You could say I gave in to peer pressure, and I wouldn't argue. After spending a lot of time with some raw foodists who I love dearly during the week of our Nashville VegFest, I started to think about going back to a 100% raw diet. With my health issues last fall and the change of seasons, it felt like a good time to give it a try. On April 15th, I decided to jump. Now, over a month later, I'm still going strong, and I can honestly say that I feel AMAZING! I've noticed many subtle changes, nothing earth-shattering, but enough to make me want to continue for the foreseeable future.

So, what do I eat? Great question!

I always start my day by waking up and drinking 24-32 ounces of water with the juice of half a lemon. I try to drink all of this between waking up and brushing my teeth after my shower. Then, before leaving the house for work, I make a quart jar of matcha green tea latte. Yep, that's a lot, but do I care? Nope. I love it and it makes me happy. :-) I make my latte by boiling water on the stove and adding it to my jar, where I'll have 2 teaspoons of coconut sugar, a scoop of stevia, a dash of vanilla, a pinch of salt, and 2 teaspoons of matcha tea powder. I stir that together to dissolve, and add 3/4 to 1 cup of homemade almond milk. Since I used the last of my matcha tea this morning, I'll have to switch to Dandy Blend tomorrow. Made from dandelion root, chicory, and a few other things, it's reminiscent of coffee, but without the caffeine, and it's my second favorite hot beverage.

Arriving at work, I'm still sipping my tea for a while. Breakfast typically comes around 11 am, and right now, I'm enjoying the ataulfo mangoes that I'm buying from a local Mexican market. They ship these direct from a farm in Mexico, and they're perfectly ripe and delicious. I've been buying two boxes per week, and I'll likely cry when they're out of season. I'll usually have six mangoes for breakfast at my desk, and I don't get hungry again until late afternoon. When mangoes do go out of season, I'll probably eat watermelon for breakfast, or a big green smoothie with spinach or kale, and bananas, plus other fruit.

I'll have lunch around 3:30 or 4 pm. Lunch is typically some sliced veggies and a dip of some sort. This week, I'm making fresh guacamole every day and dipping sweet peppers and cucumbers in it. I take a small glass bowl with a lid and sprinkle my seasonings in it, add chopped cilantro, and take that to work with a whole avocado and half a lemon. Once I'm ready to eat, I just cut my avocado and add it to the bowl, squeeze the lemon in it, and stir. Voila! Fresh, homemade guac ready to go. Eating this late in the day, I don't get hungry while running errands after work, and can accomplish more when I get home.

After mixing and slicing.  Lunch is served. — After mixing and slicing. Lunch is served.

When I do get hungry for dinner, I'll either have some banana ice cream with lots of greens added, or I'll eat my dehydrated almond bread with a savory spread and chopped veggies on top.

Almond crackers, cashew/sunflower probiotic cheese, and my mom's salsa.

When I ate this way during my detox and healing period back in 2011-2012, I was hyper focused on eating low-fat, since my hormones were completely out of whack and I couldn't trust the signals I was getting. This go around, I'm not paying attention to calories or fat intake. I'm just listening to my body and what it's asking for. I feel relaxed and detached from any result this time. The only goal I have is optimal energy and health, and I definitely feel that it's working.

So, what have I noticed?

Increased energy. I'm still not great at waking up in the morning (never have been), but once I get moving, no matter how much sleep I've had, my energy levels stay consistent throughout the day. Before, even when I was eating mostly raw, I would feel a dip in energy around 1 or 2 pm, and would need to lay my head down for a few minutes to rest. It happened almost daily. Now, I find myself pushing harder in my workout breaks and needing to sit less. (In case I haven't mentioned it before, I do HIIT and stretching in my bathroom at work every time I go. It's great for fitting in exercise when you're a busy working mom.) Because of this, I'm doing more exercise. Win-win!

Better health, mental and physical. If you read my post about the health struggles I've experienced over the past 7 or 8 months, you'll know that it's been a while since I could say I felt great. After a couple of weeks eating all raw food, I started to notice that I wasn't having as much pain in my chest from the residual costochondritis, and my anxiety attacks became fewer and further between. Prior to this experiment, I had been experiencing panic attacks pretty much daily, quite predictably on my way home from work. The crazy thing was that I still don't know why I was having them. Life is pretty good right now, and I'm done with the most stressful part of my adult life... completing yoga teacher training, including writing a research paper, while working full-time and raising a rambunctious kiddo. Now, I'm just teaching yoga to friends to accumulate enough hours to register with Yoga Alliance, while working full-time and raising a rambunctious kid. My job isn't often stressful, either. So, I don't know why, but I was experiencing awful panic attacks. Whatever the cause, I can say that for the past couple of weeks, I have only experience a couple. They seem to be going away. Yay!! If you've ever had an issue with anxiety attacks, you'll know what a relief it can be to get back to normal. And with the chest discomfort lessening, I'm starting to feel like my old self again.

Better digestion = deepening of my yoga practice. I think that with eating more anti-inflammatory foods, my body is healing faster from exercise and stretching. In turn, I've been able to make better gains in my yoga practice. For instance, I'm now able to place my hands on the floor in a forward bend, which is something that has alluded me in the past. I'm starting to work toward splits, too, though I still have a long way to go after that December hamstring injury. (Overstretching. Oops!) I also feel lighter, and with better digestion, my core work is easier. There's a noticeable difference between working out with an empty stomach and one that's just ingested a heavy meal. When you're only eating raw foods that have their digestive enzymes in-tact, such as fruits and vegetables, sprouted nuts and seeds, your body can process them quickly without using much energy. This allows the stomach to empty quickly and saves energy for things like intense vinyasa flow.

See... fingers on the floor.  Yay! — See... fingers on the floor. Yay!

Some day, I'll find the splits.  Oh, yes, I will. — Some day, I'll find the splits. Oh, yes, I will.

Lower weight. Not that I'm focused on losing weight. I'm actually really happy with my body these days. However, I have noticed that I've lost a few pounds. I think it's mostly water weight because I'm eating less salt by default. Since I'm only eating salt when I sprinkle it on my food, instead of cooking with it, I'm using far less. Within the first week, I noticed that my cellulite was going away. I'll probably always have a little bit, but it's much less visible now. I think I'll be going shopping for some short shorts this weekend. ;-)

Better skin. Prior to starting this raw food experiment, I had noticed that the skin on my face was looking a bit dull. I'd been gradually increasing the amount of makeup I wore, and I really don't like wearing makeup at all. I've never had a big issue with blemishes, just the usual one or two pimples that pop up around menstruation time, so that wasn't a big concern. After the first couple of weeks, I noticed that I needed less and less makeup. I almost always wake up with red eyelids, which I use a white eyeliner pencil to cover, but I've hardly needed it for the past week or so. I'm now not wearing any foundation, just covering a couple of red spots, and I don't feel the need for any eye makeup at all! It's so freeing to walk out of the house fresh-faced. Aside from that, I can also see a "glow" that wasn't there before. It's hard to explain, but it's like there's a light behind my skin. Definitely liking this result.

Unfiltered, un-edited picture of my minimal makeup face.

In general, I just feel great most of the time these days. I haven't set a goal as to how long I'll continue eating this way. I know that I'll be limited in choices at some point when I travel next month, and if I happen to eat some cooked food, that'll be just fine. I also know that I'll be in New York City at some point during that trip, and I'll get to eat as much amazing gourmet raw food as I'd like, too. And THAT, I'm super excited about! And when it happens, I'll be sure to tell you guys about it.

In the meantime, if you'd like to see how raw food would benefit you, give it a try. There's no need to go 100% raw, especially if you're just starting your health journey. That can be a tough transition. Instead, try replacing one meal with a raw substitute. Then, replace another one. You'd be surprised how your taste buds will change and your body will start to crave the healthier food. Our bodies know when we're doing something good for it. If you'd like some help, I can offer my assistance with recommended recipes and tips for success if you email me at Lindsey@thegreenpenn.com.