My First Raw Food Experience - Vida De Cafe, St Pete Beach Florida

Yup.  Went to a Raw Food Restaurant.  Kind of an oxymoron since nothing was cooked.  Well, cooked fully.

Vida De Cafe was pretty good.  A number of interesting, not too scary things on the menu.  Two of the people I went with were vegans, so they were in heaven.  My other friend is NOT, but she did pretty good. 

I opted for a large Green Juice and an Apple Avocado Salad, and two glasses of water.  It was filling enough, and very good.  The dressing for the salad was quite yummy!

My friends got crab cakes, tacos, the same salad I did, along with Key Lime Cheese Cake (which was unbelievable!) and a Fudge Brownie and Choco Chip Ice Cream (which I didn't enjoy as much as my two bites of the key lime cheese cake).

The gals working there prepared each item, and it was presented very well.  Below are photos of some of our meal.  I wish I'd taken a pic of my juice, it was soooooooooo good!!

Would I do it again?  Probably.  Once in a while.  Why not???

Cheese, Congestion, and the Migraine

This has been an excellent week for the great dairy experiment!  I've had lasagna, cheesecake, pizza, potato salad, chicken strips, and saucy things that I KNOW have HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), and who knows what else.

The night I had lasagna I got super congested, and got a migraine. 

The day I had cheesecake, pasta, and cold cuts, I got a migraine.

The day I had chicken strips with bbq chipotly sauce dipped in ranch dressing, I had some tummy distress.

Today I had pizza with feta as well as pizza cheese, and I had a bit of potato salad, and guess what....MIGRAINE!!!!

I truly find this facinating.  It's very interesting to watch how my body responds.  I doubt I'll ever give up these tasty treats completely, but it's nice to know I need to plan ahead.

Must See: Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead

Three people I know have mentioned this documentary in the last week. All three have begun juicing. 
My dear friend A invited me over to watch it this evening.  Very sweet of her. I don't have internet at home and its a download only from Netflix.

We began with a fabulous juice - cucumber, celery, tomato, apple, ginger, peaches, carrots - I think there was more but I'm forgetting.  Delicious!

Next we had an amazing spinach salad with hard boiled eggs, asparagus, and a healthy dressing my friend whipped up (totally amazing for a girl incapable of whipping anything up).  I love spinach, and I never think to eat it so simply. Genius!

In celebration of the movie, we ate our healthy fair in front of the TV. I confess to a glass of Chardonnay for dessert.  I haven't had an adult beverage in weeks. It was very nice!

The meal was wonderful and so filling. The movie was inspirational.  It follows a man with weight and health issues on a 60 day juice fast. He meets fascinating people and turns his health around. The story follows him and a fellow he meets along the way named Phil who asks him for help.

I won't give any more away, but....I laughed a lot, I experienced moments where I gasped in horror, I almost cried several times, I left inspired, and Phil is my new hero.

Thank you A and MM for telling me about it!  I'm not sure I'm up to a 60 day fast, but I'm inspired to continue my great food experiment of 2011 :-)
http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/

Winding Down Week 3

Expiramentation is interesting.  I've compiled quite the list of foods to stay away from based on how they make me feel.  Namely, anything processed, all dairy (I miss cheese), anything with High Fructose Corn Syrup, and anything "diet" (with diet sweeteners). 

I'm drinking much more water, and am actually thirsty most of the time.  I'm even toying with green drinks. 

Today I bought three plumbs and something called an applepear.  I don't remember when the last time I bought fruit was. 

What is happening to me?