Un Petit Raw Update
[ 5 March 2008 ]
“In any case, other than my desire to hear more about your adventures in raw foodism, the real question here is this: how do you balance a raw food diet with cupcakes? Can I make this a positive change without abandoning the classic cheese and cracker combo, chocolate and cupcakes on valentines day, and even, once and awhile, a sandwich? Please let a girl know!”
I have had lots of requests for information about what I’m eating, how I’m feeling & my thoughts on the rawification process in general, so I am bowing to the pressure! Here’s a mini-update. I am going to embark on some raw coaching soon with the fabulous Karen Knowler (otherwise known as the world’s premier raw food coach!), but not for a couple of weeks… so here’s what I can tell you at this stage.
The first major thing I’ve noticed is the impact of eating raw on my skin. I have never been plagued by spots or anything like that, but do get the occasional blemish. I always figured it was just because I’m in my early 20’s & that’s what happens — oh, & I always kind of thought, at the back of my mind, that maybe if I had the perfect skincare routine, it would be better.
NEWSFLASH. If you’re eating lots of raw fruit & vegetables & drinking heaps of water, you could slather your skin in motor oil & it won’t make an inch of difference. I swear, & I know this sounds totally obnoxious, but my skin has been amazing. I took some photos of Simon & I at the NGV the other night & I was incredulous at how clear our skin looked. I’m only getting spots if — shock horror — I eat cupcakes, cheese, or cooked stuff (bread, pasta, etc.). But if I don’t eat that stuff, my skin is as pristine as I’ve ever seen. It’s incredible to me, because I always thought that whole “eating junk is bad for your skin” stuff was only partially true, but never put a lot of stock in it. Now that I’m making an effort to eat things that are good for me, I’m really noticing the difference. I am a believer!
Eating raw can be a pain in the butt sometimes but if it guarantees me great skin, I am sold.
I also usually get hormonal break-outs, & I have about a week a month where my skin is hugely dissatisfying. Well, this month, my skin was more well-behaved than I’ve ever seen it. It’s a blessing from the skies! I also found I was in much less pain & had practically no cramping. Rock.
I have more energy too. I used to be big on napping, & at least one nap a day was normal for me. Well, that has been drastically reduced. I’m just not interested in sleeping in the day any more! I have energy to burn. Sometimes I’ll have a lie down but that’s only if it’s been a draining day or I didn’t get much sleep, & this is happening less & less. Another thing I’m finding is that if I make an effort to drink a lot of water, I can work & work & work & not need (or want) a break. This is great news because I love iCiNG & everything around it, so the more love I can throw at it, the better!
Having said all that… this past week or so I’ve been a bit iffy on the raw thing. I think mostly because I am a very picky eater & so there are a lot of vegetables & fruit that I just don’t like. (I am working on tapping out all of my food issues, because it’s really limiting me & stressing me out.) Of course, only liking about 5 of 1000 vegetables makes eating really difficult, so I have been reverting to familiar (cooked) food & paying the price (basically, I feel terrible).
I’ve noticed that when I’m not eating a lot of fruit or vegetables, as has been the case recently, I have been forgetting things a lot. The other morning I had about five separate thoughts which involved doing something — & as soon as I went to do it, I forgot what it was. They weren’t difficult things to remember either: check cellphone, check weather forecast, etc. That scares me, actually. I always used to think I was “forgetful” but could it be that eating too much processed food was turning my brain to mush?!
I’ve also found that the things I used to love (garlic pizza bread, soup, etc.) really don’t have any flavour any more. They mostly taste like lard or salt. Sometimes they just taste like cardboard — so my taste buds are definitely changing. I ate a pain au chocolat the other day & all I could taste were hydrogenated oils. Blech!
I have also been VERY emotional, moody, apathetic & anti-social. While some of this is just due to stuff I am processing at the moment, I have absolutely no doubt that the reason it is so huge in my mind is because I’m not eating good food. Oh, & my skin looks terrible! Boooooo!
It’s been really interesting to go from normal food to raw & back again, because I can see how differently my body operates depending on what I’m eating. I have always just viewed food as fuel, but now I am highly aware of how the quality of the fuel affects us.
Tomorrow we’re going to go to the market & stock up on vegetables & fruit. We’re pretty low on stuff at the moment. I’ve decided I need to stop viewing unfamiliar food as an enemy & instead embrace it & be open to experimentation. This has historically been quite hard for me but with the power of tapping I know I will prevail!
To answer the original question, yes, you can definitely make a positive change & still eat your favourite old foods. Just don’t be surprised if they start to seriously lose appeal!
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala 
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Your raw food updates are so inspiring for me to eat more healthily, thank you x
Hi Gala,
thanks for the update on your raw challenge (I say challenge because I really doubt my ability to ever do the same). Just wondering if you’ve noticed a change in the cost of groceries?
I generally find fruit and veg so cheap, so I’d imagine this change in consumption is more than just physical.
Thanks :D
desert_rose — Oh, yes, I meant to mention that! We’re spending between $60 & $100 a week on our groceries, which is nothing, we used to spend at least $200 & then go out for dinner aaaaaaall the time…
Gala – My advice would be to regularly serve those fruits and vegetables which you do enjoy, and then try to increase the variety little by little.
Trying out new options regularly is particularly important; bit by bit you’ll find that you’re getting used to the taste, and eventually that you can even tolerate them.
It’s true…I hated Brussels sprouts when I was a kid, now I’d say I can just about manage to get them down! LOL
Best wishes!
Mel T — My major problem has been that the thought of another salad or smoothie that is exactly the same as all the ones before has been really bumming me out! But tomorrow I am going to make an effort to pick up some new stuff I haven’t had before, so, fingers crossed!
So do you aim to only eat raw fruit and veg? No cooked carbs (potatoes if you are avoiding processed?) or cooked protien (like eggs or lentils if you don’t want to eat meat?) at all? How do you feel full! I couldn’t live without potatoes – but that’s celtic blood for you! :)
Kirsty — The ultimate aim is all raw fruit & vegetables, but I’m going easy on myself because at the moment I feel like it’s a big task. (It’s all in the attitude, of course, which I’m working on too!) & you’d be surprised at how filling a salad or smoothie can be. (It’s not all salads or smoothies, you can make more complicated things, but I’m more into efficiency than faffing about in the kitchen.)
I used to be obsessed with potatoes & bread & other carbs too, but I’ve realised it’s just an emotional connection — something I crave because it’s familiar or because it reminds me of eating with my family, or whatever. My body doesn’t need that stuff, & actually works better without it!
Great post. I’ve tried eating only veg and then vegan for health reasons, (aside from moral ones) and though I love lots of fruits and veggies, I still found myself having a hard time finding a good balance of food to eat, different foods to eat/prepare, and be full. I ended up feeling soooo hungry and famished after a few weeks that I went back to my normal eating habits, though they were never that bad in the first place. But when trying to stick to only vegetarian or even vegan I ended up losing ideas because I am so used to cooking with diary or meat. I think changing one’s eating habits is definitely a work in progress, it’s a constant challenge, and I believe it’s normal to revert back and then try again and so on and so forth because we have to recondition our bodies after years of eating a certain way. I wish you the most luck with it though! And don’t be too hard on yourself if you crack every now and then under the food pressure hehe, you’re already doing great with it, you’re noticing results!
i am definitely going to try to incorporate more fresh, raw food in to my diet – i eat SO MUCH junk at the moment, it’s horrendous. xxx
great info as usual gala, thank you!
my question for you is how do you balance your fiber intake? some vegetables have a great amount of fiber, but not as great as say cooked oatmeal, rice, bread, etc.. is there any way you make sure to get all the fiber you need or do you notice any big lack of fiber in your diet when you eat raw?
This is really interesting! I don’t think I could ever switch to a raw food diet, but I do love reading about how your food-tastes have changed! Over the past year, I’ve altered my own diet to include more whole grains, fruits and veggies. I tend to opt for “simple” that include those, rather than things with meat, heavy sauces, or sweets. I’ve been shocked at how radically my food preferences have switched! Things that I used to adore—like cupcakes—don’t taste that sweet or yummy anymore. I’d rather have my favorite, warm-weather fruit treat: frozen grapes! (Sounds weird, but they are oh-so good and like little capsules of natural sweetness!)
BRAVO for keeping up with this raw food diet!!! I think its fantastic!!! :D
You’ve really inspired me to improve my diet too! I have a vitamix on the way (I had a juicer, but I hate cleaning it out!). Can you please do a post about what kind of smoothies and salads you have? I would love to read about your hits and misses with raw foods!
Just drinking a lot more water is so good for you.
When I was a wee one, I used to drink so much soda, as I got older it became less and less.
Now, besides the occassional cup of black coffee, I only drink water. A tall glass of water with no ice is my usual order. Haha!
Drinking water has not only flushed lots of junk out of my system, but it’s also helped me lose weight and clear my skin.
Now, I could never do Raw Food, I love cooking. Trying new recipes. It’s so much fun, and I could never give it up.
I’m a fad eater, so I end up eatting the same thing for days on end and not noticing it until I get sick of it. So I usually have that problem of losing out on certain vitamins and minerals etc. So, my question for you is how are you getting the protein and vitamins into your diet??
Perhaps it would help when you have cravings for non-raw, to cook something from scratch yourself. Like make your own bread with wholemeal flour and organic ingredients, and you won’t just taste cardboard and bleach! And then grind up some butter with garlic and spread it on top and presto! you have garlic bread! Smear some tomato and plonk some cheese on top and you have a pizza!
And making your own soup is incredibly easy!
It takes longer, but it’s so satisfying and it ALWAYS tastes better! And most importantly, you know what’s gone into it!
I just bought this book recently:
http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-World-Fusion-Cuisine-award-winning/dp/0975283723
Vegan World Fusion Cuisine which has TONS of raw options for things that I wouldn’t normally think of, like cashew cheeze sauce. Every item that I’ve made thus far totally kicks ass and my omni family even loved it!
I’m curious as to which vegetables you don’t like! I used to not like beets but now I have a hummus and grated carrot/beet sandwich at least once a week.
thanks for the update gala!
i’ve been going raw for 3 weeks now, having usually, one cooked meal a day, but it’s not working. i feel like a double agent and it’s time to commit to what my body wants: fresh, raw yummy food! so my cooked food days are behind me as of today. yippeee!
my fav salad of the week: romaine leaves, nori sheets- torn into bite size pieces, 2 clementines, red pepper, one squeezed lemon and avocado for a creamy dressing, a touch of onion powder and pink crystal salt and a dash of pumpkin seeds. divine!
goneraw.com has some great recipes and a great raw vegan community. thanks so much again for the inspiration.
Gala, sorry if I missed this or it is obvious, but would sashimi be allowed on a raw food diet? I know it is big on the fruits and vegtables, but I love some good fish…
does anyone know of a good raw recipe book?
i went to a raw food potluck with my boss a few weeks ago and i was so inspired to go raw (at least partially). i had never imagined all the delicious dishes you could make with raw fruits, veggies, and nuts. they even had a delicious chocolate and mint cake, completely raw!
this is SO inspiring
i’m going to print it out and keep it in my purse for when i go out with friends
thanks gala :)
Hi Gala! I’ve tried going raw (haven’t managed to go 100% raw, but around 50% of what I eat has been raw for the past 5 days). The hardest thing for me was to quit eating rice and Roti/Chapati (Pakistani bread) but within two days of staying off of those two but still eating cooked food at mealtimes I lost 5 lbs. I have no idea why, it’s a bit strange. Anyway I noticed I get hungry a lot. My stomach will be full but suddenly I’ll want to eat something, say applesauce, and I’ll go eat a huge bowlful (making it myself of course) and my stomach will hurt from overeating but I can’t stop! Does that happen to you too? Or did it happen at the beginning? I’m getting kind of worried, because too much of a good thing can be bad too!
xx – Laiba
The moods could be detox! Also, most people will go through a period where they feel WORSE. Or their skin will look so bad for a couple of days, or they’ll have headaches.
It all depends on how quickly one transitions to raw-if it’s overnight, craving and withdrawal will be bad and so will detox symptoms.
I am doing it really, really, really slowly!
The thing with going raw is, there are lots of ways to make things that take so much work! Like dehydrating. Dehydrators are quite expensive for most, and most things take hours if not more to dehydrate! Simplicity is key. :) One can get sick of salads though. :P
In response to Natalie-I adore The Complete Book of Raw Food which has hundreds of recipes from various people! Most of the recipes are simple and don’t require a lot of strange and/or hard to find ingredients. I also love Raw: The Uncook Book by Juliano and Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney and Sarma Melngailis. The latter two require some hard to find ingredients and a dehydrator though.
I’ve heard great things about Ani’s Raw Food Kitchen by Ani Phyo-I have yet to pick up a copy! I want to so badly though. :)
xo,
Melissa
Gala! I would love to see your raw shopping list! and also what your typical daily food diary is. this is sooo inspiring!xxx
This is totally off-topic, but I came here via Elastic Waist today and I wanted to let you know that your site is scrumptious and I love it!
“I’m only getting spots if — shock horror — I eat cupcakes, cheese, or cooked stuff (bread, pasta, etc.)”
Did you experience this when you ate those things in addition to loads of fruits and veggies? Or were fruits and veggies the missing factor?
if you don;t want to buy a cookbook the recipes and people at goneraw.com are a great resource!
Well done Gala!
I think it’s great that you went on the raw food thing and then back off and then back on. I did the same thing with a vegan diet in the last few weeks and it’s amazing. I feel so much happier and healthier without meat and dairy in my life and my energy levels are insane. I’m not being totally stupid about it though. I think people who are too fussy about food are totally annoying so if occasionally I have to have meat or dairy I will but generally I try to avoid it. Oh and I am eating seafood still. Because it makes feel good. And generally that’s the point isn’t it? :-)
Oh and I hate to be annoying but have you finished the ballet DVD’s yet? I’m dying to know what they are like!
I’m happy that your having such a life-change with your new diet. But I disagree with you. I think that your diet before was real bad (for what I’ve read!, don’t take it personally xD but it seems that you almost never ate home cooked meals, or veggies and ate lots of take-aways), so your diet change logically has make you…healthier, better looking and more energetic! In my case I ALWAYS eat home cooked meals, mainly salads, fruits and stuff like that, but also meat, rice, potatoes…but everything low fat, low-carbs and all those healthy things. I don’t see why eating rice would make me un-healthy! I believe that one should listen to the general nutricional rules; eat carbs, loots of fruits, little meat and almost no oils or sugar, and since lots of food are meant to be cooked (like potatoes), I just don’t see any harm…
Well, is my way of seeing it. Of course is better to eat more fruit and veggies than meat, and more raw than cooked (logically), but some things have to be cooked, but still are healthy and won’t make you ugly, fat, sleepy or whatever.
hello miss Gala. i’m not really interested in going raw myself, but i love reading about your experiences. i am huuuugely passionate about food and health and nutrition so i’m always up for hearing about new ways to approach eating.
i hear you on the pickiness thing. i was a very picky child and i am much better now but still a bit funny with mushrooms, eggplant, bananas, eggs, tomatoes, and all sorts of other foods. it can be hard to get over the mental block which tells you that you DO NOT like a food.
so good luck with that! i think trying new foods is a really good thing because it opens your world. we all know people who refuse to eat vegetables or anything ‘foreign’ and how tiresome is that?! if i personally stuck to my old habits and didn’t try anything new i would never have discovered the joy that is fresh raspberries. and daikon. and cucumber on toast. and parsnips.
anyway, keep it up. it’a all about the journey isn’t it? :)
I’m quite interested in hearing of oils/vinegar/other sauces would be consider ‘processed’. Also, what about dips that you make yourself? It doesn’t get heated, but you just process the raw ingredients together in a mush then refrigerate… is that considered ‘processing’ food and therefore not raw? What’s raw? Has to be in its original state with no cutting, refridgerating, heating? Very curious! 8-)
Psst want a raw salad recipe? Washed can of beans, any sort of raw vegies you like (ie capsicum, cucumber, tomatoes, red onions, crushed garlic, spring onions), then put a bit of olive oil/vinegar/lemon juice on, fridge for an hour and voila! Bean salad raw (at least what I think of as raw) and yum!
sandy — Getting enough fibre in a raw diet isn’t really a problem. Eating raw is SUPER-high in fibre. It’s much easier to process fruits & vegetables than it is meat or bread! If you want further evidence, check these out:
“Unless you eat a particularly natural, especially ‘raw’ diet, it can be difficult to get enough fiber unless you supplement.” www.articleclick.com/are
“The raw diet tends to be dense with nutrients that are easily absorbed into your blood, and contains little or no saturated fat. It is low in sodium, high in potassium and fiber… the less cooked the fruit or vegetable is, the more antioxidants and fiber it retains.” www.life.ca/nl/111/rawfood.htm…
“An added benefit of following the Raw Diet is you have less a chance of developing heart disease, as the plan is rich in vitamins, potassium, fiber and is nearly void of salt and fat.” www.dietsinreview.com/diets/Ra…
Casey — Yeah, it’s really interesting how your preferences change!
Monica — I will do my best! I haven’t been experimenting much recently but we just loaded up on fruits & vegetables so I will put some stuff together! My favourite smoothies are mixed berries with chocolate soy ice-cream or coconut cream & raw cacao nibs! Yum. & my default salad is spinach, cucumber, celery, sunflower seeds, tomato, avocado, sea-salt & balsamic vinegar. So good!
Stubby — Water is so incredible. That sounds like such a ridiculous statement but man, if people stopped drinking soft drink & just replaced it with water, they would fall over when they realised how much better they felt! & vegetables & fruit are super-high in protein & vitamins. Links!
“Green leafy vegetables and broccoli contain higher levels of zinc, calcium and protein than fruit and are therefore an important part of raw diets, but about 500 g per day of green vegetables, including a mixture of lettuces, broccoli and darker leaves such as kale and spinach, is sufficient to bring mineral and protein intakes into line with general recommendations. Such vegetables also provide vitamin K, which promotes healthy bones. Other raw vegetables can be useful: for instance, carrots are a good source of calcium and peas a good source of zinc and protein.” www.vegansociety.com/html/food…
“The WHO (World Health Organization) says humans need about 5% of their daily calories to come from protein to be healthy. The USDA puts this figure at 6.5%. On average, fruits have about 5% of their calories from protein. Vegetables have from 20-50% of their calories from protein. Sprouted seeds, beans, and grains contain from 10-25% of their calories from protein. So if you are eating any variety of living plant foods, you are getting more than adequate protein. Numerous scientific studies have shown the daily need for protein to be about 25-35 grams per day. So if you ate 2,000 calories per day, and ate raw plant foods that had an average of 10% of their calories from protein, you would get 200 calories worth of protein, or 50 grams. This is more than adequate to support optimal well-being.” www.living
Joanne — I guess, theoretically, that makes sense… but I’m finding that all cooked food tastes bland, regardless of where it comes from! I’m really just learning that I should stay away from that stuff. Even the occasional thing that is cooked that tastes okay (& there isn’t much of it!), I find that after I eat it my stomach hurts & feels really heavy. Like it’s just full of stodgy muck. It’s an awful feeling; not worth it!
Amelia — Yay, that’s awesome! There are lots of good raw books out there. I just bought a whole lot from Kristen’s Raw www.kristensraw.com/raw_recipe… — I haven’t made anything from it yet but I will! & there are lots of foods I don’t like but bananas are my #1 dislike. I can’t stand them!
ami — Wooohoooooooo! Good for you! I am finding the same thing — my body wants healthy raw yummy goodness! Your salad sounds AMAZING by the way, we’re totally going to try that!
emily — Yup, definitely! There are a lot of people who eat raw meat, raw dairy, raw fish, etc. I have never been into any of that stuff though so I am happy not eating ;D
natalie — There are lots of books on the subject! Check this out: www.amazon.com/My
Laiba — Hmm, that hasn’t happened to me, but I would say you are adjusting to your dietary changes. Going raw can be strange because we have to chew so much more than normal, & we digest much faster than we used to. I’d say you’re just adapting — but try not to stuff yourself too full! Pace yourself!
Melissa — No, I’ve done my detox period (it was ugly!)... this is definitely related to eating cooked food. Dehydrators are a drag, I don’t have one. I like instant food, I can’t think of anything worse than drying something for 24 hours before I finally get to eat it! Argh!
Melly — I’ll do another update soon!
Comrade GoGo — Thank you so much honeypuff!
mikaeri — Just if I eat them, period! If I don’t eat cooked food, my skin remains clear & lovely.
LadySmaggle — Well, it’s all about what makes you feel best! Who cares what you eat as long as you have energy to burn & feel good?! & the ballet DVDs are good, but unfortunately I find them kind of boring. Too slow! I like things fast-paced! I was going to do a post reviewing them & some other exercise DVDs I ordered, but I am still waiting for them to arrive… Have just made a dispute claim on Ebay, grrr!
fran — All I can speak about are my own experiences, & I know that I feel better when I eat no cooked food at all :>
lcmo — Cucumber on toast?! That is wacky! ;D
lainey — As long as it’s not heated above 108 degrees (I think), it’s considered “raw”. You can cut it, dice it, blend it, stomp on it or anything you like… just can’t heat it above that temperature ;> & your salad recipe sounds divine!
i decided today to write daily about my raw food diet on my little vox blog.
thanks for the inspiration!
xoxo
I’d love to be able to eat more veggies…but the simple fact is I think they taste disgusting!
I like raw carrot, cucumber and lettuce. That’s about it!
I love fruit though, I’ll eat basically any fruit…but we rarely have it in the house and stocking up on food like this gets pretty exy sometimes!
I’ve always wanted to try that thing on the magic bullet ads where they mix broccolis in with fruit and supposedly you cannot taste it…if that is true it could be the answer to all my problems!
you know, about not liking a huge amount of veggies, if i try again some stuff i hated when i was a kid i’m surprised to like it now. (or vice versa too, junk i used to love now just don’t taste good.)
if your taste buds are influenced by what you usually eat then i’m sure that if you try a bunch of stuff you didn’t like now, it will most likely taste different and possible good.
this happens to me even with a few years or less, it’s not just the gap of when you were a kid.
like when i first tried soy milk, i hated it. but recently i tried it again, and now i prefer it to cow milk.
i think this happen because the first try i had a preconceived taste in mind, and when it didn’t matched that, i got a weird taste. the second time i thought, okay let’s see what this really tastes like after all.
and i guess this might sound weird, but i know our taste buds can full us when we’re expecting a certain flavour. i once had a glass of water and a glass of wine on the table during lunch. i grabbed one thinking it was wine, and wtf the water tasted very salty. but then i tasted it again, this time knowing it was water, it was normal.
oops, i think i got carried away… sorry about that!
Gala, I just wanted to say that I love your raw food updates and look forward to more! XOXO muah