L2 (my 9 year old) goes RAW

So this week, first full week of summer vacation, L2 and I have been eating about 90-95% raw.

Last week I became convinced, sort of out of the blue (which, to me, simply confirms that it was Divine Inspiration) that she needed to "detox" by eating raw for a week, so I decided we would both do it.

I have not forced to eat ONLY raw, the point here is NOT to make her miserable (I do that in other ways... hehe) but to clean out her system. So I have let her add little things here and there, like ice cream (not necessarily cooked, but it does have processed sugars), tortilla chips or croutons or even some chicken on her salad, etc. But the processed or cooked food has only been about 10% (if that) of her daily intake.

The results were apparent almost immediately (day 2!) and they have been wonderful!
She has been happy, peaceful and almost completely drama free (this is normally our Emo child). Her energy level has been great, she has not been sleeping a lot but doesn't seem to be tired, but mostly, her attitude has been amazing! (Plus other things you would expect: she is eating a lot less, doesn't get hungry often and forgets to drink water because of it, has no cravings, etc).

Today she asked for cereal for breakfast (she's been having a smoothie) and I knew we would be having salads the rest of the day, so I figured it was no big deal. Then after church we stayed for "fellowship" and there she ate some chips and salsa and some cookies and brownies...

yup, you guessed it, by noon she was hungry, crabby and emotional because we went to Tractor Supply and the carry the little plastic animal figures she likes and she wanted to get a rooster to go with her chicken coop but she didn't bring her money because we hadn't told her we were going to the store and she had thought about bringing her money but mommy told her we were not going to the farmer's market so she didn't think there was a reason to bring it and daddy won't pay for the rooster and then let her pay her baaaack!!

Loren and I had to point out to her that this had been the first instance of whining for the entire week! and very obviously on the heels of the "crappy" stuff she had eaten that morning.

Just to make it clear how amazing this is, I should explain that L2 craves structure and we usually have a lot of trouble during vacations unless we create a routine for her. If I just let her sleep in and then have a free-form day of leisure, by noon we have a complete meltdown!! This week we have not seen that at all.

Alleluia! The Raw Diet triumphs again!

Needless to say, we have ALL been eating a lot more raw (75-90%) and collecting more reasons to keep this as our regular eating style.

Day 37, Blame the Liver (and Lunar PMS update)

Wow, I've been sitting here (Here: in bed in my pajamas with my laptop on my lap. It's only 7:48 --and I've already been Here a while! I am enjoying a rare evening of self care, feels decadent!) trying to start this post. I have started and deleted several times and, well, really, it's not my fault. It's my liver.

[First of all, let's the get tedious listing of the menu out of the way, and the obligatory mention of the fact that I did not write a post yesterday because I was working on the taxes. Yesterday: Smoothie, home made trail mix for snack, McDonald's Berry smoothie for "lunch", dried apples for snack, Big Beautiful salad for dinner.
(I will add a photo tomorrow when my brain is working again). Today, out of bananas, no smoothie (I've tried to make them without a banana, the texture is all wrong), buckwheat with plain yogurt, the last of the dried blueberries :( and agave nectar for breakfast, another Big Beautiful salad for lunch, because yesterday's was so good, but I couldn't finish this one, and for dinner a grapefruit and lots of water with cranberry juice --you'll understand soon]

This afternoon I had a session with an acupressurist (her name is Kolene Woodrum, and she is wonderful, if she had a website I would link you). The first thing she does is have you tell her why you are there (usually a physical issue) and she will ask you questions to figure out what the underlying problem actually is, since physical problems are a manifestation of an unbalance at the energetic level. I told her about this diet, about my desire to lose more inches, about the changes in my mood and motivation lately, etc.  I also told her that I have been feeling like my heart chakra is closed (for lack of a better way to put it) because I have been feeling very detached and not very passionate (except when I get angry).

She explained (and here I must add the disclaimer that if I say something that makes no sense at all, it is probably due to the fact that I am paraphrasing what she said and, while it made sense and it resonated with me while she explained it, I am having trouble explaining it... again, probably my liver's fault) that weight gain tends to be the body's way of creating a shield to protect itself (from an emotional threat), she mentioned that throat issues usually have to do with problems with self expression. She also said that the liver is the organ that deals with anger, and she said it also rules the thyroid and your eyesight. She said the raw diet is the best thing I could be doing to cleanse the liver of toxins and that it makes sense that emotional issues are coming out because they are still "stored" somewhere in my liver and they too need to be flushed.

The treatment was very relaxing and gentle, it was very interesting to feel the changes in my body as she would move from one area to the other. It was also very neat that a couple of times I felt like I wanted her to treat a different area and she would go there almost immediately. She played a very relaxing CD that she gave to me at the end of the session :)

After wards she explained that as soon as she started working on me my liver started clamoring "Me me me!" so she focused on it the most (obviously this is very intuitive work). She warned that I might feel "yucky" in the stomach, that I might feel more angry as more of the emotional issues got flushed out, and that I should not try to do much in the way of productivity or concentration (she specifically said "don't get on the computer") because I would probably have a really hard time concentrating.

Boy was she right on (it's 8:24, it's taken me this long to try to make sense of these few paragraphs). I have spent a lot of time in the bathroom since I got home, I had to wrap myself in a blanket because I got a little bit cold and I have been craving water with cranberry juice. I have not felt angry, thank God, but I have also been trying to avoid situations that would give me the slightest excuse to blow up at somebody (thus being in bed so early. L2 brought the other laptop so I would help her research something online and I lost my patience with her very quickly, in my defense however, later Loren tried to help her and he lost his patience too, so maybe that one was more about her than about my liver). I was hungry but everything sounded too heavy until Loren suggested a grapefruit. That was just what I needed and now I feel totally satisfied.

I am really out of it! I tried to read over what I have written and lost my concentration so many times I finally gave up! But there is one last thing I really need to mention!!

I'm on my period again and this time it actually caught me by surprise because I didn't have PMS at all.
(If you have not read it, I really recommend checking out the Important Lunar PMS post)
I had been feeling Crabby, which, when compared to Content or Happy, is not ideal. But when you consider that normally I would have been closer to Criminally Insane, it turns into a change worthy of mention. In fact, I am not even sure that the crabbiness had anything to do with my period at all, which allows for the possibility that A Life Without Mercurial Hormonal Changes does exist, and not just as a fluke that one time during Lent, but consistently.

I could not be more serious about recommending this for people who have life altering PMS symptoms. Please try going raw (even if just 75% raw) for 6 weeks or so, just long enough to experience 2 periods on it, or even just one week before your regular PMS days. I can't imagine that you would not experience a positive change.

Days 10 & 11, pairs of pants gained: 3!!

 I have been able to wear 3 pairs of pants that I could wear this past summer but quickly outgrew during the fall.

They are still tight (today I asked Loren if there would be children pointing and chanting "big butt, big butt") but I CAN wear them without much physical discomfort (and ZERO actual physical pain!!!).
Here is a photo!

Day 9, Going Raw In SIMPLE Terms (an easy intro for beginners)

My friend Marie-Francoise posted the following comment: 

hi llse! i've been reading your blog - very cool! i've been wanting to go raw - not 100% - but at least eat raw more often than not. the only trouble is that i can't find a simple, easy way to start. all the websites I've looked at are too complicated. i need one written for someone in kindergarten. yes, something even a 5 year old could understand. like a short list of some kind - the raw websites are waaayy too intimidating. any suggestions?


So, here are my two cents (however, I am NOT a physician and this is not meant as medical advice, always consult a doctor and don't sue me):


1. Eating all or most of your food raw greatly increases your energy and health, will give your mind more clarity and will eliminate most hormonal imbalances that cause mood swings. Your body absorbs the nutrients in the food much better so you eat less and have no cravings (you may have to do a colon cleanse to get the full advantage of it, depending on how contaminated the lining of your colon has become over the years).


2. You are on a textbook raw diet if you eat only raw foods and you do not heat anything above 115 degrees Fahrenheit (46 C). Also you should not eat anything that has been previously heated while being processed (sugar being a big one, soy sauce, honey (which needs to be cooked to make it runny), beer, spirits, etc). A lot of raw foodies are also vegetarians or vegans.


3. A lot of people eat a partial raw diet, many consider themselves "Raw Foodies" even though they eat 75% raw. Increasing your intake of raw food even a little bit will help your body, but if you are having energy/weight/health issues going completely raw will start making a BIG difference withing a couple of days. Some people go raw to detox. If that is your goal then juicing your food is an even better option. 


4. Going raw is easy, there is no prep needed, you might have trouble giving up other stuff cold turkey, that's another story, but you don't need to do anything to prepare your body to receive lots of raw food.

5. You may need/want to take some supplements when going raw, depending on how diligent you are about making sure your food is varied enough to supply all your nutritional needs (protein, calcium, vitamins, iron and other minerals, etc.).

6. Raw foods have so much water you will find yourself getting thirsty less often, but if you are "thirsty" for a drink you can have wine (wine is fermented, not distilled like liquors, so it IS allowed!)


7. When eating raw you can still eat some grains that are beneficial by soaking them ("sprouting" them) so that they become soft enough to chew and digest. You can eat raw nuts and it is recommended that you soak them so that they can be digested more easily.


8. You can create your own variation on the strict raw diet, I, for example, allow myself some dairy products in moderation (yogurt and some cheeses), my husband allows himself green tea, and we both eat raw fish.


9. What are the advantages of eating raw? For this I am going to quote Esme Stevens from the site "The Best of Raw Food" because she does such a great job explaining what happens when you cook food:

        Why eat raw food?

         "Why is the benefit of eating food raw?" is another question I'm asked a lot (sic).The most
         important reasons are to me that heating your food above 115 degrees F (45 Celsius):

• Kills enzymes. Enzymes help you digest your food. Your body can create enzymes but that process takes a lot of energy. This process makes you feel tired and heavy after a cooked food meal. Further, the enzymes your body makes are not as efficient and effective as the ones that were destroyed in your food.
  Consequently, your food is not be broken down as well and thus harder to digest. This also results in food starts rotting in your intestines, that parasites have more chance to survive
  It is further believed that your body has a limited amount of enzymes that it can produce. If the supply is finished, body organs will function less and less. It will accelerate aging.
• Changes the pH of the food and makes food acidic. We like to eat alkaline foods. Eating acidifying food makes your body a welcome feeding ground for disease.
• Converts easy to absorb minerals into inorganic - hard to absorb - minerals. INorganic minerals such as calcium are hard to absorb and might cause calcium stones, whereas organic ones are easier to digest, make you alkaline, help you get rid of too many acids
• Destroys most vitamins
• Destroys the life force. Eating cooked food is eating dead food. This will make you feel heavy and tired. Live food has live energy. It will give you energy. Simply put. A raw seed will grow, a cooked seed won't. When you pick (raw) unripe fruit it continues to ripen for weeks. Cooked fruit starts to decay within days.

        These reasons are enough to explain why most people on a raw food diet feel more energetic and
        have a stronger immune system.

 See what I mean?
And, finally, if you are still wondering "so, what? I eat celery all day?), here is a...

10. Sample One Day Menu

Breakfast: Morning Smoothie (strawberry/banana flavor, my recipe includes yogurt, you can substitute with orange juice) and/or
Buckwheat GRAWnola with almond milk,
and/or Simple Fruit Salad (you can omit the yogurt).

Lunch: Salad with greens, tomato, carrot, broccoli, alfalfa sprouts and your choice of raw nuts, sprinkle with olive oil and apple cider vinegar. Avocado slices with lime juice and chili powder or cayenne pepper, or Loren's Guacamole.

Snack: Vegetable/tomato juice and raw Brazil nuts sprinkled with lime juice and salt, or
Fruit juice and raw nuts, or
Dried or fresh fruit, or
Flax crackers (recipe coming soon) with almond cheese

Dinner: Ceviche with flax crackers, Raw Garbanzo Hummus (recipe coming soon), and a salad of your choice.

Dessert (if you have a sweet tooth, but I guarantee after 2-4 days of being off processed sugars you will not have one any more):
Dried blueberries in yogurt or
Chopped walnuts with raw honey or agave nectar.


I hope this helps to get you started, you will feel great!

IMPORTANT Lunar PMS information!

I should really be going to sleep, but I thought of something CRUCIAL that I forgot to share, and while the words to talk about it are still somewhere in my head I am going to do my duty and share it (and I might regret publishing, yet again, a post written after midnight, but that's the risk I gotta take).

***If you are a post pubertal or pre menopausal woman you need to read this!, if you are a man who lives or works with a woman in that age group you need to read this!, however, if you (men) find it useful and would like to recommend it to said woman PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION, I repeat, EXERCISE EXTREME TACT when recommending this post***

Here it is:

I am PMS-ing, or rather... SHOULD BE!

And, in fact, the convergence of the Days Before My Period (capitalized because you have to show them respect or they will totally pwn you (how hip am I that I can correctly use the term "PWNED" and its variations?)) and the Days Before The Full Moon (see "respect" above) would normally bring about a cataclysm of hormonal, chemical, energetic, psychic and psychological imbalances capable of bringing about the end of a perfectly good 17 year old marriage, or, at least, the end of all chocolate ice cream and tortilla chips in the house.

AND, and, aaaand, considering that the full moon we are about to have on the 19th has been labeled a "super moon", one would expect the needle of the psycho-meter to be shaking in the red zone right about now. And yet, here I am, happy, peaceful, patient, and ever so humorous (at least way funnier than my husband, but we'll get into that one some other day).

Hmmmmmm, you say, "so what's has made the difference, oh soon-to-be-enlightened-and-skinny one?"

Why, my Raw Food Lenten Fast of course!!!

Seriously, the only other times in my life when I (WE really because, unfortunately for them, my family can't tie me up in the barn during those 1-3 days) have not had to suffer/muscle/pray/medicate myself through PMS (especially when coinciding with the moon) have been those when I was:

a. Following a ridiculously healthy and simple diet and

b. Singing in an opera (during which time I become this uber human version of myself, who exercises and meditates daily, and eats moderate-sized servings of very healthy foods -except for the fast food burger and fries dinner I treat myself to before the show, but this works for me, I promise, otherwise my sugar will drop halfway through the performance and I end up having to use the baritone as a crutch to get me through my blocking)

So you see Lunatic PMS Sufferers of the world, there IS a cure and it is so so simple! I hope you try it next month, happy menstruating!