Now that my few days (from Friday night to Tuesday night) of mostly-raw eating are over, I’ll share my general impressions.
- It was easier than I expected. With the fridge filled with fresh fruits and vegetables and a list of raw recipes or combinations I was eager to try, eating more raw food didn’t feel like a chore (of course, I happen to be a person who likes fresh fruits and veggies anyway). It was fun, and there were plenty of things I’m going to continue doing, like replacing noodles with veggie strips and making a big salad with tasty guacamole on top instead of dressing (that was lunch on Tuesday).
- Some meals left me full, but not satisfied. For example, my lunch on Monday was lettuce wraps stuffed with guacamole, cilantro and veggies, along with some raw cauliflower on the side. I think it lacked variety in terms of texture, so I got really bored eating it and when I was done I felt full (hello fiber) but not at all satisfied. Eating high-raw for a longer period would definitely require figuring out how to incorporate enough fat and protein to make meals satisfying.
- I said I’d try to avoid processed sugars, but I didn’t. I ate some cookies. Sugar is clearly my weakness (sorry I’m not sorry). The cookies also contained egg, which I was avoiding during the experiment. I made some mostly-raw cocoa bites that were very good, but didn’t always satisfy my sweet tooth (because they turned out not very sweet – next time I’d add more honey).
- Other than the egg in the cookies, a bit of cheese on Monday night when I had a friend visiting, and honey, I didn’t consume any animal products from Sunday until Wednesday evening. In general I don’t find them difficult to avoid.
- I missed grains. Not necessarily the processed white flour that was found in those cookies, but oatmeal, wheat bran, and other grain products that are plant-based, healthy and satisfying.
- I didn’t mention this at the beginning, but I also gave up coffee during the experiment. I decided that tea would be allowed, since it is plant-based and beneficial and because I wasn’t interested in torturing myself. But the coffee thing was surprisingly easy – I got a headache around 4 pm on Sunday that may have been from lack of caffeine. Monday I had some black tea in the morning and Tuesday I had fruit tea and didn’t miss the caffeine at all. I didn’t even really miss the taste of coffee – I think it’s just become such a habit in my workday (I only have one cup a day, which I drink slowly). I think I may alternate coffee and tea days from now on, since I clearly don’t really need the coffee (and I would rather not get addicted, if I can help it).
- I don’t know if I noticed any huge differences in how my body felt during the experiment – I just went about my days as usual, walking, working, exercising, sleeping. My energy levels were about the same, certainly no lower than usual. This morning I happened to notice that my skin looks very nice and clear. Coincidence? Hmmm…
Very interesting, thank you for sharing! I know that a completely raw diet would be nothing for me – too few protein and too hard on my tummy – but I incorporate a lot of fresh (and also raw) things into my diet and feel good that way.
I think that’s the best idea anyway! Going all-raw feels rather extreme, especially since I know my body appreciates things like cooked oats (which I’m eating right now!
). But making sure to get plenty of fresh, raw things (in addition to some non-raw stuff) definitely makes me feel good too.
I’ve also learned that my body can digest cooked food better, and especially in winter I crave everything as hot as possible!
But a certain amount of raw things is no problem and makes me feel good.
[...] spending about four days eating mostly raw a few weeks ago, I’ve noticed a few things. For one thing, I’ve kept my coffee intake [...]