Day 4

I was surprisingly rested this morning when my alarm went off at 6am. Usually it is a struggle. I didn't get to sleep until midnight, which is something I want to work on. I would like to get at least 7 hours of sleep per night. I think that I do best on 8 hours, but thats not realistic most of the time. I have had two cups of herbal tea this morning and I'll be juicing some "Green Lemonade" soon. Green Lemonade is described in my last post. Yesterday I juiced twice, snacked on raw almonds and a Lara Bar, and had a BIG salad for dinner with homemade salad dressing. Today, I plan to juice this morning, pack some raw almonds, a Lara Bar, and a piece of fruit, juice again in the late afternoon and have a salad for dinner again. We'll see how it goes!

Overall, I have noticed that my mood is improving since adopting this diet. I don't have severe ups and downs and I feel more optimistic. I also feel more clear-headed and mellow. I am committed to following this diet for as long as possible and I don't see the end coming soon!

Day 3

Last night was a struggle. I ate a small amount of cooked food at dinner. It is difficult to explain why I am trying to eat raw food and juices to certain people. I feel like I have to defend myself sometimes, but I know that the people who are questioning me only do so because they care. I am trying to be true to myself despite this discouragement. I am adding raw nuts, salads, fruit, Lara Bars, and raw recipe's from Natalia Rose's book, to my daily diet. Juice will continue to be my first "meal" of the day and I will try to incorporate it later in the day as well.

Today, my first meal is 32 oz. of the following juice:

• 1 head of celery
• 2 apples
• 1/2 inch of ginger
• A few pinches of Cayenne
• 1 lemon (with peel)
• A few leaves of Kale

I feel very clear-headed today and relaxed. The juices are also becoming more palatable. I hope that I'll learn to love them. I drank a carrot-beet-apple-lemon juice yesterday that was very nice. Tomorrow I will be returning to teaching yoga, nannying, and writing full-time so we'll see how things go. I will have to do some meal planning today!

Day 2: Juice Feast/Eating 100% Raw

Its only day two and I'm feeling financially stressed by the juicing. Its a lot of work too! I'm sure once I become a pro, it'll be much quicker. I think that 50% juice and 50% Raw Food will be my route. I am going to follow Natalia Rose's book: The Raw Food Detox Diet to guide me. The only food I've eaten since Saturday evening is hand full of raw almonds. I think I'll have a big salad for dinner and snack on some raw nuts and a Lara Bar tonight. I am bring some bottled 100% vegetable and fruit juice to my Dad's, since I'll be staying the night and I'll need breakfast! So far, so good. More updates soon! I'm doing a photo journal each day too, which I'll post in a few weeks.

Raw Food, Ayurveda, and Kris Carr's Blog

I've been feeling pretty blah lately and I have a hunch that it has to do with my diet. I've been going a little overboard with candy, cupcakes, cookies, and any other form of processed sugar or baked good imaginable. This weekend was the worst sugar crash I've ever had. I needed a clean slate, so I decided to start a raw food diet (for at least a week).

Of course this diet started with a trip to Whole Foods to pick up some veggies, dried and fresh fruit, raw food bars, and hummus (which is already cheating because the chick peas are cooked, but I had to make this exception). There are a lot of resources on the web for raw food eating. Here are a few I've been checking out:

Raw Food Life
Living and Raw Foods
We Like It Raw
The Sunny Raw Kitchen

Its been a little over 24 hours raw and so far, so good. No sugar crashing today. I'll keep you posted.

On another note, I've become quite interested in Ayurveda (the sister science of Yoga). Since arriving home from the ashram, Ayurveda is everywhere I turn. If you are curious about your dosha (, Deepak Chopra's website has a helpful and quick dosha quiz. I have spoken with individuals who follow Aruyvedic practices and found it life-changing. I'm also very insterested in Panchakarma, which according to the Ayurvedic Institute is "...a cleansing and rejuvenating program for the body, mind and consciousness. It is known for its beneficial effects on overall health, wellness and self-healing." There are five daily Panchakarma treatments, practiced for five to seven days. If you would like to learn more about Panchakarma, click here.

Lastly, I can't get the documentary, Crazy Sexy Cancer out of my head! Since watching the movie, I've felt more inspired to ditch harmful products and foods that most people don't think twice about eating or using for personal care (I know I didn't!). Kris Carr's blog is packed with insights that will challenge your everyday habits. Its easy not to notice the harmful chemicals in the lotion, soap, and mascara a lot of us use everyday. Carr makes a thought-provoking point about these habits when she notes in her blog, "Check this out, the largest organ in our body is our skin. What you put on your body, you literally absorb. So if you wouldn’t drink a bottle of Jergens, then don’t put it on your body because your skin literally drinks it in." The website is filled with inspirational and helpful information too!