So last night I went with my friend Bob over to another friend's place to get some Irish moss ( a seaweed that is used as a thickening agent in it's raw state after being soaked and blended with other ingredients). I was so excited to come home and soak it up to make some raw yummy treats but unfortunately the moss was either just really old or not the kind that can be used raw. After soaking it for 4 hours nothing happened, no gel formation, no break down of fibers, my vita-mix didn't even break it down! So my friend Bob is boiling it to make a traditional Jamaican drink for himself and I am about to place an order tonight for some new stuff from Mountianroseherbs.com. If you have never been to their site check it out!!!! They have everything in the way of spices,sea vegetables,herbs,aromatherapy oils and stuff to make your own natural creams and body oils.
I had a relatively good day so far in regards to my diet. I woke up and did make a cup of coffee but I only drank half and it is still sitting on the kitchen counter along with all sorts of other things. I ate some fruit and then made a huge kale salad and ate that with Bob and Samadhi....well she actually just liked sucking the spices off and then spitting the half chewed kale back out which I (and sometimes Bob) got to eat. Then I got ambitious and made some raw ravioli.
For those of you reading this that are completely new to raw food I will explain.When I say raw RAVIOLI you are probably thinking "What the heck??!! How gross"...well it is not REallY ravioli at all but it looks like it. I used extremely thin slices of fresh raw beets as the shell and the "cheese" was a mixture of soaked cashews,olive oil, water, lemon juice, nutritional yeast and fresh herbs.I place spoonfuls of the "cheese" in between two beet disks and drizzle the entire thing with truffle oil and chopped parsley.......Raw Ravioli!
I will be posting pictures, recipes and nutritional information starting very very soon(I just have to figure out how!!).
By the way.... for those who are raw food enthusiasts I KNOW, I KNOW....nutritional yeast and olive oil are not raw!!! It's OK for now, transition, transition, transition!
I think I have much to learn from you. Though your ravioli sounds delicious! And please educate me, why is olive oil not raw? Bear with me, I'm clueless on raw food but I'm always willing to learn!
ReplyDeleteHI Soulspeak23,
ReplyDeleteWell olive oil can be raw actually if you get first cold pressed but you need to make sure that is what it is. Many people who are very serious about raw food wont eat oils because they are processed and the idea is to eat only foods in their 100% natural state. I used to be that way as well but I think this time around I might be a little more relaxed about it so I really stick to it. Maybe once I have some time back on raw I will give up all raw processed foods once again.
Congratulations on your return back to raw. I'm glad you're finally realizing that most aspects of the cooked vegan diet are JUNK and are doing nothing to contribute to your health and well-being (vegan donuts? vegan cupcakes? even french fries can be vegan!).
ReplyDeleteHere are my 2 cents:
1. You should avoid consuming oils even if they are raw. Oil is nothing but pure junk! There are virtually no nutrients in them--just PURE FAT.
Keep in mind that THE FAT YOU EAT BECOMES THE FAT YOU WEAR so it's best to eliminate oils out of your diet and limit the amount of nuts/seeds/avocados you eat (a small amount is okay, though--no more than 1/4 cup of nuts/seeds OR 1/2 small avocado. If this stalls your weight release then eliminate them all together).
If you need to keep the nuts in your diet, why not order truly raw nuts in the shell? You can order them from http://www.nutsonline.com/. The company is based in NJ and they have top quality nuts. You will receive them quickly! :)
You can also order truly raw, unpasteurized almonds online:
http://www.rawtreasure.com/?page_id=12
2. Unless you're deliberately ordering truly raw cashews chances are the cashews you're using for your ravioli recipe aren't really raw. Again it's best to limit them anyway.
3. You should try to eat more simply as this will allow you to reach your goals faster. Why don't you join in the orange/cucumber fest going on at 30Bananas A Day? Consuming all the water rich fruit you can eat (like oranges and cucumbers) will really get you lean quick!
http://www.30bananasaday.com/forum/topics/orange-and-cucumber-10-day-1
If you're not a orange and cuke fan then pick another juicy, water rich fruit. For instance you could eat grapes instead.
4. Since you're only 5'1 your weight goal should be less than 125lbs. To give you a bit of perspective I'm 5'7 and I weigh 121.6 lbs and that's still a little too much for me! I looked a lot better when I weighed 115.6 lbs when I was in Panama, which thanks to participating in the challenge I should be back to my "fighting" weight by the first of the month. :)
Your ideal weight for your height is more like 90-100lbs. Don't worry about being too thin--remember it's everyone else that is carrying too much weight. Healthy humans are supposed to be lean, trim and STRONG.
You won't look gross at such a low weight when eating nourishing, raw foods. I remember reaching 119lbs while eating a cooked diet years ago and I thought I looked too thin. I looked FANTASTIC weighing less on a raw diet (you look better with less toxins in your system! :) )
5. When I first went low fat raw back in 2008 I participated in a bootcamp where I went from 133 lbs to 117 lbs in just 10 weeks eating all the water rich foods I cared for.
The bootcamp is going on now so if you're interested in signing up then get in touch with Jericho Sunfire on facebook.
He has a 5 minute workout system that is short yet INTENSE.
He will whip you into shape like no other! :)
He charges 20 British Pounds/month to join his bootcamp (about $33 USD) but it's worth it! :)
Well it looks like my 2 cents ended up being more like 25 cents!
Take care,
Karmyn