Rawing

So, for the last two weeks, I've been attempting to live the raw food lifestyle. It's been quite the adjustment, but so far so good.



I didn't go to Raw on a whim. It started with a rash. I have Celiac-Sprue Disorder, which is an autoimmune disease where the vili in my gut are damaged when I eat anything containing gluten (ie, anything delicious and worthwhile eating in the Standard American Diet). It is very, very painful thing for me to have to deal with, so I have avoided gluten since my diagnosis in 2004. Because of this, I am prone to other food issues-- allergies, sensitivites, etc-- and have to keep track of everything I put in my mouth in the event that I have an adverse reaction to something.



Which brings me to the rash. I was camping at Lake Champlain several weeks ago, and during my drive home, chewed half a pack of gum that contained sucralose. Sucralose is the generic name for Splenda. Sucralose was discovered during development of a new insecticide. (Who thought that would be a good idea to use as a food additive?!) I broke out in the most obscenely itchy rash from my ankles to my thighs, and from my wrists to my elbows. I had very small, bright red, raised welts everywhere I had a hair follicle.



This was the last straw for me. I had been toying with the idea of going raw, mostly because I was sick of the additives in regular food. Plus, its summer and heating up my house while cooking is awful anyway. So I bought a bunch of un-cookbooks, and a dehydrator and have been going to town.



The upside of Raw is that everything is natural. Cucumbers come out of the ground as cukes. Science doesnt add something to them to make them what they are, or how they taste. No additives? A much reduced risk of me having a reaction. So, while being Raw is very time intensive (the planning involved is much akin to a military operation) but it's been worthwhile. My rash is gone. I feel amazing. My skin looks good.



The Standard American Diet (SAD, how appropriate) is heavy on meat, processed food, and refined carbohydrates. The Raw diet is pretty much processed-food-free, meat free, and refined anything free. There is no "better living through science." At least as far as I am concerned.

Anyway, Rawing has been going well so far. Ill continue to experiment and check it out further before I fully commit to it 100%, but its helping with the skin issues.

Oof

Have a lot to update on, and not a lot of time.
Shorthand:

1. Am taking an EMT-B course in case I get laid off. Which is 80-90% likely.

2. Have been cleared to start running again by the end of June. WOOHOO!!

3. Am going whitewater rafting in July. CANNOT. WAIT.

4. Moved. Again.

5. Am movING to the West coast, hopefully by this time next year. (Decisions, decisions!)

6. Ended a very harrassing friendship. 47 emails, 12 texts, 6 phone calls, 2 facebook messages. All in ONE DAY from ONE PERSON WITHOUT RECEIVING A SINGLE RESPONSE. (Normal people dont do stuff like that. I have had my fill of crazy--- byebye, ex-friend.)