RawFu: day twelve (incorporating newbie notes!)

newbie notes: define your boundaries

Today's newbie notes are based on one of the most fabulous tools I've ever been given. This is a Karen Knowler special. Karen taught me this technique just before I was due to go on a week-long business trip, where I was unsure how much control I would have over when, where and with whom I'd be eating. So, as preparation for the unknown, she taught me this 'boundaries' trick.

I've since adapted it to suit me, so I'm presenting my adaptation here.

Define what you eat in three broad groups. Group one is what you want to eat, stuff you know is good for you, you like and want to eat abundantly. Group two are things which you are happy to eat in moderation. Perhaps you're trying not to eat too much fat, so you could put nuts, olives, avocado, salad dressings in this category. And the third group are things which you will try to avoid unless circumstances are difficult. Put in here your lesser trigger foods, comfort foods and so on - anything you'd rather not eat, but will allow yourself a little of if push comes to shove. Everything else belongs outside the three groups and is absolutely off limits. So all those things that leave you craving more (like if munching on one biscuit will lead to you demolishing the entire packet) and will undermine your hard work are firmly stuck in this no-go area. Obviously, for me, this was more about when I don't have an option to eat from my first/second group, which food should I choose to eat and which to steer clear of from my third group. It still requires a level of willpower, but if you allow some foods into the third group then you don't have to put yourself through a guilt trip when faced with a difficult choice. Just don't trick yourself into thinking you don't have a choice when you do. If your choice comes down to anything off a fast food menu, then remember that a banana, an apple and a glass of water will keep you going for a couple of hours until you get chance to make something more satsifying. A salad with a creamy dressing is still closer to your goals than an all-out pasta alfredo extravaganza.

Draw big concentric circles on a piece of paper, each one representing one of your groups, fill it out and stick it somewhere you can see it. Then thank Karen Knowler!

RawFu: day ten

First 10-day mini-challenge challenged and defeated. Take that!

It's been fairly easy so far. I've been 100% raw most days, but I have had some of our lovely homegrown potatoes alongside my salad, and a bit of cooked here and there over the weekend, But that's ok. It feels very much under control.

Detox has subsided a little so I'm looking forward to enjoying the "high raw high" next week.

I've given up on posting what I eat everyday, mostly because I'm just not inspired to write every day and I know a food diary is definitely useful but I'm just not up for it right now.

However, I do have a list of 'newbie notes' up my sleeve that I will share as I think these are useful. Some of them are posted over at RawFu already but since the network is closed to non-members I think it's only fair to post them here for the whole wide world to access.

newbie note: supplement, substitute, subtract

While you're still starting out on your journey I think this is some of the best advice you can get. It still helps me when I fall off the wagon.

So, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. Three simple steps. SUPPLEMENT first, then SUBSTITUTE, finally SUBTRACT.

So, first, while you're finding your way, just eat more raw foods along with your regular diet. You supplement with extra raw fruits and veggies. That's it. In practical terms that means adding a salad to your usual dinner.

Next, substitute. As you notice you get more attracted to the raw food, or you make a conscious decision to increase your raw food, then you can start to substitute cooked food with raw. Choose a raw soup instead of your regular dinner. Swap that "I'm tired and don't want to cook" pizza with a quick and easy green smoothie. Or, make your side salad into a main meal salad and don't have the chicken/quiche/pasta or whatever you would normally have.

Later on in your journey you can start to cut out specific foods. I cut out wheat and dairy first, as I'm gluten intolerant and it's a big trigger food for me. I am not 100% vegan, I've been veggie for years and the only dairy I have is cheese and live yogurt, but as I get on my raw wagon I try to avoid all dairy products because I know that's better for me. Then cut out your other cooked dishes and unhealthy habits one by one. No more coffee this week. Next week kick the tortilla chips habit. The week after face down your Ben & Jerry's addiction. And so on.

Then slowly build up to 100% (or whatever your chosen % is) raw vegan from there. Take it easy. You'll get there.

RawFu: day six

Apart from being tired and headachey, oh and a bit of backache and... oh ok, so I think I've hit detox. But I'm mostly upbeat and feeling good in between the crappy bits. I'm definitely having deja vu here! How many times have I done this now? Maybe this time I really will stick to it. Lord knows I've learnt enough theory to be able to stick to it.

Over the past few days I've settled into 100% raw. I find that anything less than 100% raw doesn't work for me. It's very much all or nothing for me to stick at it. There are some things I can eat without cravings coming back to tempt me, and others I need to avoid. So today's homemade lemon poppyseed muffins in the kitchen at work I knew would be my downfall. I could cut a tiny piece of... but I know I'd be pulled back throughout the day and end up clearing the plate. So, I repeated the mantra "Cravings are only temporary" and distracted myself as best I could.

And that brings me to:

newbie note: what's your poison?

Toxins are interesting things. As you detoxify you'll find that you crave certain things. You'll feel a pull towards the food toxin that is currently leaving your system. For me it's wheat, the big trigger. And like all addictions, the 3 day rule works here. If you go cold turkey you will get over the addiction and you won't be pulled back to your trigger food as if you really needed it, often accompanied by a slew of emotional connotations. But if I was tempted by and gave in to, ooh, say a tiny slice of pizza, I'd crave it again for another 3 days while the wheat stuck around in my system, and trying to get me to have more as the effects start to wear off, like the drug it is.

So, my advice? Find out what your trigger foods are and then, if you must treat yourself from time to time, make sure you leave at least 3 days between each treat. That way the addiction won't settle back in and you can stay in control. Hurray!

RawFu: day three

I had planned on spending the day at the allotment but as I was on my way home from grocery shopping after breakfast the heavens opened, so I took that as a sign, and have spent the rest of today pretty much locked in the kitchen. But we've got yummy dinner ready and waiting plus I have a ton of stuff prepped for during the week. Things like grated carrot, sliced red cabbage and other bits that are easy to throw together for a fast lunch salad and a few treats for breakfast or evening dessert too.

I am feeling a bit tired and achey, but I don't know if that's just from last week's sleep deprivation or if I'm heading for a bit of detox. I doubt it's detox as I haven't been eating considerably cleaner than usual. In fact, with all this weekend's kitchen goings on, I've eaten lots more rich, nut-based food than I usually do.

So today, I have mostly eaten...

am:

fruit salad with cookies (made these up on the fly: used almond pulp leftover from making milk, added honey, vanilla, cacao nibs, dried mixed berries and dehydrated overnight)

apple

pm:

lunch was same as last night's dinner. Using up leftovers when they're that tasty is no hardship.

snack: cookies, juice of an orange

coleslaw with sweetcorn, ginger-orange-sesame dressing; courgette hummus and cashew crackers; warm peach pie with coconut-mango ice cream (pie adapted from a recipe in this summer's Get Fresh! magazine, ice cream was totally made up)

Found a lovely tea in the supermarket today. It's green honeybush, which is a herb from Cape Province in South Africa. It's mixed with a blend of flowers and is light and refreshing, and tastes of flowers and honey. Yummy.

newbie notes

I still struggle to stay raw, I'm not claiming I know everything, but there are a few things I've learned and can pass on to those who have just discovered raw. So when I think of something, I'll post it here.

today's top tip: drink more water. 

Drink a pint, at least, when you first get up, and at least another 3 throughout the day. Don't drink large quantities just before or after you eat, do it between meals. This helps keep you hydrated and flush out toxins which will be leaving their homes in your fat cells and making their way into your bloodstream. You want them out as fast as possible, so keep things moving with plenty of liquids.

There are raw foodists who say because of the quantity of water you consume via fruits and vegetables on a plant-based diet that you shouldn't need to drink much water. I recognise that the quality of water locked in a cucumber, say, is far superior to that in your filter jug or transported half way around the world in a plastic bottle, but when you have toxins to rid yourself of, you need to supplement food-sourced water with drinking water. If you eat a lot of nuts or dehydrated foods, again, you'll need more water. Unless you're living off watermelon, you'll need water.

And, regardless, I still think you should drink more water, however water-rich your diet is. But that's just my opinion. Make your own mind up once you've done your research.