Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com
Many people have never heard of raw ‘till 4. Raw ‘till 4 is a raw vegan diet until four o’clock where you are then able to eat cooked foods such as rice, quinoa, beans, or pasta. I have been vegan for ten years and I would consider myself somewhat healthy. I would always find myself snacking on unhealthy vegan food, so I decided to try something different. I heard of the raw ‘till 4 vegan lifestyle from watching Youtube videos and from attending some vegan festivals but I always thought it was too extreme for me.
Day one of raw ‘till 4 was overall not that difficult. For breakfast I had a lot of fruit and I snacked on seeds and nuts throughout the day. Overall I found myself with a lot more energy. I wasn’t going to Starbucks for coffee to get me through class, and I wasn’t starving either. At night when I was able to eat something cooked, I decided to prepare quinoa which was great and filling. By day seven I found myself eating the same things, it’s like I had gotten myself into a routine, and I found what I liked and what works. I also didn’t crave that cooked meal at four so I decided to eat eat a raw vegan diet that entire night. Now I am not sure if me not wanting a cooked meal was because I was to lazy to cook or because my body has gotten used to the raw vegan diet. Now I am on day fourteen and am mostly still following the raw ‘till 4 lifestyle with occasional days where I just eat a raw vegan diet. Photo Courtesy of Pixabay.com
What I have learned from this experience is there is a lot more to eat besides the processed foods I used to gravitate to in the grocery stores. This has also encouraged me to try other fruits and vegetables and has saved me time in the mornings because I don’t have to prepare breakfast; I can just grab fruit and a handful of nuts and I am ready to go.
I understand that the raw ‘till four lifestyle might for others be an extreme leap and a complete change of diet, but from what I have found, this extreme change has been an overall positive experience and a great cleanse. This lifestyle has been a learning experience and something that I have decided to continue.