The first annual February In The...

In the what?! Are you tired of me leading you on already? Out with it right? What is this mystery project that I have been eluding to this past week. Alright, here it is. I'm really excited! Introducing the first annual February-In-The-Raw.

February-In-The-Raw is project that I was inspired to do after enjoying three glowing and (mostly) peaceful months pre-move-to-midwest. This project is going to consist of 28 days of a raw vegan - but none the less delicious - diet. Why a raw vegan diet? I hope after the 28 days - if you'll please join me on this quest - you'll appreciate why.

What does this all mean? Why raw foods?

Raw foods are a living source of nutrients. A raw vegan diet consists of nutritionally-dense living organic uncooked and unprocessed foods to optimize health and alkalizing the body. Cooking food kills it, destroying many of it nutrients. Some forms of cooking, lightly steaming or boiling, damages the food but does not render it completely devoid. However, many raw foodist believe heating food over 118 degrees  kills the food, destroys the enzymes within it and changes the structure of the cells which create a toxic harmful substance. At the rate our elimination system works, eating cooked foods is consuming acidic toxins faster than your body can eliminate them, disrupting the acid/alkaline balance causing a range of problems from cancers and diseases to excess weight and psychological disorders. In thought, it is as if one would be eating rotten apples. The fruit is dead, void of nutrients and is harmful to the body, ultimately causing you to be ill. Same is the thought of cooked food.
 
As I stated before, February-In-The-Raw was inspired while I was in Boise. Previous posts here and also here all touch on a time when I was finally coming into my own - sans ED - and finding happiness. I tribute this discovery of self to adhering to a semi-raw vegan diet (semi-raw to me was 80% of each meal was raw while the other 20% was cooked foods). I had done quite a bit of research on finding happiness within and being healthy mind, body and soul, which kept leading me to a raw vegan diet. I started reading articles and books, listening to podcasts, and speaking to other bloggers on their experience as a raw vegan. After much research the vote was unanimous, in order to determine fiction from faux I had to try it for myself. And that is just what I did. 

I had never felt better. I felt this glow this livelihood within me that others said radiated everywhere. I felt confident, healthy, at peace. I did go through a short phase where I felt extremely tired and emotionally challenged, but after discussing this with other raw foodist, they explained this was my body's way of reacting to the elimination of toxins from my entire body. They described it as detoxing each and every cell of years of built up toxins, stress, anxiety, things I had internalized both physically and emotionally. They were all being flushed from my body. After this, I felt radiant.
February-In-The-Raw as I mentioned before is going to be 28 days of a raw (semi-raw) vegan diet. I choose February to launch this project because it is the shortest month of the year so it was a great chance for me to test it out. On this quest of raw veganism, I am going to be consuming as many fresh fruit, vegetables, sprouted grains, nuts and seeds, all while not skipping on flavor, nutrients or originality. Along the way I will be sharing with you recipes, answers to questions, exercise tips, alternatives methods to health and wellness and of course my ups and downs.

Here is what we have to look forward to this week (weather permitting):
Many different recipes for Green Smoothies, salads, raw soups and raw desserts to start with, followed by raw oats, raw wrap, and raw sandwich recipes.

So welcome to the first annual February-In-The-Raw! I hope you will all join me on the soul searching quest to health and happiness. 



**One of my final research papers for a class I did last semester was on reversing diabetes with a raw vegan diet and the information I found was amazing. Check out Choosing Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days, a truly inspiring documentary proving diabetes is curable on a raw vegan diet.