Day 87 - Friday 27th February 2009

I start off today by saying that I am now officially 80 10 10rv (3 days now) and have also read Dr Graham's book 'The 80 10 10 Diet'.

I was lucky enough to have the book on loan from a lovely lady on one of the Raw Food forums I frequent and have thoroughly enjoyed the read.

Not only was the book an eye opener in many areas, but it also taught me a lot about nature and the human body. I believe now after reading it that I understand the body more and how it works.

I don't believe that 80 10 10 is the type of book that you read and then forget about it, quite the contrary actually. I feel that if you change your diet to raw in particular 80 10 10rv (raw vegan) you are more likely to care about your body and what you put into it. I want to be in touch with my body more and want to give it the best chance at increased health & wellbeing.

Since discovering raw, particularly low fat raw, I feel that an awful lot of the raw communtity are still harming their bodies by continuing to eat high fat/gourmet raw. I mean don't get me wrong, this is how I started out; raw breads, biscuits, chips & snacks and it helped tremendously with the transition from SAD to raw. I pretty quickly though became aware of what my body wanted and what tasted better and it wasn't long before I stopped eating those foods.

Gourmet raw I found was very rich, filling, heavy in the stomach and didn't digest well. It was not a hard decision to make to stop consuming these foods, even when I did, I still left myself open to go back that way if I wanted, but to date I haven't and don't want to.

I enjoy eating fresh fruit & vegetables more than I ever thought I would. I mean I always liked fruit, but generally only as a snack and certainly not as a meal. If I had a sweet craving, like anyone following SAD, it would be a chocolate or a piece of cake that I would grab to satisfy those cravings. Now, except perhaps for one particular time of the month, (when I will have a few dates to satisfy that craving) I do not suffer them. Cravings are now pretty much non-existant.

I know since becoming raw, more so now in the last month, I have changed as a person, though, in a good way. I have become more in tune with me, don't seem to stress as much, am in control more of my life. I care more about what I put into my mouth and use on my body. I have changed my soap, shampoo/conditioner, facial products & toothpaste to 100% organic and am now slowly working on replacing the other chemical laden products that are used daily, in the household.

If we want to live life to the fullest, we need to do something to make the changes necessary to live a happy, healthy and fruitful life.

If I can make a difference within this little space of the world I occupy, then I can feel proud I've done my bit. Life is far too short to sit back and watch, hoping someone else will fix things or that things will get better. I did this for far too long and accomplished nothing.

It may have taken me my entire life to work it out, but now that I have, I can do something to make the necessary changes to live the rest of my life healthy in the best possible way.

Day 1 - Monday 1st December 2008

After a couple of days of research, today was the first day of my raw food diet. The Raw Food Diet.....is exactly that. Nothing is cooked. Everything is eaten raw or dehydrated and the food eaten is from the earth. The food should generally be chemical free and organic, however due to my work commitments and costs, this cannot always be possible, however going 'raw' is ultimately the aim. Everything I have read, tells me I should be doing this slowly, but I'm stubborn and impatient and want to see the full benefits of this new eating plan straight away. My aim is simply to, lose weight, look and feel healthier, and be as pain free as possible.

The pain I suffer from, is the result of rhemotoid arthritis, which I was diagnosed with about 5 years ago. I have tried many natural remedies, creams, pills and more over the years, all with little or no effect, and so while reading up on the Raw Food Diet, specifically for the purpose of weight loss and general well being, discovered that by following the plan, it was also capable of heeling the body. This was a bonus, which pretty well made me determined to give it a try.

I am now at the end of my first day and feeling pretty pleased with myself. Had no problems at all, (well perhaps one or two, but I wouldn't call them problems). I had to forgo my morning ritual of a can of 'Sugar Free' Red Bull and stop myself a couple of times getting into the 'Sugar Free' Chewing Gum (that stuff I'm addicted to, or should I say, was addicted to), other than that the day ran pretty smoothly.

Over the course of the day I consumed a large salad, which contained salad and finely chopped or grated vegetables. Watermelon, carrot sticks, nuts, seeds and sultanas were the other things I also ate thoughout the day. I can honestly say that for the first time in a while I went to bed satisfied and not bloated or full, which felt great.

Tomorrow I'm looking at purchasing a food dehydrator, which not only dries your fruits, but also dehydrates certain foods for particular recipes like potato cakes, coconut balls, vegetable slice and a number of other foods I can't wait to try. To think, that I thought all I would eat was raw fruit and veg (how wrong I was). There is an abudence of recipes like soups, dips, drinks, desserts, snacks and main meals to experient with, and they look so delicious. Oh and did I mention there is also chocolate cake, biscuits and ice cream recipes? Who'd have thought.
Well tomorrow is a new day and another challenge.