MANGOES!

If you know me then you know that the fruit object of my attention lately has been mangoes. The Ataulfo Mangoes are everywhere now. They are currently 5 for $5 at Whole Foods so I have been buying about 10 everyday or every other day. That's $1 each. Steal of a deal. Sorry bananas, I see you over there on my shelf, and I will enjoy you every once in a while, but my heart is with the mangoes right now. I hope you understand, considering you had me all winter.

Since rekindling my seasonal relationship with mangoes, I have learned a few things that I would like to share with you. Who knew you could learn so much from a single fruit?!

1) Not much makes me happier than thinking I only have 3 mangoes, then finding 7 more dispersed throughout our three vehicles.

2) These are the two best ways to eat mangoes: Naked and in the bath tub (or both considering you will most likely be naked if you're in the bath tub). It's the best. You don't have to worry about all the juice getting all over your clothes and face. You can just chow down freely and jump in some water afterwards...or just wash it off in the tub.

3) Don't eat mangoes and drive. You WILL avoid the steering wheel in an attempt to not get it sticky with your mango hands...and I don't advise avoiding the steering wheel while driving.

4) Don't eat mangoes and text. Again, unless you want to deal with a sticky mango phone, wait until your hands are clean.

5) My breath sometimes smells like my boyfriends junk after eating mangoes. Don't worry, the mangoes smell great. This just means I have a boyfriend with fruity junk.

6) The check out clerk will most always be confused as to what you are doing with so many mangoes.

7) Biting into an unripe, sour mango will borderline piss me off.

Taco Dinner

As I mentioned in my first blog entry, my dinner typically consists of a huge salad with some cooked food. Last night I pulled together an amazing taco dinner that was enjoyed by my boyfriend, his brother, and myself. It was sooooo gooood. We topped Food for Life Sprouted Corn Tortillas with lentils, tomatoes, yellow capsicum, avocado, cilantro, stir fried (in water, not oil!) zucchini and mushrooms, lemon, and salsa. Oww Oww!! We did 'build your own' style and feasted like chow monkeys.

Zucchini/mushroom stir fry, avocado, tomatoes, cilantro, yellow bell pepper (capsicum)

Ready to eat taco and salad

I am really excited to talk about the salad because I created a simple dressing recipe the other day that I think I will be using most of the time now. Getting a good dressing always seems to be a little tricky for me, but this one is perfect. This is the recipe for about a half pound to 3/4lb of salad greens and a whole chopped cucumber. 

- 1/2 or 1 lemon juiced

- as much cilantro as you wish

- tbsp of low sodium Tamari

- 1/4 cup of nutritional yeast

And that's it! So fresh, so easy, so perfect.

Orange, Spinach, Basil Smoothie

This is one of my faaaavorite things to wake up with. Unfortunately, I can't take the credit for this one. This simple recipe I got from Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram. Kristina owns the Rawfully Organic Co-op in Houston, TX. She has an amazing story about how she became raw and a great Youtube channel where she talks all about health, raw foods, and shares her recipes. You can check her out at http://rawfullyorganic.com/ and http://fullyraw.com/.

This recipe is quick and easy. You only need 3 ingredients:

-7 to 10 oranges
- a handful of organic spinach
- basil

A variety of organic oranges

Spinach from the local farmers market

Fresh Basil

First, I juiced all of my oranges, strained the juice (or not if you want some pulp), and poured it into my VitaMix or some other good quality blender that will blend everything smoothly. Then, I threw in a handful of spinach and a chunk of basil leaves, and blended until smooth. MmmmMmmm.

The finished product! So fresh and so sweet. 

Bounty Love

This is my bounty that I got yesterday. It's only about 2-3 days worth of food, but Mmmmmmmmm some tasty days, indeed :) I have an obsession with the Ataulfo Mangoes right now.

-Bananas
-Ataulfo Mangoes
-Oranges
-Raw fresh squeezed orange juice
-Zucchini
-Cucumbers
-Butter leaf lettuce
-Pineapple
-Yellow Capsicum
-Bok Choy
-Dates (not pictured)

The Story of an Aspiring Fruit Bat

Hello and welcome to my new blog. This blog follows my journey and gives an inside look as an aspiring fruit bat. A fruit bat (the term I took from Freelee Frugivore) is someone who consumes primarily fruit in their diet. This can also be called fruitarianism, 80/10/10, high carb vegan, etc....

I know what you may be thinking. "That can't be healthy for you," "That is way too much sugar," "How do you get your protein?" ....

Well, as a vegetarian/vegan-ish, I had heard the term fruitarian many times and dismissed it as well. Actually, I never even gave it a second look or examination because I already imagined that eating mostly fruit was insane...

Here is my story:

I initially stopped eating meat in another attempt to try to feel better. About 4 or 5 years ago I was depressed, chubby, my hair was thinning, I had no energy, I woke up every morning with a puffy/oily face, had bags under my eyes, acne on my forehead, irregular periods, etc etc... 4 1/2 years ago I found a brochure on my counter that was left by my used-to-be vegetarian sister (who I made fun of for being vegetarian). The brochure explained some reasons why going meat free is healthier and it included an inside look into factory farms. I did just a little research online and stopped eating meat overnight. I figured I would just give this a try. I had already experimented with Bob Green's, The Best Life diet, South Beach diet, and Weight Watchers. None of which gave me what I was looking for. I  didn't just want to lose weight. I wanted vitality, sense of purpose, and something more sustainable. I was done counting calories and reading labels. I was over the whole idea of dieting in general. I assumed, like any food I had ever tried to restrict myself from, that I would crave meat and eventually indulge in it along with a sense of guilt. But I didn't, nor did I ever want to again. Knowing how our bodies process (or don't process) meat, and knowing the source of where our meat comes from and the process that it goes through to get to the supermarket is gruesome. My body deserves better than that. Shortly after, I learned about the negative effects dairy has on the body and I slowly stopped drinking milk and tried to eat as little dairy as possible. A couple years after making the switch to vegetarian, I started looking into a completely plant based diet even further (vegan). It was pretty obvious by that point that it would only make sense to make that switch as well...so I did, although it didn't happen overnight like becoming vegetarian did. I have currently been following a plant based diet for nearly 3 years. Eating a plant-based diet has completely changed my life. I have no more of the symptoms that I mentioned above and I am about 35 lbs lighter than I was back then. I have not counted a single calorie, and don't even look at the nutritional facts (only ingredients). I often receive comments from people saying that my skin is glowing, or that my eyes are really white, or that I look happy. I don't need to use shampoo or make up or a lot of other "products" that we use to mask our flaws caused by an imbalance in the body (I will write an entire post on what I don't use anymore as a result of going plant based at a later date). Something that was once alien to me is so obvious now, it's second nature, it requires no effort. 

Over the last 4 1/2 years I have completely immersed myself into the education of a plant-based lifestyle. Some people assume that not eating animal products is part of a tree hugging trend, but it just so happens that this lifestyle is backed by some pretty clear science. I have learned about how our bodies function on a physiological level and what our cells require for optimum health. I have learned what our bodies require for optimal absorbtion and digestion. I have learned how much protein and calcium our bodies REALLY need, how too much can actually have a negative affect, and how the majority of the population is misinformed about healthy sources of protein and calcium that the body can actually absorb. I have learned that sickness and disease are not determined by genetics or bad luck and that they thrive in toxic/deficient environments, and that we are fully capable of preventing the majority (if not all) chronic diseases, cancers, and ailments. I have learned that our bodies need an alkaline environment to thrive, and that most of the foods we consume fall under the "acidic" category.
I have also witnessed and read accounts about how the life of a factory farm animal is. Suffering is the word that comes to mind. These animals live a life of suffering, ending with abuse and violence, and then we eat it. We consume the fear and sadness of these animals, which can translate into our own state of being. The living conditions are horrendous, and much of the time the meat has to be soaked in chlorine or some other toxic chemical to rid off the potential existence of e-coli. Animals are pumped with steroids and hormones to make them grow 3 times faster than a normal cow or pig or chicken, causing their limbs to break and causing adolescent girls to start puberty and younger ages because they are consuming them. I could go on and on. If you watch the movie "Earthlings" on YouTube it will open up the world of factory farming to you, and I can't imagine you would still want to continue to perpetuate this disgusting industry. I also became aware of the environmental impact that eating meat had on our Mother Earth. The United Nations released a study concluding that meat production causes more air pollution than all the cars on the road. Methane is a gas produced by factory farms, and it gets trapped in the earths atmosphere, causing it to heat. Also. all the food we use to feed and fatten up our livestock (who are biologically supposed to be eating grass anyway) could be used to feed all the children that are starving. Factory farms also contribute to the fact that 1/3 of the world has dirty drinking water. All in all, when people ask why I eat a plant-based diet, I tell them it's for myself, the animals, and the planet. 

"Sooooo, what's up with all the fruit," you wonder? 

Two years ago when I met my partner, I learned the details of a high fruit lifestyle. At first, he didn't really say much about it, but eventually I coerced him into telling me what his deal was after he always asked me not to put oil in our salad and would sit around eating oranges and bananas all day. Like other truths I realize, the concept of consuming primarily fruit in combination with leafy greens, vegetables, and low fat just clicked. It was an "ah ha" moment, just like I had when I realized the truth about meat consumption for humans. He explained it in a way that could be understood and in a way that was practical. The thing with this diet is that every question you ever had about nutrition and what you should and should not be eating is answered. I have come to understand the human body and how it works in terms of absorbtion and digestion. When you get a fundamental idea of our physiology then you will never wonder about the mixed messages we receive in regard to nutrition again. And that is what I want to do with this blog. Not only share with you what I eat everyday, but also answer all those questions you have. Now I am not 100% HCRV (high carb raw vegan). Right now I am doing the Raw til 4 thing (except for me it is more like Raw til 6). This just means that I consume fruit until about 6pm (or whenever I eat dinner) and then for dinner I have a big salad and some cooked food, usually something like sweet potatoes, vegan pizza, rice, tofu, veggie sandwich, or some combination of those things. You can visit and join the Raw Till 4 Facebook page to learn more. Again, welcome and I am excited to see where this blog takes me!