I honest feel like I've been on this merry-go-round a few times...oh, wait, I HAVE.
Yes, it's Day Two (again) and I don't even want to think about just how many day two's I've had in my life, but since I know you are curious, I'll tell you... This makes Number Seven. Maybe that will be the lucky time it takes to actually "stick" as a lifestyle change...
I'm genuinely hopeful.
Suddenly, my MSG allergy seems like a miracle because there are so many things that are off limits.
Okay, that part still kinda sucks, but honestly, I'm starting to see a bright side. I remarked to my hubby that I am not experiencing the cravings that derailed me each of the times before. Listed from strongest to weakest:
Pepsi
Fast Food
Dairy Products
Cereal
Guess what's the number one common denominator? You guessed it...MSG...which BTW is highly addictive and trying to give it up is murder. Until now. I am starting to associate MSG with severe pain: Migraine, debilitating stomach pain, and a tranquilizer effect that can only be described as immediate and bizarre. Here's what happen's: my head has a stabbing pain that immediately becomes blinding then I double over because the same thing happens in my gut, and hope there is a bed nearby because I will fall asleep wherever I happen to be...sofa, car, movie theater...and all of this happens within an hour of consuming MSG. Is there any wonder I've lost complete interest in many of the foods I used to cave for? Or that I was threatening to just stop eating altogether?
I'm just glad we figured out the MSG thing before a doctor took a knife to my gut...
So, all of that to say...going raw seems to be easier this time around...but then again, it's only day two.
Also, and this has been going on for several months, and I've noticed because I have been between 75 and 80% raw for almost a year...but my tastebuds have somehow changed...and I'm really noticing it on the 100% raw days. I'm craving weird things, namely, sour and hot. Almost every meal has something insanely sour: lemons, limes (I'm buying key-limes 30# at a time and they're lasting about a week), pepperoncinis (two jars a week) and everything has at least one pepper (jalapeno, thai chili, serrano, or habanaro) either sliced, diced, sauced, or if all else fails in the form of habanero powder hubby dried from the garden and grinded.
Weird craving or not, I always listen to my body because in most cases my body is smarter than I am. To satisfy my curiosity as to whether my body knows something in this instance, I googled the foods I'm craving and this is what I learned:
Lemons/Limes: "
lemons and limes are an excellent source of vitamin C, one of the most important antioxidants in nature. Vitamin C travels through the body neutralizing any free radicals with which it comes into contact in the aqueous environments in the body both inside and outside cells. Free radicals can interact with the healthy cells of the body, damaging them and their membranes, and also cause a lot of inflammation, or painful swelling, in the body. This is one of the reasons that vitamin C has been shown to be helpful for reducing some of the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis." So, my body seems on target here:) Go intuition!
Peppers: "Chili peppers contain a substance called capsaicin, which gives peppers their characteristic pungence, producing mild to intense spice when eaten. Capsaicin is a potent inhibitor of substance P, a neuropeptide associated with inflammatory processes. The hotter the chili pepper, the more capsaicin it contains. The hottest varieties include habanero and Scotch bonnet peppers. Jalapenos are next in their heat and capsaicin content, followed by the milder varieties, including Spanish pimentos, and Anaheim and Hungarian cherry peppers. Capsaicin is being studied as an effective treatment for sensory nerve fiber disorders, including pain associated with arthritis." Two for two. Clearly my body knows what it's doing...Carry on.
What my body doesn't seem too impressed with: nuts in large quantities. Yesterday, I was appalled that my fat intake percentage was off the charts, but what I didn't consider was that I didn't eat full servings of any of the dishes with a lot of nuts. The portabellas stuffed with a brazil nut filling...I took two bites. The Caesar Salad with cashew "parmesan" ... I tasted before eating and used the dressing sans cashews. I did eat eight almonds, but compared to the huge handful hubby walked away with, I think I skimped...
More googling:
Cashews: there are a lot of health benefits... so I won't shun them altogether...but a handful every once in awhile is much more appealing than throwing them into recipes willy-nilly.
Brazil nuts: too many health benefits to list, so I guess an occasional handful wouldn't be a bad idea...
Almonds: good thing these are the ones I sneak most...turns out they're lowering my cholesterol...I need that.
So the lesson learned is to keep listening to my body and it keeps telling me to GO RAW... so, at the end of day two, I am still successful:)
Food Today:
Breakfast: 160 cal, 0.6 fat
Apple
Banana
Hot Herb Tea
Lunch: 105 cal, 6.8 fat
Beet Juice
Cashews
24 ounces water
