In the past few weeks of eating primarily raw food, I’ve noticed a very interesting development—my arthritis pains are back! This is particularly interesting because as far as I can tell, I’ve been eating healthier than ever. My preferred 90% raw has slipped down to 70% or so most days (I wondered if that would happen; many sources say it’s easier to keep from slipping if you just stick to 99% or 100%), but I’m consuming a ton of amazing, delicious, fresh green produce. As far as I can imagine, this new development can be attributed to the following possible causes:

• New sensitivity. When I originally identified my wheat = arthritis issue and went off processed wheat, I was just fine with sprouted Ezekiel bread; it didn’t cause me any problems at all. But after I’d been off wheat for a long time, the sprouted bread started causing me arthritis pain. A little, but it was there. Like many other things, it’s like zooming in on a fractal; making one big change revealed other smaller changes that needed to be made too. Getting rid of unsprouted wheat increased my sensitivity to what’s going on in my body, so I was finally able to notice the problems with sprouted wheat, too. (This is a big honking theory—so let me know if you see holes!) Likewise, it’s possible that getting rid of a certain tier of food in my diet has revealed a new level of sensitivity, which may mean there are other foods I need to eject in order to keep my arthritis away. (For instance, I may need to eat quite a bit less fruit—it might be a fruit sugars thing at this level, rather than just a processed sugars thing.)
• Unidentified Flying Objects. I am still definitely open to the possibility that there’s wheat somewhere in my diet and I’m just not recognizing it. I’ve thought about this a lot since I noticed the new pain in my hands, but I haven’t run any actual experiments yet. So this is still definitely possible.
• Detox, y’all. Detox does a ton of wacky things, so I am definitely not ruling out the possibility that I have inflammation caused by raw detox, and the inflammation is manifesting as arthritis pain in my hands. (When I made the wheat connection, I linked wheat and sugar to inflammation and inflammation to arthritis—it made sense then, so this isn’t unreasonable.) Theoretically it will go away if this is the case, but I admittedly understand very little about detox, so I’ll need to do more research.

To be completely honest, it could be all these things. I think my first, biggest question is this: What am I eating right now that could be causing inflammation? I’m going to need to take this to another level to find out.

I’m bizarrely grateful to my arthritis pain, as frustrating as it is when my living depends on my ability to interact with my computer. That pain has propelled me into more brilliant change and personal growth than possibly anything else in my life. And here I am, very possibly looking at another change that needs to be made.

Score ten for arthritis pain, people! ;}

You know… I never really listened to these lyrics. And now that I’ve have, I’ve been playing this one song over and over:

As of last night, there is no doubt in my mind that eating more raw produce puts me in a more emotion-based state of mind. I feel moved more often. I feel connected. I verge on tears more often, in a way that identifies what is important to me, what must happen next, what it’s time for me to do. All issues with internal and external motivation aside, the explosion of emotional growth I’m experiencing has served as a compass for the decisions I make and the energies I expend. I’m getting more sensitive to it all the time. It’s one of the things that makes me truly wonder about being completely, 100% raw, even considering the dramatic change that would mean for my lifestyle. (Well, I suppose I’ve undergone some pretty dramatic changes already. Big deal, right?)

For those of you who are curious, I’m not completely sure when the step from 90% raw to 100% raw will happen (or if it will happen?), but I have a feeling there will be a time for it and I’ll know when that time is. I’m looking for the right route, the one that feels the best and results in the healthiest, strongest, most stable Megan. It’s not going to be exactly like anyone else’s, but that’s what makes it interesting. ;}

I feel like I’m understanding, in touch with, more than ever. Or maybe it all just spoke too quietly for me to hear, or maybe I just wasn’t listening. And although I’ve been following these ideas for awhile now, the understanding just continues to get… louder.

Your number has been called. Don’t let yourself down, don’t let yourself go. Your last chance has arrived. You’ve got to be the best, you’ve got to change the world and use this chance to be heard. Your time is now.

That’s pretty straightforward, folks.

Listen to the band.

Yesterday I discovered Daily Juice, a raw juice bar down south mentioned by friends and, apparently, a raw cafe in a different location further north! I made a split decision while out on errands to mosey down to Barton Springs, because I knew that this would probably be my only break of the day—and I wanted it to count. I wanted to be out in the sun and do something interesting!

Here’s a video advertisement they have up, though I’m not sure how recent it is. (I have it on good authority that their website is not up to date—nor does it look it—but the location, building and decor are still the same.)

My visit was delicious.

I am not ashamed to say that I walked out of there loaded with fresh juice and giggling like a maniac. And as hopped up on nutrients as I was when I got back to work yesterday, I still had amazing juices left over for this morning.

If you think you’re going out to eat with me, or for drinks, sometime soon, there’s a damn good chance we’re going to a Daily Juice… ;}

I’ve been mostly raw since Sunday/Monday—almost a week—and though my detox seems to fluctuate with my raw levels (100% results in super dry skin on my hands, ow), I’m gradually getting more and more manic about food. This is not the addictive response I’ve had in the past. Over the last ten years boxes of cookies have given way to pizzas and milkshakes and much healthier “junk”, like peanut butter cups with no wheat, sugar or dairy in them. I know what that feels like, and this is something different.

This is like what I experienced when I discovered coconut water and carrot juice. It’s a teeny bit like a “sugar!!” reaction but it’s different. It’s like my body is shrieking “NUTRIENTS!” and doing anything it can think of to get more of them.

And so today I’ve had double green juice (two kinds!), two zucchini boats (or stuffed zucchini, if you want to sound serious and professional, but I think BOATS are FUN) with a ton of nut filling & tomato and a little bit of garlic, and now a huge gorgeous smoothie: kumquats, mangos, cherries, hemp, apple juice and avocado. It is insanely delicious.

It’s like I just can’t get enough food. But I don’t feel deprived… I don’t feel like this is a reaction to me having starved myself, or waited too long to eat. It’s like I’m just way too excited about this food, and jumping right the hell into the pool. Apparently my body has the same personality I do. ;}

Part of it may also be that I’ve started to really have fun with eating this way. Juicing in the morning isn’t too hard and I’ve gotten into a routine that gets the kitchen cleaned fast (and avoids hurting my back). Even cleaning the juicer isn’t bad when I fit it into my workflow the way it is now. And I’m even starting to understand how to partially prepare meals beforehand—for instance, I can continue to make zucchini boats for DAYS because I have a ton of zucchini in the fridge, a ton of tomatoes, and two huge bowls of nut goop I made Thursday night. It’s just a matter of scooping out a zucchini and putting the filling in, chopping a tomato, sprinkling with salt, etc. It’s not hard, it’s reasonably quick, it’s crunchy and delicious, it’s good! (I couldn’t find this recipe on the web anywhere, but email me and I’ll share.)

And later I’ll have salad—because I have some greens washed and ready in the fridge. But first I’ll finish my smoothie.

Hungry yet? :P

I’m eating raw again! I expect this “experiment” to last much longer, as I have been pining after it for months and months and know how much happier and better it makes me feel on a day-to-day basis. I’m aiming for 90-100% and learning a lot of excellent recipes, as well as starting to understand some of the logistics of eating primarily raw food and, well, how to do it. This is exactly what I was missing when I tried it before, and so far results are fantastic.

An overview of my fantastic results, having begun three days ago:

• The food is freaking delicious.
• I don’t have to worry about burning anything. (Ha.) Or accidentally setting dish towels on fire. (HA!)
• I’m not having any issues with cravings, because I’ve been craving raw food for months—this is just getting what I want. (Not sure how long that will last, but it’ll be okay.)
• I can go running or do other exercise right after most meals, if I want to. Raw food is super duper light and I don’t really feel it (like, for instance, the “heaviness” of cooked food), except in my rising energy levels and general good feeling.
• I don’t feel tired or worn out or anything like that. (This is so much better than using caffeine and crashing all the time.)
• Cooked food is already starting to look largely unappetizing. Wacky!
• I feel great. Some parts of the day are “normal”, but some are getting a little weirdly zoomy. Example. (Oh yeah, I forgot, I’m always like that…)

My fridge is stuffed full of green leafy things and bags of nuts, and I have lots of fruit on the kitchen counter. The juicer is primed and at the ready. Green juice is DELICIOUS! I have leveled up to 28, and 28s eat primarily raw food. ;}

Yesterday Marty and I ate a pomelo / pommelo / pummelo / shaddock (I’m going to stick with “pomelo”, I think, in the interests of our sanity). It is a huge grapefruit-like thing, but less tart and more sweet. Marty called it the Grapefruit That Time Forgot, because it looks just like a dinosaur and we had to gnaw into it like cavemen. He also liked it because, chopped in half, it looked like a brain.

Devouring my half-pomelo, I felt like a wild girl on a sandy shore before the advent of human speech. Eating with my hands! Words just aren’t appropriate, you know?

It was a bit messy, but utterly worth it—and really, not as messy as some of the other strange produce I’ve eaten (read: tried to eat). I have decided that I will plan a gathering for the express purpose of eating pomelos. We can lay a tarp out in the living room. It will be just like a cuddle party! Except with pomelos. And… a tarp.

Okay, different from a cuddle party, but similar because of the glee.

I am experiencing a little bit of detox, even this early on; my skin is kind of dry on my hands and I know from reading Steve’s raw trial that it’s probably not just because of all the washing of fresh vegetables. But I feel pretty mellow and happy (and also pretty silly) so I foresee good things. I think I need a better blender, though. Y’all find me a blender company to sponsor my raw adventures, and I’ll talk about ‘em. (Am I famous enough yet?)

La la la fresh growing food! My life is good.

The last few days, I’ve been daydreaming about something called Raw Camp.

You see, I went on an awesome weekend trip with a bunch of neat poly people last spring. And one of the friends who was there with me happened to be embarking on a 100% raw foods diet. So I said to her, “Hey! I’d like to eat strictly fresh produce while I’m camping this weekend. Would you tell me what to bring so that I can add to your raw foods stash, and you can help me eat raw all weekend, too?”

She said, Of course! And gave me a list. Thus began my great raw adventure.

I found out that weekend that preparation and consumption of raw food is easy and tasty, and that my friend is great at it. Because we were out camping, I didn’t have a lot of spare time to think about craving non-raw food, and I discovered that eating raw left me feeling light and energetic and fantastic. It was occasionally frustrating to figure out what the next meal was going to be, but we had a huge stash (and we came prepared). So it was pretty simple, and I was shocked at how fed and happy I stayed all weekend.

By the end of the weekend, I realized that I had eaten entirely raw the whole time… and I didn’t want any cooked food. Now or ever.

It was the most amazing feeling! Of course, I didn’t take it seriously enough for long enough and I didn’t really know enough about raw eating to continue with it then, but it proved to me that there was something really important that I needed to think about further. Something to aspire to. Something that made me feel really, really good, made my body function way better than usual, and made me happy on a fundamental level. I’ve had several raw experiments since then, and every time one ends I am dissatisfied with the way my body feels on cooked food. It’s just… less, somehow.

Fast forward to last summer, when I attended my very first burn event, Burning Flipside near Austin. (The Wikipedia entry is here. It’s a smaller offshoot of Burning Man in Nevada, which you may have heard of.) At Flipside there are groups of attendees who band together in theme camps, and every camp has a different mojo. Usually a camp has a particular personality and something specific to offer the rest of the community. There’s a camp that gives coffee to passers-by, a pancake camp, a taco camp, a polyamory camp, a body-painting camp, a Lakota camp—which held an amazing sweat lodge last year—and a huge number of others. We found a hill of big black ants where someone had planted a tiny sign. It said “Ant Camp”.

You might have figured out where this is heading. I’ve been wishing for a raw foods camp. Raw Camp. Doesn’t that sound awesome?

I don’t know of one that exists already (relative newbie as I am), and I don’t think I know enough interested parties to start one (at least, this year). I did eat mostly raw when I was at Flipside last year (highly necessary, especially since I was partly polyphasic at the time), but having others doing the same thing with me would be way more fun. Sharing the experience would really be something. And since my raw foods roots are in being away in the wilderness with only raw food to sustain me, and since I remember how wonderful that is… I crave it bigger and better, with more people and resources. Flipside would sure be a great place to try it. (And who knows? Maybe it will give me some extra impetus to just… keep going!)

It would also give me a huge thrill to share raw food yummies the way they were shared with me in the spring. And I admit that it gives me no small amount of glee to think of transitioning to raw food permanently. (Something I’m thinking about a lot.)

Here’s what I’m imagining: We all bring a certain amount of fresh produce. We get together the day or two before Flipside to put together some raw recipes, using food processors and dehydrators and whathaveyou. We package it all up, with a ton of easy fruit and salad fixin’s and useful items like knives and bowls and cutting boards, and pack it into coolers with plenty of room for ice. (We’ll need a lot of that!) We’d probably want some kind of wagon and ice-getting posse so that there’s no danger of running out. It was hot last year. And it would be awesome to have a plan so that many of us can prep and eat meals together. Raw potluck, maybe. And people not from Raw Camp can come join us, and eat our food! Just because it’s fun and yummy and happy-making!

So, you see: I have it half planned out. I just don’t know the integral details of starting a theme camp (without additional willing parties, even). But that’s okay. I liked Flipside, so I ought to have plenty of opportunities. It just sounds… delicious!