Let’s Go Raw

Last Sunday evening, November 14, 2010, my husband and I were browsing Netflix looking for something interesting to fill our evening. We stumbled upon the film, Food Inc., and having enjoyed SuperSize Me, we decided to give it a shot. If you haven’t seen this movie, I highly recommend it. It gives you a gritty look at where our food truly comes from; the horrible conditions these animals live in prior to slaughter, the traps local farmers fall into, and much more. Immediately after finishing Food Inc, we switched over to Food Matters, another documentary with its key focus being on the benefits of vitamins and raw food. I had no idea so many nutrients were lost in the cooking process, nor did I ever see the true importance of fruit and veggies and remembering to take my vitamins.

I’m no bleeding heart, and I love a good steak or some spicy chicken wings, but I don’t want to eat meat from abused animals living in their own filth. It’s time for a change. My husband and I decided that for our health and to make a small difference in what food providers are supported, we are giving our diet an overhaul. I’m going to track our progress here; the ups and downs, the good and the bad, in the hopes that putting it out there will both keep me committed and maybe give someone else a push to try this out.

Day 1: November 15, 2010:
I love breakfast, and by breakfast I mean a carby, cheesy, meaty mess of fatty goodness. Scrambled eggs with cheese, or over medium with toast, hash browns covered in onions and cheese, sausage and bacon, biscuits and gravy, perhaps something off Burger King’s breakfast menu or an oversized meal from Sero’s, it makes my mouth water. Not this morning. My husband dropped $13 at the cafeteria in the building buying us both bowls of fresh cut fruit. We didn’t get to plan a perfect lunch since our decision to change happened less than 12 hours ago, but I did pick out all the chicken from my stir fry.

After work we headed to Walmart where we dropped $200 on new foods to fill our home. Assorted fresh fruits and vegetables, vitamin C & E, niacin, granola, vegetarian “meats,” cashews and peanuts, hummus, whole wheat bread and crackers, raisins and other dehydrated fruits, organic eggs from free range chickens, farm fresh cheeses, organic & over priced juice with acai berry and coconut water, greek yogurt, and so on. It felt like a lot of cash initially, but we were doing an overhaul of our entire kitchen so it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. The husband made a veggie pizza for dinner (hummus, raw peppers & onions & avocado) which was delicious! I had niacin, vitamin C, and vitamin E with my dinner which left me feeling very energized and caused a bit of trouble for me trying to fall asleep. All in all, it was a good day and what I feel to be a good start!