Raw-out

Mindlessness notwithstanding, I am pretty proud of myself for sticking with this raw foods thing.  I had aimed for 75% raw, but I'm closer to 100% (not factoring in that some would not agree with my pasteurized almond consumption).

And (with the exception of a lingering neck injury from a car accident in November) my body is feeling really really great.  All of the sloth is completely gone.  My stomach just feels really good.  It sounds silly, but this feeling of physical/digestive well-being is extremely helpful as a baseline from which to distinguish physical ailments from non-physical ones.  It makes my thoughts and feelings seem somehow more pure.  Not that the thoughts are any different from what they were, but it does feel easier to *watch* what is going on in my brain when it is not covered with layers and layers of fried stuff and cheese.

But I think I'm heading a little towards raw-out (ok, that is an incredibly bad pun, but how can I call it "burnout" if I'm not allowed to ingest anything that has been heated above 106 degrees?).  While it hasn't been that hard to abstain from things I enjoy, the fact remains that the enjoyment I have always gotten from eating yummy food is just not there.  For instance, it is fair to say I am not deriving as much enjoyment from this

Broccoli mash (broccoli, Brazil nuts, garlic, salt, pepper) with
miso gravy (miso, clementine, olive oil, salt, pepper).
Not bad.  Also not exactly inspiring.

My version's a little junkier, but still -
look at all the raw food on that sandwich!

as I would from a 6-inch Subway veggie delite on wheat with American cheese, light mayo, oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, and sunchips on the side--the latter being a fairly typical workday lunch for me.  

And as one of my only friends who has actually done the raw thing says, "what is life worth if you can NEVER have pizza?"

I have exactly two weeks of this as-raw-as-feasible phase left.  And then what of my "mindful eating"?  My original plan was to spend the rest of the six months vegan and trying to maintain a significant % raw, allowing some dairy/egg on Shabbat.  Frankly, remaining vegan should be pretty easy after this.  But how can I continue to feel as good, or almost as good, as I do now?

A friend suggested that the reason I am feeling so much better is that I could have an undiagnosed gluten or dairy intolerance.  I'm hoping it's just that I was eating way too much gluten and dairy, especially in proportion to other things.  I'm not sure what the best way is to test this, but it will be a good opportunity for me to attempt to be very mindful of my body state as I transition back to non-raw-eating in February.