Yes, it's New Year's Eve. I'm at home tonight, and hadn't planned on going out anyway - just had a bad feeling about it - but I'm now sick, as well. Lisa has been sick, as has Maya, Brisa, and Clay, who spent the night here a couple of nights ago. Finally, whatever it is hit me overnight, and I've been hacking so hard that I'm certain my ribs are bruised. I had a coughing fit yesterday so bad that I cleared out the produce section of County Market. Everyone fled to the meat or wine areas to wait me out.
On the bright side, I did get my choice of the produce.
As Arlo Guthrie said in Alice's Restaurant, though, 'That's not what I came to tell you about…'
This is: Lisa got me a new juicer for Christmas. Not just any juicer, this is an Omega 8005. This bad boy is the Harley of juicers. Low-slung, clad in chrome, a single, heavy duty masticating gear that looks strong enough to be a wood chipper, a 1/3 horsepower engine and a 10 year warranty. You almost have to put on a black leather jacket with steel studs before you hit the ON switch.
So naturally, I've been doing a lot of juicing. And, as I was on vacation (and not on-call) this week, I thought I'd try to do raw foods for at least a full day. It couldn't be that hard, right?
As it turns out, it really wasn't that hard. In fact, I started on Wednesday, and only deviated today (Saturday), when, in the midst of my cold/flu, I simply couldn't make anything cold sound good, so I cooked up some egg drop soup. It was still pretty light weight, but definitely not raw.
That being said, I'm glad I went the three days raw, and I'll do it again (hopefully Monday) once I'm over this cold. In the meantime, I'd like to pass some things along I learned during the three days that I was Raw, in case anyone else wants to try it:
• Once you've gone a couple of days on 100% raw, organic foods, you'll find that you need a lot less food. It's a freaky feeling, especially for someone like myself, who is borderline hyperthyroid and has to eat nearly constantly, to suddenly realize that you've gone, say, 6 hours on 2 oranges, and you're just not hungry. When I'm in full carnivore mode, I have to call La Bamba a day ahead of time to let them know I'm coming, so that they can reorder in time from the wholesaler. If you try going raw, you may need to take up a hobby or two to fill your time.
• Along the same lines, you'll find that you need a lot less sleep. Again, that new hobby...
• If you're like me, the term 'Raw Food' means tons of salad, and little else. I typically do eat a lot of salad, but never once had salad during the three days. Now, I have a lot of raw food recipe books - those of you who know me know that I am almost constantly in the kitchen, coming up with new dishes, so I had an advantage in that regard.
• As a follow up to the point above, if, like me, you do a tremendous amount of cooking for other people, it helps to keep cooking (non-raw) food for those people. As long as they're content, they're less likely to point out that you're out of your mind, or in danger of overdosing on chlorophyll, becoming a bovine, etc. It's a win-win that way.
• There will be times that you have greater calm and clarity than you've had since you were a pre-adolescent kid. Enjoy it.
• Any vices you have will brought to your attention. For example, after even a single day raw, there comes a point in the afternoon when cigarettes start tasting nasty. You may look at the cigarette and say, 'Why am I doing this?' You'll have to fight that off.
• A big part of going raw is going liquid, as in juicing, and even water. I personally have found that I always start the coffee maker in the morning out of habit, but if I drink water with the juice of one lemon in it, once the coffee maker finishes, I really don't care so much anymore.
• If you have a craving for 'normal' food while you're trying to be raw, do the raw food first. Grab an apple, fire up the juicer, just have something raw. That usually takes care of the cravings.
• I have read that any emotional issues you've been stuffing down will arise during a raw food cleanse (or during an intense yoga session). I have to admit, I found that to be true. Just be aware of that ahead of time, and don't freak if it happens. Go with it, and find out what it has to tell you.
• This should go without saying, but if you're going to put the effort into going raw (for whatever time), stock up on organic produce ahead of time. If I have to spend more than a couple of minutes in front of the refrigerator trying to figure out what I can eat, the cat gets nervous. With good reason. He's still raw. If I'm hungry enough, I can rationalize that.
So, anyway, it's New Year's Eve, the traditional day of New Year's Resolutions. I've resolved to write again. And do another raw food cleanse, even if - overall - I'm likely to be an omnivore from time to time (just try to find a raw food restaurant in Italy). And to get back into yoga the way I was some years back. I was a lot healthier.
To anyone reading this on New Year's Eve, have a Happy New Year's! To anyone reading this on New Year's Day…try fresh, sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper. They're really good for a hangover.
Namaste,
Dan
