Raw Food

I did it. Yesterday I shopped until I dropped for fresh and dried produce. Today is day 1 of the experiment to follow a raw food diet. It was pushed into realization by a few books I read over the weekend. They did not convince me, but they made me curious. That along with my current philosophy on food was the breeding ground for an experiment in my food lifestyle.

So I perused recipes, made a list and headed out. I visited produce stands, Asian markets, and even a mainstream grocery store. I stocked up on beans (for sprouting), seeds, fruits and leafy vegetables. The recipes seem less than appetizing in some cases, but I want to find out if “going raw” is for me.

Today started off with fresh fruit for breakfast. Lunch was rounded out with homemade honey mustard dressing over a spinach and mustard green salad. I packed a snack of raw peanut, raw sunflower seed, and sun dried raisins. So now half way through day one this doesn’t seem so difficult after all. Maybe the key is to eat simply. I may hold back on the recipes, as the whole foods seem at least as appetizing at this point.

In a few days we shall see how different sprouts fit my fancy. I started sprouting garbanzo, flax, lentil, and soybean last night. Also, I started a batch of sauerkraut with nothing except water and cabbage. I find this an intriguing recipe as no salt is added. In seven days I will present the results.


So now, I am off to eat my tamarind. These pos are delicious, and had never crossed my palate until yesterday. They are sweet and natural. Also in that category I found dried dates to be a fascinating addition. Who know what I may discover this week. Based on the new exposure, although it is too early to fully asses the diet, I like eating raw foods. It will be left to see whether a lasting relationship ensues.

The Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) (from the Arabic: تمر هندي tamar hindi = Indian date) is a tree in the family Fabaceae. The genus Tamarindus is monotypic (having only a single species). It is a tropical tree, native to tropical Africa[1], including Sudan and parts of the Madagascar dry deciduous forests. It was introduced into India so long ago that it has often been reported as indigenous there, and it was apparently from India that it reached the Persians and the Arabs who called it "tamar hindi" (Indian date, from the date-like appearance of the dried pulp), giving rise to both its common and generic names[2]. However, the specific name, "indica", also perpetuates the illusion of Indian origin. The fruit was well known to the ancient Egyptians and to the Greeks in the 4th Century B.C.E.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamarind