Day Twenty-three

I think I too may become a raw food advocate. I told a friend today that she should try it. "Come on...try it for thirty days or ninety bowel movements, which ever comes first."

Day Twenty-One

Yesterday, a friend of mine called; her husband was out of town and she wanted to know if I would do a "girls night out." I hesitated at first. It was Saturday night. I was supposed to spend it on the couch with a crudite and a Dexter dvd. How could I take my raw life out of the house? After a little internet research, I accepted the invitation. We met at a vegetarian restaurant, but there wasn't a single item on the menu that was completely raw. I had them make me a raw salad, and, hold on to your hats, I ordered a glass of white wine. White wine is the preferred alcoholic drink among raw foodists; its basically "raw," and it doesn't have a lot of alcohol. In just the first few sips, however, I felt the familiar warmth of my good friend: booze. Oh, my dear sweet consort, where have you been for the last three weeks?
So, what I took from this experience, in addition to the mediocre salad and a light buzz,was that I could probably do this; I could subsist, thrive even, on a raw diet. That's how I feel this morning anyway. We will see if I am as steadfast at the end of the thirty days.

Day Twenty

I ran four miles this morning--my longest run since going raw. The first three miles were great. In fact, I was thinking I might get back on some kind of training schedule. However, during the fourth mile and for about thirty minutes after the run, I was really lightheaded. I chowed a bunch of lettuce wraps and some raw nuts and dried apples, and now I feel better. I know there are raw runners out there, but I don't know if I'm one of them.

Day Nineteen

I've started to wonder what I will do when the experiment ends. Should I return to the bleak world of cooked food--a living-food suicide? Or should I keep going down this raw path? This morning, I felt amazing. I woke up around 4:45AM, fifteen minutes before my alarm. I worked out, took a shower and--much to my husband's annoyance--crowed about how fantastic I felt. Is this actually me, or have the raw food gods replaced my cynical spirit with some kind of herbivorous Pollyanna?

Day Seventeen

I've just returned from the ear doctor, and she is not sure if I have Meniere's Disease or a eustation tubes issue. I told her about the diet and that I have not had stuffy ears since going raw; however, my ringing isn't any better--may even be worse. She recommended I see an allergist and encouraged me to keep a food journal. A food journal? I said to her, "Don't you know who I am? You're looking at the inner ear of one Diana Rhea, whose chronicle of her own intestinal intrepidness has been going on for seventeen days now. I would think a woman of science like yourself would stay up-to-date on the latest healing advancements. And what if the allergist doesn't have the answers? What then, leeches?"

Day Sixteen

Today, I did my first sprint workout since I went raw. I did this on some watermelon, a cantaloupe, and a handful of raw nuts. Needless to say, I was wacked out when I finished the workout. Now, I am going to treat myself to some chocolate pudding. Oh don't worry; it's not that tempting dessert Bill Cosby went on and on about. It's an all-raw version made with some ridiculously expensive raw coconut butter.

Day Fifteen

I consumed the following foods today: cantaloupe, watermelon, raw almonds, a banana, dried apples, lots of celery with a tahini-curry concoction. Many raw foodist say that they don't crave cooked food after awhile. They no longer long for a thick, medium-well burger, with a few slices of crispy bacon, slathered in mayonnaise accompanied by a huge basket of curly fries...perhaps they're lying.