Going Green with Raw Cuisine! 30 days of Raw....

So Monday, February 7th 2011 was the first day of my "30 days of raw". I have committed to eating mainly raw foods that nourish to help me flourish. I didn't realize how junky my diet was until that day. I had some rice chips and grape leaves, which were definitely NOT raw--but some yummy raw snacks are in the making so I won't be so tempted. Basically that is the key to eating well-keep the bad stuff at bay and take a luxurious canoe trip away from them. I have a feeling that the first week is going to be very ... slow moving. I have been incorporating a lot of raw foods already, but it's overwhelming to THINK about eating only certain things whether it be only lettuce or only cheese or only fruits. I don't want to get the wrong mindset--although my goal was to become 75% raw originally, allowing for one cooked meal a day if I so desired, making it easy to be sociable. I wanted to give this goal so I could make it into a long term thing instead of sporadic. I impulse bought The complete idiots guide to Eating raw; I thought it would be fun and give me some good tips on sprouting and juicing etc. PLUS I could loan it out afterward.

Raw foods have a delicious bounty of calcium and iron and even superstar athletes are raw! People going raw are concerned about nutrients which, I think is preposterous since the s.a.d. diet constitutes the essence that is malnutrition. Protein is a key player in every cell in our bodies for energy synthesis, structure and function. Without protein our bodies wouldn't produce the proper enzymes and hormones it needs to function properly. The key to getting vital amounts of living protein requires the accumulation of amino acids. There are 20 different amino acids and humans produce 11 naturally! (Thats already over half!) But we strive to get the other 9 from our foods. These 9 are essential amino acids b/c without which, we would be considered malnourished. This said, amino acids are pooling together to make a complete protein so why would we need to eat them all at once? We don't. Our bodies are smart machines we just have to give them the right stuff to do the job! Enjoy a bounty of goodness with raw nuts, seeds, vegies, fruits and sprouted grains. Eating a diverse diet is not only exciting but beneficial. The following are foods super high in protein...
NUTS
COCONUT
SEEDS
VEGGIES- dark leafies like spinach and kale, peppers, shitake mushrooms garlic and sea veggies
Fruits- apricots, peaches, currants, prunes figs avacados
Sprouted grains like quinoa and legumes like lentils and chickpeas

The recommended amounts of protein are 1.0-1.2 grams per day per kilo body weight (1 kilogram=1 pound) and potentially more if extremely physical.
Dr Colin Campbell, Ph.D --wrote the China Study and in The China Project the results showed a remarkable increase in the skyrocketing disease rate in people who consumed a higher protein diet from animal products. I highly recommend reading this book it's astonishingly incredible.
Quick info on B12...
Vitamin B12 can be present in bacteria in the soil, the only reason animal foods are high in the vitamin is because it's in their digestive tract from the foods they eat directly from the ground and we, in our society refuse to eat the natural way--washing EVERYTHING and eating more processed food.
Eating veggies from an organic garden with fertile, nutrient rich soils can help with vitamin B12 deficiency.

I guess I haven't been as great of an example thus far BUT I am determined to make this "fast" work for me!!! I had a delicious spirulina smoothie yesterday to start-
Almond Mylk+A boatload of Spirulina+ Frozen banana+hemp seeds.
and lots of salad making goodies!
Today I had a GREEN smoothie WHICH I forgot to picture, but next time I'll take one b/c it is SO decadent! My green smoothie was:
Two cups spinache
1 cup purple kale
2 tbsp Spirulina
1 1/2 'scoops' mila soaked in h2o
A splash of almond mylk
3 strawberries
2 small slices of Durian
MMMMM>..... delicious!

This was my delicious lunch at Infusion tea on Friday! bean/chickpea/edamame salad and a vegan pesto panini! <3 It's so good I will think about it every time I'm not actually eating it! I can't wait to go back!!!!!

I also made some oatmeal 'cookies' in the dehydrator last night they are not COMPLETELY raw, because I have some rice flour i've been jonesing to get rid of, but w/ coconut flour or almond flour they would be excellent! The non raw ingredients were xanthum gum , rice flour, vegan chocolate, and 1/3 cup of brown sugar but next time I'll be a rawarrior! I'll post the decadent recipe once it's perfectious!

This is my attempt at kale 'chips' smothered in coconut oil and nutritional yest with wasabi powder.... NOT my favorite but will be delicious on salads~! The lovely room mate suggested it! I used purple kale so they turned out a little dark. But raw and delectable! And the adventure continues...