Spicing things up

The beauty of a fantasy is that it can change at will.

Instead of that lonely tropical island I longed for, I am now on a yacht, sailing warm, calm seas. I am still alone.

Well, almost alone.

There is a chef on board — a culinary master with unimaginable skills. She knows Thai. She knows Indian, Mexican, Cajun, Asian, Caribbean. And, yes, she knows raw.

Tropical green smoothies for breakfast. Luscious salads for lunch. And endless, eclectic delights for dinner.

With so many choices in the world, and so little time to enjoy them, why would I settle for just one option?

After 30 days of eating exclusively raw foods, I am hungry for variety. That doesn't mean I won't carry a lot with me from this experiment. My eating habits definitely have changed permanently. I'm not willing to forgo the extra energy I feel or to regain the small amount of weight I have lost, which makes exercising so much easier.

And although this is a healthful way to eat, it's not the only healthful way, and I don't see my life taking me down an exclusively raw path — mostly because of its limitations, but also because I am just not an extremist in anything I do.

So I won't be sad to leave this experiment behind, but I won't be going back to SAD, either.

I envision eating salads, smoothies and chia seeds daily. Soaked nuts, almond butter and almond milk are here to stay. Raw agave and honey will be my sweetener of choice. Processed foods are mostly part of my past. But I will be eating dinner with my family and dining out with my friends in moderation. My choices on those occasions will no doubt include more raw, but not exclusively.

What I won't miss? The monotony. Green juices. Multiple trips to Whole Foods. Thinking today about what I'm having for tomorrow's dinner. And my bathroom.

Will I ever eat exclusively raw again?

Only if my yacht sinks, my chef drowns and I end up stranded on that island after all.