Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog
The Next Challenge... 7 Days Raw Food
I'm always up for challenges for health, whether it be for a physical challenge like weightless challenges or nutritional challenges like the one I'm about to embark on.
I've been hearing about the benefits of raw food for years. I didn't take much notice as I'm such a healthy eater now already. My intake of raw foods is probably between 70-80 percent each day as it is now. But my friend Ian Myers talked about it's benefits on his Facebook page and it made me think that I want to try it to. For those that don't know Ian, he is founder of Ian Myers Wellness. He recently did an interview with me through Facebook Live and it was there that I started to really think about doing the challenge.
I'm not planning on starting the until around later March or early April. You might be wondering why I'm waiting until then. For one thing, there should be a better variety of fruits and veggies in the store in the spring.
Another reason is that after I lost weight, I find that I get cold pretty easily. A raw food diet I would think would alter my temperature once again, and I'd rather not try it in the middle of winter! Especially since it's been cold in the northeast. Today, it was a high temperature in the teens!
It's going to be a learning experience as so many plant foods are low in calories. I know Ian eats like 10-12 bananas a day just to keep his calorie intake high enough. I don't want to lose any muscle so I'll have to do the same.
I'm also hoping this continuation of clean eating will help my abs tighten even further. My abs are a motivator... it keeps me going to the gym five times a week and helped me transition to a plant based diet almost 17 months ago. I've been building muscle as a vegan far better than when I consumed animal products. It will be interesting to see what raw foods will do. I think it will make my workouts even better!
Over the next few months, I'll be posting more about the challenge, when I plan to do it, what foods I need to buy, etc. It should be a good learning experience!
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.