+Raw Diet: Day 2+

Today was the second day on the raw diet, and I'll keep this entry short and simple by starting us off with three things I learned today. 1) No caffeine in the morning is rough. 2) No carbs at all is rougher. 3) Eating basically nothing but roughage definitely makes my digestive system run at warp speed.

I don't see how it can be healthy to cut out all cooked foods on a long-term basis. As a cleanse, I can sort of understand, but I've always been of the school that says "everything in moderation." I hated Atkins the moment it came out because it required total elimination of an entire food group, and eating raw is really taking that concept several steps further. I definitely don't think 100% raw would be sustainable for more than a week, at least not for me. I'm doing okay for now, but after seven days I think I'm going to be homicidal.

Attending a cookout tonight was a little rough - the smell of hot dogs on the grill combined with the bowl of Cheetos staring me in the face...yikes! I soldiered through - made the smart decision of eating my dinner before I got there, then just snacked on the veggie tray while I was at the party.

What I ate today:

Breakfast - Berry-Banana Smoothie* (recipe below)
Morning Snack - 1.25 oz. raw almonds
Lunch - spinach and green leaf lettuce salad with dried cranberries, orange segments, red grapes, bean sprouts, edamame, cucumbers, and raw walnuts
Afternoon Snack - carrot sticks
Dinner - half sweet potato with raw honey and sea salt, 1 cup steamed cabbage with olive oil
Evening Snack - crudite of orange peppers and carrots


Berry-Banana Smoothie

2/3 c. frozen strawberries and blackberries
1 banana, sliced
1/4 c. acai pomegranate juice
1 tbsp. flaxseed oil

Blend all ingredients until fully pureed and emulsified. Enjoy!

Notes: I washed fresh berries and froze them overnight to use the next day in my smoothie. I would recommend that you not attempt to freeze a banana in its skin, as this has disastrous results. Just trust me on that one.

You can add a handful of raw spinach to this smoothie - it will not affect the flavor at all, but it will add a huge boost of vitamins and minerals, plus give you some veggies in the morning.