A Very RAW Christmas

Much like myself, my sister has taken a liking to the raw side of things so I decided to give her a little nudge for Christmas and picked up a copy of Natalia Rose's The Raw Food Detox for her (there was also somewhat of a selfish motive there for me too :-). So far, she has really been enjoying the book and she read it almost cover to cover in one night.

The morning after she did that heavy reading, she went to the grocery store and stocked up on a whole bunch of raw food goodies...avocados, ginger, celery and mangoes just to name a few. For one of the detox programs in the book (#2 - which is the one my sister is doing), Natalia calls for the consumption of two Green Lemonades per day - one in the morning when you get hungry and another more towards mid-day. My sister made the two Green Lemonades in the morning and she let me have a taste of it. I was surprised by how good it was given the combination of foods it calls for. Following is the recipe for it. Give it a try if you have the chance...it's well worth it.

Makes 1 Serving

-1 head romaine lettuce or celery
-5 to 6 stalks kale (any type)
-1 to 2 apples (as needed for sweetness - I recommend Fuji)
-1 whole organic lemon (you don't have to peel it)
-1 to 2 tablespoons fresh ginger (optional)

I copied this from the book verbatim, so the suggestions in parenthesis are Natalia's own words. I'll throw in my two cents and say that if you are going to take the plunge and decide to make this, go ahead and add in the ginger. It curbs the taste away from the heavy greenery that's in this juice.

As for the second book in the photo, Rawvolution by Matt Amsden, my oldest sister (different from the one I talked about above) purchased that for my mom. My sister had asked me a few days before Christmas for some raw food book titles because my mom expressed to her that she wanted a raw cookbook for Christmas. Rawvolution was the only one that I could remember off of the top of my head and apparently after I told her that, she wasted no time going out and buying it. My mom is extremely content with her gift and she already has plans to whip up some amazing raw meals in the next couple of weeks. Actually, when I got home this evening, there was a nice portion of a raw tabouli salad sitting on the kitchen counter.

If you can't afford raw food books, there is a tremendous amount of information on the internet as well. The books are definitely a great resource to have around, but I certainly understand not being able to just pick up a $32 copy of Rawvolution.

Supplement your raw education with the many resources that are out there. You'd be amazed by what you can find if you look hard enough.

Raw. Love. AND BOOKS!!!
-Natalie

O Holy Wheatgrass

I'll keep this short and sweet since I'm sure that most of you out there are familiar with the amazing powers of wheatgrass. I picked up this little info sheet from the juice bar located upstairs from my school's fitness room. I barely ever eat or drink there, but I bought something a couple weeks ago and came across this while I was there.

Wheatgrass juice...

-is immediately absorbed into the bloodstream and gives immediate energy.

-energizes and reduces fatigue.

-is an appetite suppressant.

-improves metablosm.

-improves digestion.

-enriches the blood, removes blood disorders, and lowers blood pressure.

-is antibacterial.

-helps cleanse the liver.

-prevents tooth decay.

-is good for skin problems; it improves complexion, treats acne, and removes acne scars.

-keeps hair from graying and removes dandruff.

-boosts the immune system.

-calms the nervous system.

-promotes regularity and fights constipation.

-washes drug deposit from the body, neutralizes toxins in the body, helps purify the liver, and prevents aging.

-stabilizes blood sugar levels.

I'll add in some commentary of my own an say that wheatgrass shots can be pretty expensive (depending on where you go) and taste pretty gross. The cost and the ill taste are probably more than worth it in the end though because I bet you are going to slash some future medical bills by supplementing your diet with healing foods like wheatgrass.

So don't hesitate to drink up!

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

It's Almond Butter Jelly Time, Almond Butter Jelly Time

(The extent of my fridge)

Back in September in one of my posts, I wrote about the outrageous amount of money that I paid for almond butter from Safeway ($10). I mean, maybe that's the going price for almond butter these days and perhaps my reality is just a bit skewed. In any case, I think I speak for many when I say college students don't have the luxury of buying something like almond butter for 10 bucks on a weekly basis. I will say though, that the same almond butter that I bought back in September is still sitting in my refrigerator. I maybe used it three or four times back in the beginning of the semester and then completely indulged in my 'eating out' compulsions. So, long story short, I've still got a lot of almond butter left.

Strapped for cash, I've had to resort to some real penny pinching lately. As you can see in my fridge photo, I'm down to the bare minimum as far as groceries go too. After I finished classes yesterday, I was thirsting for a meal but I told myself that I had to gain some control over eating out. I headed to the store and bought two pieces of toasted wheat bread, which ran me $.80. I took the bread back to my room and spread my almond butter and (organic) jelly on it. I had a few containers of applesauce left in my fridge too so now I had something to accompany my sandwich.

I ended up eating in my friends room because we were discussing our anticipated Chemistry grades. As soon as I walked into her room she said 'peanut butter and jelly? What are you, in fourth grade?' I didn't take the comment to offense...maybe that was compliment regarding my youthfulness :-)

The sandwich was good, the applesauce was good, the company I ate with was good, and most importantly, I successfully satisfied my hunger. Reverting back to basics isn't as tough as it seems. Whether I like it or not, it looks like I'll have to start again at square one next semester because food money management didn't go so well this time around...

Raw. Love. and Almonds.
-Nat

Mango-Avo Goodness

(It doesn't get much better than this)

As expected, I headed home over Thanksgiving break and had the opportunity to enjoy the raw pleasures of being in New York once again. Having a blender and juicer at my disposal is priceless, really. I'm thinking about purchasing a magic bullet (which I talked about in a post from the spring) but hopefully, someone in my family will take a hint and put one under the tree on Christmas...I won't get my hopes up though. The magic bullet is small enough (and I think quiet enough) to store in my dorm room and I don't think cleanup would be too bad. Having smoothies every morning would be ideal and with a mini blender, I have no doubt that I can make that happen.

On to my food adventures while on break...I took full advantage of my blender especially while I was home. Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend an awful lot of time at my own house but when I was out and about, I made sure to hit up my usual smoothie bars or vegan spots. On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, I took my dad to this vegan restaurant located on 135th street and 7th avenue. I would definitely suggest it to anyone who lives or is visiting New York - the name of the place is Cafe Veg. I also went up to Raw Soul (145th between St. Nicholas and Edgecomb) a couple of times but I feel like each time I go there, I become more and more disappointed with their menu. Hopefully, I'll do a formal review of one or two of their dishes when I get back home. My mom is cool with the owner of Raw Soul and I think that they have a great mission, so I try to support them as much as possible by eating there whenever I go home. They're staff is really nice and I recently had a conversation with one of the waitresses who was very kind. Check it out if you're ever in NY - I recommend the Barbecue Burger, the Wrap, and the Soup of the Day (the corn soup is the best).

So when I wasn't eating out, I was trying to prepare healthy meals for myself at home. I was most excited about making my favorite pudding; Mango Avocado. Sounds like and odd mix, but it brings together a great combination of flavors that work well together. You'd really be surprised by how amazing this pudding tastes. When I used to make it for myself over the summer, it had the consistency of a smoothie but now, I prefer to have it in more of a pudding form. The recipe is basically:

1 Mango
1 Avocado
Water
Sprinkle of Cinnamon to Taste




And that's it...simple as that. The amount of water that you add is all dependent on whether you like your pudding/smoothie thick or not. I prefer a little bit of thickness, so I put in just enough water so that the blender is able puree the mango and avocado. Let me tell you, I had one of these the day before Thanksgiving at around 10 a.m. and didn't get hungry again until around 5 or 6...and I wasn't laying around the house all day either, I was out and about. Now, this was a rare and extreme case for me, given that I have a large appetite, but nonetheless, I was able to go that long.

Give the pudding a try. What have you got to lose? Make it unique and add some variety to the basic recipe I posted above. The possibilities are endless with raw food.

Raw. Love...and Mangoes
-Natalie

Water Consumption

(The art of mutli-tasking)

My water intake has never been anywhere close to where it should be, so lately I've pushed myself to drink more water than I'm used to. My current goal is to get in around two or three liters a day which I try to break up evenly throughout the morning, noon, and evening.

As a broke college student, I can actually only afford to buy bottled water a couple of times per week. What I normally resort to is getting refills from the nasty water fountain right outside of my door. The water is gross, but it gets the job done...right?

As far as working out goes, I've really been mobilizing and that makes it even more important to keep myself hydrated. My campus job is also pretty labor intensive so it's vital for me to stay hydrated for that reason as well.

I might lose some respect for saying this, but here I go. Sometimes, to make the water go down a bit easier, I add some Emergen-C to give it some flavor. It ultimately makes the water taste like heavily watered down orange juice but hey, it's better than regular water. Each packet has 1,000 mg of vitamin C which is way more than what's needed in a day, but vitamin C is something that, in surplus, goes in through one end and out the other.

I have way more to say on the subject of water, but you'll have to excuse me right now because I'm drawing a big blank on some of the other things I wanted to add. Agh!! Hit me up on a later date...I promise I'll have more for you.

What has college done to my precious brain???

Raw. Love. Y'all.

-Natalie

Morning = Good, Evening = BADDD

(I took full advantage of Free Apple Day a couple weeks ago)

There are only two days during the week that I wake up even remotely early, and those days are Wednesday and Friday. I have class at 9:30 a.m. on those two days, so I try to wake up at around 8 to give myself ample time to get fresh for class. Prior to class on my 'early' days, I usually grab a piece of fruit (such as the apple above), and a calorically heavy beverage. I'll usually take some water with me as well that I try to finish before class is over.

Afterward, I'll still be pretty hungry sometimes, so I grab yet another small meal from the main dining outlet on campus. Today...I was in luck. The dining hall has this pathetic 'vegan bar' stationed in a buffet, so I thought I'd go check it out (something I normally don't do because their options are always atrocious). To my surprise, there were these vegan riblets that looked divine and some collard greens and rice with beans to go along with it. The collard greens looked pretty light (not drenched in oil or flavoring) and I was actually pretty pleased with the clean taste of them. The riblets tasted as good as they looked and the rice was, well...rice.

(Excuse my half-eaten riblet)

As usual with my photos, this one does not do the meal justice. I actually haven't eaten anything this good in awhile. The last time I had anything that tasted decent was when I went to Java Green Cafe a few weeks ago (will talk about that another time). I had their Vegan Burger which was to DIE FOR.

Usually after I knock my first two meals out of the way, both of which are normally within my clean vegan parameters, I start to run into biggg problems.

For some reason, I have a much easier time keeping my diet clean in the morning than in the late afternoon and evening. For example, it's almost 2 p.m. right now and I have huge McDonalds cravings for some reason. Now, I would be a fool to run out and get some, considering the nearest McD's is 10 blocks away, but sometimes my cravings are intense enough to make me do something as stupid as that.

Last night, I was hit with a McD's craving at around 7 and I actually trekked over there and bought some. I won't tell you what I got, for my own protection, but I wasn't proud of myself for giving in.

The ironic thing about my McDonalds run last night? I passed right by Java Green Cafe (a cafe with a vegetarian, vegan, and raw menu) on my way there.

Amazing, huh.

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

It's Been Awhile, Huh....

(Can you believe this thing is 3 blocks from my dorm??)

Clearly, it's been quite a while since I last posted anything. As you can imagine, a lot has been going on for me lately but I think at this point, I'm pretty well settled into my college lifestyle. I really love my studies thus far and I'm very optimistic about what the future holds.

As far as my diet is concerned, things could be MUCH better. On the bright side though, I've started a solid workout program that has me kicking butt in the gym and I can really feel a difference in my body. We all know though, of coarse, a sound fitness program is nothing without a clean diet. My problem lately has been cravings...once again. I'll have a stretch of two weeks or so where my diet will be phenomenal but then all of a sudden, I'll crash and burn without warning. Something's gotta be done about this.

The thing that has been causing me the most problems lately and has had me doing major backflips is SUGAR. No, not sugar as in apples and oranges, but rather sour patch kids, jelly, gummies, chocolate, and every other sugar ridden candy (and sometimes cereal) in the book. I used to do just fine with having tea without sugar or honey, but I have gone back to adding honey into my tea...and I'm starting to get a little too generous with it. When I started my weight loss journey back in January, the first thing I cut out was my morning coffee which was loaded with milk and sugar. Nixing that did wonders for me, and I would hate to have a reverse effect take place.

Just as a side note (and an excuse to add an unnecessary photo), I thought I should inform the general public about the fact that I rid of my kale plant over a month ago. I loved it so, but I could not figure out how to properly care for it and thus, it was dying rapidly. I felt like everyday I looked at it, there was another wilting leaf on it. I still have my one plant left...and here I am apologizing to it about giving up its adopted brother:


Sad, isn't it?

I promise to be a bit more consistent in the future. Watch out for more posts coming soon.

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

Recession Depression

This next comment may sound really obnoxious to some, but I have to say that I am very happy to be in college during a tough economic time such as this.

I know that I'll be hit with an economic crisis cycle at least 3 times or so during my lifetime, but I think that watching how our current crisis plays out will prove to be very helpful with the way that I deal with future economic woes.

The situation at hand does worry me, and I have close friends and family members who are struggling at the present time. It bothers me to see them going through this and being so uncertain of what their next moves are going to be. I wish there was a way that I could help, of coarse, but there is realistically not much that I can do.

When I am not on school time (such as when I go home for a weekend), I can somewhat feel the repercussions of what's going on. It is at these times that I think being a vegan largely helps keep my spending costs at a low level. 'Trendy' vegan foods can certainly cost you a pretty penny, but if you keep things simple, you'd be surprised at how much money you can save.

Here's an example:


When I went home last weekend, I did a little bit of shopping since my stay was more than just a couple of days. It had been so long since I last made myself some quality juices, so I took my time at home as an opportunity to catch up on some lost nutrition.

One of the first things I did when I got home was make a grocery store run. I bought some essentials, such as Almond Milk - $1.49 per box, and then I put most of my focus on juice ingredients.

Once again, I kept it simple. Carrots, cucumbers, peaches and apples...that was about it. It's amazing how far this stuff can last you and how creative you can get with it.


The bag of organic carrots that I bought form my local health food store ran me about $5.50. This bag was 5lbs and was more than enough for me. I left the carrots that I didn't eat at home so that my parents could have them if they wanted to juice also...I can only hope that they didn't go to waste.

I decided not to bring my juicer back to school with me. It was too much to carry on the subway and I was told that it would apparently cause 'noise pollution' in the dorm (whatever...not like the people on my hall aren't loud ALL the time).

As far as food quality goes, my diet has not seen much freshness in the last 3 or 4 weeks. I took a trip to Whole Foods this week and got some fresh items, but they only lasted me a few days. I really have to buckle down and figure out a solution. I can't keep living off of three smoothies a day and expect to be healthy.

I'm open to suggestions. Don't be afraid to comment.

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

Skinny Bitch and Going Home

On Wednesday morning (September 24th) I left school and caught a bus home to New York. I received news on Tuesday evening that a friend of mine had passed away, so I hopped on a bus as soon as I could.

Emotional eating has not been going so well. I was not close friends with the girl who passed but when something so tragic happens to someone so young (21), it can really take a toll on you. Over the past couple days, I've been doing quite a bit of reevaluating of my life and what my purpose is. I doubt I'll figure that out anytime soon, but I can make an effort daily to figure out what's important to me and how I'd like to be remembered when my time comes.

Back to the eating part; at any given time, I'm going through 1 of 2 phases. Phase 1 is not eating at all. Sometimes I feel so emotionally distressed that eating is secondary to most other things, even things that don't matter much. Phase 2 involves eating, but making bad choices. I've had somewhat of a 'what's the point' attitude since hearing the news, but I'm dealing with it a lot better now.

The reason why I have Skinny Bitch in the title of this post is because when I was on the train yesterday, I saw a woman reading it. That was the first time I had ever seen anyone reading the book outside of a bookstore (kind of ironic because it's a New York Times Best Seller). I was so tempted to say 'hey, I read that book, went vegan right away, and lost 25lbs' but instead, I refrained from saying anything and let her keep reading peacefully.

To anyone who hasn't read the book and has any type of interest in veganism, I would say that this is a must-read. I let my vegetarian friend flip through it a bit and she was very frustrated by what the authors were saying. I think that reaction was derived from the fact that as a vegetarian, she believed she was doing her part in the Animal Rights movement and it was not necessary to go and further. Everyone is going to give different feedback about the book, but if anything, read it and form your own opinion, whether it be positive or negative.


This morning, I had the oh-so-wonderful luxury of making my OWN juice in my OWN juicer. Getting smoothies and juices from on-campus spots is cool, but nothing beats making your own carrot juice at home...which is what I did today.

I have to try to find a way to take my juicer back to school with me. I'm not sure how much longer I can survive without it. I made it a point not to pack too heavily so that I can carry a few items back with me (juicer, jackets, etc) so hopefully, I alotted myself enough space.

I'll let y'all know if it makes the journey with me.

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

Intense Cravings

(America runs on Dunkin?)

Basically, the last four or five days have gone something a little like this: I finish class, hunt down the fattiest restaurant in the area that I can find, and order the most disgusting item on the menu.

I'm quite ashamed of my behavior in recent days, so much so that when I order these foods, I either walk far away from campus to eat them (as not to be seen) or I lock myself in my room and inhale whatever it is I just bought. Something's gotta be done.

I think my problem is that I do not plan well enough for situations such as these. Being a vegan is something that is so important to me, but yet, I find myself sitting here and admitting to my recent slip ups. I'm happy that I'm experiencing all of this guilt because that means (to me at least) that I'm still passionate about veganism.

Just to give you an idea of what has gone into my body over these last few days, I'll list a few items for you:

Turkey Breast and Bacon Sandwich with Swiss Cheese and mayo (Potbelly's)
Crispy Chicken Sandwich (Wendy's)
Turkey, Cheddar, Bacon Flatbread Sandwich (Dunkin' Donuts)
Beef Chili (Cafeteria - 3x)
French Toast (Cafeteria)

The cravings have been too intense for me to handle properly. I think that I've passed the hardest part and now I just need to focus on getting healthy again...because I feel TERRIBLE.

The amount of school work I have isn't helping matters much either. I had a paper due this morning and I didn't get to bed until around 2:30am. I bought a 16oz cup of coffee to keep my engine running but by 1am, I was already running on empty.

In an attempt to do a bit of damage control, I decided that I'd eat as clean as I could today. Here's what my meals have been like so far:

Had class at 8am. Took about 10oz of Gogi Berry tea with me to go.


The class lasted about 2 hours, so I ate a Cliff Bar slowly throughout.


Went back to my room and had a cup of Emergen-C in between classes. Stopped off at Robeks (smoothie place) before my second class and bought a 10oz cup of fresh squeezed orange juice with one banana blended in.


After class, I ran over to the post office and then grabbed lunch at about 1:30. Lunch was a salad from the buffet in the cafeteria.

(About half eaten already in this picture)

Post lunch, which is what I'm about to eat, is going to be an apple with almond butter.


Just one little side note about the almond butter...you know I paid $10 for it at Safeway?!?!?!
Unbelievable.

Hopefully I'm not graced with the unwanted presence of my intensive cravings anytime soon. I can't afford to go through another bout like the one I just went through.

Learn from my mistakes....JUST SAY NO!!!

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

Confessions of a Teenage Blood Donor

I enjoy donating blood. Not only because I am sharing something of mine with someone else in need, but I feel incredibly cleansed afterward.

I was leaving my writing class yesterday and saw a sign outside of the door that said 'Emergency Blood Drive Taking Place on Campus Today' (or something of that nature). I tracked down the location of the drive and signed up as a walk-in. It was about 12:30 when I signed up and I was scheduled to donate at 4:30. The gentleman who helped me register told me to make sure that when I return, I am well hydrated and not hungry.

Now, I'm no pro when it comes to donating blood, but I have done it twice before. Here's how it went my first time:

Incredibly nervous and scared out of my mind, I passed out when my bag was about 95% full. The red cross volunteers were not too happy with me.

I was successful the second time because I knew what to expect. I was still nervous, but I was determined to finish what I had started.

So this time, my nerves really didn't play much of a role and I was confident that I'd make it through just fine. There was one little thing that I was concerned about that I thought would prevent me from donating: hemoglobin level.

Some vegans are known to have low iron levels because a large source of the average Americans iron comes from animals/animal products. Unfortunately, I am not one of those vegans who pays special attention to my deficiencies...which is subject to change in the near future. The last time I went to donate blood, my hemoglobin level came out below normal for blood donation (the requirement is at least 12.5 gm/dL and I was around 11.7 gm/dL). The nurse told me that the levels can vary based off of which hand/finger is used when drawing blood (the nurse pricks your finger and then runs your blood through a machine to check hemoglobin). She proceeded test blood from my other hand and the reading was 12.7...so I was good to go.

I did a bad thing this time though...

For some reason, I was convinced that the only way I'd be able to reach my 'hemoglobin quota' in enough time was to eat MEAT.

Stupid and illogical, I know, but I was so afraid of under performing that I was willing to do anything. Maybe this is all just an excuse and I was really craving some beef?? I certainly hope not, but whatever the reason was, I hope that it does not come back to haunt me again.

I had approximately 8oz of chili with some wild rice mixed in. My reading was 12.5.

When it was actually time for me to pump, I was moving very sssslllloooowlllyyyy. It took me about 30 minutes to fill the bag; not something I am very proud of. There were about 5 or 6 people who filtered in and out while I was pumping and each of them only took about 5 minutes each. The red cross volunteer asked me about my water intake and I said that it wasn't so great. Another one of the volunteers proceeded to lecture me about the importance of drinking 144 ounces of water a day (what??). I definitely need to drink more water, no doubt, but when I increase my intake, I don't know if it'll ever reach 144 ounces a day...getting up during class to use the bathroom is not my favorite pastime.

The imprtant thing is...I filled my bag. Yea, I had meat beforehand and yea, I took a hell of a lot of time to do it, but I did it...right?

For all of the non-squeemish people out there, I would most certainly recommend donating blood at least twice a year. According to the red cross, two donations can save six lives.

Don't you think it's worth trying?

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

WARNING!!

I was originally going to blog today about my new workout routine, but a few disturbing events that took place this morning and earlier this week have taken precedence at the last minute.

I have class at 8am on Tuesday's and Thursday's, so I have to get out of the dorm at around 7:30am so that I can both eat and get to class on time. My breakfast lately has consisted of a raisin bagel, a banana, and a single serve vanilla Silk Soymilk (yes, I know, tsk tsk). The only dining outlet that is open at that hour and within reasonable walking distance is Au Bon Pan. I've never been a huge fan of the place, but I never hated it either. It had been starting to grow on me over the past couple of weeks because their options were a lot better than most other campus dining place (notice, the last sentence was in the past tense...keep reading).

Well, I went in for my morning usual today but decided to throw in a small coffee as well (yes, tsk again). Not only have I never waited so long for a small cup of coffee in my life, but I have also never had a toasted bagel wrapped so sloppily. The cooks/servers were really not being attentive when it came to their customers.

No biggy though...I still had 15 minutes before class began and all I needed to do was check out. I bought my four items and started walking to class. I stopped along the way to pour out half of my coffee and fill it up with soy milk.

(just like the soymilk I had this morning, except mine was vanilla)

My coffee began to curdle as soon as I poured the soymilk in. I really thought nothing of it because I just figured that's how coffee reacted to soymilk...so I tasted it. GROSSSS. I've never had anything so rancid in my life. I actually thought it was the coffee that was bad, so I threw it away and began to drink the rest of the soymilk I had left in my bottle.

GROSSSSSS

It smelled and tasted like rotten eggs. I turned around and went back to Au Bon Pan to get an exchange. I ended up just getting a new black coffee and my money back for the soymilk. The gentleman who worked there was very nice when I came in and complained about the milk. I noticed, though, that there were still three more soymilks sitting in the refrigerator and I thought to myself 'those all have GOT to be spoiled as well. He's not going to get rid of them?'


In any case, I went on my way and ate my bagel while walking to class. When I was halfway through eating it, I spotted a nice long hair in the other half of the bagel.

Can I get a break?

I threw the bagel away and found myself left with a small black coffee (no sugar of coarse) and a banana for breakfast.


The other incident happened on Tuesday when I was on my way to my 8am class. I grabbed 2 bananas and a Super Protein Odwalla drink before I went to class. I ate the bananas before I got to the classroom and started on the drink during class. I'm a REALLY fast eater/drinker, so I drank about half of it in one go.

I thought I was going to hurl in front of everyone.

The drink is supposed to be a blend of fruits and protein but, once again, this tasted and smelled more like rotten eggs. I have this drink quite often, and I have NEVER experienced a taste such as this.

Just writing about it is making me sick all over again.

I'm pretty much turned off of the items listed above, and will be for the next month or so I'm guessing. Maybe the Raw Gods are trying to tell me that I need to stop being so dependent on cooked, processed, and manufactured foods and choose options that are more wholesome. After all, the bananas in both incidents turned out to be my source of food after all else failed.

Bottom line...I've gotta go grocery shopping.

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

The Inevitable FRESHMAN 15!!!

I've been here less than two weeks and I'm already beginning to realize why the Freshman 15 is such a plague for most college students. When I take a look around campus on my way to class, I am sometimes in aw of the number of students that are carrying around a significant amount of extra body weight. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised, seeing as how the number of overweight students directly correlates to the dining options we have here on campus...

My mom has gotten frequent calls home from me concerning the dining options that are available. Whereas most colleges, I believe, have some sort of cafeteria where students basically have an all-you-can-eat buffet at their disposal, my college uses something called 'dining dollars.' We're given a card with $1,700 dollars on it and this amount is supposed to buy all of our meals for the semester. There are select vendors that accept our 'dining dollars' card, so I find that we're very limited in terms of what we have to choose from.

The main dining outlet on campus is comprised of a few different vendors...all of which have little to nothing that suits my diet. Wendy's is the number 1 place where I have seen most students buy lunch. It's convenient, quick, and gross. If you need to eat on the run in between classes, Wendy's is the spot to go...if you're looking for you're next episode of cardiac arrest in a bun.

I can't say that my diet has been completely clean either. I think that in comparison to most other people I've meet, my choices are pretty good, but then again, who am I really comparing myself to?

The school proudly advertises their 'Vegan/Vegetarian Hot Bar' but when I went there the buy something to eat, this was the best I could do:


I had to take a few hours to sleep this one off. I really didn't feel good after eating it.

I can't knock every on-campus restaurant though. I have found a select few that somewhat cater to my needs. The first one is Robeks. I've been going there periodically over the last week for smoothies and wheatgrass shots. A regular smoothie runs about $5.50, but the size of it is pretty large:


Each time I go, I make sure to tell them to leave out the sorbet, yogurt, or anything else they put into it that isn't fruit or ice.

Another smoothie place I found is located upstairs from the fitness center...pretty convenient. I've gotten wheatgrass shots from there as well. The wheatgrass really keeps me going.

Being raw in college isn't working out very well so far, but right now I'm working on just staying on top on my veganism as much as possible. My mom tells me that I should try to do some sort of 'lobbying' in order to get some healthy grocery stores to join the 'dining dollars' list of vendors. We'll see how it all progresses.

More updates to come.

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

College Raw...An Attempt at the (almost) Impossible

I wish that I could blame my lack of blogging on preparation for college, but the truth is, I packed the morning of my departure and school certainly has not been on my mind much this summer. Hopefully, now that I'll have the opportunity to get myself into a regular routine, I can fit in specific blog time a couple days during the week.

We'll see how it plays out.

Anywho, I moved into my dorm yesterday (in DC) but spent the night at my brothers place in VA. I came back on campus this afternoon and have been getting settled in since then. Before I left VA to return to campus, my parents and I went to Lowes to get some last minute things for the room (ex. rug, surge protector). While getting ready to check out, my mom suggested that I buy some greenery for the room...you would have thought I'd be the one to suggest it. We went to the lawn and garden section of the store and had tons of plants to choose from.

Just a small side note...as a city girl, I can't recall seeing many hardware stores in NY with such a vast selection plants.

I was taken away by the amount of green that was surrounding me. If only it was all edible! (now that's what I call an all you can eat buffet - yes, very corny). I paced around for about ten minutes before I found what I wanted. Turns out that I probably got the two most random plants I could've purchased.

Here are the babies:


The one on the left is 'ornamental kale' and on the right I have an 'anthurium' (never heard of it before). The kale is kind of cool because it has a purplish tone to it in the center of each leaf...and I can eat it eventually if I choose to. There was no real rationale for choosing the other, I was mostly just drawn to its size and the fact that it looks manageable for my soon-to-be college lifestyle. I'll post updates on these guys quarterly...or whenever I feel like it.

I was surprised to see these two items when I walked into the room for the first time:


I imagine that I won't get much, if any, use out of the microwave, but the mini fridge will definitely be helpful. And to think...I almost brought my own from home!

One MAJOR item that I left home is......MY JUICER. I had it all packed up and ready to go. I had used it that same morning to make some carrot juice before leaving and I made sure to clean it thoroughly because I knew I'd have to sit in the car with it for 4 hours. Lo and behold, all of that hard work was for nothing. Next time I go home (which should be at the end of September), I'll have to lug it back to school with me. Oh, how I miss it already....

Gotta give another shout out to the 100 day raw food challengers...stay strong!

Raw. Love.
-Natalie

The Ultimate Irony

I'll try to keep this brief, simply because this subject does not make much sense to me.

My niece turned 13 this past weekend, and my sister asked that I escort her to a Jonas Brothers concert that took place last weekend at Madison Square Garden. My niece is absolutely infatuated with these three boys and she loves their music. The two of us had a good time at the concert...but there was one thing that really bothered me about it...


The youngest Jonas brother, Nick, is 15 years old and was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes 2 years ago. He played a song at the concert that he wrote after learning about his condition, and the title of the song, A Little Bit Longer, is also the title of their new album.

Throughout the concert, they showed videos of he and his brothers volunteering at children's hospitals to help out other young people who suffer from diabetes as well. There were also video clips of him checking his insulin levels, and describing the shifts in his diet he was required to make.

All of that was fine....very touching. But then I looked down at my neck where my free Jonas Brothers key chain was hanging and saw this:


And when I looked up from my chain, there were Burger King ads galore on the two 50ft television screens above the stage. UNBELIEVABLE. The ads were running during the whole hour and a half that we were waiting for their band to come on.

Of coarse, my niece couldn't have cared less (and I didn't want to ruin her time), but that right there was a valuable lesson in ethics.

I don't know how much control the Jonas Brothers have over who sponsors what, but to allow something like that just seemed unfitting and unacceptable.

Weigh-in on it. What do you think?

Raw. Love.
-Nat

Testimonial

(Before - January 6th, 2008)

I'm dedicating this post to my progress. I wrote about the strides I've made in a post that I wrote last month, but I was too ashamed to put up shirtless photos. Although the picture that I put up last month displays my 'pimple plague' (which was pretty awful), I think that the one above is a lot worse.

This picture was taken on January 6th...the day before I started the Body-for-Life program. Not only does my facial expression scream misery, but my insides were very much screaming it as well. I was in a really unhappy place at that time. Not only was the freezing New England weather keeping me down, but I was also pressed to meet college application deadlines, keep up a decent GPA, and play Varsity Basketball. On top of all of that, I was away from family, which meant that I wasn't receiving all of the support I needed.

At that point, I decided that it was time I support myself.

My first attempt to do this was by borrowing my sister's copy of Bill Phillip's Body-for-Life and reading it cover to cover. As my brain matured on the issue of health, I took the next step and purchased a copy of Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin...and read it cover to cover. Reading those two books eventually snowballed into what eventually became my raw food obsession.

No, I'm not 100% raw (yet), but I make an effort daily to include plenty of raw foods into my diet. As a result of making simple changes such as substituting cucumber apple juice :-) for processed orange juice, or subbing a large, hearty salad for a turkey burger with fries (okay, maybe that's not such a simple swap)...I now look like this:

(Now - August 6th, 2008)

I still have lots of work to do in order to get to where I would like to be, but for now, I'm pretty content with the progress I've made. It's been a long, SLOW process, but there's not much that I would change about the way I approached my transition.

I used to think that protein shakes and loading up on creatine would be my best bets for dropping pounds, but nothing has given me greater results than a vegan diet with a large emphasis on raw foods.

Since my ankle still hasn't completely healed, I haven't started a workout regimen as of yet. I can do things such as powerwalk and upperbody weight training without being in much pain so I need to jump on that right away in order to add some shape and definition to my body.

Although, I find it amazing that I've gotten this far just by changing my diet. Imagine when I start throwing in workouts!

All I can do is stay determined and strive for the best.

Raw. Love.
-Nat

Cucumber Extravaganza

My smoothie/juice of choice lately has been either the cucumber + peach combo or the cucumber + apple combo. Both sounded incredibly gross to me when I first heard about them, but you can't knock something unless you try it. Well, I ended up trying it and loving it. I made some for my mom as well and she was amazed by how refreshing it was...especially on such a hot summer day in NYC.

I really have no preference when it comes to throwing the ingredients in the blender or juicing them...both have their positives. I like blending it because I can drink it slower and chew it along the way. I like juicing it because it goes down faster when I'm in a rush and I also enjoy the smoothness.


At the start of the afternoon, I made myself a cucumber and peach juice and it was incredibly tasty. I normally throw in some cinnamon, but I couldn't find any...the drink was perfectly fine without it though. I also usually use two peaches and one cucumber, but I only had one peach at home today...once again, the drink was perfectly fine without the second peach.


This was actually the first time I'd ever juiced a peach. I find that juicing apples comes more naturally but I think the softness of a peach makes me feel the need to blend it instead. Whatever though...it worked out fine.

One thing that I make sure to do when I'm blending (not juicing) cucumbers is to peel the skin off. I think that there are mixed feeling when it comes to doing this, but I've found that the inside of my mouth and lips go numb when I keep the skin on. Maybe that's a reaction that only I experience, but it is enough for me to stay away from cucumber skin.

I'll leave you with an image of today's juice...with me hovering over it :-) Enjoy raw foodies!


Raw. Love.
-Nat

Hello DC

On Friday, August 1st, I left NYC to spend a few days in DC. August 1st was also the start of the 100 day raw food challenge which I registered for a few weeks back. I was really excited about the challenge but kept it to myself because I didn't want to come across as a hypocrite if I didn't stay strictly raw throughout the challenge. For the past couple of days, I've just been steadily going at my own pace and I'm feeling really good about the strides I've made. Now, I know it's only been about 2 1/2 days, but my diet has cleaned up tremendously and I'm liking it.

When I arrived on Friday, I stayed in a hotel with my sister located by Embassy Row. The area was very nice and not too crowded. When I woke up on Saturday morning, my sister had already left for a conference that she needed to attend and I was alone trying to figure out a way to keep myself entertained. I called up my brother (who lives in northern VA), and asked if he knew of any farmers markets in the area. His wife directed me by phone to a popular market in the Eastern Market area where I was able to grab some breakfast and some other things that I was able to bring back to the hotel. I spent just a little more than $10 on fruits and veggies. I didn't really need that much because I wasn't staying in that hotel on Saturday night. Instead, I headed to my brothers later in the afternoon where he had plenty of groceries that catered to my diet.

Before I left for Northern VA, my sister and I grabbed some chow at a Japanese restaurant in the area where our hotel was. I LOVE sushi...and it took a lot of will power to pass it up. I found a good alternative though...it was called the Sakana Healthy Salad and it ran me about $6.95. It was an amazing raw Seaweed Salad with cucumbers; So tasty. Here's what it looked like:

I was pleasantly surprised by how full I was upon finishing the salad. I have a HUGE appetite and a bottomless pit for a stomach, so it's not easy to fill me up...that's why I was extra impressed with this Seaweed Salad. This dish definitely made it easier for me to sit next to my sister and watch her devour 3 sushi rolls. Torture, or will power booster?

A nice surprise at the end of my meal was the fact that I didn't have to pay for it. Since my sister was on a 'business trip,' her company paid for all of her meals while she stayed in DC. There was one side of me that was upset because if I wasn't raw, I would have cleaned out that place by eating all of their sushi. On the other hand though, I enjoyed my free salad and was very thankful for receiving such a nourishing meal. Actually, passing up free, quality sushi motivated me to be good for the rest of the challenge because if I constantly slip up, what would have been the point of me turning down what was practically an all-you-can-eat buffet of my favorite food? Confusing, yes, but if you read the last sentence twice, my message should be clear.

Moving along, I arrived at my brother's house yesterday with my two bags and an empty stomach. My mother had just left the day before and she stocked their refrigerator with lots of fresh veggies before she left...I was so excited!

I made myself a nice little salad for dinner and my sister was hovering over me the whole time I was making it. She couldn't stop talking about how good it looked, so I reluctantly allowed her to try the first bite. Here's the salad...my sister is responsible for the presentation, she tossed it until it looked perfect:

Meal-wise, I was done for the day and didn't get hungry again until this morning. I had a cucumber/peach smoothie with cinnamon for breakfast and it was so refreshing. I drank it while I went out on a walk with my brother, his wife, their two kids, and my sister. What a gorgeous day it was.

I took a few photos of the farmers market produce that I bought, but I think that this post is long enough and I wouldn't mind dedicating a post later in the week to just that. My farmers market trip wasn't extremely exciting, but I guess it'll be enough for me to write here.

Bottom line (which I didn't really discuss)...I love this city, and I'll be seeing a lot more of it soon because this is where I'll be going to college...YAY!

More to come...soon.

Big ups to everyone participating in the 100 Day Raw Food Challenge...We can do this!

Raw. Love.

Bloating

One real problem that I've been dealing with lately is a ton of bloating. When I read up on the raw food diet in the winter, I saw a few articles that talked about how bloating can occur if your diet has lots of raw foods along with cooked foods. I guess the combination just doesn't mix very well...and I've experienced that first hand.

Since I haven't been staying in one place in recent weeks, I sometimes feel like my raw food intake is slipping and I rely more on vegan options. I hate to say that choosing vegan food is more 'convenient' but the truth is, I only trust raw foods from certain stores and I don't always have access to them when I'm on the go. Better planning can surely change this. If I want to be 100%, I have to create a solid schedule for shopping and plan on bringing food with me wherever I go. I want to be prepared...always.

Back to my bloating issues...I wanted to write about this because it's gotten progressively worse in the last week. I get bloated so badly sometimes that I develop these painful cramps in my abdomen and feel as if I can't walk. A large staple of my diet is rice and beans, and I imagine that this combo has something to do with my constant bloating. I know that I shouldn't be so dependent on carbs, but I honestly think that rice is the last carb that I've held onto and it's an addiction that is taking a long time to overcome. Giving up meat was tough, giving up dairy, eggs, and sugar was even tougher, but carbs are on a whole different level. It's been a real challenge trying to stay away from them and it's a battle I have yet to win.

Maybe what I'll try doing is cutting out simple carbs for a week and see if I experience any changes. If the bloating goes away, then problem solved. If it doesn't go away though, there are probably other components of my diet that I have to confront in addition to the carb thing.

A couple days ago, I was thinking of ways to make the bloating temporarily subside. I decided to start the day off with a fresh glass of watermelon juice (w/ rind) and let my stomach do its thing until I got hungry again. So here's what I did...and you'll have to excuse me for stating the obvious:


I got this mini-watermelon at Trader Joe's for $3.49. I thought that I'd have to juice the whole thing to make a glass-full, but I actually only had to do half...so my breakfast was a total of $1.75. Not too shabby.


Since the rind was going in the juice as well, I took a steel pad and gently cleaned the outside of the watermelon while I ran it under cold water.


Like I said before, I only needed to juice half of it because that yielded enough juice for me. I cut it up into small enough pieces so it could fit into the mouth of the juicer.


Last but not least, the four slices went into my juicer to top off my breakfast. This whole process had to take less than two minutes to complete. Maybe not faster than making a bowl of cereal, but definitely better for you.

The juice filled me up perfectly and I didn't get hungry again for another couple hours. The bloating was temporarily solved but decided to haunt me later in the afternoon.

One step at a time I guess.

Bottoms Up!


Raw. Love.