My Way: Nancy Sun
Nancy Sun is twentysomething urban professional based in Brooklyn, NY. She loves her some yoga, snowboarding, running, blogging, and of course, tweeting. When Nancy isn't causing a ruckus in Brooklyn, she can be found chillin on the beaches of Costa Rica mastering her newest passion, surfing.
My Way: Nancy Sun
My participation in this series comes courtesy of 'My Way' alumnus Charles Balcer. One fateful Friday, I ran into him at Pure Juice and Takeaway. There, while we bonded over my first ever bites of their Moon Pie, I told him I could never do a My Way. I've been experimenting with this lifestyle for less than a year, am not 100% raw, nor 100% vegan. I am just a girl who discovered this lifestyle in the journey to eat consciously and live optimally. Of course, this excuse-slash-explanation prompted Charles to immediately and stealthily text Dhrumil that I should participate. So here I am and I suddenly feel like an awards nominee - thank you, thank you, it's an honor to even be considered.
Saturday
While most people sleep in on Saturdays, I go to a 9 AM Patternmaking class at FIT. That early weekend start time might make other people double think, but I enjoy the feeling of being up before others and being productive. My morning began with a tall glass of lemon water with MSM. I threw a bunch of organic fuji apples into my bag to snack on in commute and during class as I usually stay late to do my homework. Starved when I came home, I had a glass of green juice (kale, romaine, ginger, apple, lemon) and 2 more apples with raw almond butter. From there, I went to the gym for an hour of cardio and half an hour of weight training.
That evening, I attended the WLIR Meet Up at Pure Food and Wine where I hung out with the regular New York crew and was introduced to other raw foodies including Simona McIntyre and Matt Mueller. I paired a glass of shiraz with the restaurant's Winter Salad: composed of mache, frisee, arugala, local apples, candied walnuts, and dressed with a yakon walnut vinaigrette and smoked cashew cheese. For dessert, I split with Dhru a Blueberry & Lemon Bergamot Semifreddo with blueberry compote, lavender "ice cream," and lavendar cashew shortbread. "Splitting," however, is an overstatement: Dhrumil had only a few bites while I could've licked the plate clean.
Sunday
The next morning, I met up with my friend Dan at The Smith. As someone I hadn't seen since 2005 but of course recently reconnected with via Facebook, we caught up over an early brunch. While he had french toast with maple butter and caramelized bananas, I ordered their baby arugula salad with fennel and lemon (holding the parmesan) with a side of strawberries & bananas. I drank peppermint tea throughout our meal.
As an aside, as I transitioned into raw, I remember being concerned about ordering at restaurants. Would I have to limit the number of places my friends and I went to? Would I be judged for my "less traditional" orders at restaurants? I thought that my presumably complicated Sally a la Harry-Met-Sally orders would cause undue attention and that I would have to defend my "extreme" eating choices. The change, however, has been anticlimactic. Dan didn't even blink at my order as we launched into Catch-Up Mode regarding the last four years of our lives. After saying goodbye, I did my grocery shopping at Whole Foods for the week. There, I had Ciao Bella's Lychee and Raspberry sorbet.
As a Lazy, Single Girl Raw Foodie, Sunday is my day to prep meals for the week ahead. This way, I can function on 'eating autopilot' as much as possible in case there is a crazed workweek. To that end, I made salads to "brownbag" to work and a big bowl of raw gazpacho - fortified with bean sprouts. In addition to tasting as I worked, I grazed my way through the evening with half an avocado w/ lemon, salt, pepper, a tablespoon of raw almond butter, an apple, and a cup of blueberries and raspberries.
Monday
I started my morning with an hour of cardio at the gym and two apples eaten on my commute to work. Once I arrived, I made myself a glass of lemon water with MSM and St. John's Wort to drink while checking voicemail, email, and getting a start on the morning. I also usually sip ginger or peppermint tea throughout the workday. For lunch I had my raw gazpacho and snacked on a Cliff Nectar Bar - composed only of nuts and dried fruit - as the local deli appears to no longer carry Lara Bar. For an early dinner, I had a marinated seafood salad of crab, calamari, shrimp, red onions, and celery. Yep, I still eat seafood when the impulse strikes. I also snacked on dried turkey figs, cashews, and dates later in the evening. As I just start working out in the mornings again, sometimes I eat heavier foods in the evening while my body adjusts to the new routine.
Tuesday
This morning, I slept in and had an Asian Pear for breakfast. I continued with my weekly routine of starting each morning with my lemon water-MSM-St. John's Wort concoction. For lunch, I had roasted brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and marinated baby bella mushrooms. I snacked on dates and cashews and ended my day with raw gazpacho and dried figs for dessert.
Normally my weekdays are very boring and formulaic - with fruit breakfasts, at least one other raw meal, and a raw afternoon snack. Sometimes, however, I develop a mean dark chocolate habit. While ideally I'd love to only eat raw chocolate (Gnosis, Love Street, and Uli Mana being some favorite brands), I often find myself grabbing Green & Black's or Lindt's 70% Dark. This is because I tend not to keep sweets in my house - fearing I lack self-restraint and ability to eat all of it at once. As such, I often rely on what is carried in stores near my workplace to fulfill my chocolate cravings. Luckily I can still find the higher end lines and avoid milk in these products.
So that's a snapshot of what four days of my eating lifestyle looks like. As someone who does not fit into any specific dietary label precisely, I am definitely learning how to eat more raw, My Way.
Nancy Sun is twentysomething urban professional based in Brooklyn, NY who is grateful to be alive.
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