Week 1 of my raw food resolution is over. I’ll go ahead and ruin the suspense—I didn’t go completely raw. In years past, I have tried my resolutions with the utmost gusto. This time I’m working on it little by little, taking some strides in the right direction so far, tempered by my share of setbacks.

One thing I can say for sure about taking on the raw food lifestyle: going vegan seems comparatively easy.

Raw Food Changes

Fruits and vegetables already made up a major part of my diet before I started this little experiment. But now that I’m keeping tabs on every single bite I take, I’ve come to realize just how much of my diet came from processed foods.

 Every day this week saw at least one raw meal. I boosted my daily water intake by about 10 ounces, up to 70 ounces. I cut down on processed sugar, eating two pieces of pumpkin pie, a Mounds bar and a couple spoonfuls of peanut better all week. Most of that sugar came at the beginning of the week. And I eliminated coffee and most other processed foods. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I used to eat ice cream almost every day, so this is progress.

The increase in fiber has of course meant more bowel movements. But I really didn’t feel any different until I dropped the dairy. That’s when the skin on my hands and legs dried out and I started getting dandruff. Yet at the same time, my facial skin seems to breathe easier now and almost feels lighter.

I asked Jamie Futterman, a registered dietician at Washington Adventist Hospital, what could have caused the dry skin. She said it could be a fatty acid deficiency, a hydration issue or even a change in weather.

“Consuming adequate fats as well as adequate hydration may help,” she wrote in an email. “Eliminating dairy also means eliminating vitamin D, so you may want to get your levels tested (a simple blood test that your physician can order).”

In response, I’ll make sure to drink even more water and to eat a little yogurt and foods like avocado.

Friday was raw all the way: an orange, a banana and almonds for breakfast, followed by harvest soup for both lunch and dinner (recipe included below).

And then Saturday happened.

After a victoriously raw day, I remembered that my resolution is a process to be reached in increments. So dinnertime meant a trip to Red Robin for a garden burger with cheese and a side of glorious french fries. To hear my boyfriend tell it, my face lit up to the point that I looked drunk—which is saying something, since alcohol rarely ever touches these lips.

Almost immediately, my skin started getting itchy and even drier. I’m taking this as a sign that my body was rejecting the fatty fried foods, as it should have been all along.

Raw Food Goals

Part of the reason I embarked on this resolution was to hold myself accountable. What better way than by sharing my goals on the Internet for all to see?

So in the name of accountability, here they are:

• Drink more than 90 ounces of water a day by Jan. 22

• Eat at least 75 percent raw and vegan by the end of the month. (Since I’m anemic, I want to have a little bit of dairy in my diet)

• Do a 100 percent raw food detox for one week at the end of January

• Weigh 160 pounds by June, a 37-pound drop.

• Cut out 99 percent of processed sugar and coffee. (Having just a little bit won’t hurt)

• Exercise five times a week for at least 30 minutes.

• Improve my skin. (This is a hard one to measure, but I not a teenager anymore and would like to be breakout free.)

While some raw foodists eat only raw foods—including raw milk—I’m shooting more for a 75 percent raw/vegan lifestyle. For that other 25 percent, I’ll allow a little yogurt and the occasional cheese, cooked rice and beans and will take B12 and calcium supplements.

Raw Food Risks

Because I’m slightly anemic and vegetarian, seeking professional advice is an absolute must. Futterman, the dietician at Washington Adventist, isn’t a raw food proponent, mostly because of how hard it can be to get enough of certain important nutrients. So she gave me a couple tips to make sure that I’m getting the nutrients I need.

Here’s how Futterman explains the risks:

• B12 “B12 is mostly available in animal products (or products fortified with B12) and thus is inadequate in a raw food diet. Without adequate B12, someone can become anemic and in the long run, have permanent nerve damage, so a supplement will likely be needed.”

• Calcium “Although there is some calcium in a few foods on the raw foods diet (broccoli, greens, almonds) there are also some components in these foods that make the calcium less absorbed by the body than calcium from dairy foods. It would also be challenging to consume enough of these foods in one day to meet your calcium needs (24 cups chopped raw broccoli or 35 cups spinach per day!). A calcium supplement is most likely needed. Additionally some of the foods that contain calcium but not allowed on a raw food diet, such as yogurt, are a great source of probiotics which help our gastrointestinal system. A raw foodist would be missing out on this benefit.”

• Vitamin D “Many people, even if they don’t follow a specific diet, are currently vitamin D deficient. Some of our main food sources of vitamin D are not permitted on a raw foods diet (fortified dairy products, salmon and other fatty fish—although some raw foodists do eat this). Thus supplementation would likely be needed.”

•  Iron “Although there are many foods high in iron on a raw food diet, they are a form called “non-heme” iron which is less bioavailable to the body for absorption. One way to help increase absorption is to make sure there is a source of vitamin C eaten along with the iron food. Vitamin C can be found in citrus fruits, red peppers, strawberries and tomatoes.”

•  Omega-3 Fatty Acids “The two most important forms of Omega-3 fatty acids are EPA and DHA. These are found predominantly in fatty fish, so for raw foodists who do not include fish, they will not meet their needs. The Omega-3 fatty acids in nuts and flax are a form called ALA which our bodies must work very hard to convert to DHA and EPA—thus the amount of nuts or flax required to make this conversion would be more than anyone could eat in one day.”

• Food Safety “There are a few ‘high risk’ foods on the raw foods diet when it comes to food safety:

1. Some raw foodists include unpasteurized dairy products (such as raw milk) and sprouts. Both have been implicated in multiple foodborne illness outbreaks. Children and pregnant women should never consume raw dairy products.
2. For those who consume raw fish, this can be a source of parasites. Be sure your source is a reputable one with good fishing and storage practices.
3. Cross-contamination. If a raw food happened to touch a food that had bacteria on it, the maximum cooking temperature on a raw foods diet (115-118 degrees) is not high enough to kill the bacteria off.”

• Enemas and Colon Cleanses “Some people also participate in enemas or colon cleanses.  These are extremely dangerous. I have had patients referred to me because they used colon cleanses and enemas which resulted in chronic diarrhea (four times per day for more than six months) and nutrient deficiencies because they wiped out all the “healthy bacteria” in their intestine. There is also a risk of colon perforation requiring hospitalization if you go to a facility without a trained practitioner.”

 Seeing the risks spelled out like that definitely made me question what I’m doing. There’s plenty to think about and evaluate. But if I follow good advice and listen to my body, I know that the benefits will outweigh the risks. We’ll see, and I’ll make sure to keep you informed along the way.

Here is the recipe for my first raw-food soup; Kristen Suzanne’s harvest soup. I substituted dates for dried figs and forgot to include the water, but it still came out well. Next time I’m going add a beet or two to the mix.

1 cup water

1 large zucchini, chopped

2 medium tomatoes, quartered

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 cups carrot, chopped

2 dates, pitted

1 clove garlic

2 teaspoon Himalayan crystal salt

1 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup flax oil

1) Blend all of the ingredients, except for the flax oil, on high speed until creamy (approximately one minute; I prefer this soup a tad warm and very creamy)

2) With the blender on low speed, add the flax oil

3) Continue blending at a higher speed for another minute or less. This will make it slightly warm. Enjoy!

Variations:

Substitute olive oil for the flax oil

Add ½ teaspoon coriander

Add ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice