It was exactly a year ago that I changed my diet from meaty Atkins to almost vegan raw. Most of my friends and family are used to seeing me go from one extreme to another. From brown to blond to black to red, from NYC to LA, from athiest to religious, from filmmaking to songwriting to acting, from prep to goth to raver to rocker, etc. It's common knowledge that I'm a little nuts. Of all the times I've shape shifted though, going raw has drawn the most head scratching, inquisition and ire from my loved ones. Mostly because it's inconvenient. Going out to eat with friends can get complicated. "Umm, do they have salad?" is always the question of the day. Every social gathering the host (as well as myself) is concerned if there's anything for me to eat. I call attention to myself by bringing a lunch cooler to work or whenever I know I'm going to be out and about for several hours. Plus, some people feel guilty for eating meat in front of me. I don't preach or point out everything that's wrong about what people eat but I guess there's just an underlying conviction that comes along with having a raw vegan around. Kind of like the self imposed guilt you feel when eating bacon around a Jew I guess. Anyway, a lot has happened since I went raw. First and foremost, I got my acne under control which is the only reason I even attempted eating this way. It took a couple months of being consistent but my hormonal acne improved significantly. Now I get one pimple a month instead of eight a week. Yeah, it got that bad. I also lost a lot of baby fat. I was always on the slender side but I got incredibly skinny in the first month. I went from 124 lbs. to 107. It was fun to see my body change so much, but it looked pretty gross when my spine was sticking out of my t-shirt. Definitely not sexy. Now I average around 113 lbs. Skinny but still got some curves. Next thing I noticed was I felt so much better. My energy level was through the roof. Eating for energy was a whole new approach as opposed to eating to feel full. When you eat light you can be so much more productive and have so much more clarity than eating a heavy meal that puts you into a food coma. I used to think that was normal. The next thing I noticed were my nails grew stronger and faster. I have to file them down every day so I can play guitar. Eating raw has also helped the stiffness in my hands. I realized now it was mild arthritis I was developing from eating such an acidic diet. I've also noticed emotional changes in my life too. Less moodiness and depression. Getting the blues was a regular occurance for me for years. I controlled it with exercise and plenty of sleep but now I'm realizing eating natural whole foods is a big part of keeping your chemistry in balance. Those where the most obvious changes in my health. Aside from the physical changes, going raw also put me on a new career course. I realized health and nutrition has always been a passion for me so I have been working on my M.S. in Holistic Nutrition since last fall. I'd like to get my Ph.D in the next four years, write a book about healing (actually I've already started) and be a personal wellness coach. In addition to that I'm planning on going to Living Light early next year to become a raw food chef. All this on top of being a little actress/songstress! I realize I'm on a journey and though I don't have an exact map of where all this is taking me I'm happier and more excited about life than I have ever been.
If you've ever been curious about trying a raw diet now is a great time to do it. Summer months bring lots of fun, juicy fruits. Strawberries, peaches, cherries, and melons are cheap and accessible. Try fruit smoothies for breakfast and salads for lunch and dinner. Make one a spinach salad with pears and walnuts with balsamic dressing and another romaine with avocados, tomatoes with tahini dressing. Get some recipe books for ideas so you don't get bored. I love "Raw Food Made Easy" by Jennifer Cornbleet. It's a great starter book but there are tons of raw recipe books on Amazon that you can try out. My other faves are "Ani's Raw Food Kitchen" by Ani Phyo and "I Am Grateful" by Terces Engelhart. If you want to try some really gourmet dishes "Raw Food Real World" by Sarma Melingailis is amazing. You don't have to be 100% either. You benefit anytime you eat fresh foods. Try going an entire week with only fruit for breakfast. The next week try fruit breakfasts, salad lunches and a sensible cooked meal for dinner. The following week try going all raw. Keep a journal and note the changes you feel physically and emotionally. You will probably discover a lot about yourself and why you eat certain foods. Have fun with it and enjoy the experiment. Who knows what can happen. I might see you at Living Light next year, too.
xoxo
Judita
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