Better late than never. Kudos to those who blog daily as I am finding it a challenge to keep up with daily posts...heck, weekly posts. I have been doing a lot of thinking recently and have many posts that I would like to put up and will try to do a few a week at least to get all my thinking out on the page.
The daily green smoothies are now a part of my life. I say day 29 and 30 but really I could go on as I have continued to have at least one 4 to 5 cup green smoothie a day since the end of these 30 days. I made a list up on day 30 of things that I noticed in the duration of this trial. Here it is:
higher energy levels
less sleep needed
better bowel movements
very clear skin (after the first week)
hair loss lessened and stopped
smoother, softer hair
strong nails
better muscle definition in arms
softer skin
brighter eyes, better vision? (can see the alarm clock from across the bed clearly now)
better able to handle stressful situations
minimal mood swings
PMS - got my period at the end of the trial and didn't know it was coming...NO cramping at all and only lasted 4 and a bit days!!
less sweet cravings
less hunger felt, therefore ate less
no overeating for the wrong reasons
more patience with the kids
kids and hubby ate better and my son loved smoothies (at first and then this dissipated near the end)
clearer head
resting heart rate down about 4 beats per minute
blood pressure down a few points on the top and bottom
I did not change my diet drastically and ate about 90% raw during this time...sometimes it was 100% for many days but I did have some times when cooked food entered the body. I would venture to guess that the results would be even more amazing if I'd been eating 100% raw the whole 30 days. Interestingly enough since the trial I have been eating 100% raw and did a three day juice feast.
There are a lot of people getting on the juice feast wagon! There are people blogging about this everywhere, and there's a list of bloggers who are juicing at the Raw Food Right Now blog. Heidi is also blogging about her 92 day juice feast. It's is an interesting read and I wish I'd blogged about mine when I did the 30 day jucie feast last September (2007). I did journal so maybe in future posts I can put some of my journal stuff in here. Kristen at Kristen's Raw is also into a juice feast...I believe it's for 30 days she's going so I'll be reading her posts to hear more about that as it's the same duration of the one I did last fall. Go Girls! Juicy awesomeness all around.
So now that the 30 day trial of smoothies is over what I find I am eating is 100% raw, and juicing more than I have since September of 2007. Ideally I'd like to be juicing in the morning, then having a smoothie for lunch and the more solid foods would be in the afternoon and early evening. Then finish all eating by 8pm and maybe have another juice if I am hungry later. The only problem I've had so far is when I ingest a green juice later than 8pm I have trouble getting to sleep before 1am. I have so much energy...it's like a jolt of coffee for those who don't drink too much coffee.
I am a firm believer in both juicing and green smoothies, having experienced both for 30 days each. Now it's time to put the both together and take things to another level.
Eat Raw, Live Well.
Off to the mountain today in the glorious (almost spring) sunshine!! Hope it's clear enough to see the red moon tonight!
Powered by green,
Melinda
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Day 22 to 28 - Daily Green Smoothies
Must blog more, must blog more...
Still drinking lots of daily green smoothies. It is such a part of my life now I am beginning to crave green smoothies and all things green. Not sure if I mentioned before but I look at everything green now and wonder what it would taste like in a smoothie...let me clarify: Driving home I come through a beautiful green parkland drive. It is amazing in the summer when we are in full bloom and leaves are all full out. It is also beautiful in the fresh snow with trees heavy laden with the new snowfall. But I look at the greenery and wonder...should I throw something like that into the blender?
I look forward to the spring when new fiddleheads will be peaking out of the ground. The adult plant may be difficult to swallow but even as a kid we used to boil fiddleheads and stinging needle to eat when we camped out with Girl Guides. Coming back to my roots it seems.
I also had a green juice this morning and it felt like coming home. I haven't had a juice in over two to three weeks...and it was SO good! I put in four handfuls of baby spinach, two romaine heart bunches and two apples for a little sweetness and a small lemon to cut the green taste. Wow, my taste buds came alive!
This afternoon I had a spinach and carrot juice. It tasted better than I had imagined. Matt Monarch is always talking about how much he loves spinach and carrot juice so I had to try it. His blog is also great reading, lots of information to look over.
mattmonarch.blogspot.com/
His fiance, Angela Stokes also has a great blog:
rawreform.blogspot.com/
I will blog about a whole bunch of different sites that I go to in order to read about raw foods at a future date.
I am currently working on my slide show for a presentation I am giving to a bunch of teachers on the Pro D day. We'll do a little talking and a little preparing food. I am nervous but looking forward to it and want to do more of this in the future. I would love to do a talk at Planet Organic or at Choices...but for now it's for teachers and for the neighbours.
I drank a lot of juice today and had great sustained energy throughout the day. I am tired now, and feeling a little hungry actually for the first time today. It's not a bad thing to go to bed a little hungry. Goodness knows there are many people who go hungry on a daily basis!
Dream Green!
Still drinking lots of daily green smoothies. It is such a part of my life now I am beginning to crave green smoothies and all things green. Not sure if I mentioned before but I look at everything green now and wonder what it would taste like in a smoothie...let me clarify: Driving home I come through a beautiful green parkland drive. It is amazing in the summer when we are in full bloom and leaves are all full out. It is also beautiful in the fresh snow with trees heavy laden with the new snowfall. But I look at the greenery and wonder...should I throw something like that into the blender?
I look forward to the spring when new fiddleheads will be peaking out of the ground. The adult plant may be difficult to swallow but even as a kid we used to boil fiddleheads and stinging needle to eat when we camped out with Girl Guides. Coming back to my roots it seems.
I also had a green juice this morning and it felt like coming home. I haven't had a juice in over two to three weeks...and it was SO good! I put in four handfuls of baby spinach, two romaine heart bunches and two apples for a little sweetness and a small lemon to cut the green taste. Wow, my taste buds came alive!
This afternoon I had a spinach and carrot juice. It tasted better than I had imagined. Matt Monarch is always talking about how much he loves spinach and carrot juice so I had to try it. His blog is also great reading, lots of information to look over.
mattmonarch.blogspot.com/
His fiance, Angela Stokes also has a great blog:
rawreform.blogspot.com/
I will blog about a whole bunch of different sites that I go to in order to read about raw foods at a future date.
I am currently working on my slide show for a presentation I am giving to a bunch of teachers on the Pro D day. We'll do a little talking and a little preparing food. I am nervous but looking forward to it and want to do more of this in the future. I would love to do a talk at Planet Organic or at Choices...but for now it's for teachers and for the neighbours.
I drank a lot of juice today and had great sustained energy throughout the day. I am tired now, and feeling a little hungry actually for the first time today. It's not a bad thing to go to bed a little hungry. Goodness knows there are many people who go hungry on a daily basis!
Dream Green!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Day Fifteen to Twenty One - Daily Green Smoothies
Life's busy. Still making time for daily green smoothies and sharing most of them with my son and my mom, both enjoy them a lot.
Weight has leveled out and I still haven't lost anything since I last blogged. 138 to 140 on any given day.
Skin is clear, except for the dry hands I have experienced since the weather dried up. It's snowed here pretty much every day since I last wrote and before! I've never seen it snow so much on the West Coast of B.C.
Feel really clear headed on days when I concentrate only green smoothies, not hungry much when I've had about four to five cups of green smoothie for a meal. I am also enjoying avocados and tomatoes lots.
Cravings: I have had huge cravings for cooked food, especially any vegan dish that my husband makes. I have chosen to eat it on some occasions and hope to develop a raw version of some of these great tasting foods. That's my next challenge, coming up with some of my own recipes, some that mimick Indian food, or Thai food or polenta, etc. There are ways to do it, I just have to get the right mix. I used to get down about the days I didn't eat fully raw, but if I still sleep soundly, make proper cooked choices and still eat 90% raw I am easier on myself these days. I still strive for 100% for life and know it will come with time. Maybe when I live in a lush tropical area and fruit falls off the trees in my yard the entire year...
Sun Run Training is going well. I feel strong and have absolutely no cardiovascular difficulty with the 2 min. run and 3 min. walk. My legs feel strong and I don't feel sore the next day.
I also shovelled three driveways this last week and it was over a foot of snow! I felt some tenderness in the shoulders the next day and slightly more the day after that, but really nothing like I may have in earlier years. I could not believe how fast my body got over that kind of exercise. It was easy when I was doing it as well, and I have not been doing a great deal of muscle building exercises this last six months. I will need to improve that as I want to continue to develop my muscle development.
My daughter turned 5 and asked that I make raw ice cream and raw pecan pie for her birthday party. Get outta here! I was thrilled...until I heard that she asked Daddy to make hamburgers...still thrilled that she wanted some raw food there. It's so a part of our lives now.
I used to decorate cakes. This year I am having difficulty knowing all I do about the ingredients in the icing sugar, food colouring, cakes etc. I am torn between wanting to do a great cake for my daughter and wanting to keep that crap out of her system...more on that at a later time.
Spoke at my Grandma's memorial on the weekend to a group of about 80. Usually I'd be so stressed that I could not control my voice and sound like I'm cracking up. This time it went so smoothly and I enjoyed speaking in front of all of those that attended. I really believe that my confidence has soard by eating raw and living foods. It's amazing how much more comfortable I am in my own skin. I recently had someone call and ask me more about how I ate, saying that they had not seen me in so long and how much I had changed, not only physically but in how I presented myself as well. They said that I was calmer, that I glowed, that I seemed so passionate about the way I eat. All of these things are true. I am sure because of my increased self esteem and confidence, I am far more likely to be social, talk about things that interest me and engage the listener in a way I have never been able to do before.
I like that I am doing something different from the mainstream. I have another blog post that I am working on called "It's not easy being green". It is a difficult path to follow in our society, we are SO connected to the food we eat and define our holidays and get togethers by the food that's presented if not how we define ourselves.
Comments like - "How do you unwind if you can't drink a beer?"
"Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and turkey."
"What's Valentine's Day without Chocolate?"
"What's Easter without the Easter Egg Hunt?"
"What's a birthday without the cake?"
"What's a wedding without the amazing food, or buffet?"
I could go on. But what advertising and "tradition" in our society have done is hard wire us to believe that these festivities would be nothing if it were not for the food that's involved in them? We do not have to buy into that. Christmas is Christmas because we come together as a family, an Easter, Valentine's day and so on can be fun without focussing on the food aspects.
This is why I am having difficulty making and decorating a cake for my daughter's birthday. I am buying into this stuff as well. Ever been to a birthday without a cake? Think about it...
For my last birthday they made a cake out of whole berries for me that was a mound about a foot high, it was impressive. BUT! They bought an ice cream cake for the rest of the guests to enjoy because they didn't want anyone to be deprived of a "proper" birthday cake. Argh. I guess I need some raw friends out there who know what I am talking about.
Another thing about how it's not easy being green is the fact that I feel lonely in this plight. Sure the internet is great, but it's not personal contact. I can't tell you how excited I get going out to Aaron's restaurant, Gorilla Foods on Richards Street in Vancouver. He is amazing!!! His food is so delicious. Actually I may go out there tomorrow or next week because it's been too long since I have had any. I also like that I get to talk to someone that's just as passionate about raw and living foods as myself. That's why I am blogging, hoping to make some more connections. I am also wanting to attend the Raw Spirit Festival this year. It's an amazing event bringing together rawbies from all over North America and beyond. I need a driving partner if anyone is interested?!?!
I'm putting together the goodie bags today. Another thing I've bought into and wish to opt out in the future. There's got to be another way than buying cheap items that only become clutter and then fill up our landfill. There's got to be a better way than filling it up with candy and crap that will hurt our poor kids' hearts and bodies! That is my goal for their birthdays next year. Somehow to break out of this mold. I have thought about giving a small two or three dollar gift to each child as they leave, but still this adds to the clutter and heck, they come to a party with a gift as well...options, there have to be other options. Donations to a food bank, donations to a children's charity, donations to an animal shelter...better options. Most of our kids want for nothing but the latest fashion and video game, they have to know that there's more to life than getting the "set" of characters from a certain line of toys. I can learn a lot from that as well, as I am a collector and now see this tendency in my kids.
So, off the soap box I get.
Looking foward to another green smoothie tomorrow morning. I really enjoy them as my first meal and as a snack in the mid afternoon...finally getting into the rhythm now.
Ciao for now. Have an apple or a banana after reading this. Increase the raw food you put in by taking baby steps. Just a little more each day and before you know it you'll be 70 - 80 % raw yourself!
Weight has leveled out and I still haven't lost anything since I last blogged. 138 to 140 on any given day.
Skin is clear, except for the dry hands I have experienced since the weather dried up. It's snowed here pretty much every day since I last wrote and before! I've never seen it snow so much on the West Coast of B.C.
Feel really clear headed on days when I concentrate only green smoothies, not hungry much when I've had about four to five cups of green smoothie for a meal. I am also enjoying avocados and tomatoes lots.
Cravings: I have had huge cravings for cooked food, especially any vegan dish that my husband makes. I have chosen to eat it on some occasions and hope to develop a raw version of some of these great tasting foods. That's my next challenge, coming up with some of my own recipes, some that mimick Indian food, or Thai food or polenta, etc. There are ways to do it, I just have to get the right mix. I used to get down about the days I didn't eat fully raw, but if I still sleep soundly, make proper cooked choices and still eat 90% raw I am easier on myself these days. I still strive for 100% for life and know it will come with time. Maybe when I live in a lush tropical area and fruit falls off the trees in my yard the entire year...
Sun Run Training is going well. I feel strong and have absolutely no cardiovascular difficulty with the 2 min. run and 3 min. walk. My legs feel strong and I don't feel sore the next day.
I also shovelled three driveways this last week and it was over a foot of snow! I felt some tenderness in the shoulders the next day and slightly more the day after that, but really nothing like I may have in earlier years. I could not believe how fast my body got over that kind of exercise. It was easy when I was doing it as well, and I have not been doing a great deal of muscle building exercises this last six months. I will need to improve that as I want to continue to develop my muscle development.
My daughter turned 5 and asked that I make raw ice cream and raw pecan pie for her birthday party. Get outta here! I was thrilled...until I heard that she asked Daddy to make hamburgers...still thrilled that she wanted some raw food there. It's so a part of our lives now.
I used to decorate cakes. This year I am having difficulty knowing all I do about the ingredients in the icing sugar, food colouring, cakes etc. I am torn between wanting to do a great cake for my daughter and wanting to keep that crap out of her system...more on that at a later time.
Spoke at my Grandma's memorial on the weekend to a group of about 80. Usually I'd be so stressed that I could not control my voice and sound like I'm cracking up. This time it went so smoothly and I enjoyed speaking in front of all of those that attended. I really believe that my confidence has soard by eating raw and living foods. It's amazing how much more comfortable I am in my own skin. I recently had someone call and ask me more about how I ate, saying that they had not seen me in so long and how much I had changed, not only physically but in how I presented myself as well. They said that I was calmer, that I glowed, that I seemed so passionate about the way I eat. All of these things are true. I am sure because of my increased self esteem and confidence, I am far more likely to be social, talk about things that interest me and engage the listener in a way I have never been able to do before.
I like that I am doing something different from the mainstream. I have another blog post that I am working on called "It's not easy being green". It is a difficult path to follow in our society, we are SO connected to the food we eat and define our holidays and get togethers by the food that's presented if not how we define ourselves.
Comments like - "How do you unwind if you can't drink a beer?"
"Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy and turkey."
"What's Valentine's Day without Chocolate?"
"What's Easter without the Easter Egg Hunt?"
"What's a birthday without the cake?"
"What's a wedding without the amazing food, or buffet?"
I could go on. But what advertising and "tradition" in our society have done is hard wire us to believe that these festivities would be nothing if it were not for the food that's involved in them? We do not have to buy into that. Christmas is Christmas because we come together as a family, an Easter, Valentine's day and so on can be fun without focussing on the food aspects.
This is why I am having difficulty making and decorating a cake for my daughter's birthday. I am buying into this stuff as well. Ever been to a birthday without a cake? Think about it...
For my last birthday they made a cake out of whole berries for me that was a mound about a foot high, it was impressive. BUT! They bought an ice cream cake for the rest of the guests to enjoy because they didn't want anyone to be deprived of a "proper" birthday cake. Argh. I guess I need some raw friends out there who know what I am talking about.
Another thing about how it's not easy being green is the fact that I feel lonely in this plight. Sure the internet is great, but it's not personal contact. I can't tell you how excited I get going out to Aaron's restaurant, Gorilla Foods on Richards Street in Vancouver. He is amazing!!! His food is so delicious. Actually I may go out there tomorrow or next week because it's been too long since I have had any. I also like that I get to talk to someone that's just as passionate about raw and living foods as myself. That's why I am blogging, hoping to make some more connections. I am also wanting to attend the Raw Spirit Festival this year. It's an amazing event bringing together rawbies from all over North America and beyond. I need a driving partner if anyone is interested?!?!
I'm putting together the goodie bags today. Another thing I've bought into and wish to opt out in the future. There's got to be another way than buying cheap items that only become clutter and then fill up our landfill. There's got to be a better way than filling it up with candy and crap that will hurt our poor kids' hearts and bodies! That is my goal for their birthdays next year. Somehow to break out of this mold. I have thought about giving a small two or three dollar gift to each child as they leave, but still this adds to the clutter and heck, they come to a party with a gift as well...options, there have to be other options. Donations to a food bank, donations to a children's charity, donations to an animal shelter...better options. Most of our kids want for nothing but the latest fashion and video game, they have to know that there's more to life than getting the "set" of characters from a certain line of toys. I can learn a lot from that as well, as I am a collector and now see this tendency in my kids.
So, off the soap box I get.
Looking foward to another green smoothie tomorrow morning. I really enjoy them as my first meal and as a snack in the mid afternoon...finally getting into the rhythm now.
Ciao for now. Have an apple or a banana after reading this. Increase the raw food you put in by taking baby steps. Just a little more each day and before you know it you'll be 70 - 80 % raw yourself!
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