Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog
7 Day Raw Challenge Review
I eat clean and have been whole food plant based for over 18 months now. I feel great, have lots of energy, etc. So what would I want to do a 7 day detox reset for?
I love a challenge and when Ian Myers mentioned the raw food 7 day reset when he interviewed me, I thought why not? I kept hearing from others how great they felt doing the challenge. Plus, I thought maybe it could help tighten my abs a little further.
I didn't expect to learn much but I have to thank Ian for all the knowledge he shares during the challenge. One thing I love is the lemon water with cayenne and apple cider vinegar. I have been having the water with lemon each morning but started adding the apple cider vinegar and cayenne this past week. What a rush! This drink gives you energy and really wakes you up.
I purchased a "Vegetti" machine. It is awesome! I made zucchini and yellow squash spaghetti all week. It's an amazing machine and I plan to continue using it even though the challenge is over.
For my salads, I would typically use red wine vinegar as my dressing. Ian had recipes for dressings that included avocados and cashews. I plan to continue to make dressings as it really added some extra flavor to the salads.
I tried new foods too. I purchased spirulina and incorporated it into my smoothies. I initially purchased chlorella powder but didn't trust where it came from. The spirulina sounded safe as it's grown in an isolated environment and is organic. I also tried wheat grass for the first time. I added it to both my smoothies and to the salad. It's another food I will stick with.
The only problem I encountered during the first day of the challenge was the feeling of hunger after my first smoothie. This was easily remedied when I added additional bananas the next day. I actually felt satisfied the whole week during the challenge!
Some things I was worried about: feeling cold during the challenge and losing weight. I definitely didn't feel cold, despite the cold temperatures in the northeast! As far as weight loss, I didn't weigh myself but I don't think I lost any weight. I used MyFitnessPal to keep track of my food intake and some days I would have like 3,000 calories. Not a bad amount considering how busy I am at the gym!
I do see myself eating raw foods every now and then. I think it's good to get the extra nutrients that sometimes get cooked away. However, I miss my sweet potatoes and will have some of my other clean foods again starting tomorrow.
If you would like to learn more about Ian's 7 day reset, please click here.
About the author
Richard Hubbard was once over 350 pounds. After a doctor's physical and finding out he was pre-hypertensive, he decided to make changes and avoid medication. Over the course of a year, Rich lost the first 120 pounds of his incredible 150 pound weight loss. He ate healthy foods based on Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book "Eat To Live". He was mostly plant based, but switched to completely plant based in September of 2016. He also became a vegan in the process as his compassion for animals increased. He credits bodybuilder Robert Cheeke for influencing his decision of going vegan. Rich aspires to be a vegan bodybuilder and is planning his first half marathon this year.