Day Seven Fat Free Update - Final Day

Eating right out of 'nature's fruit cup': spooning out some passion fruit

Day 7 Fat Free Journal Sunday, May 10, 2009

10 am 2 glasses smoothie containing mixed baby greens, banana, blueberries, blackberries, apple

12:30 pm 2 passion fruits, ½ pineapple

4:30 large salad with mixed baby greens, cucumber, red pepper, and dressing made of papaya, celery, and spinach

8:15 pm green smoothie containing mixed greens, beet greens, red leaf lettuce, 2 bananas, squeeze of lemon, 2 apples, black/blueberries…the best damn smoothie I ever made!!

10 pm banana

My boyfriend and I had a long “Good for you, Honey” hug. We had different experiences of the same week. Well done, both!

I learned that, in general, when we crave cooked foods, it’s likely fat we are craving. Through the week, I surprisingly didn’t crave anything at all, but on the last night, I was laughing that I wondered if I was going to go from a figurative monastery of eating to an orgy of S.A.D. junk food, when my next thought surprised me: picturing that doing so would be so satisfying ‘right about now’.

As fun-in-the-moment as an orgy of S.A.D. food porn would be, it ultimately would be foolish and rather crushing, actually. Especially once I realized that if I added avocado and oil, etc, back in, that this in itself would be luxury enough to quell those thoughts and any fleeting desires. It would be like going back to smoking after successfully quitting for a whole week, something I know well from years past. Pretty lame ‘victory’…

But still, today, Day 7, the very last day, was the day I felt like I’d had enough of this kind of eating. To clarify, I’ll always love and include smoothies and salads, but today, I’m missing variety. I'm certainly glad to have given my digestive system a well-earned rest.

It has been a rewarding experience, one that graciously reminds me to eat lighter; to approach raw with a lot more leafy greens on the menu, because in just a week of this, I have experienced more benefits than in 3 months of near-100% gourmet raw. I’m convinced that the benefits have nothing to do with the no-fat aspect, but with how one has to eat to maintain that…lots of greens, fruits, and vegetables in all their forms. I know from past experience that including oils and avocados in there, and nuts to a lesser degree, gives one the same glowing benefits.

So what benefits, you ask? Well, all this good eatin’ shows all over my face, to the extent that my neighbor noticed a difference in me! And I noticed that my skin is its softest ever. I’ve lost a total of 6 lbs. Even though this wasn’t behind my reason for doing this, it’s still a sweet bonus!

It’s been a great detox from all the nuts, albeit a gentle one, as nothing adverse has occurred. Not that I view detox as adverse, only its pesky symptoms! And not to say that detox isn’t around the next corner. With deeper levels of raw, it’s to be expected.

All in all, I’m very happy I did it. The experience sharpened my focus and deepened my understanding of my personal raw journey.

Onward!