Going Raw
Posted on the 4th of March 2009 at 21:19 by Bodil
The past week, I’ve been experimenting with eating a raw food diet, after hearing one too many people extolling the diet’s virtues on the internets. I’ve learned a few things from the trial I didn’t quite expect. Most importantly, that raw food is actually edible–that is, it’s obviously edible, but I didn’t expect to really like it. After a week of fresh fruit and vegetables, I can tell you it tastes amazing. It sounds unbelievable, but I’d actually never tasted fresh maize before starting this trial. Whatever I choose to do after this, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stomach boiled maize again.
I’m now trying to decide whether I should keep it up. The advantages I’ve heard the raw foodists talk about are definitely present even after just one week on the diet: my digestion has improved noticeably, which is a blessing; I feel less tired in the morning, which is definitely a blessing; my brain seems to be working better, in the sense that my thought processes are clearer and I feel more creative. The only benefit I can’t testify to myself is the added physical energy: it’s definitely there, but I’ve also just kicked my nicotine addiction again, and that tends to work miracles on my physical health too.
Another advertised advantage was weight loss. I haven’t seen any of that yet…
The disadvantages: it’s really expensive compared to a simple vegetarian diet (which surprised me; I expected the opposite); it’s inconvenient in the sense that I need to always make sure I have food prepared to bring to work with me, because the raw food in the cafeteria at work wouldn’t sustain me even if it were of decent quality, which it is definitely not; it’s inconvenient in that there are basically no restaurants or takeaways in the area which can serve me a decent meal I can eat, which not only reduces my social options, but is also a problem when I work late and don’t have any time to spare for my own cooking.
And, of course, the best argument against a raw food diet: brie.
What to do?
