Sunday, April 2, 2006

(Photos from Go Raw "uncooking" class: soup, croquette, salad)

I took pictures of myself for the beginning of month #4. I can tell I've lost some weight, but there's not a whole lot of change as far as I'm concerned. A friend who hasn't seen me since before the holidays noticed a little bit of a difference, but nothing dramatic. :-( I hope the next time she sees me I'll look dramatically different.

Today I attended a raw food class at the Go Raw Café It was a lot of fun. There were about 15 "students" present, a nice mixture of ages and genders. Upon arrival, we all got a young Thai coconut and a shot of wheatgrasss, a combo termed a "blood transfusion." Supposedly the nutritional makeup of wheatgrass and coconut together are comparable to the makeup of our blood. I haven't done any reading on that but found it an interesting idea. This was the first time I'd had a decent coconut. The first one I tried was kinda nasty, but back then I had no idea how to choose a coconut. This one was filled to the brim with clear "water" that had a light, pleasant, faintly sweet taste. I drank all of the water straight from the coconut using a straw, and tasted some of the meat, which was had a "gel"-like texture. Luckily I'd read about this texture before, so I knew I had a good coconut. The flesh was faintly sweet. I never realized how refreshing a young coconut really is.

We learned to make a carrot and avocado soup, carrot croquettes, and a salad dressing that used soaked cashews as a base. Everything was very tasty and made both easily and quickly with a food processor, blender and juicer. If I had a juicer, I'd be making that soup tomorrow. I took home three croquettes and made sushi with them this evening- very enjoyable! At home I also made a smoothie using coconut water, since I couldn't help but buy a young coconut before leaving the class. It was great! It gave the smoothie a slight "vanilla" background (I can't think of a better comparison at the moment). Too bad coconuts are so expensive; I would prefer coconut water over orange juice or water in my smoothies.

So today I had two smoothies, some coconut water, and the meal you see pictured above and below from the Go Raw class. Go Raw may have these classes monthly. I don't know if I can afford them all, but if I could go, I would! There's something to be said about being around flesh-and-blood people who are eating raw food just like you. Internet support is awesome, but to meet and talk to people in your own physical community provides emotional support in a different way. Some of the people in the class were so vibrant and healthy looking! I can't wait to have that glow and energy myself. It's so hard to have 150 lbs to lose. Being around people who have what I am striving for is very motiving, though. I look forward to going back to the café. We need a support group!

(Photo: dessert at Go Raw "uncooking" class: mango with raw cacao nibs)