Ever since my week of eating fully raw, I have truly enjoyed the ease and the energy I feel from eating this way. On the days I take dance classes I eat more than on days when I am not. I am also constantly doing research on health and nutrition to find what works best for my body while I am on my own healing journey.
Even with all of the research that I do, I use my intuition on what to try. Then I pay attention to how my body responds to a new food to see if it is benefitting me. No one knows what it feels like to be in my body except me, so I am always my own number one authority. I feel it is so valuable to trust yourself when finding what works or does not. When you are in tune with your body, you will find a roadmap to so many answers.
Breakfast
One of my meals everyday is usually a mono-meal. It’s just too easy and I don’t want to make eating or preparing three meals a day stressful. For breakfast I had eight bananas. I don’t eat bananas or any fruit until it is fully ripe if I can help it. With bananas I wait until they have spots. I used to think I was forming a banana allergy, but when I started only eating spotted bananas they no longer bothered me.
Lunch
If I don’t make a smoothie for breakfast, then I often do for lunch. I drink half at home and may take the other half to my dance class. The smoothie I make almost fills my Vitamix to the brim and fills two of these jars.
For this smoothie I used 10 bananas, 4 dates, 2 tsp of spirulina, and a Brazil nut. Brazil nuts are an amazing form of selenium which is good for bone health. One Brazil nut fills my daily requirement of selenium. After adding all of my ingredients into the blender, I fill it half way with water and blend.
Dinner
I started making raw salad dressings recently and haven’t gone back to how I was making salads before. How I make a raw salad dressing is simply by making a vegetable smoothie. For this salad I used a head of romaine. I then added vegetable noodles by using a julienne peeler with one large zucchini just as I did with this epic zucchini pasta.
For the dressing I blended 2 small avocados, 2 tomatoes, 2 scallion onions, 2 tsp of fresh ginger, 1 tsp of kelp flakes, a sprinkle of turmeric powder, and the leftover zucchini that was not made into noodles. I don’t add any water when using a Vitamix for this dressing, yet using a bit of water and stirring when turned off helps when using a traditional blender.
Snack
Cantaloupe couldn’t be a more refreshing snack. Enough said.
You can see the nutritional breakdown below of what I ate from my CRON-O-Meter account.
I try to drink 32 ounces of water upon waking. (I didn’t do so well this morning, but on this particular day I was on point.) I rarely make 100% of my nutritional targets, but I am usually above 90%. I figure that’s still pretty good.
I’ve learned that it takes 2-6x longer for those with a lot of melanin in their skin to get adequate vitamin D from the sun. This is one reason I have been questioning wearing sunscreen especially for myself. I have also noticed less sun sensitivity as I eat healthier. On the days I eat more greens, I usually meet my calcium requirements. Usually a fresh pressed green juice does the trick.
I love that eating an abundance of nutrient-rich raw foods fills me up and gives me a ton of energy, versus being tired after I eat. If you’d like me to share more articles like these, please comment below. You can also find more healthy recipes here. (Note… Everything above is organic.)
Have a great weekend Beauties!
(Images by Dawn Michelle)
Ramona says
Hi Dawn,
Thank you for this article! I discovered your blog some months ago when I was looking for some natural cures for my acne – I stumbled upon your oil cleansing method / articles that really helped me a lot! I’m also on a raw vegan diet that I currently try to fine tune so, I definitely appreciate some inspiration from other fellow raw vegans. Love your blog – I appreciate your articles as I also try to switch to a very natural, simple and healthy lifestyle (thanks for introducing me to soap nuts, turmeric mask(s), rhassoul clay, capsule wardrobes, and so so much more!). Thanks again and keep it up! 🙂
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Ramona,
Wow thanks so much! Staying inspired by any new lifestyle change helps so much, so I know exactly what you mean. Have a great weekend and I truly appreciate your comment!
Irene says
Yes please. More articles like this. I’m also experimenting eating raw and so far so good. It’s been gradual but very productive.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Irene,
Thanks for letting me know and have a beautiful weekend!
Rahima says
Hi Dawn, please share mire articles like this. I am in the process of trying to switch from a starch based diet to a vegetable based diet. I thought I was a semi vegetarian for a long time. But I noticed recently that I eat a lot of rice, bread, potatoes, and beans. I was adding veggies in but the majority of my meals have been starch as the main course. If you could share more info on different ways to prepare vegetables it would be greatly appreciated. And thank you for making this way of eating seem very cool and hip.
Rahima
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Rahima,
Incorporating more raw foods even if you do enjoy some cooked foods too is still so good for you. I love just making salads with green leafy vegetables as the base in the evening so I keep it pretty simple in general. I will definitely share more though. Thanks so much for your comment and compliment!
Sandy says
Yes, I vote yes to more articles like this.
Recently my doctor confirmed your insight about Vitamin D. The doctor said 1 hour of sunshine( outside) each day can help prevent deficiencies. That said, some people have deficiencies causes by other medical conditions.
Vitamin D deficiencies are common among people with more melanin. A deficiency can make you feel really tired and drained. And it’s so easy to correct, if diagnosed early.
As you can tell, I’m interested in information on nutritious foods.
So far, I have enjoyed your recipes, nutritional insights and pictures of dishes.
I think health and nutrition fits beautifully with your other topics.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Sandy,
Thanks so much for this information on vitamin D. It’s also good to know that nutrition and more recipes is of interest. I am always seeking more information myself so sharing my findings is something I enjoy doing. Enjoy your week ahead!
suzi says
wait, what? 8 bananas!?
I just signed up for cronometer based single handedly on your blog. Always an inspiration, you are! keep it up babe xoxoxo
check this out:
http://www.healthy-holistic-living.com/?s=bananas
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Suzi,
Thanks for your comment and I know you will learn a lot from using Cronometer. Best wishes and thanks for the kind words too!
Anna says
Hi Dawn,
18 bananas seems excessive! Doesn’t it cause blood sugar spikes?
Cheers,
Anna
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Anna,
I find that often we associate the sugar in fruit with processed sugar especially when we forget that fruit contains fiber, vitamins, minerals, and surprisingly protein. Our body can easily digest fruit as it comes in a complete nutrious package compared to any kind of processed sugar. I have noticed with myself that when I eat fruit I receive a ton of energy, yet never get a sugar spike that leaves me feeling depleted afterwards as when I used to eat processed sugar.
I stopped eating foods with processed sugars four years ago. I shared an article on how I quit my processed sugar addiction here. When you eat a diet high in raw foods and are very active, eating a lot of fruit helps to maintain your energy for your extensive activities. I hope this explains it at least for me. Best wishes!
Melony says
Hey Dawn,
Thanks for sharing your experiences with eating raw and wholesome foods! I would really love more articles and tips on this type of lifestyle. My question is: what wouls you say is the best way for someone who’s wanting to convert from a meat eating diet to a vegan diet? Tips?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Melony,
I’ll share tips based on my experience transitioning from a meat eating diet to plant based in another article. I started my journey with this in 2002. For starters I would begin by incorporating more plant based meals with recipes that you find and desire to try. One of the easiest ways is to incorporate smoothies for breakfast.
It is also very helpful to be clear if you are interested in solely being vegan or focusing on a nutrient rich plant based diet. I say this because there is a lot of processed vegan foods on the market which are void of real nutrition to be aware of. I’ll definitely write more on this. Have a great day!
E says
Hi Dawn Michelle,
I think its great that you have a diet that is working well for you! I have been Vegan before for a short time and vegetarian for a few years. After experimenting, I found that I do best with a “flexitarian” diet – I eat meat occasionally.
I was wondering if you ever have any iron issues on your diet and if so how do you combat that? I know everyone’s body is different, so you may thrive on this and not have any problems. I’ve talked to other vegans and some take supplements and some have said that once in a great while they will have a small portion of meat and they do fine this way.
Would you mind sharing any tips? I did not do so well vegan, it could be I missed something or maybe we’re all just different. Thanks and have a great day!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi E,
I think that one reason I’ve been doing so well eating this way is because my body is getting a lot of nutrient rich foods in its uncooked enzyme rich state. I’m not 100% raw because I do make grains on occasion or other cooked plant based foods. When I was eating vegan/vegetarian before I began focusing on a plant based diet with abundant raw foods, I was eating a lot of processed vegan foods such as cookies, cakes, pastas, vegan butters/spreads, chips, and a ton of other packaged products. There is no real nutrition in processed foods regardless of them being vegan.
Eating a diet rich in actual nutrition is the biggest difference that I’ve noticed since focusing on a plant based diet high in raw foods. People may say that eating vegan isn’t healthy and creates deficiencies, yet you can have deficiencies on any diet. If you are unaware of the nutrient breakdown of what you eat daily, you really have no clue how things are working out nutritionally. Using Cronometer or similar sites helps tremendously. I’ll write more on this. Have a beautiful day!
Ashlynn Kaplan says
Hi Dawn! I would also love to see more articles like this! I find that on a raw diet, or mostly raw, I will break out considerably on my forehead and cheeks! I am still using and loving pumpkin seed oil for skincare, along with rosehip. I am so happy to have finally figured out which oils work for me. It’s been so interesting reading and hearing from different people what works for them and their body!
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Ashlynn Kaplan,
Raw foods will naturally detox the body so having a breakout could be part of the detox process for your body. I shared tips on gently detoxing here. If it is something that is too drastic, slowly incorporating more raw foods while also eliminating processed foods could be a good approach. It is so important to listen to your body and follow your intuition on what will be the best for you. Thanks for your comment!
Kisha says
This is great! One key thing to note about raw is that it can trigger high candida in the body when consuming too much sugar from the fruit. This was a big side effect from naptural85’s fully raw diet lifestyle on YouTube.
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kisha,
Thanks! Everyone’s journey to healing is extremely different based on how they were previously eating as well as their previous health/medical history. For example if you have been eating a ton of processed foods/sugars (anything packaged/prepared is questionable in my opinion), or have taken recreational drugs/prescription medications, your body will have in a different experience healing than someone else. We must also factor in emotional trauma and stress into the healing process too as this is also stored in the body.
You can’t base your personal experience off of another’s since we are all so unique, have had our own experiences in life, and eat in various ways. Everyone’s experience detoxing will be completely different too. I have also seen videos of others saying that eating a diet high in fruit healed their Candida.
This is why using your intuition to discover what will work best for your body and listening to your body along the way helps. Doing your own research helps too. Sometimes detox symptoms make you feel as if you are sick while your body heals. It’s so important to tune in to what works best for you.
Kara Grady says
Dear Dawn,
I so want to eat this way! I tried, and got terrible diarrhea. Turns out I have candida overgrowth in my gut and if I eat any carrots, bananas, dried fruit, sweet potatoes, sugary fruits, startchy veggies my intestines hate me. Any tips on how to build up my gut health so I can eat fully raw?
Dawn Michelle says
Hi Kara Grady,
Starchy foods even raw aren’t always the best for everyone. The only dried fruit I usually eat are dates, yet don’t eat anything that causes irritation. Try seeded melons as well as non sweet fruit such as cucumbers, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, avocados etc. Genetically unaltered fruits contain seeds even the ones we consider veggies. Also do lots of leafy greens. Pay attention to how your body reacts. As your body heals you will be able to incorporate more variation. You can also add in some true unaltered grains that are gluten-free such as quinoa and a new favorite kamut. I hope this helps!