Going Raw!

A couple of weeks before January, Mike and I decided to make some changes. I guess you could call them resolutions, which is quite fitting, since the New Year was right around the corner. When the new year approaches, many people resolve to eat better, and we were no exception. But instead of just eating better, we decided to eat completely different. And by different, I mean RAW. Yes, raw foods. Nothing cooked. Okay, you are going to stop reading now, right? You think we're crazy? Tree huggin', peace lovin', hippie freaks? The truth is, we just want to live better. If that makes us freaks, then I guess that's what we are. :)

By my second year of college I knew I wanted to go into dietetics. I loved studying about nutrition and the human body and the chemistry of nutrients and how the body uses them and breaks them down. It was very intriguing to me. However, I was attending BYUI (a two year institution at the time) and there was not a dietary program at that school. So I got an associate degree in general studies with the intent of transferring to another school. When I went back to school a few years later, I started studying nutrition again. I had been married for 2 years and the baby bug was starting to itch. I wanted to start our family and I knew that, for me personally, it wasn't going to work to have babies while pursuing a doctorate degree in dietetics. So, I made the choice to major in Family Studies and graduate faster with the hopes of going back to school one day. What does this have to do with my post? Well, during my college career I had opportunities to take a lot of food and nutrition classes. So, although I'm not an expert, I know a lot about the subject.
Fast forward 4 years. I wouldn't say I practiced what I preached in those 4 years regarding food. I ate what I wanted without really caring. Apathy, not ignorance, my friend. I was busy going to school, working, raising a kid, yada yada yada. But about 3 or 4 months ago, Mike started to get really interested in the idea of eating better. He started doing research, reading tons of material, watching documentaries and making some serious lifestyle changes. It kind of opened my eyes. This whole time I've wanted to go into nutrition, but never really put into practice my beliefs and my knowledge. Mike was the catalyst that got me motivated to be passionate about nutrition again.
So I decided I wanted to buy a juicer and start juicing fruits and vegetables. (your body absorbs the nutrients in juice faster than eating a piece of fruit or vegetable whole because of the fiber.) Anyway, after some investigation, Mike decided we should buy a Vitamix, shown below.

This thing has got an insanely powerful motor for a blender. It will blend anything. So we put whole fruits and vegetables in there. Some people put their avocado pits in and blend them. We haven't actually tried that yet.... But we have tried lots of other fun things. Like making our own nut butter and almond milk. And Mike makes a green smoothie every morning using whole fruits, vegetables, and greens.

Here's the chocolate almond milk we made (shown in the nut milk bag to separate the pulp from the milk.)

Raw stuffed peppers (stuffed with chopped nuts, vegetables, spices, and tamari)

Raw "burritos" (lettuce instead of tortillas as wraps, stuffed with a combination of mashed avocados, raw vegetables, seeds, and spices.)

Here is one of the raw "cook"books we have.

We attempted to make this raw raspberry ganache fudge cake from the book:

And this is what ours turned out like:

Bahahahaha!!!!!! I laugh my pants off every time I see this picture. :) It doesn't look ANYTHING like the book. Heck, it doesn't even look appetizing! But it tasted great! The frosting alone was heavenly. And it was made using raw ingredients and without processed sugars!

Here I am making some raw lasagna.

Marinated mushrooms in olive oil and tamari (this is close to a meat-like texture)

Spinach sauce (blended in the Vitamix)

Slices of zucchini (the noodles)

Raw, homemade marinara sauce

We alternated zucchini noodles, mushrooms, avocado slices between the 2 sauces. Okay, so it didn't taste as good as real cooked lasagna with cheese and all that fattening stuff, but it DID taste good, and it was really good for us!

Those are just a few of the things we've made since the beginning of the year. It's been an interesting switch from the things we normally make for dinner. Okay, I don't want to sound misleading here. We have not gone 100% raw. To jump into something like that would be pretty much impossible for us. So we are taking baby steps by incorporating more raw meals into our week, more whole fruits and vegetables, less processed foods, less refined sugars and flours, etc. And I'm not going to lie, it's been difficult. From starting this I've come to realize how addicted I am to junkfood. Sometimes the cravings are intense and I just want to eat a really greasy cheeseburger and fries despite knowing how horrible they are for my body. And sometimes I just want to eat an entire pint of ice cream or eat a handful of chocolate chips. It's been a real challenge for me. But I've also noticed something else. I feel better when I eat better. Mike says the same thing. I have much more clarity and my body seems to feel less tired. I truly want to do better. I want to eat more raw, whole, organic, and local foods. Less meat, less dairy, less salt, less sugar, less fat and definitely no genetically modified foods. It's a huge transition for sure.
But even when we don't eat raw meals, we're trying to eat better.

For instance, we've been making a lot of soups this winter chocked full of vibrant, colorful vegetables, organic stocks, and herbs.

This is called Chicken Not Pie. (uh...like chicken pot pie, without the...pie)

This is called Cassoulet. (notice there's Italian sausage in it...yeah, I'm not perfect!)

Anyway, the point of this post is just that things are changing with our perspectives. Not just on food, but on the environment, the government, food businesses, and so many other things. Food relates to it all. We've been watching several movies that have pushed us towards being better stewards of our bodies and the earth. I've gained a deeper appreciation for local farmers and gardeners. I believe that companies like Monsanto are corrupt and ruining food and farmers. I believe we should be creating less waste and recycling more. I believe we need to be growing our own foods, free from pesticides and hormones. I believe we need to be saving our own seeds from our gardens and storing food for future emergencies. I believe our bodies can heal themselves from all kinds of diseases if they just have the right nutrients. I believe the American diet does not provide the body with those nutrients and our bodies have become susceptible to diseases and ailments that the pharmaceutical companies have taken advantage of. We live in "a pill for every ill" generation. I believe in losing weight the "old fashioned way." I know people who try to take shortcuts all the time by using diet pills or hormones (hcg diet) and I just don't agree with those kinds of methods. I believe in vitamins and minerals. There is no money in health. If we were all healthy then doctors wouldn't get seen as often. If we were all healthy we wouldn't need medications and the pharmaceutical companies would suffer. I could go on and on because it makes sense. It makes sense on so many levels. Eating well makes sense on an environmental level, a political level, a religious level....
Okay, I know, I know. I am getting all hippie on you now. And this post is getting long and if you've read this far you're probably bored to tears. So, I'm gonna wrap it up. But if anyone is interested here are some things we've been learning about, and I'd encourage anyone to check these out:

The China Study

Gerson Therapy

Food Matters

The Future of Food

The Word of Wisdom

Eat for Health