raw

it's day two of my semi-annual raw foods fast - the hardest day by far if you ask me.  the first day is mentally, emotionally, and physically kind of fun.  i go out and buy lots and lots of fun foods, plan out some interesting meals to make, and begin the process of sprouting, soaking, fermenting, and marinating.  i eat all of my favorite raw meals, and congratulate myself on setting on a path of detox, resetting the system, and wellness.  i meditate.  i smudge.  there is ceremony and familiarity in it.  i rejoice.

the detox starts on day two.

i awoke today with a headache so bad that i could not see out of my right eye.  thinking perhaps this was due to dehydration, i ran through the amounts of water and exercise i'd gotten the day before.  yesterday i drank 1.5 gallons of water, did one session of bikram yoga, and played a 40 minute rec soccer game.  perhaps i overdid it - but it does not seem likely.  when i worked outdoors i did more on less water some days and did not wake up half blinded.  a combination of food, water, and a little caffeine (i try to limit this when i do raw foods, but i don't abstain completely) has helped tremendously and through there is still a little throbbing, i am feeling better.

of course that leads me to wonder what the hell i have been putting into my body that is taking that kind of toll on me as it leaves.  since i arrived in oregon i know i have been drinking a lot more alcohol.  living in the land of 3.2 beer and limited wineries (no distilleries) definitely kept my consumption down.  being in the pacific northwest has certainly made the options broader.  they love their beverages here - wine, beer, spirits, coffee, tea.  i have appreciated completely the level of craft, flavor, and complexity of each of these genres of liquid consumption.  perhaps i am dealing with an angry liver.

i also have taken great pains to eliminate wheat from my diet in the last 6 months.  i recognize that when i eat it i deal with all kinds of ailments from breakouts to gas, cramps to aches in the joints.  i also experience lethargy, mood swings, and an increased level of insomnia.  when i was back east for thanksgiving i tested whether or not it was wheat that was doing this - going back to eating it for a week.  after 3 days i decided to give up on that and returned to a wheatless diet.  this being the first time i've done the raw foods fast while being wheatless, i wonder if my body is reacting to released toxins from wheat i've eaten in the past.

regardless of what is going on, day two always sucks.  i try to moderate the challenge of the detox.  i don't take any supplements/teas/herbs that encourage detox until day 3 or 4.  my body does a good enough job with that on its own.  i follow up with these to continue the cleansing once the first rush is over.  at this point i have been doing raw foods fasts for four years.  i've come to know my body and see what it can take.  that's actually why i do the detox while eating raw foods.  when i lived in bicknell at the post office house (yea poho!) i had a roommate who would do the two week lemon juice/maple syrup/cayenne detox.  after watching him go through it, and reading all i could about it, i decided to give it a try.  day one was hard - i mean, you don't eat anything.  you just drink the sweetened and spiced lemonade that is meant to draw out the toxins quickly and aggressively.  day two i started to feel dizzy, nauseous, and HUNGRY.  at the end of day three i was out at the movies with friends and i had my first bout of tachycardia in 6 years.  i went home and fixed myself a big meal.  no more of that for me.

doing the detox with raw foods is less stressful on my body.  i find that i am able to clean out, reset, and feel rejuvenated without having to push too hard.  also every time i do it i come up with a couple of new recipes that are really rad, like raw key lime pie, or raw red pepper sundried tomato pesto.  that said, it still is not the most comfortable thing on the planet.  this headache is a prime example.

so why the hell do it in the first place?

i think about all i've eaten, all the chemicals i've been exposed to, all of the medicines i've taken, all of the detergents and soaps, all the metals...i know that my body has some of these inside.  i also know that as i work to eliminate these from my current diet and life, that regular detoxing can leech out the ones that have been in there longer.  if i am not layering too much on top of old toxins, i can dig deeper.  i wonder whether this extreme experience is part of that, or if there is something new i introduced that i am not thinking of.  when i complete a fast i feel so clean and strong and solid.  the challenge of it seems like a small price to pay in order to feel healthy.  it is reminiscent of the glowy feeling i have when i get done with a run.  often my body screams at me to stop while i am going.  i have to push through.  when i get to the end i know mentally and emotionally that i did something good for myself, and physically i feel better.  the effects of this last into the future.

so i sit here putting up with my headache, which is nearly gone now.  i can see again, which is good, because the jar of tasty raw macadamia nuts i am snacking on is to my right next to my nutritonic kombucha.  i have big slices of eggplant marinating in red wine vinegar, freshly soaked almonds to make milk, and chickpeas sprouting to mix with raw tahini to make hummus.  tomorrow i am going to make the biggest batch of guacamole ever, along with cacao-pecan cookies.  at the end of the week i'll be feeling fresh, strong, and clean.

you have to walk the rocks to see the mountain view, raw and fresh through clear eyes.

raw key lime pie
this is an awesome recipe i've adapted from a number of ones i found online.  it works best as a frozen dessert, and if you wanted to, you could forgo the crust all together, and just serve the filling at a raw sorbet.

2c raw nuts (i like hazelnuts, but really anything works except peanuts)
1/2c. dates, soaked and pressed
6-8 avocadoes
3 large limes OR 1/3c lime juice
1c. raw agave nectar
1.5c. melted coconut oil
1/4t salt

crust
dates for 2-3 hours in warm water, then press to get out any excess liquid
chop the nuts finely in a food processor, then add the dates and the salt and blend them in.  it should become a thick, dry, paste.
taste the mixture.  if it is sweet enough for you, leave it as is.  if not, add agave nectar to taste. 
press into a pie pan and put into the fridge to set.

filling
blend the avocadoes and the agave nectar together with the lime juice until smooth.
add in the coconut oil and blend.
pour into the crust and let set in the freezer.