The Chemist's Daughter Goes Raw?

Well, kinda.

So, here's the deal: During my last Master Cleanse, which I did for 15 days, I did a lot of research on nutrition. My original goal was to eat raw vegan for most meals and eat about 4 ounces of animal protein at lunch. Well, after doing some research, I came to the conclusion that animal products (including eggs, fish and dairy) are just plain bad for you. Our bodies are not made to digest animal proteins. Our intestines are too long to be carnivores; the meat rots in them before we can pass it through our systems. Dairy is mucus-forming and coats the linings of our digestive systems, making them unable to absorb necessary nutrients. Furthermore, animal proteins actually suck calcium out of our systems. So, even if you drink milk for calcium, the proteins in the milk suck out more calcium than the milk puts in. Sesame seeds, broccoli and spinach all have more absorbable calcium than dairy, anyway. And, to top everything off, cooking plants breaks down the necessary nutrients that your body needs. Also, gluten and sugar have their own problems, but most people are at least somewhat aware of these; so, I won't go into detail. I have been eating mostly raw vegan, sugar-free and gluten-free for about 6 weeks. I have maintained the weight loss from the cleanse and my skin has cleared up and never looked better!!!!

I'm certainly not 100%. I've been eating cooked vegan for the past week, although I'm trying to get more onto the raw track, but not yet having a dehydrator makes that rather difficult. Also, when I started this whole thing, I decided two things:

1) When going out with friends or at social functions, I am not going to be the one in the group people have to worry about. In fact, Thursday night I had a little fish, some dairy and a (couple of) chocolate chip cookie(s) at a potluck. Friday, I went out with friends and had a large bowl of pasta with chicken and goat cheese, YUM!!! However, after those 2 days, my chin has completely broken out. I guess I learned my lesson or have just realized what I'm gonna have to deal with next time I decide to go "off." And, tomorrow, I'm going out to dinner with family to celebrate my cousin's high school graduation.

2) When cooking large holiday meals for groups of people (i.e., Hanukkah and Passover), I will make dishes that include meat, chicken, eggs, dairy (not with the meat), etc. The purpose of these holidays is to please people and have everyone get together and be happy. I don't want people worried about me feeding them "weird" raw stuff.

I also won't preach to people; so, this will be my (first and) last post about this new development in my eating habits. While the following several recipes are all vegan, sugar-free and gluten free, I still have many recipes that are not and will continue to post. The first rule about me posting recipes is that they have to be GOOD; dietary restrictions are secondary. So, rest assured, when I post a recipe that seems to have nothing "good" in it, it has been tested and passed with flying colors!!!

Enjoy,
Allison
The Chemist's Daughter