Healthy Changes
June 22, 2009 at 2:33 pm 13 comments
I’m back! Lucy has arrived, and I’m ready to start eating a high raw diet again! It was so challenging while I was pregnant…because greens were really NOT appealing to me at all until the 3rd trimester. But now…I’ve been loving drinking my entire quart of green smoothie in the morning…woo!! It feels great to be eating less breads/carbs.
I’m not concerned with being super strict right now. In fact, being too strict is my downfall with the raw diet. I am just aiming to eat as much raw as I can all day. What does that look like? I start out with 1 quart of green smoothie. For lunch, I’ll make a huge salad with nuts, hemp seeds, avocado, etc. I snack throughout the day on watermelon, apples, berries, nuts, etc. I’m hoping to get a dehydrator so I can start making flax crackers, raw pizza, and raw burgers again. Yay! For supper, we will usually have a low-fat vegan meal. Right now, our favorite is roasted asparagus, sweet potato and red pepper over herbed quinoa. So yummy! We are not totally vegan because we do eat farm fresh eggs from a local farm. My main goal is to eat as many greens as I can all day…greens = good milk production for nursing (think about the cows!). I should add that Matt is joining me in the raw food goodness as well 🙂 It’s always helpful when your spouse or significant other is on board with your foody adventures.
Eating cleaner helps me to feel so much more “clear” and I have a lot more energy. I cut out dairy in my 3rd trimester, and have continued that now. Dairy is a common allergen, especially in breastfed babies…and it’s just not that great for my body either. I feel good without it! I’m also cutting out as much processed soy as possible. Processed soy includes soy milk, tofu, etc. We’ve switched to homemade almond milk (or prepared almond milk, depending on how I’m feeling!).
This week’s raw meal line up includees: walnut tacos, pad thai, caesar salad, collard wraps, and more! The most common question I get from readers is what my favorite green smoothie is. So, here it is:
- 1 cup of fresh pineapple
- Frozen fruit (I buy the Spectrum blend from Costco)
- 1 peeled orange
- 2 frozen bananas (I freeze with peel and then soak in warm water for a minute to get the peel off)
- Filtered water to blend
- Organic baby spinach (Costco has the best deal by far!)
So there it is…the totally random update on eating and life. Be sure to check out the next post about the Raw Mom Summit. I’m super excited to listen to those calls! Have a healthy day…
Entry filed under: Raw.
Happy Foody 
1.
Becky Vartabedian | June 22, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Sara – how do you make your own almond milk? What a nice treat!
2.
livelightly | June 22, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Hi Becky,
Here is my recipe for almond milk. It’s really yummy and easy!
https://happyfoody.com/2006/08/29/homemade-almond-milk/
3.
leslie | June 22, 2009 at 7:15 pm
I am going back towards raw too. It just feels better in the hot summer. I love raw pad thai!
4.
Noclegi Kotlina Klodzka | June 23, 2009 at 11:11 am
I added a spoonful of cinnamon and it got even more delicious. Great receipe, thanks for posting that.
5.
Kelly | June 23, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Hey Sara,
What RAW cookbook(s) would you recommend to a complete beginner? Must contain “normal” food that a picky non-raw husband would enjoy…
Thanks!
Kelly
6.
livelightly | June 23, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Kelly,
I did a post awhile back on cookbooks…check it out here:
https://happyfoody.com/2008/04/22/raw-cookbooks/
7.
Lisa | June 24, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Hi Sara, quick question about green smoothies. Is it “ok” to use frozen spinach or do you lose some of the good stuff?
Thanks. Love your blog!
Lisa
8.
Rene | June 25, 2009 at 3:41 am
Another question; why is soy milk considered processed? I thought it was supposed to be uber healthy stuff. Just curious. Thanks!
9.
livelightly | June 25, 2009 at 4:00 am
Lisa…frozen is fine, but I prefer fresh! 🙂 I think any time you change the state of a food, you lose a little bit, but frozen is by far the best (over canning, etc).
Great question Rene…
There are several reasons to avoid soy milk. It’s processed in that it’s no longer in it’s whole form, has been heated/pasteurized, and has many things added to it (like evaporated cane juice…which is basically sugar). Anytime you are eating non-fermented soy products, it’s harder for your body to digest it. Fermented soy includes miso, tempeh, etc. Soy originated in the Eastern cultures and they used it as a condiment. The West took it and turned it into a staple money maker 🙂 There is a huge debate that has been going on for years as to whether or not soy is beneficial. I could go on and on, but that’s the summary. It’s just one of many alternatives to cow’s milk…and I definitely prefer almond milk. Much less controversial and better for you 🙂 Hope that helps!
10.
Rene | June 26, 2009 at 1:12 am
Hey thanks Sara, that totally makes sense. Had no idea it contained cane juice.
I think I’m going to try almond milk as soon as we run out of soy. No reason not to try it, it sounds great. Thanks for opening my eyes.
11.
Denise | June 27, 2009 at 2:08 am
yes, thank you for that answer regarding soy. I was just listening to one of the Raw Mom Summit speakers and he was very much against soy. I was curious as to your opinion of it. I will finish what we have and switch to almond milk.
12.
Becky Vartabedian | June 29, 2009 at 6:01 pm
Dear Sara – thanks for your recipe for Almond Milk! I look forward to making my own, now!
13.
Heather | July 4, 2009 at 2:35 pm
Hi Sara,
Are you finding with the Raw diet, that you are bouncing back from childbirth better and have more energy? I did a green smoothie in the morning all during my pregnancy and after and I found I had a lot more real energy and felt healthier. Thanks for all the information.
Cheers,
Heather