So lately I've been watching more of the videos posted by a few of the YouTubers that talk about eating raw (Freelee the Banana Girl, Fully Raw Kristina) and decided to give it a try. I tend to try to eat relatively clean and healthy as much as I can, because I found that I feel much better and much more energized when I do. It was probably around last November sometime when I started lifting more and started going back to Bikram yoga that I decided to also incorporate cleaner eating into my lifestyle. Of course I have cheat meals and even cheat days, but by simply being more aware of what I'm eating each day, my diet has become much healthier in general.
I decided over the weekend to try adopting Raw til 4, where you eat raw foods until 4pm. Essentially, your dinner can be anything you want! I made the decision to try to do this because I tend to eat raw for lunch anyway, and my morning/afternoon snacks are usually fruit and vegetables. I figured that this shouldn't be too harsh of a change for me and it could be fun to try out :).
So my main change thus far has been for breakfast. My go-to breakfast in the past has been Honey Bunches of Oats cereal with milk and occassionally an Acai bowl with greek yogurt. In starting Raw til 4, I decided to start making smoothies for my breakfast. Here is what I had for breakfast yesterday and today. Much like I had found in the past, these smoothies look like a small amount but they end up being not only quite filling, but they also give me so much energy to start the day!
I started this day with a pure fruit smoothie- nothing adventurous for day 1!
Ingredients used:
- Strawberries
- Pineapple
- Watermelon
- Banana
- Coconut Water
- Flax Seeds
This came out sweet and fruity, much like I expected.
I started day 2 with a more adventurous smoothie. I threw in cucumber and watermelon, with a mix of some of the more common fruits used in smoothies. I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out but I felt like living life on the edge ;).
Ingredients used:
- Watermelon
- Cucumber
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Coconut Water
- Flax Seeds
This turned out to be delicious! Still a bit fruity but the cucumber toned it down so it wasn't as sweet. The blueberries also added a nice flavor as well. Definitely will be doing this one again!
One thing I have found (both in the past and now with this venture) is that eating clean and healthy requires a lot of creativity and preparation. You have to think a lot more about your meals and what you can eat, but I think that adds a bit of fun to my day!
If anyone has any smoothie/meal recommendations, shoot them my way!
