Sunday, April 3, 2016

21 day FullyRaw challenge!

That's right!  21 days of eating raw food only!  Why would anyone do that?

Back track a little... when I started  this journey on this blog two years ago I posted about how amazing I felt.  I was coming from a diet higher in chicken, cheese, processed foods.  Switching over to whole foods and plants was a huge relief to my body and flooded me with nutrients that made me want to run without stopping.  Over the last two years the new wore off a little and compromises were made from time to time.  Don't get me wrong I still don't feel as bad as I did on animal products but I KNOW I can feel better.  I have been there and I want it back.  I was not fully raw when I started but it was definitely more than it is now.  I have found incredible recipes, some I have shared here and some on facebook.  I'm not abandoning cooked food forever.  I'm curious, however, to know how this challenge will affect me.  Will I still have this annoying pain in my knee?  How sore will my neck and back be at night after my workouts?   How much more energy will I have?  And the best question of all:  can I seriously DO this?

The plan we will follow comes from FullyRaw Kristina.  I have seen her off an on through this process and learned more about her on the Rich Roll podcast.  You can listen here.  Her story has inspired many to change their lives and get healthy.  She went from spending $25k a year in medical bills, because she was so sick, to $0 in a year.  She needed so much produce a week to continue this lifestyle that she made deals with local grocery stores to buy by the box but the amount she would need to get for the deal was so outrageous that she called on friends to help split the boxes with her.  From there she launched the largest co-op in the nation and continues to inspire others with her youtube videos and new book The Fully Raw Diet.

What will I be eating?  Lots of juices, smoothies and salads.  There's even a plan for chili at the end of the week!  I have reservations about juicing...what about all that fiber you lose?  I know.  I will get it back in the smoothies but why juice at all?  The juice is scheduled for breakfast which is good for a couple of reasons:  it's better for hydrating, cleansing, gives you a rush of energy and drains quickly from the stomach.  My workouts are typically in the morning so this should work in my favor.  The smoothie comes at lunch and is giant!  The dinner of salad and appetizer fruit plate looks like way more food than I'm going to be able to eat but I'll give it a whirl.  I'll post pics of course ;)

How much did it cost?  Shockingly less than I expected.  I took her advice in the book and went to the local farmer's market to buy in bulk.  When you need 86 small oranges you don't want to have to go to Publix!  26 mangoes, 36 bananas, 32 apples and so on...  I got a giant box of oranges for $20.  When we got home we realized we should have gone through the box first (3 had to be tossed) but all in all satisfied with my purchase.  I was able to get mangoes for as low as $.77 a piece!  I did end up at Publix for a few things and they are pricier than Walmart much better quality.  I spent $172 at Publix and $107 at the farmer's market.  So $279 for a week's worth of food for me and Cliff.  Is that more than we are used to spending?  Of course but I was scared it was going to be more...  I will get this number down as we go because I will be learning more through this process.  I haven't priced at Costco and if I had gone to the farmer's market first this would probably have been less.  Either way, I will continue to get it down lower so I can share my money tips with you all.

So for now, that is the why, the what, the how much.  It's an adventure!  I will try to post daily on here or facebook/instagram so check in when you can!  If you snapchat Cliff is posting there under cliffa74.  The kids get involved so you don't want to miss that!

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