Hi All,

I am new to the world of raw and I love it so far. I am not 100% raw (more like 80-90%), but already have experienced a surge in energy. I am working towards going 100% through expanding my recipes and gathering more knowledge to be able to follow this lifestyle and maintain my health. Because of Systemic Lupus, it is very hard for me to absorb food properly so I was always eating a lot of food and not getting much of anything out of it! I also have a boat load of allergies, which is very frustrating. I am allergic to eggs, soy, wheat, corn, barley, rye, milk, yeast, tomatoes, strawberries, apples etc. etc. I thought I could never become vegan because of my allergies to grains (including a slight allergy to rice) and soy, and was so happy when my sister-in-law sent me Ani Phyo's Raw Food Kitchen! I thought, "This is something I can do!"

I have actually gained weight on the diet - something I had been unable to do because of my health problems. I hope to maintain this energy level and weight so I can start exercising! This is the best I've felt in 5 years - since before my diagnosis - and I feel closer to my 29 years instead of 80 :) I feel very lucky to be located in Seattle with all of the raw resources here and have a supportive family - even if they want to stay on a SAD diet! That being said, they love a lot of my new food creations. The diet is a bit spendy, but I'm sure what I'm spending I am saving in ER/medical bills.

Thanks for letting me join!