Day 21/ Three Week Checkup

You know, it's not that I don't like cooked food. I still love a lot of what I used to eat. But I decided to get on this raw food cleanse to help clear up some specific health conditions that I have. And I can say that after only three weeks, I have eliminated some health conditions and have seen improvement in others.

So do I continue to consume pasta, chicken, cheese, ice cream, coffee, candy, and other foods that I love, and dig an early grave with my teeth? Or do I stick to the raw foods, even though it takes quite a bit more effort (emotionally and physically) to avoid cooked food at all costs?

I would like to say that at some point I will be able to strike some kind of a balance. What I mean is that, since I've been on the raw foods, I have been able to avoid chicken, fried foods, cheese, etc....not without some difficulty, mind you. But I have been able to avoid them and I'm still here. So I think that long-term I could do without eating poultry, red meat, or fried foods.

However, when I look forward to the rest of my life, I would like to occasionally be able to have a piece of broiled fish in lemon butter...even if it's only once or twice per month. Or maybe a bowl of caribbean-style red pea soup (without the meat, of course), or some red lentil curry, or something like that. Some of these foods are a connection to a part of my culture...being that I come from a Caribbean background. There are some foods that I want to have in my life for emotional reasons.

This afternoon I ate a serving of some cooked vegan food. It was a small serving of steamed brown rice with some cooked vegetables in coconut curry sauce (can you tell I like curry?). I only bought it because I was rushing and I was in the mood for something warm to eat. That's why I can't wait until I get my dehydrator and my VitaMix. I will be able to warm food in the dehydrator and soups in the VitaMix without destroying the enzymes.

My assessment is, it wasn't really all that. I've noticed that since I've been on this raw vegan cleanse (Join The Lifeit Detox 28 Days Raw Food Cleanse), that cooked vegetables just don't taste as good as raw vegetables. When you cook the vegetables, they lose some of their flavor. I think that's basically true for all cooked foods...that's why you have to season cooked food so much.

I was thinking I could have made a raw version of that dish but the only thing is what would I substitute for the brown rice? I have seen that some raw vegans use sprouted or soaked wild rice in raw dishes but I've never tried that. I have also seen some raw vegans use couscous, which really isn't technically raw.

This evening I made the zucchini hummus and ate it on romaine lettuce leaves with slices of sweet red pepper and black olives. I also made some cucumber dressing with dill that I will try on a salad tomorrow.

I noticed that my energy level was somewhat low today and I didn't realize until this evening that I had forgotten to drink my Green Smoothie this morning. I am still abstaining from caffeine and I'm still enjoying my Teeccino.

One more thing...today I learned from one of my instructors that High Fructose Corn Syrup contains mercury. I haven't had time to research that, but if it does then that is one more reason to avoid it.