The One Month RAW Challenge

[danceshine]

Hi everyone. I'd like to experiment with sprouting. I have some almonds...can anyone give me the quick and dirty on getting them to sprout? Cheers, -danceshine

[mtmouse]

According to two different sources I just looked up, almonds won't actually sprout, but only swell. If you want soaked almonds, do it for 8-12 hours.

[Sim]

Hi Mookie~
I'm in Trumbull, right near Bridgeport...where are you? How fun that we're on the same side of the world together...you know what THAT means...we could, if we wanted to, actually get together and maybe even do a little tandem raw prep! And as Mtmouse says, there's no such thing as "falling off the wagon"...do what feels good and right to you. I would caution you to try to become aware of what you crave versus what you need/makes you feel well. This week, for the first time since January, gooey cheese pizza with clams, garlic, shrimp, and spinach are looking really good to me...I won't eat any of it, but suddenly it looks good again. I know this is just "memory hunger" and I won't give in to it because it was what made me go on the MC and raw diet in the first place: I simply didn't feel well from what I was eating. The memory of acid reflux is much stronger and more influential than the memory of how yummy cheese pizzas are. But what would happen if I had a bite? Absolutely nothing, nor would I feel like I ruined myself....we're all just human and indulging in a food fantasy once in awhile does not mean we should self-flagellate and repent. Be happy with incorporating more raw into your diet and if you should ever want to go all raw, then you will.

A word here about raw: just as the MC affects us all a little differently, so does raw AND the decision to go raw. I've read now in countless books that it's almost IMPOSSIBLE to go 100% raw all at once, especially without the help of a coach or buddy to help you in the kitchen. Well, I'm nothing amazing, just a regular girl, and I went raw the way I do everything in my life: I just made the decision and did it, never looked back, 100% of the time. This does not mean I am particularly strong or better or more dedicated; it just means that's how I have to do things, that's the way I function. I want to make sure that all raw newbies NEVER feel it's all or nothing because trying a new raw recipe should be a joy not a hardship. Charlottebird was right: At first, raw DOES require a lot of advance planning, until you get a hang of the rhythm. And guess what? I STILL don't have the rhythm quite right but I solve the problem by saying: Oops, didn't get that stuff into the dehydrator on time, guess I'll just make something else for dinner. No stress at all, just opportunities to eat something different and perhaps a little more simple. I've noticed that after I've made a few intricate things, I crave the peace and quiet of a simple nut paté in nori or even just a salad with a great dressing.

Nance~!! Day 42 and you're not going to have solids until July 7th??? WOW. That's a mighty long time, girl. Just be sure you're feeling well, okay? I'm on Day 40, tomorrow is my last day and I'm getting ready to break open the box that contains my new Vitamix!!! Update: to be honest, kids...I'm feeling just a tad fuzzy. I think it must be the weight loss because I am now officially the size of a fourth grader (okay, I exaggerate, but only a little...I weigh less than 100 pounds and I don't think it's a good weight for me to be...BUT my first CSA box of produce will be picked up on Thursday, I've got my recipes ready, and I'm all set to gain back a little weight. I'm hoping it will be fun.

Kathy~oooh, bad girl for being here...wait a minute, that makes me bad too! But only by one day... ) Hey, no one's perfect

[mtmouse]

Another thing about those "mistakes", not into the dehydrator on time: you can always eat it RAW! LOL. All the food we make raw can be eaten at any time. It's not like batter with raw egg, or undercooked meat, or anything. If you don't want to wait until it's dry, eat it wet!

[mookie47]

thanks Sim and everyone else for their support. Nance and Sim! So impressed with you both for your lengthy MC! What prompted you to do it for so long? Also, how is your tongue looking? What kinds of changes did you go through? Sim, I live in Duthcess County NY which borders Sharon CT. Sharon is on the CT western border a little to the north. Do you know of any raw food restaurants? I'm about an hour away from the Berkshires and they have a lot of funky good restaurants there. So far I'm enjoying the raw food - love not counting calories! Tried to make Nori rolls last night with guacalmole and veggies on the inside. they were very delicious, but VERY messy.

[Nance]

OK I know this is a RAW thread . . . I'll share briefly about this long MC and then back to the RAW!

Dear mookie.

thanks for your honesty about adjusting to raw . . I must say a steak and mashed potatoes sound really good (in theory) right now. I sometime wonder how I will do. Keep us posted . . . we will all walk a different balance.

Thank you for asking about my fuzzy tongue . . . I had not looked in a few days and it is almost all pink. I am feeling very well today, actually, my sense of humor came back. I still weigh in over 160. I am very happy with 150's after this and explore raw down to 140s. 140's size 10 - 12 are fine for me.

Emotionally, I have been through some great detox. Today I had a very good cleanse conecerning my divorce. Was married 1980 - 2000. Oh I fall in love (infatuation) so easily, and then hide in food self-medication. . . this cleanse is addressing those areas of addiction.

I am going so long because I started on May 7-8 and about week or so later some of my friends called a 40 day fast. SO, there I was at day 12 or so . . . and made the decision to stick it through with them. SO, I would like to go to 51 (my age) MC and total 56 (year I was born) on raw juice. I am ready to shift over sooner if I hit the wall.

SIM Was it your dad who was so ill? How is he!!!??? HOW ARE YOU??? HOW IS YOUR VITA MIX??

DANCESHINE ( I love that!) I JUST ordered some stuff that Handy Pantry (from Arizona) makes. They have a website I think, though I didn't get the booklet or order the stuff there. The little booklet is very handy. I already started sprouting (facination with RAW and LIVE) and am giving them away to my roommates. I had some old seeds and they sure didn't sprout as readily as some fresh ones I just got . . . I will let you know how my Handy Pantry sprouting bowls work out.

[mtmouse]

Hey, Sim,

When do you go to Ireland?

[Sim]

Hi buddies...sorry I've been MIA...too much to do! Kath, I leave for Ireland on June 29th...have to get back to eating before then

Nance~ Yes, it was my dad and he's doing better, thank you sooooooooo much for asking. I haven't opened my Vitamix yet because....TA DA! I just finished my 41 day cleanse yesterday (Tuesday)...and today it's OJ!!!!

Mookie~ I know exactly where Sharon, CT and Dutchess County, NY are...been to both places many times. Don't know of raw restaurants up that way...actually, I've not been to many restaurants--raw or not--since I started on Raw in January. (Too much good food at home, plus I love experimenting!).

So now we know why Nance is doing such an extended cleanse...good for you, Nance, just monitor how you feel. And me? Just plain stubborness. My first 40 day cleanse was in December, done because I really wasn't feeling well and my SAD diet was the cause, I'm sure. So I did 40 great days, went on raw, and in May decided to do another cleanse, this time 41...just to make sure I was REALLY cleansed. So now, let me share: I think this second long cleanse was over-the top....at 30 days, I felt done. No, my tongue didn't get pink. I guess the tongue thing is not a good indicator for me because even after my first cleanse, the tongue didn't clear until I started eating! Anyway, at about 35 days, I could no longer run my usual 5 miles per day. I was fatigued and getting brain fuzzy. But because I'm so stubborn and I had said the magic number was 41, I continued. Okey-doke, no harm done. I'm fine, doing OJ this morning, and happy as a lark. I do want to report one major downside: I have now had to field the concern of several people, including very close friends, family members, and my rabbi who were concerned that I am anorexic!!! Obviously, they can't know me very well if they think I could ever be fearful of food BUT the reason they were worried is very obvious: I now weigh 95 pounds. That's a "never in my life" weight and frankly, I look painfully bony, a lot like Matt Amsden, only he has more hair than I do So the worried friends can be excused because anyone who knows me knows instantly that I look...different. I'm looking forward to the happy prospect of gaining back 10 or even 15 pounds. I've never said that in my life, either. Overall, I'm all for longer cleanses...and I think I've gotten over my stubborness, too. The fact that I could have SOLID elimination at day 34-36 tells me there's always more to cleanse. I won't be cleansing again until January and then it will probably be 10 days to 2 weeks. I'm looking forward to finding out how much weight I'll gain back on raw. For the record: I started my first cleanse at 141, went down to 111, gained anywhere from 2 to 5 pounds, and if I started my second cleanse at 116, I've lost another 21 pounds. Grand total: 46 pounds gone since December, but that's way too much.

Back to Raw: YIPPEE!

[mtmouse]

Congratulations, Sim!

Only 9 days to get back to eating after 41? Sounds alarmingly small, but I guess it's probably right on! Enjoy your OJ!

I've never considered going longer than 20 myself, but I will admit to some developing interest due to your experience. This time I'll stop somewhere between 14 and 17, because now it turns out I'm having guests for dinner in early July.

One thing I'm wondering about, though: Up until now, I'd kind of been thinking of simply regular (probably twice a year for me) cleanses of 10-20 days. If you say that finding solid eliminations at 35 days made you realize there's always stuff to cleanse, do you think (and I know this can only be a guess or a gut feeling) that multiple serial shorter cleanses will eventually produce the same result? Or is one always likely to find "more" only after 30-35 days?

Just trying to bounce some ideas around here.

[Sim]

One thing I'm wondering about, though: Up until now, I'd kind of been thinking of simply regular (probably twice a year for me) cleanses of 10-20 days. If you say that finding solid eliminations at 35 days made you realize there's always stuff to cleanse, do you think (and I know this can only be a guess or a gut feeling) that multiple serial shorter cleanses will eventually produce the same result? Or is one always likely to find "more" only after 30-35 days? Just trying to bounce some ideas around here.

What a great question, Kathy~ I wish I knew the answer. So now we have to find out from several people who've cleansed multiple times for periods of 10-20 days if they've ever had an experience similar to mine re: solid eliminations. Maybe even Peter can illumine us.

And now another question: are 6-9 days of OJ or grapefruit juice too few after a 41 day cleanse? Curiously, my OJ did NOT sit well this morning...it actually hurt about 10 minutes after I drank. And that is normal for me; I cannot normally drink OJ because it always gave me ulcer type pain. Interestingly, it did not bother me after the first cleanse but did today. This afternoon I made watermelon water to drink, to avoid having citrus and guess what happened? It hurt a bit too! Must be an "after the cleanse" reaction to something other than lemonade. EEK! I almost made myself lemonade to avoid further pain! See? I guess just as each cleanse is different, so too might each breaking of the cleanse. I'm not doing anything different from when I came off the first cleanse...so interesting. Anyone with any input or ideas regarding Kathy's outstanding question? Let's kick some ideas around.