Day 16

We're officially over the 1/2 way point! It's all downhill from here, right? I really do feel differently that it's really a count-down now, vs. just counting up to the 1/2 way point.

The cold that has possessed me since Saturday is now starting to release its icy cold grip from my soul. I appreciate this. I know you're supposed to "feed a cold" but quite frankly the only thing I could really feed it was fruits, vegetables and vitamins. So I guess that's not really a bad thing.

Yesterday I had my cereal concoction for breakfast, leftover zucchini "fettucini alfredo" for lunch, and a salad and more cereal for dinner. I would post the fettucini recipe, but it wasn't bad, but it just wasn't anything worth retyping. It's from Ani Phyo.

Observations continue:
It is easier and more satisfying to just eat big salads and fresh fruit than to try to process them into something else. I've tried because it's what I thought I was supposed to be doing, but I really do feel nourished by a great big salad of spinach, some cranberries, almonds, and dressing. I think that is the best word to use--nourished. I see pizza commercials on TV and I can FEEL the joy of eating all of that oozing cheese, but those are just fleeting moments.

I do understand why people would want to eat only this type of food. It makes you feel healthy. Sure, it doesn't have that instant gratification of a big juicy steak or oozing cheese, but it does have a wonderful benefit. But am I going to turn raw vegan? I think not. But I do think that this little experiment gave me a newfound respect for those who do, plus it has reignited my love for fruits and veggies. It makes me want to incorporate more of this food into my diet. It really is food that feels good the entire time your body processes it.

Now would I recommend this diet to others? A difficult question to answer. The simple answer is that if you really want to try it for your health, I would recommend it to you. You will feel better, you will learn and understand a lot about fresh food. You will learn a lot about modern conveniences and decide if processed food is good for you or not (the answer will probably be no! I think even when I eat the dried fruits that I have which have additives, I can feel a difference in how I feel!)

But if you're interested in doing something like this just to lose weight and go on a regular "deprived diet," this is definitely the wrong diet for you. This isn't about deprivation. You should eat until you feel full and nourished and you should spend the extra money to buy the best products you can to give you the best vitamins, enzymes, etc that you can.

Now for the daily menu:
I had a HUGE bowl of buckwheat grout "cereal" this morning with a banana cinnamon mylk from Ani Phyo:
3 bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
4 cups water
1/2-3/4 cups soaked cashews
Blend until milky.

This is NOT as good as the almond vanilla mylk that I made yesterday, but it's still good. I didn't want to make almond vanilla two days in a row because it is rather sweet. Ani's recipe on the buckwheat cereal was to soak it overnight, then dehydrate, then use it like a regular cereal. I think it's better to soak it overnight, drain it in the a.m., rinse, and then top with mylk and eat immediately. It's less crunchy, but it does get all up in your teeth.

Lunch is a big leafy salad with almonds and cranberries. I bought some delicious looking organic pears yesterday which I wish I would have brought with me today--they looked divine! I can't wait to go home and eat one! YUM!

Side FYI - Tonight we start ballroom dance lessons with mom and Harvey at the community center. We'll be learning the foxtrot and the cha-cha! I'm excited to get out and do something and have a regular night of the week appointment!