Going Raw, Food Photo Edition
Yesterday, on Day 12 of the Raw Food Challenge, I ate:
– A few slices of pear, 1/2 an apple, some leaves of romaine lettuce (I like to munch on romaine for some reason), 1/2 carrot, 1 cookie, a couple apricots, 1 glass lemon water with 1/2 scoop calcium/magnesium powder, and 1 cup digestive ginger tea. Yes, my “breakfast” was me snacking on bits and pieces of the lunch that I was making to take to the university.
– Ginger tea and trail mix with cashews and apricots
– 1 apple, 1 cookie, and about a cup of water
– Salad with romaine lettuce, hemp seeds, avocado, cucumber, shredded carrot, tomato, a crumbled spicy juice pulp patty, and 1/2 an apple, also another cookie
– Ginger tea and zucchini pasta with marinara sauce. This time I shredded a carrot as well as two zucchini for the pasta, and my marinara sauce was a concoction of tomatoes, dates, corn, red onion, red pepper, basil, sea salt, black pepper, thyme, oregano, and crushed red pepper. I ate just over half of this; I wasn’t hungry enough to eat it all.
– 1 apple
The Raw Food Challenge in Photographs
I really adore food. One of the biggest issues I’ve found since starting this Raw Food Challenge is that, although I don’t need to spend much time preparing my meals, I can’t help but think about food. I talk about the food that I have cravings for. Banana bread and popcorn and oatmeal, oh my! I have been lucky enough to not get any detox symptoms of headaches and the like, but cravings are still making it difficult to adjust. I really was crazy to undertake this challenge in the middle of winter, but I just have to keep reminding myself that it makes it that much more of a challenge because it’s cold outside!
After eating 100% raw for nearly two weeks now, I’ve figured out that a high raw diet isn’t for me. I strongly believe that everyone has different nutrition needs according to their own body, and although I’ve seen evidence that a high raw diet suits some people, I am not one of them. Of course I’m going to continue with this challenge- I fully intend to see it through!- but in February, although I will certainly incorporate raw foods into my diet just the same as I did before beginning this challenge, I won’t be eating high raw.
Another thing I’ve discovered: I really don’t like juice. I just don’t. Green juices, fruit juices, mixed juices; I don’t enjoy any of them. I tried to like them, I really did, but I am not a juice person. I like some smoothies, but I think I’ll be laying off the juicing from now on. Juicers are very useful for making soup base and for making juice to add to smoothies, though!
A few people have been asking what things like “zucchini pasta” and “chickpea flatbread” look like, so here are a few pictures I’ve taken to show you:
Zucchini pasta with marinara sauce
Chickpea flatbread smeared with mashed cauliflower and topped with tomato, lettuce, and sprouts
Carrot juice
Beet juice
Raw veggie soup with crushed corn chips
Apple with cinnamon
My dehydrator!
Apple raisin cookies
Apple and beet chips
Potato chips
Corn chip dipped in guacamole
Lettuce wrap filled with veggies and a crumbled spicy juice pulp patty
I’ll try to remember to take photos of my eats from now on and to post them with the recipes!
Sagan, I really admire your willpower in your dietary experiments. You are an outstanding exception to the rule – a woman of strength!
Not sure what South Beach Steve is talking about with the women and the strength, ahem…
THANKS for the photos, not least because I’ve never seen a dehydrator before.
Also your raw food diet makes me sad. Happy for you that you can keep up with it and impressed too, but the descriptions and the look of the food just seems so unsatisfying to me. And i LOVE juice. I have to be careful not to drink all my calories in juice form 🙂
I think this is a tough challenge in the winter. I wonder if even your dislike of juice is a bit connected to the time of year. I love, love, love fresh green juice in the summer but not as much right now… Anyway, good luck with the remainder of the challenge and for sharing your experiences with us!
I’m glad I’m not the only non-juice lover. 🙂 Give me a green monster and I’m a happy girl, but there is just something about juice!
I admire you so much for this challenge – especially at this time of year!
Did SB Steve just dis us? 🙂
Challenges and experiments keep life interesting. This is one I *won’t* be trying. My contribution will be to continue to eat my raw fruits and veggies. 🙂
Sorry, but the photos of the raw food does not appeal to me either.
I am a non-juice drinker also. I rather eat the food. I like chewing! I think smoothies are great, but it is a summer drink for me.
Steve- Thanks for your continue support!
Fd- Part of it may just be my photography skills and lack of ability to make food presentation appealing 😉 But yeah, most of this stuff doesn’t taste so amazing that I would want to make it again when I’m finished with this challenge.
Andrea- Definitely VERY tough in the winter!
Holly- I’m a happy girl if I have a green monster smoothie, too! But juice, no thank you.
Cammy- And THAT is an excellent contribution indeed 🙂
Thanks for posting the photos. It really helps to get a better idea of the meals you’re eating. To be honest, they look better than I imagined. Still, I don’t think I’ll be going raw anytime soon.
Wow, Beet juice looks very very colorful. How’s it taste? I think this was a great challenge, in that it helped incorporate more veggies into the diet. I’d love it if you shared some of your recipes from this! I need to get more variety into my diet, and make it more veggie-centric.
The pictures really sparked my curiosity. I never thought about dehydrating fruit. Where do you buy this contraption?
So glad you tried this…you’re my hero cuz I sure couldn’t do it!
Asithi- I’ve never been much of a calorie-drinker. I’m all about the munching! Give me a bowl of popcorn over a glass of juice any day.
Tracey- No problem! Raw isn’t for everyone 🙂
Meg- Beet juice DOES look beautiful! But I didn’t like the taste. I’m also very biased because I don’t like juice in general, though. I should get someone else to drink it and find out their thoughts… I’ve been sharing some of the recipes in my earlier posts; I’ll try to link back more to those recipes! Most of the amounts of ingredients are just eye-balled, though.
Tony- I haven’t got any idea, to be honest. My parents have had a dehydrator for as long as I can remember (I think my dad originally got it for dehydrating herbs), so this one’s pretty ancient (I borrowed it from them because they don’t ever use it anymore). But I imagine that most kitchen appliance stores would have dehydrators. Or health food stores.
Darius- My pleasure! (except when I get intense cravings for cooked foods, then I’m just resentful. Hehe. Kidding.)
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My first reaction to your photos, Sagan, is that some of the food looks pretty good. But maybe the taste wouldn’t measure up in some cases? Anyway, interesting experiment. And interesting about your cravings. I think I’d be having a similar reaction.