The Price You Pay for Raw

This post is in response to Becki Chottiner’s comment about “time costs” and whether a raw diet would take a significant amount of time out of someone’s day.

Making food for this diet takes a very long time. You have no choice but to prepare produce yourself; you can’t come home from a long day of work, open a can of soup, and let it simmer on the stove. Even if I had a simple salad, I had to wash and chop the lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, or whatever else I wanted. And usually salad wasn’t enough to really fill me up. Snacks are the same way; normally, I’d open the cupboard and eat a handful of crackers. Unless you find a really yummy raw snack that you can buy at a store (and there aren’t many places that sell good-tasting, raw snack foods), you have to peel and slice some carrots or another kind of veggie or fruit. It isn’t very convenient, and it was time-consuming to prepare food for just myself. I can’t imagine doing it all with a child or a whole family to feed.

Foods are also very hard to find, as I mentioned above. I had to search around to find specific foods (finding kelp noodles proved to be impossible), and not many stores have a wide variety of raw foods. Even Whole Foods’ raw section is restricted to one rack at the end of an aisle. Many raw snack foods also require some getting used to. Some of them taste very good (like the chocolate coconut butter or the freeze-dried pineapple), but some do not (like the “granola” bar made with greens and sunflower seeds).

All in all, this diet is not inexpensive, and it takes up quite a bit of time. For a busy parent with a full-time job, making raw food for a family would definitely be a challenge.

Day 1 (of cooked food!)

My dinner: salad, pasta with shrimp and olives, and chocolate milk

I’m back to cooked food! I’m extremely happy that I am, even if it does mean that the exciting part of my project is behind me. I much prefer cooking and making hot food for myself than slicing fruits and vegetables and making salads every day. I had a bowl of corn flakes, a quesadilla, crackers, ice cream, and pasta throughout the day, but I also had a salad as part of my dinner, and I had a banana and the last of my chocolate coconut butter as my dessert. I think it’s nice to incorporate some raw food into my normal diet, because it keeps it balanced. While I did get tired of raw veggies during these past two weeks, I really do enjoy them in moderation!

Now it’s time to start focusing on the presentation aspect of the project. I won’t be blogging as much from now on, as I’ll be doing research and planning my presentation. I hope you all enjoyed the food!

Day 14

Today was the LAST DAY! I’ve been in a good mood for most of today because I’ve been looking forward to tomorrow. I woke up in time for lunch today, and I checked on my granola which had been dehydrating overnight. The chunks were still malleable, so I let them stay in the dehydrator. I ate a banana, and I also sliced some cheese and had it with salami and pistachios. Made for a good lunch.

Throughout the day, I ate some of my freeze-dried pineapple. The acid in these sort of burned my tongue after a while (I love them, but they’re pretty strongly acidic), so I had a macaroon and some more cheese.

Ross's dinner

My dinner

For dinner, I made myself a little tomato salad (sliced tomatoes, balsamic, and sea salt), and I ate it with the salad my mom made for the rest of my family. That one had romaine, carrots, and avocado, and I dressed it lightly with olive oil and red wine vinegar with some garlic powder. It was satisfying, but I kept longing for my brother’s dinner. He had barbecued ribs, and I was practically drooling throughout dinner.

I shared some macaroons with my dad after dinner, and we finished off the little bag I’d bought just yesterday. I then had a banana with some chocolate coconut butter (half of the last packet I have). After this, I was still a little bit hungry, so I sliced some more cheese and had it with salami.

After dinner, I also checked on the granola. It still wasn’t as crunchy as I’d hoped, but it tastes delicious (tastes like dates, oats, and cinnamon), and I might have it for breakfast tomorrow. It’s good just to snack on, too!

I probably should’ve had more fruit and vegetables today, but I just didn’t feel like having it on my last day! I can’t wait to go back to normal food tomorrow. It’s been such an experience being on this raw diet, and now I’m excited to do a little more research and work on my presentation. I’ll let all of you know how my first day of eating cooked food again is tomorrow!

Day 13

Today, my mom and I went out to the Red Pepper Deli for lunch. We both ate spring rolls, which consisted of mint, basil, cilantro, parsley, cabbage, red pepper, and avocado all wrapped in rice paper. The rice paper was not raw, but it was incredibly thin, and it really made the rolls complete, so I ate it. They were served with a ginger sauce, and I’m not a big fan of ginger, but it was pretty good. I ate one of the rolls for lunch and saved the other for dinner. I also got a “Tropicolada” smoothie, which was made with coconut milk, pineapple, mango, and agave. It was so good, and I plan on going back just to get that this summer!

We then took a trip to Whole Foods, and on the way I ate a banana. We bought a few new raw things there. Here’s what we got:

• Nature’s All Foods freeze-dried pineapple
• Hail Merry chocolate macaroons
• 3 bananas
• Raw milk Jack-style cheese
• Organic Genoa salami

I couldn’t wait to try the foods, so on the way home I some of the freeze-dried pineapple and one of the macaroons. The pineapple is sweet but tart, and it has a nice consistency. The whole package of them is only 1.5 oz.! The macaroons are amazing; they’re not overly sweet, and they’re intensely chocolate-y. It’s hard for me to believe they’re raw. I snacked on the pineapple and macaroons for the rest of the day. I also sliced a bit of the cheese, which is mild and soft. I have to watch out for how many macaroons I eat, since there’s 25% of your saturated fat in only one of them!

For dinner, I had my leftover spring roll, and I supplemented that with cheese and salami. It was a satisfying dinner, but I was craving something sweet afterwards, so I made some blueberry sorbet using the same recipe as the raspberry sorbet (but with frozen blueberries). It was tangy, and it stained my teeth, as any natural blueberry product would. I also had a macaroon.

After this, I thought about what to have for breakfast tomorrow. I found a recipe online for some dehydrated granola, so I decided to try it. I soaked a cup of dates (they mix better in the Cuisinart if they’re softened), and after a few hours, I pitted them and blended them with a quarter cup of water to make date paste. To this I added some lemon juice, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and vanilla. The recipe called for nuts and dried fruit only, but since I can’t eat nuts and didn’t have much dried fruit, I used oats. It’s supposed to dehydrate at 110 degrees for 15 hours, so I’m leaving it in the dehydrator for the night. It smells divine, and I can’t wait to try it.

I added up the cost of everything I’ve bought since day 1, and the total was $251.00. This is quite a bit of money for one person’s diet, and even before I calculated the total, I knew that this diet would not be easy for someone with a tight budget. If I were to go through college with this diet, I’d have to have a steady job and make a decent amount of money. This diet is not very economical or practical for the average American family.

Today was a little bit easier, food-wise. I had some new things to try, and I didn’t really have to make my own lunch and dinner. Making new things (like the granola) is always fun for me, and I’m excited to see how it turns out. I’m also somewhat cheerful because tomorrow is my last day of being totally raw. This project has been quite an experience, and while it was fun and I got to try lots of new things, I’m definitely ready to go back to eating cooked food.

Day 12

I woke up today ready to try my granola bar I’d made last night. I juiced three oranges to get some vitamin C, and I took a bite of the bar. It tasted really good; just like a real granola bar! It tasted like oats and cinnamon, and it was mildly salty and sweet. The texture, though, was a bit strange. It was a little bit dry, but the water I’d added gave it a weird consistency. The bar was a little dense, too, and a bit hard to swallow. I think I’d add some fruit or something to it next time if I were to make it again.

I didn’t really have a formal lunch today, but I snacked on the Flax Snax I’d gotten from Better Health a while ago, pistachios, and cheese. I really miss the cheese I finished the other day, but I have some sharper cheddar (raw milk) cheese from Trader Joe’s that I should finish up.

For dinner, I made myself a simple salad with greens and tomatoes, dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar. I also washed almost a whole head of celery and sliced some cheese. It was a nice dinner, but my mom made cornbread tonight, and it smelled pretty darn good.

After dinner, I made some sorbet! It was incredible, too. I made it by blending frozen raspberries, honey, and water in my Cuisinart until it had a sorbet-like consistency. The seeds in raspberries bother me and get in my teeth, but besides that, it was delicious. I’d definitely make it again.

I realized the other day that I can have salami (it’s cured), so I may get some of that tomorrow. My mom and I are going to go out to lunch at the Red Pepper Deli, and then we’re driving over to Whole Foods. I’ve been wanting to go shopping there for a while now, and I’m really curious to see what raw items they have in stock. Whole Foods is expensive, but I’m kind of hoping they’ll have a wider selection than the other stores I’ve been to. Cross your fingers!

I daydreamed about food today. I miss having bread, pasta, and hot soup. This diet doesn’t exactly allow me to have anything warm. On Sunday, I don’t plan on going crazy; I’m going to have rice or soup or mild foods like those. I didn’t have time today to go through the prices of the foods I’ve bought, but I will do that as soon as I can! I’m really interested to see how much more expensive it is to be raw.

Day 11

Because I woke up around noon today, I planned on just having some lunch, but my mom surprised me and brought me sushi! I had a green salad, a salmon roll, and an avocado roll. The sushi did have rice in it, but there wasn’t much of it, and it felt good to eat something substantial. I snacked on some dried peaches afterwards (and throughout the day).

The sushi kept me feeling full for a few good hours today, which was surprising but nice. I made myself a salad for dinner with romaine, half of an avocado, and some sprouts. I dressed it with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

After dinner, my friend Emily came over. I decided to make us some dessert, so I took some of the oat flour I’d made yesterday and mixed it with a quarter cup of coconut oil and a tablespoon or two of agave nectar. I made little tarts with these, put them in the fridge to chill, and softened some of my chocolate coconut oil in warm water (in its packet). I also chopped up a few strawberries and tossed them with a little agave. When the tart shells were firmer, I spread chocolate coconut oil on them and spooned some strawberries onto the top. They were delicious, and I think she really enjoyed them!

After making these, I attempted to make granola bars. I ground up some more oats to make flour, and I mixed this with some regular oats. I added about a quarter cup of coconut oil, some cinnamon, a pinch of salt, and a couple of teaspoons of agave. I tried to mold this into a granola bar shape, but it kept falling apart, so I added a little more agave and some water. I molded the mixture using some plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. We’ll see how it turns out tomorrow!

The bean threads that I’d left soaking overnight did not change, texture-wise. I was a little disappointed, but this just means I’ll have to find something else to have for my next few dinners! I do have a book that came in at the Novi Library, so I might pick that up tomorrow or the next day. I always love new recipes!

My sponsor suggested I also look at how expensive this diet has been. It has required frequent trips to the store, and the ingredients I’ve used have not been the most affordable! I think I’ll sit down tomorrow and try to tally up the total grocery bill for this project.

Day 10

Today I made myself get up at 10:30, and unfortunately, I ended up being tired throughout the day. When I got up, I made myself a mango-banana-strawberry smoothie, which was delicious. I didn’t use any ice this time, and it had a better consistency and was just as cold.

Shortly after I had my smoothie, I made my lunch. I had a slice of prosciutto, some sliced cheese, an apple, and a handful of pistachios. It tasted good, and it left me satisfied for a few hours. I went out to a meeting after lunch, so I didn’t come back until around 5. While I was out, I bought “bean threads,” which are made with mung bean starch and water. There’s some debate online as to whether they’re truly raw or not, but I bought them anyway. My dad and I also stopped by Trader Joe’s on our way back, and we got some dried white peaches. They’re sweet and have a nice texture, and I may have found a new favorite snack food.

When I got home, I snacked on the peaches while I made dinner. I soaked the bean threads in some warm water for about 15 minutes, as the directions said, but I’m fairly sure that normal eaters then cook them in something else. They weren’t crunchy, but they certainly weren’t as tender as I’d hoped. I tossed them with some soy sauce, and I made a little salad of tomatoes, celery, and cucumber with oregano and basil to eat with it. I also shredded the rest of the cheese (I’ll have to get more!). All in all, my dinner was alright, but I’m soaking the bean threads in some water overnight to see if they’ll get any softer.

After dinner, I decided to make more tarts, but this time I used oats instead of pistachios. I may not be allergic to pistachios, but I try to eat as few nuts as I have to, since sometimes they make my throat hurt. I tossed some oats in my Cuisinart until they were finely ground, and then I mixed in some agave and coconut oil to make three tart crusts. The mixture turned out really well and tasted like an oatmeal cookie! For one of the tarts, I softened some of my chocolate coconut oil in warm water and then poured it into the crust. For another, I chopped up two strawberries, mixed in some agave, and spread it onto the crust. I had both of these for dessert (they were both amazing), and I’m saving the other crust for tomorrow!

My breakfasts are always satisfying, but I get sick of having the same things for lunches and dinners. Admittedly, I had something different for dinner tonight, but I’m not sure I’d have it again. I’ve found that I’m more irritable on this diet. I get hungry, and then I realize I don’t have many snacking options besides fruits, vegetables, and nuts. I’ve actually been experiencing the opposite of what people normally say they experience when switching to a “healthier” diet. I don’t feel like I have more energy, I don’t feel much healthier, and I really do miss cooked food! I gained one pound back, so I’m at 141 right now. I don’t feel any healthier despite my weight loss. I must point out that I didn’t have the most unhealthy diet before I started my project. I regularly ate fruit and vegetables, and while I did love to bake, I didn’t eat junky food very often, and I almost never ate fast food. I can see how this diet would make a normally unhealthy eater feel a lot better, but I’m not sure if making the switch to this diet did much for me. I do still have five more days, though, if I decide to start transitioning back to my old diet on Sunday.

Day 9

Today, I woke up at 1:00 in the afternoon. I don’t know what has gotten into me, but I sleep more on this diet. Usually I’ll wake up at 9:00 AM or so and then decide to go back to sleep, but I’ve been out cold until noon or later these days. Anyway, I had the rest of my smoothie that I had yesterday for breakfast. I wasn’t especially hungry, but I snacked throughout the whole day on pistachios and cheese.

For lunch, I had a couple of slices of prosciutto with cheese. I decided to turn on our toaster oven to 110 degrees to see if it would melt cheese on some prosciutto. After about three minutes, it did make the cheese softer, but it didn’t show any signs of melting. Nevertheless, it was tasty, and I ate it with a quarter cup of pistachios.

The crust

The filling

Today, I felt like making a dessert. I used to bake all the time, and I’ve really been missing it, so I pulled out my new cookbook (The Raw 50) and found a recipe for strawberry tarts. In the recipe, the crust is made with almonds, coconut oil, salt, and agave, but I substituted pistachios for almonds and omitted the salt (the pistachios are salted). I found out today that coconut oil is actually more of a solid than a liquid, but if you warm it up slightly, it melts. The filling in the tarts is made with coconut (I used the meat from the young coconut I opened yesterday), coconut oil, vanilla, and agave. I actually added some shredded coconut, since the filling didn’t firm up as much as I’d wanted it to. The strawberries on top are sliced and sweetened a bit with agave.

Around 5:00, I had a mashed banana with oats. Okay, it sounds gross, but it didn’t taste that bad. It didn’t really have any taste at all, but I was hungry.

For dinner, I made myself a salad with romaine, sprouts, and celery. I made a dressing with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, brown mustard, and sea salt. Mustard is not actually raw, but I only used about a teaspoon. I had a few slices of cheese with it, as well.

After I ate my salad, I had one of the tarts. It was really good and actually kind of filling. I cut up a few more strawberries to eat with it, since the crust was a little intense, but it tasted like a normal dessert!

My dessert today was a bit fattening (coconut is very high in fat!), but I lost two pounds (my current weight is 140), so I didn’t worry about it. My mom thinks I need to eat more to keep my weight up, so I will try to snack more often. She also suggested that I stop my all-raw diet on Sunday so that I have time to ease back into eating normally. If I were to stop on Sunday, I would also be able to blog about my transition. I’d love to hear from all of you, though! I understand that beginning to eat cooked foods starting on Sunday may come off as cheating and cutting my senior project short, so I’m interested in hearing your opinions.

Day 8

This is the first day into the second week of my new diet! I woke up around noon today, so I juiced a few oranges and made a smoothie. I used half of a mango, half of a banana, some strawberries, ice, and water. It still made a good cup and a half, and it was pretty yummy. I only got to eat half of it, since my dad and I had to go grocery shopping, but I put the rest in the fridge for tomorrow.

My dad and I went to Costco, Meijer, and Trader Joe’s to get more food. It seems like I go through food amazingly fast on this diet. Here’s what we got:

• Valencia oranges (for juicing)
• 2 lb. pistachios
• Campari tomatoes
• 6 bananas
• Oats
• Farmer’s cheese (soft, mild, raw cheese)
• Prosciutto (pork that’s cured, not cooked)

The prosciutto is delicious, and I’m really happy that I can have some kind of meat on this diet. For lunch, I ate a few slices of it with some of the cheese. I also whipped up some guacamole (avocado, lemon juice, garlic powder, sea salt) to have with some raw corn chips from the Red Pepper Deli. It was different from what I’ve been eating, and it was good.

For dinner, I had more prosciutto and cheese, but I also cut up an apple and a tomato, and had a small salad and some broccoli florets. The tomato tasted strange, so I didn’t eat it, but the rest of it was good. My family had twice-baked potatoes with sausage, broccoli, and cheese, and they smelled so good…it’s getting really tough to be in the same house as all of this amazing cooked food.

After dinner, I had my usual banana and chocolate coconut butter, and I had half of a grapefruit. I also decided to cut into my young coconut (also known as a Thai coconut). A young coconut is your regular hard, brown coconut, but it still has its husk on. I used a chef’s knife to shave off some of the husk, and then my mom cut into the harder shell inside with a paring knife. The coconut was full of coconut water (no, coconuts are not filled with coconut milk), which I saved. I also spooned out the meat from the sides. I plan to make something with it tomorrow…perhaps a dessert!

Today I noticed that even when I get hungry, I don’t really feel like eating anything. Raw food seems a bit less appetizing than it did a week ago, and I do miss cooked food. I also miss cooking and baking, which are two of my favorite things to do. I did gain a pound back, and I think it’s because I ate more yesterday. After dinner last night, I was actually full. I’m glad I’m not still losing weight, but I can’t help but notice that my one day of eating rice (cooked food) resulted in weight gain! I might try experimenting with different foods so that I don’t get sick of the same raw foods.

Days 6 and 7

Alright! Yesterday was prom, but before I left, I had quite a bit of food. For breakfast, I juiced three oranges and made a smoothie. Here’s roughly what I put into the blender to make it:

1/2 c. frozen strawberries
1/4 c. frozen raspberries
1/2 c. cold water
1/2 c. ice
1 tbsp. agave nectar
1 tbsp. protein powder

The protein powder changed the consistency a bit and had a slightly strange aftertaste, but I didn’t mind it. The juice complemented the smoothie well; I’ll probably have that combination more often.

For lunch, I made a salad with mixed greens, tomato, avocado, sunflower sprouts, and onion sprouts, and I dressed it with olive oil, red wine vinegar, and garlic powder. I measured out a quarter cup of pistachios to eat with it as well. The lunch was good, but halfway into eating the salad, I felt tired of it. Not a good sign; I usually love salads.

I snacked on pistachios before I left for prom, and I packed myself little bags of shredded coconut, oats, and pistachios for later that night if I got hungry. I also packed a banana and my Raw Revolution lemon bar. Before prom, my friend Jacqui had fruit and veggies set out, so I had a few of those to tide me over until dinner. At The Henry Ford Museum (where we had our prom), we were first served a salad (greens, tomato, carrot, and cabbage), and then I was served a plate of vegetables and dip as my entrée! I’m so glad the staff at the museum agreed to comply with my project. At first, I was disappointed when I found out prom was during senior projects, since I thought I’d have to skip a night of being raw. Admittedly, I don’t think the salad dressing and dip were raw, but I didn’t mind at all. Besides, I have to keep reminding myself that anyone who eats 75% or more raw food is considered a raw foodist!

After prom, I ate the banana and some pistachios, and in the morning, I had some coconut and oats, and I decided to try the lemon bar. The bar was not something I’d eat again anytime soon. It tasted very much like sunflower seeds and dates that had been marinated in something far too healthy for me to enjoy. It was a little too intense, and it just wasn’t my thing.

Later today, I had another banana, pistachios, and some fruit salad that my mom had gotten me yesterday from Edward’s, a café in Northville. My sister and I went shopping at Better Health, and I couldn’t find Nama Shoyu (raw soy sauce) or kelp noodles (they’re supposed to be really good!), but I did buy the last four packets of raw chocolate coconut butter they had in stock. Yum!

When we got back, my mom made me a small salad with greens and avocado dressed with the usual (olive oil, vinegar, and garlic). For dinner, my family and I went out to Koji, a sushi restaurant in Northville. Okay…here’s where I became slightly less raw (still well over 75%, though!). I ate the rice that was in my sushi, and a little soy sauce tonight. My mentor, Carolyn, recently told me that while she does eat mostly raw food, she consumes rice; however, I do not plan on having rice again in the near future, as I’m trying to be as raw as I can! The sushi was delicious, though, and I had a green salad before eating a salmon roll, half of an avocado roll, and a roll with king crab, cucumber, avocado, and masago (roe). My dinner felt extremely filling, which is unusual, since sushi always used to leave me feeling just right. I definitely have a smaller appetite these days.

When I got home, I had a banana with a tablespoon of my chocolate coconut butter (it doesn’t look especially good in the picture, but it’s tasty, I promise). My dad also halved a grapefruit for me, and I had some shredded coconut with a small amount of the coconut butter. My dessert tonight was high in saturated fat, which is not always bad (we need some saturated fat), but I think I may take it easier tomorrow.

Today and yesterday have been days of splurging, food-wise. I did lose one more pound, so I’m down to 141, but at least my weight is staying more constant than it was just a few days ago. I’ve now made it through a week being raw, and it’s definitely a challenge, but I’m having fun doing it. I picked up a book (The Raw 50 by Carol Alt) at the library today, and it’s full of new recipes, so I’ll be sure to try some out. I’m still searching for kelp noodles and Nama Shoyu, but I may make a trip to Whole Foods this week, so let’s hope I can find them there! Tomorrow, I think I’m going to get more pistachios, since my family and I have devoured the two pounds we bought a week ago.