Hiya guys!
Did you all enjoy a great weekend? As I mentioned Saturday I went to a festival with my mom and friend K. The weather was just swell….
Nevertheless we had a great time (as long as we stayed inside a tent that is).
Me & Mom !
Obligatory half-assed outfit photo
This Summer: Raw Results
A week and a half ago I wrote about the three major things going on in my summer. I now have a fourth, rather sizable activity to add to the list: raw results.
Raw Results is an 11-week online program, hosted by the infamous Raw Food Rehab, that coaches participants in the raw food lifestyle. The program includes a private section on the website where all participants can interact, weekly discussion topics, reading material, tons of recipes (from a raw foods chef!) and a book club. The goal of these programs is to create a learning environment for those who want to get started with the raw food lifestyle, or for those who are ready for a bigger commitment to it but could use some guidance and a group of like-minded people. Awesome right?
You all know that I have been toying around with raw foods since last March, where I embarked on a 21 day cleanse (has it really been four months already?!). Between then and now I’ve had bouts of eating high raw, to periods where I ate mostly cooked. I have found that I keep coming back to raw, each time getting a bit more familair with it, each time liking it even more than before.
But. I have also had struggles on my raw food journey. Sometimes when I eat a large percentage of my foods raw I definitely feel on top of the world, versus very sluggish and weighed-down when I eat mostly cooked foods. Other times, I can hardly tell a difference. At times I have also felt pressurized, restricted by this diet. Which is silly because I don’t, nor ever will, strive for ’100% raw’ or anything. But the mind is a weird place. Lastly, I have also had (and still have) a hard time with bringing variety into my raw meals, and ended up eating mostly salads, salads & salads. Nothing wrong with that per se but it gets boring, I tell ya.
I plan to find out if raw really is for me during this 11 week program. I am committing myself to getting more adventurous with my meals and to eat a high raw diet consistently, so I can figure out for myself if this is something I’d like to persist. I want to find out if eating raw really makes a difference in how I feel and look. I’m really excited for this adventure!
One other struggle that has been holding me back from eating a high raw diet consistently is that I’m afraid. I’ve always been rather intimidated by the whole idea and up until a few days ago I couldn’t figure it out, but now I have. During the 4 years of my eating disorder, I have felt very isolated and alone. I was responsible for this myself of course but I remember how awful it felt to always feel alone. I spend many, many days without even seeing or interacting with another person. Wandering the streets alone. Sitting in my tiny room, alone. One thing always on the fore-front of my mind; food. Calories. Exercise. Weight. There wasn’t much room for anything else in my life. I realize now that subconsciously I have been scared because of this. I don’t ever want to let that happen again. Good food/a healthy body and a social life are not the same, but they are equally important. And a healthy body is worthless if you don’t take it out to have fun!
So, I’ve been contemplating this for a while and decided it’s bullshit you can’t have a different way of eating than your friends. Or that it would come in the way of social gatherings. I say, this is all up to you. With a little thinking ahead and being flexible, everything is possible. I’ve seen this myself with being vegan. It’s never been a problem. Hell, I even managed to eat a semi-raw, vegan meal at an Italian restaurant the other night! So long as you don’t frett about it and know everything is going to turn out OK you’ll be fine. I really want to commit to this experience, but it’s just a small part of me, of who I am, what I do. It’s just food!
So now that I sorted out these things in my head I am really excited to give this whole raw foods thing a real shot. I like me a good challenge, and I love exploring new territory, experimenting. Besides for the many, many health benefits of raw I am also in love with this lifestyle because raw food preparation is truly unique. I have much more fun creating raw meals and snacks in the kitchen than I did with cooking and baking. When prepping raw foods, I sometimes feel like a gourmet chef. I like making simple things, like a good, buff salad, but I also love turning my kitchen into a science lab when I soak, sprout and even ferment stuff! And not to mention raw cacao… chocolate forever has a new meaning to me.
The program start this Friday, July 1st, and runs through September 15th. I think Summer is an especially wonderful time to to up your intake of raw, fresh foods! In the meantime, I have been doing lots of experimenting myself already :
Strawberry-Mint Icicles (with cacao nibs)
My sauerkraut turned out wonderfully! Recipe to come..
It’s aliiiive
Boom!
Project Rejuvelac. A fizzy drink extracted from sprouted grains that is loaded with probiotics!
Superfood Green Smoothie
My new love/addiction for young coconuts
My first succesful attempt at making raw crackers/chips! I lost the ‘after’ photo but they are super thin & crisp and taste similar to cheese-onion chips!
Snowballs (e-book recipe!)
Ooey-gooey, thick, rich, moist, creamy fudge. Also known as ‘The Best Thing That Ever Came Out Of My Kitchen’ or’The Best Chocolate I Have Ever Tasted. Period’. (e-book recipe!)
This was truly a match made in heaven…
And with those images on your brain I’ll leave you to your day, I’m off to Bikram it up!
Love,
Sabine
Awesome post, Sabine! If you are looking for variation in your raw recipes, check out http://www.rawmazing.com. This is a truly amazing website & the recipes are unique, tasty & a hit every time I make them and the photos are what I call a true food porn. I own all of Susan’s books & I must admit they made my transition to raw food really easy. Enjoy!
P.S. Where do you buy young coconuts? I am looking everywhere in Amsterdam, but no success so far.
haha, you keep throwing great tips my way Anna, thanks! Rawmazing is in my google reader & I love her recipes! I actually wanted to try her cinnamon toast (or something of the like) with hazelnut butter, sounds so yummy. I don’t have any of her books though, but I have ALL of kristens books (kristen suzanne from kristensraw.com). hundreds of recipes. and I’m lusting after a few raw chocolate books, although I am creating some pretty awesome stuff myself as well!
do you have any other fav raw blogs? i like therawproject.com, choosingraw (doh), and rawthentic food on facebook (food porn like you wouldn’t believe. i seriously don’t get how she makes certain things, haha)
have you been eating raw for long?
x
oh my god how cool! went over to that raw food rehab website and… I’m just hooked haha. I’m not really into raw foods that much but I always LOVE seeing what other people are able to make with just a handful or RAW ingredients… a few nuts here, some dates there, a pinch of cacao and BOOM. it tastes good, it looks amazing and it’s also good for you. So excited that you’re going to do this, I hope you’ll blkog about it too?
Hallo,
Heb je nu ook een dyhydrator in bezit. Weet u of al de recepten waar je een dehydrator voor nodig hebt ook te vervangen is met een oven?
Echt geweldig wat je elke keer weer weet te maken!
Gr. Rianne
Thanks for the gret tips, Sabine, I will check the websites you recommend, I am sure they are great! I do not follow a lot of food blogs, but there is another website I like a lot: http://www.therenegadehealthshow.com (also on Youtube). Further I look on YouTube for inspiration, especially when I am bored with the recipes I have, it seems to do the trick.
I have been raw for 6 months now & I must admit that the less cooked food I eat, the less I crave it. Not that 100% raw is my goal, but I do feel better when I eat 100% raw & my skin looks amazing, so I will stick to it as long as I feel like that & if my body asks for cooked food, it will get it, as simple as that
Sabine,
Thanks for writing about how eating a raw diet doesn’t have to mean you are being rigid and isolated. You are so right – it’s just food! My nutritionist doesn’t support my raw food efforts because she thinks it is too restrictive (I have an ed past), but eating mostly raw has helped me eat more and enjoy food again.
Can you post how you made the raw crackers? They sounded delicious! When I try to eat raw, I really miss having “crunchy” things like crackers, and the raw crackers they sell at the store/online are so expensive!!
Thanks so much, you are truly an inspiration.
Elyssa
I’m joining raw results too! See you there! Good luck!
As silly as it might seem, I totally understand where you are coming from. Considering that half of my family is French (and the French just DON’T get vegetarianism, let alone veganism, and even worse *gasp* raw foodism) and the other half is Chinese (where most things are cooked and the concept of not eating gluten/rice is beyond them), I had a REALLY hard time accepting that I would have to be socially different from the people who were close to me, especially when there are outings and events.
At first, I really hated asking restaurants to make special exceptions for me and stuff like that. Finally, my dad of all people just told me to be comfortable and not be shy about the health decision I had made, and that really made me realize that he’s right! I am more than my food choices, and I have nothing to be ashamed about! Neither should you
Especially because it’s a great choice!
I also know this is a total plug, but I’m hosting a giveaway on my blog too for some vegan goodies so please check it out and if you’re up for it (I’d also love it if you’d let all your awesome readers know too
xox )
Great post and I’m excited to hear your experiences! I’m nowhere near a raw food diet, but I try to incorporate raw stuff babystep by step. I read into raw foodism a bit more lately and I’m shocked by the way some people react on it. A lot of people really think the only thing you can eat is fruit, veggies, nuts and seeds. Maybe in a way that’s true, but you can make so many great things with only those ingredients! Hope to see the recipes of the great pictures soon!
I get your point on feeling excluded entirely! I already feel that way when I take a salad to work, or don’t accept a cookie. Or going to a bbq and only eating salads. My friends and familie are nowhere near vegetarian, vegan or raw, and I find it very hard to talk about my feelings and struggles in that area. At home I try to replace things, but when I’m at others, I think it’s rude to take my own things with me, so I end up eating things I rather didn’t or eating almost nothing.
Question: I’m finally ready to buy a foodprocessor/blender. Both my handblender and other small blender almost died on me. It takes me at least 30/45 min. to make a smoothie (with chunks! ) so I make smoothies for 3/4 days at a time and freeze them. But I’m done with that! I know you had a Kenwood, do you think such a fp/blender does the trick? I’m sure it will handle smoothies, soups and some can even juice (because they have so many accessories), but I want to know if it’s ok with ice cubes, frozen food (banana ice!) and making grounded nuts and nutbutters. Especially the last one I’m not so certain about.. Hope you can tell me!
On your foodprocessor/blender question. Buy a vita-mix 5200 with stamper if you want to do raw food and green smoothies! If you don’t have the budget buy a small Tribest Personal Blender with 475ml jar. 475ml is a still very very small but it does the job with some help. In the meanwhile save some money for the vita-mix. On the question Blendtec vs vita-mix. Go for vita-mix because of the stamper, slow speed blending option and its warranty. (I have just been through the “I need a new blender” phase)
Jelle, thank’s for your nice info! I think, at this moment as I’m not raw, vegan or even vegetarian (yet), a Vita-mix is way to expensive. I’m ‘just’ looking into all that and taking babysteps at a time. I think a nice blender/foodprocessor can help with that. When I’m sure I want to continue with this and take the extra step, I would maybe buy a Vitamix. The tip about the Tribest Personal Blender for me is great though. Will search the Internet for more info! (But that Kenwood seems awesome to for this stage in my life, it has so many options! The reviews are great too, but I’m affraid those people don’t use it to make nutbutters, banana ice cream, etc..)
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