Why Raw?
My mom started seeing a chiropractor who introduced her to raw foods. I was a bit put off by it at first, since I loved cooking and baking so much, but eventually I decided to try it in June 2009. At first I did nearly 100% raw and had lots of fun creating raw desserts. But once I got back to campus, I realized without a steady access to fresh produce and my beloved VitaMix, it was going to be a tough challenge. That's when I decided to start the blog.
I started out the year eating mostly raw, relying on the internet to order nuts and dried fruit. But I realized I was making the rookie "raw" mistake and eating just too many nuts. So I cut back. Subsequently I thought I needed to add something back into by diet or else I'd be crazy hungry. So back came my loves, hummus and sweet potatoes.
I've changed my raw food philosophy over the past few months. Instead of all raw, I'm now mostly raw, eating potatoes, beans, and lots and lots of cooked veggies.
When I was younger, my mom was always trying out the latest diet fad, but we had a pretty healthy pantry. I hardly ever had chips or pop, but candy was my one downfall. It didn't help that I loved baking and eating my creations. I was a little chunky, but nothing to be concerned about. Once I got to high school and joined the cross country team, all that baby fat came right off. My sister never liked meat, and that sort of introduced me to vegetarianism. I slowly ate less and less meat, but never completely went vegetarian because I thought (and so did my mom) a full meal had to include meat, veggies, and a starch.
When my mom got interested in raw foods, I finally went vegetarian. Initially I didn't want to do vegan because I thought that would be too restrictive, but after learning about all the hormones in dairy, I stopped eating it. That was a big step for someone who loved her milk! But now I love how I eat! I've always enjoyed snacking more than full meals, and so eating vegan lets me try lots of different and wholesome foods. I try to eat as many whole foods as possible and I stay away from any meat substitute. I believe in eating the least processed foods available, but that doesn't mean that I won't have a sample here and there of something more processed. Life's too short not to have fun!
I hope you enjoy my blog. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer! Email me at angeloux26@yahoo.com .
<3 Claire
