It has begun.

I'm back on the raw again. I know my half-hearted attempt in the fall failed miserably, but it's spring (sort of) and I'm mentally prepared to do some seasonal cleaning of my internal nether-regions. My last real raw extravaganza was almost exactly a year ago, so I think the time is right. Sadly, I won't have PQ to join me this time around, but I should have a pretty good raw caravan going just the same. Honk if you love your colon!

Let's get reacquainted with some old friends:

-- psyllium + bentonite
After much debate, I decided to do the part of raw that I find most awful. I feel like the ritualized aspect of this really helps me through and the amazing bowel movements are totally worth it. I managed to start strong (no dry heaving!) and it was relatively painless, until I made the mistake of licking my lips and feeling the smooth snot on my tongue. I'm sure my tolerance for this will fade before too long. I took it light on the psyllium (1 tsp) and most of the bentonite seemed to remain in the bottom of my glass when I was done. Baby steps.

-- green shake
I didn't make it quite up to standard this morning because I was out of apple juice, but it came out pretty close: orange juice, banana, flax oil, and green powder. I threw in some raspberries because it was a little thin. I'll pick up proper juice and lecithin tonight and I'll be in business by tomorrow morning. It's funny though, no matter how I vary this drink, it always tastes the same.

-- green kamut
It's sitting on my desk. I love the spinach-water taste of this! It's like drinking freshly-cut grass, in a good way.

-- fenugreek
Didn't take any this morning, but you bet I'll be on this by tonight. A whiff of me will be sure to curb any Indian food cravings you may have.


Why?
This is no news to anyone reading this right now, but I do love a clean colon. I love the ritual of raw food. I love completely cutting out all of those unhealthy foods that I should enjoy in moderation but just can't seem to eat without making myself sick. And of course, I love pooping within 20 minutes of every meal.


Goals:
Honestly, I don't have any specific goals this time around. I seemed to have kicked my chronically runny nose the very first time I went raw and it hasn't been back since. I haven't really been sick all winter, or actually in more than a year. All of my bones are currently intact and I've been exercising regularly, so I'm starting from a fairly healthy place. I do look forward to better skin, less sleep, more energy and the shedding of a few excess winter pounds. And it's always nice to break my sugar dependency for at least a little while.


Also: I think it's worth mentioning that I though I went to bed early (midnight!) I had rather fitful sleep and terrible dreams. The one that sticks with me this morning was apocalyptic -- something big was going down, though I'm not sure what. Most of my dream involved me preparing Sophie for what was to come: changing her litter box, putting up a baby gate, leaving lots of fresh water and preparing her kitty carrier in case we needed to make a quick getaway. If the world was really ending, I'm not sure what good these things would have done, but as is often the case in dreams, these things seemed imperative at the time.


As always, I would love your raw support. Let's grab a smoothie, hit a salad bar or walk around Whole Foods for a few hours. I also enjoy non-eating activities like bike rides, movies and going to the park.