Thursday, November 4, 2010

Little changes in hope of a big difference

People that know me personally know that I am just the teeniest bit granola (ehm, okay perhaps teeny is the wrong descriptor there).  I do, after all, make my own granola, granola bars, and nut butters.  I aim for organic and whole grain whenever possible.  I try to recycle and be green-conscious (oh how I wish the Element came in a hybrid!)  I also have an utterly inexplicable thing for leaves, and nearly all of the jewelry I am attracted to has a leaf or tree somewhere in it.  (Look closely at the wedding photos if you don’t believe me. 

Still, even with my slightly hippy tendencies, I don’t really feel I’m all that extreme.  I’m also not completely disciplined.  I won’t turn down every single item of food offered to me solely on the grounds that it’s not “my” style of food.  I figure I do as best as I can, so when an indulgence presents itself….why not?  Just be selective of which ones, right?

Well, the last two weeks, I’ve been doing research and asking questions about something slightly more extreme, diet-wise.  My best friend’s and her family are big proponents of raw food and the benefits of a raw food diet.  Well, the whole concept was sort of foreign to me, so as I do with most things I’m unfamiliar with, I started researching.  Amidst my research my doctor’s office called and said I’m now going to need semi-annual visits.  They’re once again concerned that my cervix is turning cancerous. 

Now, I don’t have cancer.  Let me very clear about that.  I just have some signs pointing toward abnormalities.  Plus, my mother had cervical cancer.  Being the diligent and totally awesome doctor she is, she’s being cautious, and I appreciate that.  My doc and I have been down this road before.  Three years ago she was CERTAIN that I had cancer.  I underwent biopsies that, after the first one, she said “we have to wait for confirmation but I’m certain I’ll be scheduling to remove your cervix soon”.  Turns out….no cancer was found.   You should have heard the utter shock in her voice at the result.   I cleaned my diet and lifestyle up (I was partying WAY too much) and the next biopsy was totally clean.  Nothing had come up since.  Well, now it has. 

Perhaps I got too lax?  There’s no telling really.  But I do know that being a bit more diligent has worked in the past.  So, let’s hope it works again. 

As I said, I’d been researching raw food benefits when I got this news.  I turned to my best friend, whose very close family members had shown improvement in various ailments through raw food diets, for advice.  Now, going raw is too extreme for me.  But I do believe that I can incorporate it into my usual routine.  I believe the benefits are worthwhile, and plus I love a challenge. 

All week, I’ve tried to replace my usual lunch of a sandwich or leftovers with a raw lunch.  I also replaced one of my two at-work snacks with a raw snack.  I’m starting small.  Lunch all week has been organic mixed greens with sliced sundried tomatoes, organic red bell peppers, organic pablanos, baby bellas, and half an organic avocado.  The first day I used vinaigrette, but I wanted to try a raw dressing.  So, I soaked two tablespoons each of raw pepitas and sunflower seeds overnight.  I added them to some extra virgin olive oil, balsamic, and Dijon in the blender.   Then I added water to help the blender out.  My blender didn’t work so well, but I still came out with a creamy and very flavorful dressing!  My snacks have been either an organic apple or banana with my homemade almond butter (not raw….hey, I’m trying here!).  I hope to continue incorporating this into my life, but I have no intention of going to extremes.  All things in moderation, right?

While I have no idea if this will actually help, I think it’s worth a try! 

Here are some links if you’d like to learn more about eating raw.  



2 comments:

  1. Just to clarify, I see lots of benefits to eating raw, but I'm not sure it's best to do 100% and I certainly don't. :) Just wanted to get that out there.

    I'm proud of you for trying new things...it's always hard but can be a fun process.

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  2. Yeah, no "going raw" just incorporating it. That's all. I see it as a challenge! And perhaps an opportunity for new kitchen gadgets, which I'm always up for!

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