Yay's and Nay's

Some yay's and nay's of my vegetarianism, veganism, and rawism trials thus far:



The yay's:

- Being vegetarian has not been hard for me. The only time I've craved meat is when I've craved fast food. Think about it; there's no vegetarian fast food. It only makes sense. I guess a bean burrito from Taco Hell is "fast food," but it's probably the healthiest fast food out there.

- Before vegetarianism, I cut cheese out of my diet to save calories. Once going vegetarian, I've reintroduced cheese back into my diet for protein/substance/flavor needs. Cheese is always a "yay" in my book!

- Raw vegan desserts are not only good, but very filling. They're mainly made of nuts, which are much more filling than refined white flour. Basically, eat 2 raw vegan cookies, and you're full; eat two regular chocolate chip cookies, and all you want is more...especially if you're eating mine ;)

- I must say I do feel "lighter" being a vegetarian. You process food fast, so even when you're disgustingly full, you'll feel totally fine in an hour.

- I LOVE reading/researchng about Rawism...fascinating!

- I have learned so many different culinary techniques and "abnormal" uses for ingredients in the past few weeks of which I will definitely carry with me no matter what kind of eater I end up. It has been so interesting! I never thought I'd make ice cream out of cashews, milk out of nuts and seeds, salad in my smoothies, breads out of vegetables, flours out of nut pulps, avocados in dessert icings, and etc!

- One new thing I've learned I see myself doing for the rest of my life is incorporating "green smoothies" into my daily diet. For those of you who don't know, a green smoothie is basically what you'd think of when referring to a fruit smoothie, but a green vegetable has been added to the mix. For example, I'll throw kale/spinach/apple/banana/strawberry/blueberry/ginger into the blender with some freshly juiced fruits, blend it up, and voila, GREEN SMOOTHIE! They are SO good, and it's a fantastic way to get days worth of raw vitamins, nutrients, fiber, and enzymes all at once. I drink one for breakfast, and no matter what total crap I've eaten for the day, I know I've done one thing right for my health. DRINK GREEN SMOOTHIES, people!

- No matter how my diet ends up, I believe in rawism...it's just hard.

- Raw peeps are friendly and helpful!

- Rawism = easy to clean meals. Almost everything uses a blender, food processor, and knife. Just rinse, and you're done.
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The nay's:

- Being a vegetarian is not hard; being 100% "by the book" raw vegan IS. I will never process the term "raw" the same again.

- Raw vegan desserts are good; I have yet to be excited about a raw vegan savory lunch/dinner entree. I still have hope, though.

- It is almost impossible to be 100% raw without being 1.) a hermit, and 2.) a major pain in the ass to everyone else in your life, and 3.) an internet junkie (which, fortunately, I am.)

- Onions and garlic are never cooked in raw dishes; therefore, you will smell like those things.

- Rawism is time consuming. Well, more like you have to have good time management skills. No one thing takes a long time to prepare, but there's a lot of "in advance" work.

- Raw Vegans try to stay away from soy. I love soy. Also, soy milk is never prepared raw.... :( Nut mylks are a very decent alternative, though.






Well, that's what's on my mind right now as I failed at yet another palatable raw dinner, which resulted in me cooking up a veggie meal last minute. It can be a downer, but I try not to get too caught up in it. I mean, it's just an experiment, right??? Right! There will be no "failures" here. I'm also still waiting on my camera to arrive. I really want to post pics of my raw vegan recipe attempts!

If any of you are interested in having a peak into Rawism, here are some of my favorite blogs to reference in my own exploration:
http://rawdorable.blogspot.com/
http://thesunnyrawkitchen.blogspot.com/
http://rawgoddessheathy.blogspot.com/