Initial Thoughts

I'll be reposting my 'journaling' from when I started this journey and eventually I'll get caught up!  I originally wrote this on June 30, just three days after I made the decision to radically change my diet.

This past weekend I made a decision. A decision to drastically change my eating habits. For the first time in my life the decision was NOT made with the intention of losing weight, but for the betterment of my health. To get my body, on the inside, working to the best of its ability.

What I am looking to do is get my body in the best working order it can be so that when things do happen because of the multiple sclerosis, my body is better able to handle it. I want to be able to say with assurance at the end of my life that I tried EVERYTHING to be healthy despite this chronic illness.

A few years ago I tried a raw vegan diet (mainly juicing, actually) and let's just be honest, that only lasted a week. In that week I think I lost about 7+ pounds because the change was so drastic from what I had been eating. But there was no way I could incorporate that lifestyle into my life, plus I didn't like half the vegetables so it was disgusting to me.

This time however, I am feeling desperate. Desperate for anything that will help my internal body and immune system be better. I don't feel terrible now, so I'm not expecting drastic changes in how I feel necessarily, but I'm looking at the long term. What can I do to get my body working at an optimum level? My body already has a disease running through it, so I don't want to add fuel to the fire, so to speak.

Step 1:

Eat organic foods.

Step 2:

Based on personal testimonies and what is natural and research (which I'm still doing), I have decided to aim for the raw vegan diet. To my knowledge thus far, this includes all fruits, all vegetables, nuts and seeds. No cooking, no dairy, no grains, nothing else. I'm in what I'm calling my 'transition phase.' I started this past weekend by cleaning out my cupboards, leaving just a couple of items that technically don't fit into this, but aren't chips/cookies either. (I'm still in transition, remember!)

Reality:

So I have started purchasing only organic vegetables, fruits, and nuts - and boy do they taste better! Who knew?! I have been pouring over recipes and other ideas of what to actually eat instead of just eating a couple carrots here, a handful of almonds there, and then an apple. I keep reminding myself this is a PROCESS and to not expect perfection immediately. I read somewhere that it sometimes takes people years to transition to a raw vegan diet. That seems a bit long to me. I can see a couple of months, but not years. I've already been able to make my food intake probably around 90-95% raw vegan, so that's good, I think.

My body is definitely in transition as I go from feeling tired (because I haven't eaten any sugar/caffeine or eaten enough in general-not on purpose though) to feeling great (because I have eaten only GOOD food).

Next step:

Tomorrow I will be going to the farmer's market to see what they've got there, and if they sell organic stuff too...I have no idea, since the farmer's market is not somewhere I frequent by any stretch of the imagination (although it's looking like that will change!). I also want to try making some smoothies with greens and fruit so that I can get more nutrition, since I can't possibly eat (chew) to get to that point. I’d like to try some actual recipes this weekend too so I can feel like I’m eating a meal rather than individual vegetables/fruits.

All in all, I am looking forward to seeing where I land, so to speak. I’m not sure if this will ultimately be my lifestyle, but I want to give it a fair shot. Besides, I truly have nothing to lose at this point, besides not getting to eat the foods that my body THINKS it wants, but really doesn’t.