You Better Tell Somebody!

Friday marked two weeks since beginning this adventure in high raw living. I haven't mentioned it to anyone in my everyday life although it's an exciting change, I'm trying to keep a low profile while I transition.

Living in a farm city, I am exploring how to get in touch with farm owners to determine if any of them would be willing to sell their produce wholesale. Hopefully one or two will agree and that will help in managing the rising grocery costs associated with eating more fresh food. So, on Friday, I'm walking to a meeting and I see another employee carrying a big bag of romaine lettuce. At the sight of that bagful of goodness, I couldn't resist and stepped out of my comfort zone and asked her where the romaine came from. Well that question led to a five minute conversation where she explained that her brother worked at farm and frequently bought boxes of veggies homes, especially romaine lettuce that they can never finish eating! The conversation ended with us exchanging numbers. And she gave me one head of lettuce on-the-spot from her bag. Score!!

I went to two meetings with that head of romaine and garnered several weird looks even from my coworkers when I returned to my office. I re-told the story and explained that I am trying to incorporate more raw foods into my diet. And what do you know? I had forgotten that a husband of one of my co-workers works at a farm and frequently brings home several boxes of veggies. My co-worker volunteered to get extras for me and to bring any leftovers from what they have. Double score!!

What's the moral of the story? Sometimes it's okay to share your goals and what's going on in your life with those around you. You have no idea what blessings are waiting around the corner, literally!

- Kareen, RD

What Does Raw Food Look Like. . .

Kristen from Kristen's Raw shared this link on FB. And now I cannot wait for the release of Judita's uncook book: “Going Raw: Everything You Need To Start Your Own Raw Food Diet & Lifestyle Revolution At Home.”

In case you're wondering, this is what raw eating can look like. So delish, fresh and good for you!



Judita's website is beautiful as well. Be sure to check her out!

Be sure to enjoy some fruits and veggies today!

- Kareen, RD

Raw Foodist?!?!

Hello all,

I've started experimenting with living a raw vegan lifestyle. It's been one week and so far so . . . interesting. This past week I've eaten about 80 - 95%. I think I'll have a better grasp on the benefits I'm experiencing in another week or two. I'm not aiming for 100% raw yet; just feeling my way around. My goal is to improve my health with the inclusion of more fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds.

The one craving that has been difficult to overcome is my desire for starchy carbohydrates. The 5 - 20% or so non-raw went to tortilla chips for most of the week and a serving of potato salad which was not vegan and truthfully, not that good either :(

To help stave off cravings, I decided to dabble in some raw food recipes. Pad Thai is one of my favourite foods so imagine my pleasure when I stumbled across Ani Phyo's recipe below! I tried it tonight and loved it!



The only change I made was to add approximately 1 tsp of brown, unpasteurized miso. I'm also going to add onions and perhaps a coleslaw mix. There are other raw Pad Thai recipes swirling around YouTube that I will try as well. It was fun to uncook!

For those unfamiliar with kelp noodles, be sure to rinse them thoroughly before use. The packaging states that they have a neutral taste - kinda like tofu! My husband thought they would taste 'fishy' but even he agreed they don't after a hesitant taste test. In fact, he liked the dish!

Sorry for the scattered post. I wanted to take a moment to share the start of my journey.

Alright. . . back to grading papers!

- Kareen, RD

Happy Meal Science Project

My husband sent me searching for this article. Be sure to look through the slideshow photos:

Happy Meal Project

I gotta ask. . . how many Happy Meals have taken up residence in your gut. . .


- Kareen, RD

President Clinton's Legacy?

President Clinton discusses his plant-based diet along with Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. Ornish.

Can you imagine if President Clinton became an advocate for plant-based diets? Very cool indeed!

- Kareen, RD

Quick Motivation Post

One of the Under Amour commercials has caught my fancy. Strong females doing their thing to a great sound track:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wkt0Q6p33fo
 
I've already downloaded the mp3 file from underarmour.com. I'm going to make it the ring tone for my alarm. Great way to wake-up and get pumped in the morning.


It's along the lines of some of the great CrossFit videos I've been watching recently like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3Q4eQhFOKY

I'm so ready to be fit and fierce!

- Kareen, RD

What's Going On?

Wow! What a long hiatus. I can't believe my last post was the beginning of August. Yikes!

It's shortly after midnight and I just finished marking a pile of tests (more on that in a minute). I should go to bed but I really do miss blogging so I'm pushing out a post. It's a also a good time to let the valerian root take its effects (more on that, too).

A couple of months ago, I accepted an adjunct faculty position at the local community college to teach two evening nutrition classes. At that time, I could not have imagined two of the dietitians on my team of three resigning back-to-back. I could not have anticipated being tasked as a floor dietitian while my management tasks pile up on my desk. I could not have thought 12 - 14 hour work days would become the norm.

Teaching has been exciting and I'm enjoying the challenge. Prepping lecture notes consumes the evenings that I am not in class. I just have to hang on till December! I would definitely teach again but probably one class instead of two.

That's the cliff notes version of my chaos.

Life has thrown me a huge stress ball and I've just been holding on by my nails. My weight has remained stable which is a small victory. I'm still overweight. Actually, I'm obese but at least I'm not moving in the wrong direction. Exercise has been limited to weekend walks with my hubby.

Since I'm either thinking about work or school, restful sleep eludes me so I am trying valerian root. So far so good. Helps me relax but doesn't leave me feeling groggy in the morning.


Last week I realized (again) that while I need to honour my work responsibilities, I also need to honour myself. My body is suffering and I need to halt the progression of disease that is likely developing in my body. Being obese is not without consequences.

I know I've said it before, but I do have to keep moving forward. I have faith that I will reach my weight loss goals. The alternative is not an option.

The first step is a plan. I'm working on that but right now, I'm going to bed.

Sorry for the random, choppiness of this post but I just wanted to get something out there and it was slightly cathartic to spill my thoughts on the page.

Thanks for reading!

- Kareen, RD