There is this category of foods in the raw food world that people call "transitional foods." This category subsumes that people are wanting to move from a SAD (Standard American Diet) to a 100% raw food diet... without the shock of doing it overnight. This category usually contains cooked vegan foods like whole grains (i.e., amaranth, quinoa, oats), beans, and seasonings (i.e., nutritional yeast, Bragg's). I've even seen some lists that include raw cheeses and raw milk yoghurts.
I think this category should be broadened and taken in context. For example, I have a friend who is an omnivore. She was starting from a SAD diet and now wants to start making healthier choices. She's begun buying local produce, grain-fed local meats, and owns chickens for producing her eggs. This is an excellent choice for her. I'm starting from a high raw diet and my goal is (most days) to better listen to my body's fuel needs. So, if I'm grocery shopping at Whole Foods and want some nuts, then I'm going to have to buy them pasteurized because that's all they have there. Pasteurized nuts would fall into that "transitional foods" category.
My family eats a high raw diet. The non-raw things that are included in our diet are the occasional going out (where we eat either vegan or vegetarian), quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, cooked vegan soups, air-popped popcorn, and baked potatoes (trying to stick to non-white). Also, we use balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast, and hot sauce quite often. But does this mean we are "in transition"? I think our diet has always been in transition. As we have done research and increased our abilities to listen to our bodies, we've added or subtracted foodstuffs as necessary - and tried to do all of that without guilt or shame... something that I'm finding is lacking in the raw food community.
I've seen self-proclaimed raw foodists eating "transitional foods" while making excuses about how they are "still in transition." Their faces are filled with shame and regret. What is that? Is the label "raw foodist" putting unnecessary pressure on us? If we can't eat your food with joy and abandon, why are we eating it? Transitioning to a healthier diet also means transitioning to a healthier attitude, to healthier habits. While we're working on what goes in, we also have to work on how we process, and what comes out. And this isn't just about transitioning to a raw foods diet; this is about transitioning to that better version of yourself... whatever that may be.
I think this category should be broadened and taken in context. For example, I have a friend who is an omnivore. She was starting from a SAD diet and now wants to start making healthier choices. She's begun buying local produce, grain-fed local meats, and owns chickens for producing her eggs. This is an excellent choice for her. I'm starting from a high raw diet and my goal is (most days) to better listen to my body's fuel needs. So, if I'm grocery shopping at Whole Foods and want some nuts, then I'm going to have to buy them pasteurized because that's all they have there. Pasteurized nuts would fall into that "transitional foods" category.
My family eats a high raw diet. The non-raw things that are included in our diet are the occasional going out (where we eat either vegan or vegetarian), quinoa, brown rice, amaranth, cooked vegan soups, air-popped popcorn, and baked potatoes (trying to stick to non-white). Also, we use balsamic vinegar, nutritional yeast, and hot sauce quite often. But does this mean we are "in transition"? I think our diet has always been in transition. As we have done research and increased our abilities to listen to our bodies, we've added or subtracted foodstuffs as necessary - and tried to do all of that without guilt or shame... something that I'm finding is lacking in the raw food community.
I've seen self-proclaimed raw foodists eating "transitional foods" while making excuses about how they are "still in transition." Their faces are filled with shame and regret. What is that? Is the label "raw foodist" putting unnecessary pressure on us? If we can't eat your food with joy and abandon, why are we eating it? Transitioning to a healthier diet also means transitioning to a healthier attitude, to healthier habits. While we're working on what goes in, we also have to work on how we process, and what comes out. And this isn't just about transitioning to a raw foods diet; this is about transitioning to that better version of yourself... whatever that may be.
Note: Capitalized recipes are my own.
Day 54
- 1 c. hot jasmine green tea with honey
- 2 T. mulberries and 1/4 c. homemade dried Golden Delicious apple bits
- 1 c. hot Wysteria's Warming Woo-Woo herbal tea
- 1/2 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 1/2 c. cold horsetail tea, 1/2 c. pecans, 1/4 c. goji berry juice, 1/4 c. honey, 3 T. mulberries, 2 T. lucuma, 2 T. mesquite powder, 1 T. soaked goji berries, 1 tsp. maca powder, 1/2 tsp. fo-ti powder, 1/2 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
- 2 c. of Carrot and Beet Quinoa (2 c. quinoa cooked, 2 carrots, 1 beet, 3 garlic cloves, hemp seed oil, apple cider vinegar, dill weed, sea salt)
- 4 c. plain, air-popped popcorn
- 1 c. spring water
- 2 c. spring water
- 2 c. bok choy salad (bok choy, sprouts, carrots, olives, hemp seeds) with Hemp Balsamic Dressing (hemp seed oil, balsamic vinegar, spring water, honey, garlic, basil)
- 1/3 of this recipe, Superfood IceScream: 2 trays of ice, 3/4 c. cold horsetail tea, 1/2 c. hazelnuts, 1/4 c. honey, 2 T. mulberries, 2 T. goji berries, 2 T. lucuma, 2 T. mesquite powder, 2 T. carob powder, 2 T. cacao powder, 2 tsp. maca powder, 3/4 tsp. stevia, 1/2 tsp. sea salt
Carrot and Beet Quinoa... Beautiful!Today's Observations
The quinoa was amazing. That and the bok choy salad totally worked for me today. Interesting, too, how the weather is getting colder and how I've been oscillating between hot teas and ice cream. LOL!
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