Finding Balance With Raw Foods

Life is a constant balancing act.  We may have to balance our time between work, school, family, friends, alone time, hobbies, exercise, blogging, and the list goes on!  I am always working towards balance in my diet.  I try to pay attention to what I am eating and how it affects me physically, mentally, and emotionally.  One thing I have noticed over the years is that I feel the most balanced when I am eating LOTS of raw food.  Lately I have been working on increasing my raw food intake (specifically vegetables) and I have noticed that I feel more balanced in every way.

Specifically, I have increased my intake of raw vegetables.  I have done this by having two large salads every day.  I usually have a large salad for lunch and then one again for dinner.  The picture above is an example of what I had for lunch today.  This is one cup of chopped celery with two mangoes and one avocado diced into small pieces.  This lunch was around 375 calories, very filling, and made me feel great.  For dinner I have been eating a spring mix salad with a variety of vegetables including broccoli, shredded carrots, sesame seeds, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing.  Sometimes I will throw some diced apple pieces into my salad for extra sweetness and extra calories.

When I first started incorporating more raw food into my diet I was determined to eat a 100% raw food diet.  Now, years later I am at a place where I want to incorporate large amounts of raw food into my routine but leave the option open to eating a hot cooked vegan meal as well.  I have found my balance through lots of experimenting over the years.

My Balanced Diet:
Breakfast: 3 pieces of fruit (lately two grapefruits and one banana)
Snack: Fruit, nuts, flax crackers with almond butter
Lunch: Large salad
Snack: fruit, nuts (I love dipping sliced apples in almond butter)
Dinner: Large salad with occasional cooked vegan food after the salad or gourmet raw dish
Dessert: Fruit smoothie (lately I am obsessed with banana, mango, coconut!)

As a side note, I want to say that this is my ideal everyday diet.  There are times when I veer from this diet but I always come back to it seeking balance and restoration. This is the diet that I have evolved towards and helps me to be my best self!  What balance have you found with your food choices?