My raw journey began in late 2009. I had just moved to Florida seeking beautiful warm weather and a healthier lifestyle. I wanted to feel alive after too many dreadfully cold and bleak winters up north. I was so excited to finally be moving. By this time, I had already been vegan for a good 5 years and vegan for 2. I was feeling like a junk food vegan and while I enjoyed eating gourmet vegan food, I didn’t like the way it made me feel. And it never felt natural for me to be eating fake meat substitutes, pre-packaged and frozen foods. I was seeking something more. I had started to read about raw foods, and it was intriguing. So I bought gourmet raw books and spent about two months going crazy making incredibly high fat raw recipes that I felt would be a good replacement for the beans and sweets that I loved. I made refried beans out of nuts and seeds, raw crackers and pate, cheezecakes and sauces, all containing more fat than I ever could have imagined. I stuck this out until I grew weary of so much preparation and using strange ingredients and things I’d never even heard of before. Plus, I was still feeling sluggish and actually gaining weight. I wasn’t experiencing any positive changes.
While searching around the internet, I came across the 80/10/10 book by Douglas Graham that would literally change my entire life. The concept was so blatantly simple, but something beyond my imagination. But what attracted me to it most was that he wasn’t advocating any special product, processed ingredient or anything he could make millions of dollars of promoting. He spoke very simply of the benefits of eating low fat vegan raw and it really blew me away. I had to try it! It completely shifted my entire way of thinking. So simple, so easy. This was what I was seeking all along. This was the direction my life was meant to go. I tried it and was hooked by the way it made me feel. I did lose weight pretty suddenly when I stuck to it and avoided cooked foods completely. I felt so light and free. The food was flowing freely through my body, not getting stuck or plugged up along the way. My runs and workouts were 100% better. Everything seemed effortless. I didn’t need as much sleep and I had so much more energy.
I feel like I know a big secret. The secret to all health problems, all healing, all ailments. I am on a quest to get into the best shape of my entire life, physically, mentally and spiritually. I believe you can’t just have one. They all have to align together when you are doing things right.
I admit that I have struggled on this lifestyle, but every time I stray, I only want to go back to have those feelings I have when I eat that way. Challenges to my social life, and my interaction with family and friends. Challenges eating enough. Challenges taking the time preparing the food and taking the time to eat enough to feel full. These are challenges that I would like to address this time around as I am about to embark on the biggest, but most rewarding challenge of my entire life.
