My first week eating MOSTLY RAW

 Before going about 80% raw, I had contemplated it for a very long time. I was always watching FullyRaw Kristina's videos on youtube (sometimes just because all the colors made me happy...seriously, check her out), and I just couldn't shake the feeling that it made sense nutritionally. Not to mention that it always made my previous vegan senses tingle a bit. I found myself binge watching her youtube videos and talking to my fiancé a lot about what I was learning, so finally I decided to try this thing out in a way that would work for us.

I want to make sure to say that we are not 100% raw. Yet. I don't know that we ever will be, but we do eat mostly raw foods. There is an occasional day in which we pig out on non-raw foods more than others, but the majority of the time, it's mostly dressings for salads, croutons, pieces of dark chocolate, and the occasional zevia that make up the part of the diet that isn't raw.

Let's just get right down to the pros and cons of this type of diet from my perspective. Do you want the good or the bad first? Just kidding, it's only me that gets to decide here ;) I always like to finish up with dessert, so let's do the bad first and sweeten it up.

CONS

• When we first stockpiled up our food stash, the bill was a bit much. We are people who believe on investing in our health, so it wasn't really a problem for us, but it was a bit of a shock at first. When replenishing the supply and getting enough food to keep a good rotation of ripe and unripe food, we saw that the number wasn't as high as before. So it's just the initial hit. However, you must keep in mind that it is not the fault of the fruits and veggies that they are more expensive. Please do not take it out on your body by buying things just because they are cheaper. Your dollar is your vote, so vote on your health by investing in it if you can. 
• I still get cravings for cooked foods. BUT, you can only crave things that you are used to. As the week went on, I noticed that those cravings went down a lot because of the fact that my body was becoming more accustomed to the raw foods. Get past the cravings by staying strong, and you will feel much better. 
• It was difficult at first, and still is, to eat the amount of food that I need to eat to get enough calories. I'm getting used to it a bit more now, but sometimes it was a bit overwhelming to eat 2 or 3 heads of greens at a time. It helps to get them in with smoothies if you find that it is a problem for you. 
• I had a bit of a detox and it was very disheartening for bit. I am still detoxing, just so you know, but it has decreased. There are many different things that can happen to different people when your body releases all the toxins that it has built up over time of eating foods that aren't good for you. I had a bunch of acne pop up on my face, and it isn't all gone yet. It has subsided a lot though! I have found that it is very helpful to remember that your body is cleaning itself and the symptoms of that are probably a GOOD THING. 
• People talk a lot about the "weird" amount of fruit that I carry with me all the time. This isn't really a con, but it can be a bit overwhelming at times for me still. At times, I don't have all the answers for their questions on why so many bananas or why can't you cook things or where do you get your protein. It has been helping tremendously to educate myself more and more on the topic so that I feel comfortable when people ask or look at me funny. Trust me, they will. And it's okay :) You are feeding yourself the normal amount of good foods. They're the weird ones!

PROS

• I have been trying out all types of fruits that I had never even thought of trying before. I was so stuck in the same fruit and veggie rut all the time before, and since doing this, I realized that I needed to branch out if I was going to be successful and happy. I haven't done a ton of branching in the vegetable area yet, but I have since tried more than 5 different types of fruits that I had never tried before, and for a picky eater like me that is a big adventure!
• My body is reacting nicely and loving this change. I am a VERY pear shaped girl. I eat a donut and I promise you that my cellulite level skyrockets. I've still got my share, but I have noticed that eating this way has decreased it in a really awesome way! I am so much more confident about the lower half of my body, and even without seeing the physical changes, I am way happier knowing that I am doing something for myself that others won't do. 
• I wake up craving good foods. It's such a treat to wake up and know that I get to drink a bunch of fruit infused water followed by as much of my favorite fruit as I want. We're talking a whole watermelon or a huge bag of cherries. It's been amazing to watch my cravings change. 
• There isn't a limit on how much I can eat. Don't take that as a challenge to eat as much as humanly possible :) I get to eat basically as much as I want of these foods, and I don't have to worry about counting calories or portioning it out. I follow a couple of guidelines on how I structure my meals, but that is it. 
• Lastly, looking at colorful food all day has increased my mood. The same joy that I got from watching these videos on youtube is now being created by me in my own home. I'm creating beautiful fruit plates and seeing how many colors I can incorporate at once, and it's very uplifting stuff! 

Let me know in the comments if you would like more information on how I decide how much food to get at the store, how I structure my meals and my day, and how I store the produce! I'll create more posts like this if it's something that you all want to see :)