Make it Raw

Last week, one of the girls I work with said that she was doing a raw food challenge, and asked if anyone would like to join her. Her trainer suggests going "raw" once every quarter, to cleanse out your system and stay healthy. It's only for a week, so I decided to give it a shot. I think there are about 6 of us who are doing it. Some people do it to lose weight and some people do it for the health benefits. I'm doing it for the health benefits, especially since it's great for your skin and hair. I'm also curious as to how it makes you feel. I eat healthy with little splurges every now and then, but this takes it to another level, so I'm wondering if it will help me sleep better and have more energy.

Basically, you eliminate processed foods, sugar, carbs, etc. for one week, and you don't cook the food, since cooking vegetables can actually take away some of the nutritional value of them. You eats tons of fresh fruits and veggies, plus nuts and beans for added protein. You can also eat pure honey and agave nectar as sweeteners. Today, I went grocery shopping and stocked up on tons of fresh produce (yes, I will be making Mike his own separate food since there is no way on earth he'd do this challenge with me). I figured that my meals would consist of a smoothie for breakfast (no dairy, obviously - bananas, berries, etc), a salad for lunch with a light splash of olive oil and vinegar (although I will miss my cheese. Sniff, sniff :( ), and another salad for dinner. For snacks, I'll munch on fruit, carrot sticks, and nuts, and if I'm craving something sweet, some strawberries with honey.

This should be interesting, since I know there are going to be times that I'll be dying to reach for my pretzel chips and I'll definitely miss my Greek yogurt for breakfast. And my dark chocolate granola bars. And my Coffee-Mate Girl Scout Cookie Samoa coffee creamer. Wait a second - now that I think about it... No, no - I can do this.  At least it's only for a week. And who knows, maybe I'll love it so much, that I'll want to stick to it! Although, I'm sure my hankering for sweets and my anti-vegetable husband would veto that idea real soon ... ;)

My shopping trip consisted of:

• Apples (golden delicious and braeburn)
• Pears
• Peaches
• Red grapes
• Watermelon
• Bananas
• Strawberries
• Pineapple
• Grapefruit
• Avocado
• Tomatoes
• Bell peppers (green and yellow)
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Kale
• Red leaf lettuce
• Red onion
• Baby carrots
• Black olives
• Garbanzo beans
• Mixed nuts (pistachios, cashews, and almonds)
• Lara Bars (these have no preservatives and are made with raw, natural nuts and fruit)

I washed and pre-cut mostly everything, to make life easier. I'll keep you posted on how this goes. I could love it, or I could end up curled up in a corner, crying for a piece of chocolate or an entire block of cheese...