After a restless night I wake up with a heavy heart and start getting ready for office. I make a juice for myself out of half an apple and an orange. I have some Manila Tamarind (or vilayati chincha) lying at home so I decide to add that to today's salad. So I make a salad out of Lettuce and Manila Tamarind.
The Travelling Foodie's Lettuce and Manila Tamarind Salad
Ingredients:
Torn Iceberg Lettuce 2 Katori
Manila Tamarind 1/4 Katori
Chopped Apple 1/2 Katori
Red, Yellow and Green Bell Pepper - 1/2 Katori
Finely Chopped Mint leaves - 1 tbsp
For the dressing:
Honey - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Mixed Herbs 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/8 tsp
Method: Mix the dressing into the salad just before you are going to eat it.
I have this along with Solkadhi. This is the first time in many days that I am not having an aamras or mango during lunch. For evening I have packed cucumber sticks and mint chutney. My head has become very heavy today, probably due to the sleepless night I have had. I am craving for a filter coffee. Probably the caffeine may stop my hurting head. I call S and plead. He know my resolve is crumbling. I always resort to food when I am down. He gives in. I go down to Shivsagar and have a nice hot cup of filter coffee. I am worried as to how my system will react as I am having coffee after a full month. My system accepts it without a murmur. I don't want to go home early. I know I am cracking. I am craving for a bowl of hot soup. I know only S can help.
On my way back from work, I head to his clinic. I am leaving for Dharwad early morning tomorrow for my Aunt's funeral and will be back after 4 days. S sympathises with me and says, not to worry about the diet as the occasion is not really fit for me to continue with it right now. He says he is happy I did it for a full month. OMG!! Yes, I have completed a month of being only on raw food today! It wasn't as tough as I thought. S asks me to continue the diet after I come back. But both of us know that will not happen.
Right now my mind is sad and I want solid food. I tell him of my craving for soup. Since I am anyway going to break my raw food fast tomorrow, I force him to give me permission to have cooked food today. My craving has extended to having a warm khichadi as well. I drag S along with me to a nearby hotel. I order for a Ministrone soup and Palak Khichadi. I coax S to have half of the meal as I know I am not going to be able to finish it. I am feeling like a stuffed pig by the time I finish the meal. S is worried my system will go into shock. But I thankfully have an iron constitution and I know my system will spring back on track soon without too much trouble. I know this is not how he would have wanted me to end my raw food diet. He wants me to try and follow the raw food diet for at least half the day for the rest of my life but I doubt that is possible. I love food too much. If I ever incorporate this lifestyle change for the health benefits I am convinced it offers, I will surely let you all know... But right now I will let food console me!
This is how Day 30 ended, also bringing an end to this experiment of mine to go completely raw for full 30 days... correction... for full 29 1/2 days of my life.