Raw baby, Raw!
I’ve really been getting into a podcast lately called “We Like It Raw“. they have tons of raw food advocates on there. Some of the interviews are a little too much for me to believe…like the guy talking about how much spring water is going to change my life. Deleted that one pretty quickly. But the interview with Tim VanOrden, a competitive raw food runner, who is so sincere, funny and down to earth, not to mention quite easy on the eyes…really caught my interest. I must have seen him way back in the day at Real Food Daily in the late 90s when I first moved to LA? Anyway, it got me to thinking about trying to incorporate more raw food into my life. I’m not ready to go whole hog just yet, but I can see myself pulling off 2 raw days per week.
I’ve been fascinated with the raw food movement for some time, and while I have sampled a few raw meals here and there, I couldn’t sustain my interest because 1) the food sometimes was hard to digest and made me feel a little gross 2) some of the people at the forefront of the movement are, well, a little too goofy sometimes 3) the food is expensive 4) it can be a pain in the *&$ lifestyle to upkeep
But raw food has been back on my mind; perhaps there is another push in the collective consciousness steering me towards it, or maybe it’s the fact that the food is getting that much more available, affordable and delish! Many more people are migrating towards the raw food lifestyle–it’s not longer an underground “hippie dippie” sub-culture, at least…not like it used to be. I also notice that whenever I eat a completely raw meal (I’ve been able to consistently do it for a meal, but not a whole day) my energy and focus feel so good. here’s a list of what I ate yesterday on my “almost totally raw” day:
Breakfast
16 oz fresh carrot, apple ginger juice* from Naturewell
1 oz shot of coconut water probiotic kefir (a gift from Naturewell counter gal)
Prana raw enzyme Bar
*The juices are $6 or so…rather pricey. I probably should just get juice from the less flashy looking place across the street that also serves Empanadas. Not sure their fruit is organic though, nor do they probably have fresh ginger? I’ll have to get back to you on what I find out. Probably just need to make my own juice at home. But there is something so nice about the big cocktail shaker full of ice the Naturewell folks use to lovingly dispensing your vibrant juice concoction…
Lunch
Purple beet, tomato, avocado salad with cilantro and lime/olive oil dressing
Potato Croquettes
(Ok I botched it at lunch with the croquettes, but I was at Wood Spoon, dammit! At least I didn’t order the chicken pot pie, which people are freaky for! Darn I just realized I also botched it on the roasted beets…guess those aren’t raw. I don’t know offhand of any whole raw beets in raw food recipes–do you? That seems like it would be pretty gnarly)
1 young coconut (sipped the juice–so wonderful–with a straw and ate the pulp later on as a snack)
Dinner
3 Rosemary Crackers from ELR…or Euphoria Loves Rawvolution (wow there are incredible–you can taste all the nutritional density. Lovely touch of lemony zing. You don’t need more than a couple to feel full)
sliced raw red bell pepper with 2 T. Back to Life Raw Tomato & Basil Hummus (my husband really digs the raw hummus–it definitely tastes much more vibrant and flavorful…and I keep singing that Soul II Soul tune)
One Glass Red Wine (Juliano says it’s OK, so it’s ok, right?)
Dessert
Strawberry Fields Forever Raw Vegan Cheesecake from Earth Cafe (Ok this was just off the charts delicious. At $6 it really breaks the bank a bit, but I found out you can buy whole cakes from them for $32–a better deal overall, probably. It takes a lot of effort and time to make and package the individual pieces, I’m sure. But again I must say this was so incredibly good! I’d love to end any day with a slice of this cake.)
Results: Even after a pitiful night’s sleep, eating raw food and fresh juices kept me awake, alert and feeling pretty up in my mood. I felt great physically and emotionally, I slept well too. There is something beautiful about a more deep relationship with whole food, fresh and living, putting pure energy and nourishment into your body. Maybe there is something to this raw business.
It’s been interesting enough to make me peruse Ebay for a new juicer and food dehydrator! 🙂 Stay tuned…
McKenna Rowe is the Founder of Chakra 5 Mobile Yoga, an experienced team of corporate yoga instructors that provides mobile yoga classes on location and by appointment at businesses, schools and organizations throughout greater Los Angeles. Call us to start your corporate wellness program today: 310-853-3885.