A Raw Deal

I'm pretty much down to try new things, especially when it means I might be able to write about them (I've swallowed a pill-sized camera that took pics of my insides for a story, and laid myself bare for a article on colonics.) So when an editor of mine recently suggested we meet at a popular vegan raw food cafe for lunch, I was in. After all, I like fruit. Fruit is a raw food. I like veggies. They're raw, too. I'd be fine. Plus, the menu was posted online and, with its delicious-sounding descriptions of the painstakingly prepared meals (Basil Scented Ravioli filled with a Macademia Whipped Creme - the "ravioli" is actually made from thinly-sliced turnips), I thought this could be a new culinary adventure.

It turns out, I am not the adventuresome type.

The meal began innocently enough - the space was beautiful, our water infused with cucumbers and lemons. The owner, who has been able to reverse the signs of aging with her meticulously planned raw diet, enzyme shots, colonic routine and more, making her look - I swear - a good 25 years younger than she is, greeted us with a plate of what looked like crackers and spread. Easy enough, right? But remember, in the raw food plan, foods are not cooked, or at least not heated above a certain temp. The crackers were actually sprouted, dehydrated wheatberry and I never knew a piece a flatbread could be, well, so disturbingly tangy. It was shocking. I couldn't take it. Even with a nibble of the chopped almond pate, I had to gulp back my veggie water and wait for my entree. But I was still hopeful.

The yellow pepper arrived, filled with exotic herbs, rice, mushrooms, avocado and "100 year old balsamico." The filling was tasty, with a nice texture, but as I ate, a strange feeling of fullness quicky took over my stomach and an acidic taste filled my mouth. After four or five bites, I was satiated physically, but my mind seemed to be telling me something was wrong. Something did not belong. I had gotten a raw deal. (My friend T. would later joke that perhaps I should avoid foods that have been hanging around for 100 years, as they tend to get a bit "hairy." Good advice.)

My group had been talking about the delicious non-dairy, avocado-based ice cream but we wrapped up the meeting (which had actually be very pleasant, convo-wise) and I jumped in my car, high-tailing it home. I could not make it to my bathroom fast enough. I plowed through the front door and threw my jacket at my husband, who would later tell me I had the exact same forlorn, pale look on my face as I did when I return from my colonic, and ran to la toilette. My meal made a grand exit and I felt a bit better. I sipped some diet root beer (toxic, I know, but what can you do?) and proceeded to fall asleep in a patch of sunlight like a dog for 90 minutes. I thought this was supposed to leave me feeling energized! Rejuvenated! Full of life! Instead I was sapped and only able to eat a banana and dry cereal the rest of the day.

Now, I know many people have benefitted from raw food diets. Some have lost weight; others found their skin cleared up or their illnesses dissappeared. And granted, this was a one-time thing for me. But I have to admit, eschewing all dairy and sugar, soaking raw almonds and pureeing them to get milk, downing shots of enzymes and giving up my Swedish Fish and sushi - it all seems a bit extreme. Tell me - am I wrong? Any raw foodies out there? Has it worked for you? Or have you ever found yourself on an extreme diet (hot water, lemon and cayenne pepper, anyone?) What were you searching for? Did you achieve it? Enlighten me.

In the meantime, I'm going to go cook up some oatmeal.

Love,
Leslie

Comments

Ugh, I don't even bother with all these fad type ideas, the raw food, eating based on your blood type, and other crazy ideas. What I focus on is just being as healthy as possible, which means eating my fruits and veggies, avoiding a lot of sugar, and exercising. I'm just doing the basics, no need to complicate matters.

Yes, tried the lemonade diet. Went to Whole Foods, bought all organic, recommended stuff. The salt-water cleansing part was very disturbing. I had nightmares of drowning in the ocean, gulping saltwater to death. My husband thought it was funny I went to the bathroom every 5 minutes. My butt was raw from wiping! I know, ewww. But I'm sorry, I couldn't live on not eating anything solid for a week, no matter how desperate I was to drop a dress size in a day. It's not normal. What works, and I don't always stick to it, is eating fresh. Fruits and veggies and lots of water. I still struggle with my weight and freak out that my hubby isn't attracted to me anymore, but only every once in a while. Then I mentally slap myself and try to get back on track. Eating right and working out is the hardest part. I feel I'm always on the lookout for the cool new diet, but I know better, they don't work. At least not me, I don't stick with anything long enough to find out or stay on the treadmill to feel the burn...someday.

i have been doing RAW for a few weeks now. I am Loving it. Honest. Perhaps I am limiting myself to fruits, avocado, cashew butter and lots of celery.. but I feel better than I have in a long time.
I will admit that i was almost there anyway. I had given up wheat,eggs, meat, etc.. and the last vestige was yogurt and cottage cheese. I still crave sweets though, but that is what honey is for.. smile.. Don't know if I will stay like this for life, but my stomach is loving it and I have lost 7 pounds.

Honestly, I totally did the "lemonade" fast where you have the water, organic lemon juice, cayenne pepper and maple syrup conconction. That was a total mistake. I wanted to start dieting "for real" and I honestly believed it when people told me that the only way was to fast before you start in order to shrink your stomach. Well, the drink was horrible because of the cayenne pepper and the sweet (it made me so sick) and you did nothing but drink this beverage all day! I was so hungry by day three that I binged so bad I made myself sick. I really wanted to try something that would help, but instead it made things much worse. HOWEVER, I am an avid juicer now which I LOVE! I have really bad adult acne which it cleared up right away after a couple weeks of a celery and apple concoction. I also just love getting a lot of veggies and fruits at one time. If you get the oppurtunity you should really start juicing, its worth the time and effort.

I tried raw and hated it, I just felt funky. Of all the diets I have tried Paleo was my favorite, and the basic component of how I eat now. I concentrate on fresh fruits, veggies, nuts and organic meat. I have added in some organic whole grains and small amounts of organic milk.

My hair and skin have never been better, and I've lost 80lbs so far.

All of this food faddism is nonsense! I recently lost over 30 lbs, and am still counting. Ask me how I did it? The old-fashioned way, through a sensible diet (simply eating smaller portions of the foods I love) and exercise. And this is a plan that I can stick with for life. Yes, it requires a lot of determination and patience (I've been doing this since early December), but I don't have to drink any strange concoctions or starve myself. Bottom line...you didn't gain the weight overnight, so you won't lose it overnight. It takes a lot of hard work busting your butt (literally!) and changing your thinking about food. No food (other than pork rinds or Crisco, and maybe a few others) is bad. It's our relationship to it that is. We need to stop expecting instant gratification through the next miracle "trendy" diet.

I've joined LAWeightloss a couple of years ago with a friend. We quickly found out how expensive it was and we had to buy their snack bars in order to lose weight. That was the bad part. The good part was that I learned portion sizes and really eating a variety of foods during the day. The part that also bugged me was that the counselors never pushed us to exercise, but instead buy more of their products. So I quickly got irritated and I wasn't losing the weight even though I didn't cheat on my diet but a few times and I kept buying their supplements and cleansing drinks. It was stupid. I lost 10 pounds in 3 months. They told us we'd lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. So I was disappointed in the program, but I learned I should include a lot of water, 2-3 servings of veggies and 1-2 of fruit a day, limit the carbs, watch the butter and salt, etc. I won't get my $600 back, but I try to keep the portions and servings in mind when I eat. If only somehow I could get myself to work out...why is that so hard for us?

I have done exactly what Michelle has done. Through watching what I eat and excerise I have been able to lose over 30 lbs since the beginning of January.
There are currently a large number of people that I work with that are doing the Weight Watchers thing, but they not really learning from it. All they ever do is eat the preportioned meals. Weight Watchers is supposed to help you learn about what foods are good and portion control. The people I work with don't seem to get that.
While I know a quite a few people who have benefitted from different programs and fad diets, I think I will stick to the old fashioned way.

I was so delighted to share that raw food meal with you the other day! I, too, the first time I ate at the restaurant we met at had the same reaction. I met my friend, there for lunch, as we did and for some reason, the smell of the fresh wheatgrass, etc. had me feeling quite blue. Then, about a year later, I went there again to listen to the "much-less-than-60-year-old-looking" owner vow that RAW was the way to go! After seeing her before and after pictures, I just had to give it a go. I decided to dedicate 4 weeks to "gradually" going raw. It was very challenging the first week. I had a lot of reactions (much like yours) where I felt curiously full after just a few bites of food and felt light headed. After educating myself on the benefits of eating live enzymes and fresh fruits and veggies, I learned that these reactions were just my body detoxing or getting rid of the toxic matter stored in our gut/liver, etc. So, now that I'm back to eating some cooked and some raw, I compare and I must say, I do like raw~XO

I have been vegetarian for the past four years and tried the vegan gig for 6 months (I felt do deprived) I couldn't imagine what the raw food diet does. my husband has been trying to go vegetarian for the past few months, his trips to the bathroom range usually between 3-5 times a day, lol!!!!

I've been vegan for a while now and never tried going all raw, but I do find it very interesting and try to mix as much raw food into my diet. It sounds like the reaction Leslie had was detoxing symptoms... Her body wasn't ready for that much at once. Personally, I've only had the privelege to try a raw food restaurant once, and it was probably the best time I've ever had. I felt very clean and refreshed after it, not full and heavy like I normally would from a restaurant meal.

what isb the raw meal diet? What is the benefit of this diet?

i recommend giving Karyn's another try! Next time, go for a raw dessert (the raw carob oat bar is my fave. They're surprisingly tasty and of course...cruelty free :) Her smoothies are also amazing. For actual entrees, i prefer Karyn's Cooked.

this is day 5 for me on the raw foods- i started because of diabetes - and already my blood sugar is less than it was on cooked foods - so far have felt great on it. the odd part is that i was a dedicated meat eater - wasn't big on cooked vegetables. The raw foods is interesting as it takes looking at uncooking dishes in a whole different light. i have no desire
as yet to go back to the cooked foods. so far so good - then again i am doing ionic foot baths with it which help one to detox.