whole grapefruit (peeled the outer layer of skin with a knife and put the rest in including all the white stuff), a banana, and 2 strawberries. As usual, it tasted so good that I drank the whole quart in about 10 minutes. Later, I had a snack of a sliced apple and some almonds that I had soaked last night and then dried this morning in the dehydrator -- they're great this way.

For lunch, I just had a green soup made with 3 more collard leaves, 1/2 avacado, lime juice, and the rest of the tomato sauce from yesterday's zuchini. It was fantastic, though I can't help but be amused every time I eat a huge bowl of what looks like baby food strained peas or something. Filling too -- I probably won't need much else today.

My energy and clarity are great today -- best yet. I feel calm, serene, focused, solid, grateful, loving, joyous. This feels like sustainable happiness.

hey there yay you for getting back into the groove of things and feeling great!! that is a wonderful feeling isn't it?? that you are in control and on top of things...(something i am still learning) ahh yes your girl was telling me about her little sister who was starting to like some raw things and make up her own as well!! that is soo exciting....hmm your smoothie sounds good..bitter huh?haha well i might try out a smoothie tomorrow..sometimes i feel like having themand others i am not so interested hehe....i try to follow strict food combining...that could cause gassiness as well...that is one of the main problems or causes of gas is bad food combining...and apples and nuts are like the biggest NO NO of all
so that might of been it too!!!
well good luck and have a great day
love sach
xoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Thanks, sach -- I'm interested to learn more about food combining. Can you recommend a good book or web site about it?

I think we're moving towards being a "raw family"! My wife is having a green smoothie (mild: orange, peach & chard) most afternoons now. I'm not pushing anyone in the least, but they're seeing the changes in me and can't resist trying it too!

yeah, i don't know which name i like better : the aforementioned " Mr. Chlorophyll" or "leafdrinker"

well, actually both names RAWCKKK!!

igor bread with the strong garlicky smell u mentioned sounds funny

its cool that starfruit got you interested in the raw thing

<<My wife is having a green smoothie (mild: orange, peach & chard) most afternoons>>


that is cool that your entire family is moving towards raw

like the boutenkos and storm's family did

then u could all become famous making family recipe videos of favorite foods ( hee hee)

i think like a coupla weeks ago i saw sergei boutenko's s video on making rainbow pate

it looked pretty

happy journey

Hey Dad! Aw you are doing so great and I am so excited about mom and Julia. I didn't know mom was drinking them that much. How great. I have a couple good handouts on food combining from my raw class that i'll scan and email to you. I don't have problems with green smoothies though so I don't know. Did you see Raul on the Tony's last ngiht? Bummer he didn't win. HOpe you have a good day. Love you!

xoxo,
Starfruit

Too bad about Raul indeed -- he definitely should have gotten it. Today, so far so good. (Oops, that's my thread title.) I had my usual breakfast smoothie (kale, banana, orange, strawberry), an apricot and a few almonds for my morning snack, and a huge salad for lunch (I felt like chewing for a change). The salad had: red chard, parsley, cabbage, cauliflower, celery (incl. leaves), carrots, red bell pepper, diakon, sunflower seeds and goji berries with olive oil and lemon juice dressing. There was a huge bowl of it and it took me about 45 minutes to chew it all! Smoothies are much more efficient, but I decided that eating the salad was my zen exercise for today. Now, I'm really looking forward to a smoothie for dinner.

Hello there...that salad sounds yummy!! lots of good stuff in it!!! hmm i will look up the food combining books i have and see who it is by haha...i am not good with names since there are SOOO many books that i have haha....
That is awesome about your family!! so awesome..my mom wants to get into the 100% raw too...
kristin thanks for emailing him the info you have!!! yeah i don't have problems with green smoothies either..they say it is bad combining..but not like fats and fruits or nuts and fruits...that is bad combos i think that might of been what made him sick..the apples and almond butter
well i am glad you got in some chewing exercise
take care and have a great day!!
lots of love and good energy
sach
xoxooxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hey Dad. Oooo your salad sounds so yummy. IT's very balanced too. We talked about balanced meals a lot in class today and yours sounds great. And good for you for taking the time to chew. I missed talking to you on the phone today. I only got mom. We'll talk tomorrow hopefully. Love you! OH what did you think of the goji berries?

xoxo,
Starfruit

ooh yes what did you think of the goji's?? they are good if you rehydrate them...i noticed that in a salad at the potluck yesterday....
anwyays take care
love sach
xoxoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Good Evening! When we last left this saga, I was going to have a green smoothie for dinner, which I did -- a small one with kale, apple, plum and lemon, plus more of the everpresent flax crackers. I slept well, and my breakfast smoothie had collards with grapefruit, banana and plum (plus more flax crackers). Later in the morning I had a snack of an apricot and some "milk" made from almonds and gogi berries -- pretty good! Then I had a late lunch of green soup with kale, bell pepper, avocado, cilantro and lime, with dules flakes sprinkled in and guess what kind of crackers. So basically, I'm living on green smoothies, green soup, flax crackers, and a few nuts. I trust that when I need something different, my body will make me want it.



Just for kicks, I took this photo of my breakfast today. The new king of beers: green smoothie!

hahaha i love that picture. Yeah you are right. YOur body will tell you when you need something else. THe one thing maybe to do more of is sprouts. I know you are waiting for your sprouter, but in the mean time if you just soak quinoa over night it turns into sprouts becuase it is so small .Then you'll get some more protein in and not just carbs, although the flax has some good protein i think. Wow well you are still doing wonderfully as usual it seems. YOu should tell people how much weight you've lost already! SO proud of you and thanks for relinquishing mom for a couple days. xoxo

xoxo,
Starfruit