Ra(w)rin' to go...

Sing along: What the world needs now...is one more blog...

Regardless! I shall plunge on to share a new aspect of my life: raw food.

I'm sure most folks have heard about those who keep a raw diet -- subsisting only on uncooked and/or dehydrated foods. Lots of fruits and vegetables (good!); not so much on the roasted turkey and pasta and cookies and anything cooked (ummmm...huh?!). Sounds incredibly exciting and sign you up right now, right?

Well.

This blog will follow my journey to how I got here and why I decided this might just work for me. The good parts and, yes, the difficulties. From the literature I've read thus far, it seems most raw foodies tend to wax rhapsodic about the benefits and pleasure of eating this way. Although my (admittedly limited thus far) experience has shown that there is much to be gained by such a diet, there are also adjustments and confusion and difficulty. So far, I think the benefits far outweigh the down side, but I'd like a more balanced view to be available for those that are considering incorporating at least some of the raw food principles into their daily life.

While I'm being frank, I also think some of the more hippie leanings of many vocal raw foodies may be off-putting to those who are a bit more cynical or in a personal food struggle. Based on my experience, one thing I know is truth: One Way Does Not Work For Everyone. I have eaten all over the spectrum: good Midwestern kid meat/dairy focused; vegetarian (for ten years); vegan (for almost two years); whole food focused; city-based hedonist glutton...you name it, I've been there (except, thankfully, anorexia or bulimia).

The gift my struggles have given me is an ability to listen to my body and respond to what it truly needs. Right now, incorporating more raw foods in a deliberate, thoughtful manner makes sense. Ostensibly, the impetus for this change is weight loss. My actual weight is my own personal information, but I will note that I have at least 100 pounds to lose to get to a healthy weight.

Now before you expect the "woe is me" portion of this post, understand that I am not a sad obese person. In all truth, I'm not horribly bothered by my weight on the day-to-day as I'm a fairly active person with wonderful friends and family, especially perhaps the most amazing husband on the planet. With the exception of an underactive thyroid which exacerbates the weight issue, I've been blessed with fantastic health. What scares me (hopefully not) to death is The Unknown. I've watched several family members struggle with diabetes, heart disease and cancer, especially recently. It's not the diseases that particularly scare me; it's the alleged treatments. I have enough problem taking one teeny pill a day for my thyroid; heaven forfend I'm forced to handle more invasive situations.

On the flip side, Restraint and Deprivation are not words I wish to incorporate into my vocabulary except to push them aside with a defiant BLECH. Life is too short and wonderful to restrict; FOOD is too marvelous to not enjoy it every time you sit down to a meal. Make no mistake: Food is one of my major life pleasures and one I'm thrilled we get to enjoy several times a day. It's clear to me I must find a way to eat that allows indulgence, satisfaction, wonderful taste and texture. I think I may have finally found it in raw food and that, believe you me, fills me with more satisfaction than a truckful of delicious burnt ends and ribs with all the trimmings could ever do.