Now (mostly) Raw :)

Hello friends!
I haven't posted a blog rant in a hot minute, it's good to be back!
These past four months have been a journey for self discovery. I wanted to educate myself on the external and internal reasons as to why I am vegan. I have grown in passion pursing this way of life. The benefits I have even further learned for the animals, our environment, and my internal health are so impactful. This has caused my love for vegan life to grow immensely.
Though I started vegan life for the external and environmental benefits, I wanted to understand what my body needs to thrive.
I had the opportunity this summer to work at an amazing vegan juice bar in downtown Redlands called The Living Root Cellar. While there, I learned so many different things about how to live a healthy and cruelty-free life. My boss was a huge help to talk to. He gave me great pointers and educated me on many aspects of a healthy life I did not know yet. The things I strive for in life is to decrease my carbon footprint and at the same time achieve my optimal state of health along with fitness.
I was encouraged by my boss to do a juice cleanse from my work. This consisted of 6 juices that were nutrient dense and filled with strictly produce. I was nervous to start the cleanse, but it was such an amazing awakening for my body. It helped cleanse out toxins in my body that have built up over time to cause different health issues. After going through the cleanse, I tried a few days of eating a (roughly) raw vegan diet. This pretty much consisted of me eating the same, just additionally avoiding foods that are cooked above 115 degrees F.
With this I mainly ate fresh produce, steamed produce, wheat free grains, nuts and seeds, smoothies, soaked legumes and lots more good stuff! While eating this way, I noticed my body was THRIVING the way I had been missing! The health issues I was having were slowly diminishing and I was feeling better each day. I had more energy and a happier attitude with each day I field my body raw.
I was still in the process of testing this, so I did return to just plain vegan eating and including non-raw items. Some things I noticed specifically that did not settle well with my body and caused me to feel slow, sluggish, and unhappy were in fact- not raw! This discovery was so enlightening that I have decided to go back to the mostly raw vegan way of eating. I view this as officially treating my body the way it deserves. I am making this new way of living distinct to my needs. I am making the diet form to what I need in nutrient requirements. I still eat legumes and grains high in protein. As well, I still have my daily cup of coffee! Yet the things I now avoid are fried foods, processed foods, and bread products.
Some may read this and think I am crazy for cutting out this much food. I view it as a necessity  everyone should pursue to discover about themselves. We all have different bodies and all thrive off of different foods, so we should fuel ourselves in accordance to that! :) while still paying attention to necessary nutrients and not become deficient in any macro/micro nutrients.
Thanks for reading! I encourage you all to live life focused on respecting and taking care of your body. Fuel yourself with foods that are kind to your bodies, and it doesn't hurt if the food is kind to others as well ;)
Philippians 1:20