Eating Raw in College!

EATING RAW IN COLLEGE---It doesnt have to be bland!




10 REASONS TO EAT RAW

1. Living foods. If you plant a piece of bread in the ground and water it for 3 days, what do  you get? Mold. If you plant an uncooked tomato, radish, or sunflower seed and water it for 3 days, what do you get? LIFE. What once was dormant will spout into a tiny, leafy, living organism. Can bread ever awaken into something living? Which fuel do you think will sustain you longer? Which do you think provides more energy? In the wise words of Sid the Sloth--"I choose LIFE." 
2. Enzymes. Cooking food denatures proteins, breaks down DNA and eliminates most of the vitamins and enzymes in food. Though the minerals (mostly) remain, the living part of the original food is destroyed. Your body needs enzymes to digest and extract vitamins from your food. When we eat raw, living foods that still contain their enzymes, our bodies can extract the nutrients it needs without stopping its other essential duties. Eating raw enables the body to give enough attention to other essential bodily funtions--like healing, cleaning, and detoxifying. Which is why when we eat more purely, we reap...
3. Insane energy! Spinach--the ultimate 5-Hour energy boost! Seriously, if have you ever eaten even ONE completely raw meal you will notice the amazing halo of energy you will gain! I dare you to try it. Johnathan Mead said "I used to get tired around 2 or 3pm during the day. Now I simply don’t have that problem. When I do get tired, it doesn’t last nearly as long [because] an orange or apple will recharge me within a few minutes." If you are cramming for a test (which I don't advise), or are pulling an all-nighter (also not advised) go eat a salad, or through some greens into an all-fruit smoothie and experience the most fruitful cram-session of your life. And--get this--you will actually retain it. Crazy, right?
4. Sleep less while reaping MORE energy. After the days when I eat raw, the next morning I awaken filled with energy, motivation, and clear head. This can be a very nice perk for us college kids, seeing as we don't get much sleep even on the nights when we don't have pounds of homework.
5. Acute mental clarity and higher motivation. Eating raw has been the #1 thing that has helped me improve my math grade. No joke. I am SUCH a daydreamer, especially when it comes to dry subjects like math and history. Eating living foods has definitely made a noticeable difference in my happiness level, ability to focus, energy consistency, analytical ablilities and memory retention. Fuzzy head? Gone. Headaches and cramps? Eliminated. It is very liberating, on so many levels, to eat living foods. 
6. Eat whatever you want, whenever  you want! Have you ever looked at the fat content in a bag of carrots? It's nonexistent (just to  let you know.) Have you ever heard of anyone gaining weight for eating too many veggies? Of course not! There's a reason for that--carrots, for example, have 40 calories per serving, which is the caloric equivalent of 3 M&M's and one sniff of a pepperoni pizza. 
7. Virtually no cleanup. Guess how long it takes me to make a salad? Maybe 10 - 15 minutes, if I go all out and make guacamole and chop 4 different types of veggies. Guess how long it takes to make pasta, Top Roman, a pizza, pancakes etc.? Roughly 10-40 minutes, depending on the recipe, plus the time it takes to scrape the burned flakes out of the pot, fan out the smoke, spritz air freshener, and wash all the pots and pan. (Someone often manages to burn their dinner at my apartment!) 
8. No/less packaging. It uses less plastic shopping bags, takes less time and hassle to clean up, minimizes the amount garbage bags we fill, and thereby uses less plastic and other non-renewable/decomposable materials and occupies less space in the landfills. This is great for us, and the earth. Instead of leeching off the earth we create a more symbiotic, win/win relationship with nature.
9. More regularity. Did you know you should be eliminating (squeezing a figurative lemon) at LEAST 3 times a day? Yup. It's true. Did you also know that the root of all disease is the buildup of toxins in the body? 'Tis also true! The 3 main ways we humans eliminate these toxins is through poo/pee, sweat, and breathing. So where do all these toxins go if we are not eliminating after every meal?? Around our waists, thighs, behinds . . . just to name a few. You will notice an immediate difference in your bowel movements even after one day of eating raw. As I said earlier--it is very liberating (on SO many levels!) to eat raw foods. 
10. Connection with the earth. Eating pure foods that have been recently picked, that contain pure energy (enzymes/chlorophyll) and contain the most natural forms of preservatives possible feels different. When we eat processed (packaged/frozen/cooked foods) we disconnect ourselves from the earth that sustains us. Whereas, eating raw literally lifts your vibration level and perception of yourself and others. Instead of viewing this so-called "nature" as an abstract concept, you will come to realize and vibrationally feel and view yourself as an aspect of nature--a thread, weaving and growing and breathing with billions of others in its grand tapestry.  I have definitely begun to notice the beauty, intelligence, and value in all things--alive or not--and I know this is in part because in part because I have been letting go of old habits, addictions, cycles and thought processes that comes with living a more natural, pure life. I am so excited to be moving upwards and to  continuously adapt and grow in this raw foods lifestyle! Thank you for sharing your journey with mine :) <3