To eat raw means to eat foods that are not refined or processed; they are in their natural state. When you cook food above 130°F, the vitamins and photonutrients are damaged or destroyed. Above 118°F, the enzymes are killed, therefore raw foodists do not cook their food beyond 118°F. This does not mean that you need to only eat salads! You still have so many different options! I am very interested in the raw food lifestyle and have been doing a lot of research on it, so you will definitely be hearing more about it from me! I will try to post all of my recipes to give you ideas and show you that you can do so many things while eating raw.
The enzymes in food help to digest the food that you just ate. If we destroy those enzymes, then our body has to work harder to digest your meal. By eating fresh raw food, your body does not have to do as much work because the enzymes immediately spring into action and aid in digestion. This causes your energy to increase, since your body is not using up your energy on digestion. Eating fresh, raw fruits and veggies will increase the vitamins and micronutrients in your diet and you’ll notice a difference in your energy levels immediately!
I have been eating about 50-75% raw over the past 4 days and honestly, I already feel a difference! I feel like I have more energy, but more importantly I do not feel tired or sick after I eat. I, like many other women today, have some digestion issues, and eating more raw food seems to help because fruits and vegetables digest so quickly. I will get into this more in future posts!
I definitely do not plan on eating 100% raw, but I do want to work more raw foods into my life and my diet. I already love to eat healthy, so this really should not be a problem for me at home. Dinners will most likely continue to be cooked for my husband! 🙂 So far, I like the way my body feels when I eat raw, but I’ll continue to keep you updated! Like I have said before, everyone feels differently! The key and most important thing here is to eat healthy!!!
I spiced up my juice at breakfast this morning and added lemon to the mix! This made it sweet and tangy, I loved it! In to my juicer went a small apple, a small pear, a carrot, 2 celery stalks and 1/2 a lemon, skin and all!
Yum!
Did you know that flax seed is one of the greatest sources of essential fatty acids? Flax seeds are made up of 1/3 oil, protein and mucilage. They are high in protein which is easily digested because the seeds and oil contains all of the amino acids needed to build a strong body. The fiber in flax acts as a broom and sweeps the colon of toxic material and waste. It is a gentle non-irratating laxative which is perfect for someone with a sensitive stomach. Just a fun fact. 🙂
I snacked on a banana with peanut butter mid morning, and then had a great salad for lunch!
My salad was on a bed of romaine. It contained grape tomatoes, orange pepper, bean sprouts, walnuts and goldenberries! I forgot my dressing, so a poured a little pomegranate juice in the mix! It was actually pretty good!
Goldenberries are a sweet and tangy dried berry – yum! They look kind of like a plump raisin. But, they are nothing like a raisin! They have high amounts of carotene and bioflavonoids (vitamin P), which are nutrients studies have shown to produce anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity (among many other benefits). They are also an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and contain a good amount of dietary fiber and protein.
I did my workout after work today, which included some speedwork on the treadmill and then some weights!
Back & Biceps
- Seated Row (3 sets of 12, 40 lb weight)
- Lateral Pulldown (3 sets of 12, 50 lb weight)
- Back extension (3 sets of 10, 10 lb weight)
- 21’s (3 sets, 18 lb bar)
- Rope Pressdowns (3 sets of 12, 40 lb weight)
- Hammer Curls (3 sets of 12, 7.5 lb weights)
- Dumbbell Fly ( 3 sets of 12, 7.5 lb weights)
It was a great workout, but I was ready for dinner!!
Dinner tonight was also a salad, but was much more fun than lunch! We had a
Spicy Thai Salad which I found a recipe for from Gena on
ChoosingRaw.com.
It looks like your basic salad until you add the delicious dressing!
There is a bed of romaine mixed with sweet basil leaves. On top we added carrot sticks, red pepper, cabbage, bean sprouts and about 1/2 of an avocado.
Then comes the dressing! It was a great mix of spices, herbs and an avocado.
Spicy Thai Salad Dressing
makes almost 2 cups!
- 1 Avocado
- 1/2 cup water
- ¼ cup cilantro
- ¼ cup basil
- ¼ tsp salt (or more)
- 2 dates
- Sprinkle of cayenne pepper
- 3/4 inch ginger for heat
Blend all ingredients in a food processor on high and adjust seasoning to taste. Here is what you get:
It is a little sweet, which a hint of spice. I would definitely make this again. It would be a great dip for veggies too!
And my salad post dressing – much better!
We served this with some toasted whole grain bread, but it would be great on it’s own as well.
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Filed under: Eating Laps, Recipes, Running Laps | Tagged: Eating Laps, juice, raw, Recipes, Running Laps, weights |
healthy laps 
that Thai dressing looks really good!
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