Hey!
So, I have had another 2 and a half low fat raw vegan weeks, when I was suddenly shocked at the end of the month: I used more than double the amount the money that I had planned to use for food. :o
Needless to say, I got quite sad and frustrated, I checked in the shops what other possibilities there are and found that grain products (whole grain bread and rice) are quite cheap (counting per calorie). Also, potatoes are cheaper than bananas right now. What did I end up doing this week? I experimented. What would happen if I eat cooked carbs vs. raw fruity carbs?
First. Whole grain bread. There is salt in it. Ouch. I don't know, if it was only because of the salt or also because of the gluten, but anyway, I got extremely thirsty, a bit bloated and I felt very itchy and I had very bad sleep on one night. This experiment lasted 2 days.
Second. Potatoes. They work much better for me. Also, I bought some very cheap veggies to eat with them and it tasted really OK (mangoes, melons, bananas etc. taste better though. They are just less stimulating and more expensive per calorie.) Then I had notice something: My pee smelled so bad. Ew. Must be because of the cooked veggies (broccoli, chard, carrot). I like it when my pee does not smell (bad). Also, digestion was not bad, but the elimination process after having a mono fruit day is SO much better. I think I would be OK eating potatoes once in a while, when I do not have ripe fruit at hand. So, this is my second day incorporating cooked potatoes, and I am already ready to end the taters experiment, LOL.
Result. I feel best on fruit and I do not want to let money determine what I eat completely. I considered dumpster diving and just living from the fruits and veggies markets throw away (hello, capitalism!) plus supplementing with cooked rice and potatoes for cheap carbs. But that would mean less (good quality) sleep - I love to go to bed early and dumpster diving is best done late at night. Maybe I will do it once in a while, but not to sustain myself from that.
Future. Bananas are a much better fuel. They are cheap. How hard can it be to manage to have ripe bananas around all the time? Every time I run out of bananas, I run into problems. LOL. Well, considering 100% raw or not. I still refer to myself as a fruit loving vegan - I am not ready to commit to 100% LFRV 100% of the time. The 100% thinking does not do me any good. Usually, if I choose in the moment and have fresh RIPE fruit around, I go for the fruit anyway. :) I sometimes make cooked foods sound better than they are in my head. Plus: I need to be fully honest - I am too lazy and too impatient to cook. I like it simple and instant: mono fruit meals, please.
Also: I HAVE A JOB! Yippie. Finally, I am earning my own money. Hehe. Soooo, I can buy more and better fruit. And I do not have to feel too bad about buying so much fruit. :) Well, my parents were not complaining at all - it is me who wants to feel more... self-dependent. I love my parents and their support. :)
Goal. Being on banana island most days. Eating 2 pounds of greens a day, minimum. I am craving them so badly and I eat them mono. Hehe. Also, to get some Vitamin C and E: oranges and kiwi. Plus, the occasional apples and pears (when they are cheap!).
Well, then, wish me success.
Love,
Jasmin
