Whew!
Wow, today was busy. I finished making some sample superfood recipes for meetings I have later today. The chocolate cinnamon rolls from Naked Chocolate are just to LIVE for, and so easy! I also made chocolate truffles, and hazelnut/cranberry protein bars with Vanilla Sun Warrior protein. I didn’t get to make my fabulous guacamole, though. Michael will have to wait a day for that. He can eat a whole bowl at one sitting if unsupervised!
Where we live, there are so many trees in our yard and around our property that the sun has to struggle to reach the ground in the summer. And this time of year, we get leaves. Lots of leaves. And with a wind like we have had the past couple of days, the leaves can get knee deep in a hurry. So the main part of my day was spent with my husband, blowing and raking up ridiculous amounts of leaves. We do try to make the best of it, though. So this was my workout today. I try to concentrate on using my abs and not my arms to pull the rake toward me, and boy do I ever feel it, especially in my obliques! Combined with carrying the leaves to the various compost piles in my big Bos-bag, it’s quite a full-body workout with cardio. It is good to know that the leaves will become nice dark rich compost and feed my garden next season.
We also have an unbelievable amount of acorns, from the white oak trees especially. I wish those were edible like nuts. They are literally so thick that even in the grass it’s hard to walk because they roll under my feet and cause me to lose my balance. We have to scoop them up with a snow shovel! At least all my squirrels will be happy and well-stocked. And I still got a nice little harvest of Roma tomatoes. They are still producing nicely but for how long, I am not sure.
After throwing in the towel for the day, I cleaned up and had the opportunity to speak at the Parkinson’s Support Group. I spoke there today on real estate issues involved with selling the home of an elderly person. Hopefully, I will get to come back and speak on nutrition one day. It breaks my heart to see people suffer and know that there is help, but that food addiction is so strong that most people cannot break it even in the face of disease and death. All one can do is try to spread the word and be an example of vibrant health, so that the people who do not understand how deadly their diet is will want to have your energy and be free of disease.
I then met a friend and client who is going to team up with me to provide the ionic foot baths to people at my superfood parties. She let me try her foot bath that she owns. There are several different models of foot baths. If you have never done this, it’s very cool. There is a little ‘bubbler’ submerged in in a hot foot bath with sea salt, and it draws out toxins from your body through your feet. The water turns colors depending on the type of toxins you have. I am still fighting the lasting effects of my previous SAD and Atkins diet. My water turns black, because of liver detox. It looks like I am changing my oil! Haha! It’s pretty gross but good to know what your body needs. I need more dandelion, beet and lemon for sure. I did pick some beautiful young dandelion greens out of my freshly raked yard today, so tomorrow morning’s smoothie will have lots of liver support in it.
Until later, be defiant and fight for your health. It’s worth living for.
Hugs,
Christy
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Christy,
I’ve been dabbling in raw foods for a few months and I really feel this is where it’s at! I really want to develop into a raw vegan bodybuilder, but there is no information on EXACTLY how to do this.
I’m 5′2″ and weigh 130 which is about 20 pounds over what I should weigh. How can I go about getting the fat off without sacrificing the muscle I built?
I guess what I’m really asking is how do you develop an eating plan based on raw foods that really supports muscle growth? I have a supply of the Sun Warrior protein, but other than downing green smoothies every few hours, how do I structure what I eat?
You are the ONLY female raw vegan bodybuilder I have run across and I would love to be able to do what you are doing with the raw food lifestyle.
How should I go about getting started?
Hi Becca!
Wow! Your answer would require a book! Let me see if I can sum it up for you. First of all, thank you so much for such a great question. Your are correct–there is very little information on raw vegan bodybuilding, especially for women. I am experimenting myself, as I have no guidance either. This is new ground we are breaking and new trails we are blazing!
You will definitely shed the bodyfat on the raw diet. You may lose some muscle at first also. There will be a detox process and muscle may be lost. I did lose some at first while I was detoxing from my former diet and lifestyle. Be patient with yourself. Give it time and trust your infinitely intelligent body! Your bodyfat has come from years of eating cooked and processed food, and your body is most likely acidic. It doesn’t turn around overnight. Your body must flush out all the toxins and become healthy to begin to build quality muscle.
Some people do really well just getting all the protein they need from food, and they have no problems with large amounts of nuts for great protein. That doesn’t work for me. If I eat too many nuts, I have really bad facial acne breakouts. I still eat them, but in moderation. The Sun Warrior has been great for me! I needed some supplementation, I believe. I talk to other raw bodybuilder females who don’t use any supplements at all, and vehemently oppose getting nutrition from anything but raw food. I am in the middle on that issue. I found that the Sun Warrior triggered an immediate improvement in my physique, and continues to do so, and definitely has helped me increase my strength. You can find a few RVFB on various raw forums. Search around–Alissa Cohen has one, and Steve Pavlina is another.
The key is to find out what works for YOU. You are completely unique from me or anyone else. I had to experiment to find the right nut level (which is much lower than I would like it to be, as I love nuts more than a squirrel!). If there is one absolute, no discussion, no argument class of food that you MUST consume, it is LEAFY GREENS! The leafy greens are very high in protein, iron, calcium, magnesium, vitmains, minerals, phytonutrients, and even Omega 3 fatty acids.
You already have a good start with the green smoothies. I am big on salads with mixed greens and veggies, and I add various nuts and seeds–walnuts, almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and hemp seeds are my favorites. All are high in protein, especially hemp. I make my own raw salad dressings, and strategically add ingredients I know I need, like olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, avocados, etc. I even try to build muscle with desserts! Like my Sweet Potato Pie, for example, which has pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, and Sun Warrior Protein in it. Tonight, I am experimenting with a mocha fudge ‘brownie’ made with figs, sprouted barley, chocolate Sun Warrior, carob, raw cacao, coffee extract, and (yes I know this isn’t technically raw!) very strong brewed Teecino for the liquid. There’s only about a cup in the whole thing, so I don’t think it’s enough to make a difference. I will let you know how it turns out!
I make a lot of my raw entrees based on nuts and seeds, also. Earlier this week I made Taco Wrappers, which are made up of several items, such as Taco ‘Meat’ made from walnuts, Cashew Sour Kream, Brazil Nut Cheeze, My ‘World Famous Stupendously Awesome’ Guacamole, all wrapped up in purple cabbage leaves. Yum! That’s a lot of nuts, but each wrapper has such a small amount in it that I don’t have any problems. I also make ‘meatballs’, ‘meatloaf’, ‘burgers’ and ‘barbecue’ from nuts and portobello mushrooms.
The last two weeks before the contest I will really cut down on fruits and fats more than I have already, and I will do a Green Smoothie cleanse. They will be more ’savory’ smoothies which are based on non-sweet fruits like cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as more veggies. I like to throw in garlic and onions to make them more of a green “Energy Soup”. But I keep my body fat low anyway, so I don’t have huge amounts to lose.
This is my first contest since going raw, so all this is still an experiment for me! I have found little, if any, guidance on how to prepare for a contest with raw food only, so I am basing my protocol on what I know has worked for me in the past. I notice that I put on fat when I have too many nuts and nut-based desserts, but I shed it quickly when I cut down on the nuts. I don’t have a problem with avocados, though, so I keep those in my diet, just not as many. I find a Green Smoothie cleanse strips bodyfat like magic. Basically, you just drink a Green Smoothie for every meal, or when ever you want one. I also read how Apple Cider Vinegar helps flush fat, so I am adding a tablespoon to my water bottle in the morning and evenings. Also, squeezing fresh grapefruit juice. Again, I am experimenting, so please don’t take this as set in stone. Plus your body may react completely different from mine! My concern is cutting out too much fat and then coming in ‘flat’ for the show, instead of having nice full muscle bellies.
One major point to remember is that muscle growth is in response to the stimulus of resistance from weight training, not really from the food. You can eat perfectly, but if you aren’t challenging yourself to lift heavier each time (still keeping great form of course!), then the muscles won’t grow. You must lift heavy and tear down those muscle fibers so that the body will be stimulated to rebuild them bigger and better.
I know this is a short answer to a deeply involved question, so I hope this is helpful. I am also posting it as my blog entry tonight. I appreciate your question, and I think the information may be helpful to many people. Thank you so much for writing. I wish you all the best on your raw journey. It is as much a personal development and spiritual journey as it is a food journey. You will detox not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. Be prepared, be tough and Be Defiant! You will come out a champion on the other side!
Be Defiant!
Christy