Brandi:

I have been keeping a written journal the last few weeks to document my experience. Here are the entries so far:

July 20, 2006

I ate all raw today. I felt pretty good. Especially since I ate walnuts and raisins and dates. I think I really needed that nutrition. Tonight I talked to a good friend and she told me she had an 8-inch parasite that came out of her yesterday. She showed me a picture and everything. It freaked me out for a while because the parasite was real. It was not this white thing; it looked like an earthworm. But the benefit is that she took responsibility and decided that she “does not want that”! She has been juicing and will be juicing for a while. She wants to get a colonic next month. The doctor said that this type of parasite is usually obtained via non-properly washed fruits and vegetables. Although, a typical person’s response would be to be careful and wash all fruits and vegetables, my question is what type of environment did you create in your body that would allow the parasite to thrive. Parasites are everywhere, and our bodies (if healthy) are made to withstand them.

Anyhow, now I am thinking maybe I have a parasite too (the power of suggestion). My bowels have been irregular and I have been fatigued. Only time will tell. I just hope I won’t get freaked out every time I use the bathroom. Also I have had some of the worst gas tonight. Even I had to leave the room.

I was reading the “Sunfood Success Diet System” (by David Wolfe), and I am trying to go raw again. I want to be able to do all things I WANT TO DO. I want to do well in school, publish papers, research, read fiction, run, garden, crochet, dance (a lot), backpack, walk, hike, sew, and do many other things (as well as be happy). I want to have children that are raw. I want them to fulfill their potential. I want to be pregnant raw. I want to be able to say that for 10 years I have been raw. So, I have concluded that in order to do these things (especially the latter), I must be raw.

(Questions I asked myself)

“What type of person do I have to become to experience radiant health?”

“How do I become that type of person as quickly as possible while still enjoying the process?”

(My answer)

I need to be raw. I need variety. I will take it one day at a time. I am fully responsible for my own great health. My daily habits create my great health.

July 21, 2006

This is my second day being raw. I have been craving eggs, nuts, and raisins all day. I don’t care for too much for meat right now. Today’s meals were pretty good. Maybe my body is getting used to a change in protein source. I should start soaking my nuts.

July 27, 2006

Today is my eighth day being raw. So far the only thing non-raw that I have eaten was a few spoonfuls of white rice. I had fixed a meal for Pedro a few nights ago. But so far, being raw is easier than I thought. I have only had a few dreams about food. I do miss the spices found in sausages. Once in a while I will get a whiff of some ginger and I will think of sausage links. Weird.

I do feel happier and more alive. The vegetables are so yummy. I am crazy about lettuce, cucumbers, and parsley. I made some amazing chocolate sesame seed milk today. I put mint in it and it is divine. I also juiced some plums today. It came out as this amazing nectar. I couldn’t believe it. It was beautiful. I also ate 2/3 of a pound of olives. Today, I was craving them like crazy. Maybe it was the fat or other fabulous nutrients in the olives. They were these raw organic olives from Greece that I bought at Rainbow grocery in San Francisco.

So far I don’t miss cooked food so much. It is still hard, but I have been spending the time to prepare food.

Also I have been having these strange bowel movements. They burn when they come out. I had to stop in the middle today because it hurt so much. I guess it will pass. I am positive it will pass. And a lot of seeds came out. They look like sesame seeds. Interesting. Good night.

July 28, 2006

Today is my 9th day as raw. So far so good. I chopped some peaches and nectarines, and poured some plum nectar on it (I made yesterday). It was amazing. I finished the cocoa mint milkshake this afternoon. I love the food I have been eating so far. It makes me feel really good. I also ate watermelon, and zucchini with sesame seed sauce. It was delicious. Today I did not prepare enough food, so I ate a raw cookie to tie me over (bought at the store). Plus my kitchen was dirty. Tomorrow will be a revival: I will clean the kitchen, take out the trash, and clean my space.

Tonight I ate at Café Gratitude (a raw foods restaurant in Berkeley). I ate the Caesar salad with some added kale. It had Brazil nuts on it as the Parmesan cheese. It was amazing. I also had the chocolate fudge sundae. I am so full. I wonder when I will stop being so full after I eat. I wonder if I am digesting my food all the way. Maybe I should start taking some cayenne pepper before I eat for a while.

August 4, 2006

The last few days have been crazy. My move is finally done (I moved out of my apartment), and now I can start my vacation. I have eaten less in the last 2 days than I usually eat in 1 day. However, I have remained raw. Today was very lovely. I am eating a spinach pie and Italian salad as I write. It is amazing. I bought the “Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine” book (by Gabriel Cousens) and I really like it. I also ate at Café Gratitude. I had spaghetti (the noodles were zucchini). It definitely inspired me to get a vegetable spiraler. Although, I am a fan of raw food cuisine, I don’t want to make it a dominant entry in my diet.

I haven’t been able to be active since I have been raw. Tomorrow, I will start to incorporate movements into my daily routine.

Nevertheless, I have started to detox. I can tell by my body order. It is not as stinky as it was last time I was raw, but it is pretty powerful. I feel like I have lost weight. I do feel a little bit tighter…maybe because I am not as bloated as I used to be.

This week I had my cycle. I didn’t have any cramps, just some discomfort. Unfortunately, I had to work on the first day of my cycle (it was my last day at work), so I couldn’t rest as usual. I was pretty tired. I did sleep 9-10 hours that night though. I did bleed more than usual though (same thing happened last time I was raw). I felt like a fountain.

Also some good news: I no longer feel pain when I boo-boo. I have been having lovely regular bowl movements. About 1 bowel movement a day.

August 8, 2006

Today my raw experience was good. I haven’t missed cooked foods today or during the last few days. I have been feeling good, but not full of energy. I have been sleeping a lot, but I have also been depressed because of my current relationship. But I have also been thinking do I want to be in a relationship with someone not raw?