The Return of Raw till 4/ [and a rant about misinformation.]
Welcome back bananas!
I went off of raw till 4 a long time ago, not wanting to be spending $$ on foreign produce. Obviously bananas don’t grow in northeastern U.S., so what’s a person to do if they want to eat bananas every day? Swallow the guilt, pun intended, I guess and try to make up for it in other places.
I have been feeling super sluggish the past few months, my digestive system has not been at it’s peak and I’m more grumpy than usually. I partially blame the dim winter light, the sun setting so early and not being able to be outside all the time. But on the other hand I also blame my own hand shoveling the baked goods and junk food into my mouth. Eat well, feel well, right?! I need to follow my own advice better, lol.
So I’m resorting back to my old tactics of raw till 4, although I don’t do as low protein as others do on it. I love my tofu, tempeh, yogurt and legumes and I don’t give them up just to follow a specific diet.
In case you don’t know what raw till 4 is, it’s eating raw food until dinner. So basically smoothies, salads and whatever raw fruit and veg you want until it’s time for a huge bowl of cooked food for dinner. I usually opt for roasted potatoes, pasta or rice with a bunch of cooked greens. I limit my fats at dinner time but I get them in during the day by adding avocado, nuts or coconut to my salads and smoothies.
scroll down to see an example of a day of raw till 4. Otherwise enjoy the following rant on the spread of misinformation. 🙂
I often wonder, what is to blame for the spread of misinformation? Why is it that every day I see things shared on facebook or instagram that are complete bunk and myths? Why is it that so many people buy into fear mongering? Why is it that people trust a site like mercola, whose sole purpose is to capitalize off of the uneducated, cherry picking pseudo-science bullshit, but when faced with FACTS they completely shut down? Why do people believe that organic food is inherently better for you and/or that no pesticides are used in organic farming? Why am I called a monster for poisoning my children with vaccines? Or more importantly WHY the hell have people demonized autism like it is the plague?
The irony is strong, I tell you, strong.
When anti-science (yes this means you – anti-vax, anti-gmo, flat earthers, non believers of climate change, etc…choose one or choose all) people tell me to “do my research”, I want to cry.
There is research. There is resounding evidence showing what is safe and unsafe.
The problem is cognitive dissonance.
When people are confronted with facts that conflict their personal beliefs, they have an incredibly hard time dealing with the issues. They have a hard time understanding that it’s OK to be wrong. It is absolutely ok to be wrong. You don’t go to school knowing everything; you go to learn. You don’t open a book and know what it’s going to teach you; you read it to find out answers. If you go into a situation with an unchangeable mind…what’s the point? You learn by letting your guard down and opening up to new information.
Social media is the perfect medium to spread misinformation. You read a title, feel some emotion and click a button, sharing that feeling and information, regardless of its validity.
Confirmation bias is a key factor to spreading misinformation.
“Confirmation bias is the tendency of individuals to pay attention to or believe information that confirms the personal values and beliefs they already hold, rather than allowing their beliefs to be changed by new information.”
- A short but insightful read from The Washington Post on this subject.
“Individuals want to maintain their self-identity and self-image. They’re not going to read something that challenges their values, their self-worth, their identity, their belief system.”
I wish that we, collectively as a society, would spend more time on google scholar or finding peer-reviewed articles before believing/ sharing information that we are not sure about.
/end rant.
now, back to the food.
some examples for a day in the raw till 4 life
Breakfast – 4 frozen bananas blended with fresh spinach, dates, cinnamon and water.
Lunch – Chia pudding with fruit, coconut date cream and/or maple syrup.
chia pudding with caramel and strawberries – caramel sauce = maple syrup and glow dust from montauk juice factory!
Snack – Peanut butter and apples, or whatever fruit and veg ya want to snack on. Although it’s not *raw* I love to eat roasted squash as a snack. It’s easy to digest and simple to make – just set the oven and leave it alone.
Dinner – Cooked carbs & veggies & some delicious sauce.
I drink black coffee most days, only a small cup in the morning before I break my fast. Not eating after dinner is a huge hurdle for me and I see a huge difference in my appetite and digestion when I am not snacking and lurking around the kitchen at night. I’m never hungry in the morning; I usually don’t eat until 11am. I eat the majority of my calories between those hours of 11am-7pm. Sticking to an eating “window” is part of a practice called intermittent fasting. It can help if you are trying to control your calories, whether you want to lose/ maintain or gain weight. I use it just to help me have some motivation to stay the hell out of the fridge after dinner.
Eat More Plants. 
6 Responses to “The Return of Raw till 4/ [and a rant about misinformation.]”
Omg, I hate when people spread misinformation. Usually I’ll just throw a snopes link at someone, but I’ve even had resistance to that. I’ve had a few people call snopes untrustworthy and not a reliable source… even though they research and cite multiple credible sources…. but you already know how I feel about all of that lol.
Cognitive dissonance is a tough mofo.
Wondering where you read all your science? And what research you trust and or don’t trust. That would be helpful. Hard to know what is information and what’s misinformation. You say a lot in your “rant” but don’t explain to people why you trust the info you read and not the info others read. Thanks. Usually there’s research on both sides. Or research can sometimes be done by those with invested interest which makes it biased. Hard to know who to trust.
Hi Juli,
What exactly is it that you’re skeptical of? Peer reviewed research is what I trust, since it is solid in its source and unbiased. I am pro-science, which means I don’t oppose vaccines, conventional farming, gmos, etc. Is there something you would like me to link you to that is from a trusted source? I understand what you’re saying about research being available for both sides of an argument. It can definitely be trying to find an answer that is legitimate! 🙂
Read this this morning and was so damn inspired, I went for a run. Then, I made your spinach/nanner/cinnamon/date smoothie and blew my own mind, as well as my boyfriend’s. He kept asking, “what did you put in this?! It’s delicious!” 🙌🏼 Thanks so much for the yumminess, Celine! 😊🍌
Mmmmmm yay!!! Love 🍌 & cinnamon smoothies – gonna have one for lunch tomorrow 💗💗💗💗