811 Raw Fooder

[Wendy Geesey]

Hi there! Well it's been just about 2 months now since I've gone 811 (80-10-10 for those who don't know). It's been both awesome and hard! I've been raw for over a year now and have been on a 42 days juice fast over the winter- so a lot of the initial detoxing has taken place... about 4 layers of detox I'd say. So I haven't experienced any detox from my new high fruit based diet.

The awesome part:

• fast food prep/clean up
  
• delicious sweet meals :)
  
• high energy- no crashing and enough energy to provide motivation for exercise on a daily basis
  
• excellent gym performance! mucho endurance and exercise capacity (I went from unmotivated and doing nothing to craving at least an hour/day- just b/c of a diet change!)
  
• very alert- no brain fog
  
• greater insight into myself
  
• no need for deodorant! seriously- I just don't smell anymore- even after working out!
  
• talk about being regular!! lol
  
• softer skin :)
  
• super hydration
  
• never hungry unless I want to be
  
• weight loss (only if you want it)
• light feeling, never heavy
• my taste buds have come alive- I can taste nuances I never knew existed!
  
• don't have to drink much water (I hate water!)
  
• saving money as I don't buy superfoods or many supplements anymore
  
• no gas/bloating (well okay- a little gas if I eat onions ;-)
  
• no period last month, ha! :)
  

The hard part:

• there's always an adjustment period
  
• going so low on fat has been harder than I thought
  
• increasing my intake capacity- after 2 months I can finally eat 2200 calories/day! It's been work, lol
  
• cravings for cooked/heavy food has increased (there can be a few reasons for this: 1. not eating enough calories to meet my needs, 2. you often want to match your life or spiritual vibration with your foods' vibration, 3. addictions to certain foods i.e. salt!!! On the "Anything Goes Raw Food Diet" the last 2 items are never really addressed b/c you can always find a raw food that is very similar (or even tastier) than the cooked version... and salt, vinegars, onions, garlic and the like are all fair game.
  

 

I promised Betty I'd give some recipes, but really I just eat a lot of fruit :P I haven't been doing a lot of juices or smoothies lately- so enjoying the summer fare! Just finished 3 pounds of watermelon! :) I eat a lot of mono meals b/c it's so good for the digestion. I love bowls of strawberries and bananas though- and I still use a little honey now and then. Bowls of super ripe peaches and nectarines... and more bananas! Melons should be eaten alone, but combines with citrus can be okay. Oh, and Betty- dates are also a great source of calories and are delicious and easy to eat, and they travel well too! ;-)

Here is a great recipe tho:

Tiramisu

1-2 sliced apples on mandolin

2 slice bananas length-wise thin

10 dates blended with a bit of water and cinnamon to taste

 

Start layering with apple, then banana and then the date mixture- keep layering until it's all used up. If you can eat it all, it's 960 calories! 25 grams of fiber, 96% carbs, 1% fat, 3% protein :) If serving to others you can top with some chopped walnuts if desired. This slices real nicely- so you can clean up the edges if you want. And... if you add too much water to the dates it will pool on the plate... just fyi.

 

My most favorite savory stew- I eat this every night and soooo look forward to it!

1.5 pounds of tasty tomatoes

8 oz spinach

200 grams of bok choy (save some stalk for chopping to add crunch to the stew :)

1 spring onion (I put most of the white part and the very top in the blender and finely chop the rest)

handful of sun-dried tomatoes (hold the salt please)

Blend!

The following ingredients I just put in the stew- don't blend.

6-8 oz of shredded zucchini

100 grams of corn cut off the cob

1/4-1/2 of avocado (I chop into large pieces and save for last :)

This makes HUGE serving sized bowl! But for me, it serves just ONE, lol :) I'm usually stuffed when I'm done.

 

Chocolate Nanner Ice Cream

If you don't have a high powered blender- I don't know what to tell ya. You can buy a Yonana machine, but you won't be able to do chocolate with it. I just put about 5-6 frozen bananas in my Vitamix with 2 tablespoons of carob or cacao and blend away. I've topped it with fresh strawberries- omg! :) Cacao is a stimulant tho- so I only use it occasionally (again, another one of those foods that typical 811'ers don't eat), but what a treat! I will be making this with layers of strawberry nanner ice cream layered with strawberries, banana and pineapple for our girls' night next Friday- a banana split parfait!

 

I'm experimenting with taco "meat". I made some with carrots and zucchini in the food processor with cumin... wrap in romaine or other green leaf (I like saving the tops of the bok choy for this.) You can top the meat with tomatoes and onion or make a raw salsa. YUMI! I'm still experimenting to come up with a good salsa recipe (this is the adjustment phase- coming up with good recipes. But the thing I like is that you can always just fall back to eating the fruit you really like. These recipes are for special occasions anyhow. I mostly just eat my fruit and then stew at night.) Anyhow- it was too carroty for my taste, more zucchini and I'm going to try adding some mushrooms (even tho 811'ers don't typically eat those either).

 

There are all sorts of drinks too though.

I've blended 2 cups of grapes, a cup of strawberries, some lemon juice, bit of honey and a head of romaine- very nice. I did this for a while.

I've heard melon and the juice of several oranges are good- haven't tried yet.

 

This week I've read an article on cravings and also watched a video by Freelee on transitional foods to the raw 811 diet- both excellent and so helpful. Dr. Graham recommends in his book that if faced with a choice between raw high fat and cooked low fat- to choose the low fat option every time! (The average raw fooder's diet has been found to be twice as high in fat as the SADiet!!!) These 3 things combined have really helped me make some great choices and helped so much with an escape valve. Organic low-fat pasta sauce and sweet potatoes are my stand-byes in case of an emergency ;-)

 

I was becoming disheartened with the "Anything Goes Raw Food Road" a few months ago when I was learning that a lot of things we think of as raw, really aren't- such as cashews, macadamia nuts, agave nectar and even possibly cacao :(  And cashews were always a big part of my diet- I believe I was on the path to becoming a very high fat (and unhealthy) raw fooder. I was also noticing all the marketing with all these "special" herbs and superfoods- big money to be made! Ya know, there just isn't a lot of money to be had in the 811 department- it's all just fresh produce! I have also found that most of the 811 promoters are very gracious and giving. Most of them give so much away, just to promote such a healthy lifestyle. The only real money to be made is by writing books or providing coaching- and some of them do it on a donation basis!!

 

Yep, I am now a fruit-lover. No turning back.

 

 

 

 

[Laurie P]

You are just so amazing to write this all out so clearly for us!

[Erica]

Wow! So inspiring, Wendy!  I feel your energy through your post.  I think I'll be upping my fruit intake! I'm so glad that you are feelingso great.  Thanks for sharing!

Erica