DAY THREE - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 3, 2009 - Toronto, ON - Because of last night's festivities, I didn't have much time today to prepare my lunch at 8am this morning (as much sleep as I could get was in my books). I opted to bring some macadamia nuts and a banana to snack on.

At around 2pm I started getting hungry, so I decided to try my hand at ordering something. I ended up at Reggie's Old Fashioned Sandwiches which is conveniently across the street from my office and went with the make your own salad for $8. Here's what was in this delicious bowl:

Reggie's Build Your Own Salad

• Spinach


• Chick Peas


• Cucumber


• Snow peas


• Sprouts


• Avocado


• Grapes


• Green Apple

* With a light mustard vinagrette (Not positive if everything was raw... probably not, but it was a pretty good effort all in all!)

Day ONE - Diary of a Raw Foodist

August 1, 2009 - Toronto, ON - So, this is day one of recording my progress in the transformation of a raw lifestyle. Yesterday, I found a great deal for a Juicer ($5!) which was a great addition to my equipment I was hoping to accumulate.

This morning I made one of my favourite Breakfasts and here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Banana

1/2 cup (give or take) blueberries or any berries you like

1/2 cup of mango (give or take)

handful of soaked Almonds (Soak them overnight in about an inch of water in a glass bowl at room temp)

a splash of unsweetened Almond Milk

1/2 Tbsp of Raw Honey

handful of unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

Slice banana, mango and add to bowl. Add in the berries. Top with Almonds, add honey, milk and coconut. Mix together and ENJOY!

For more information on soaking seeds and nuts, click HERE.

RAW LIFESTYLE 30 DAY CHALLENGE

July 31, 2009 - Toronto, ON - I have been on the raw diet lifestyle for almost a week now, but starting tomorrow, I will be documenting on this blog a sort of Raw Diary. This will include whats on the plate for each meal of the day, temptations, experiences, and more knowledge I learn along the way.


I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to take the challenge and post comments or even your raw food diary here to help others and encourage others to take it on!

Generally a raw food diet takes approximately 2 weeks to kick into your system fully to get all the benefits of it and get the toxins out of your body. (Of course this all depends on how your lifestyle is now, everyone is different). So, by taking a 30 day challenge, hopefully you will noticeably see and feel the difference!

So to get you fully started, i am sharing some of my favourite links for recipe ideas to get you started planning your meals!

The Raw Chef - Russell James (At the right top hand corner, there is a FREE PDF of his Ebook)
We Like it Raw - Raw Food Goodness - Recipes
From Sad to Raw - Recipes
Gone Raw - Sharing raw recipes and advice
Living & Raw Foods - A little confusing at first, but very informative and lotsa recipes too!
Wellsphere - Health Knowledge made personal
Raw Epicurean - It's a Lifestyle


Hopefully this gets you a good start! Good Luck!

Staples in your Fridge, Counter & Pantry you need

July 31, 2009 - Toronto, ON - So you've started doing your research, and you want to get started right now. Below you will find a list of things you will need in order to start a proper healthy raw diet:



Equipment:

* Glass Bowls (for germinating & sprouting)
* Blender (This is your new best friend)
* Juicer (not needed, but helps for a lot of recipes)
* Dehydrator (not needed, but helps for a lot of recipes) Don't buy any of them unless it's the Excalibur
* Spiralizer (not needed, but helps for a lot of recipes) ... it's also a lot of fun!
* Sharp knives
* Cutting Board

GROCERY LIST:

Dried Fruit, Legumes and Nuts:
* Raw Cashews
* Raw Almonds
* Raw Sunflower Seeds
* Raw Macadamia Nuts
* Raw Pine Nuts
* Raw Flax Seeds
* Dates
* Raisins
* Dried Lentils
* Dried Chickpeas

Miscellaneous:
* COLD PRESSED Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
* Raw Agave Nectar
* Raw Coconut Oil & Shredded unsweetened coconut
* Raw Cocoa
* Raw Almond Butter

Spices & Condiments:
* Raw Honey
* Himalayan Salt
* Sun Dried Tomatoes
* Cayenne Pepper
* Cinnamon
* Ground Cumin

Frozen Section:
* Frozen Organic Fruit
* Manna Bread (YES YOU CAN HAVE "Bread"!)

Fish/Meat Section:
* Proscuitto (Cured Pork)

Fresh Produce: (if it's organic, even better!)
* Avocados
* Bananas
* Kale
* Bell Peppers
* Onions
* Garlic
* Tomatoes
* Lettuce & Spring Mix
* Spinach
* Lemons & Limes
* Oranges
* Apples
* Berries
* Mangos
* Zucchini
* Celery
* Fresh herbs such as: Parsley, Basil, Cilantro
* Jalapeno Peppers
* Ginger root


This should be a good start! good luck and keep checking back for more info and recipes to come!

Interesting facts of a Raw & Healthy Lifestyle

July 31, 2009 - Toronto, ON - I know most of us these days don't have time to read tons of books to gain knowledge. We now rely on Google, Wiki, Blogs and Television to educate us, or simply by learning from others.


I have seen two documentaries lately about a Raw & Healthy lifestyle that have given me a lot of insight on the whole concept. From being able to reverse effects of Diabetes, Cancer and other illnesses that usually we rely on drugs to cure or to regulate. Both of the documentaries show alternative ways that WORK.

Please take some of this with a grain of salt, because obviously, being a documentary it can become Bias at times. Here are the two links if you are interested in learning more:

FOOD MATTERS

SIMPLY RAW: REVERSING DIABETES IN 30 DAYS