Discipline Or Something Else?

As I work my way back to being 100% raw (tomorrow will be my first 100% raw day that I’ve had in several weeks), I thought once again about how the 80/10/10 raw food diet could seem to be “restrictive”. After all, the only thing you eat are raw foods, raw vegetables, and raw seeds and nuts (in low quantities) — and there’s not really a lot of choice there, right? I even take this one step further and do my best to avoid any items that do not grow above the ground (I call it the Genesis 1:29 diet; I don’t think it includes stuff that grows under the ground, which, when eaten raw, tends to be extremely hard to digest).

Of course, if you think that cooked food gives you more choice, you may be right. After all, people cook other plant foods like grains and stuff that grows under the ground (carrots, potatoes, etc.), plus they will cook and eat animals, poultry, and fish. They also end up eating a lot of chemicals from prepared foods, plus a lot of chemicals that are created when heat is applied to raw food (some call it “cooking”, but in reality it is nothing more then chemically altering raw food). If you want it, then go for it.

I admit it; I like the taste of cooked food and could eat it the rest of my life. So why in the world am I going back to an all raw, low fat diet?

• I want that “life” to last a lot longer than it would if I continued to eat cooked food.
• I do not like the results I’ve gotten over the last several months while eating cooked food. I’ve put weight back on, have lost energy, and simply do not feel as good as I did this time last year.
• I like the “limitations” I have with my raw food diet.

First, the limitations, as I called them. With raw food, I know that everything I put into my mouth is most likely going to be good for me. Yes, I can overdo certain foods (like nuts) and can get the occasional bad apple (pun intended!), but those problems are easily corrected. Putting good, wholesome food into my body — the food God intended that we eat (see Genesis 1:29 again!) — will help ensure that my body is much cleaner than it would be otherwise. This will prevent many diseases, and I fully expect to not have to worry about things like Swine Flu because the virus — should my body “catch” it — simply won’t find any “good soil” in which it can grow (plus my body will be strong enough to neutralize its effect).

In other words, I simply don’t have to think about eating right and taking care of myself with my diet. It comes naturally, and since cooked food is simply not an option, I can walk past the food court in the mall and the aisle after aisle of “stuff” at the grocery store (although I have agreed with my wife that I will, on occasion, eat “her” food. She is concerned that I’ll be considered a “freak” if I don’t eat what’s served to me in certain social situations, and since my relationship with her is of the utmost importance to me, I’ll consider making changes in these situations).

Next, the energy. I remember that I was able to run and play with my then five year old son last summer without any problems. This year, I’m slow, stiff, and get out of breath easily. I don’t like that because, as a father, it’s my job to get my children tired…

So in a way, I guess you could say that I need the discipline and limits that come with eating a low fat raw food diet. I accept it, I appreciate it, and I’m glad that it “limits” my choices. And I’m confident that it will be limiting my food choices for a lot longer that would otherwise be possible. I’m also confident that this diet will be limiting my trips to the doctor and to the hospital (although I can’t say that as a statement of fact, but time will tell).