On Tuesday April 22nd we will be celebrating Earth Day here at the Sloth Sanctuary by planting 80 sponsored Almond trees, and I will be partaking in my own personal challenge to eat a raw food diet for the week – knowing just how much I love my food, this is going to be no easy task!
Earth Day is an annual event that is celebrated in over 192 countries worldwide, with the aim of promoting environmental awareness to create a more sustainable planet. Here at the Sloth Sanctuary we see first-hand the unfortunate damage that the quickly changing modern world is having on the environment, as every day we rescue, treat, rehabilitate and care for sloths that have become the victims of human encroachment into their rainforest habitat.
This Earth Day we want to do our part to mitigate this damage, raise awareness of these issues and give a little something back to Mother Nature. We are planning to plant 80 Almond trees within the Sanctuary grounds; a favourite food of two-fingered sloths! These trees will reverse the impacts of land degradation, reduce erosion, filter the air, provide habitat and food for the wild sloth populations, and help to feed the rescued sloths currently living here at the Sanctuary. If you would like to get involved and support us by sponsoring a tree, you can do so here.
My raw food diet is going to begin tomorrow (Sunday the 20th) and last for 7 full days – during which time I won’t be eating anything that is inorganic or that has been processed or cooked. That means no bread, pasta, milk, cheese, meat etc… basically all of the things that I love! I will be surviving on just raw vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. Am I crazy? Perhaps, but this diet is reported to have a whole heap of great health benefits. The process of heating food reportedly destroys many of the essential enzymes and nutrients that are so great for our body, so eating raw is definitely a much healthier choice. Research has shown that raw foodism can help to boost the immune system, increase digestive efficiency and help to prevent many chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes and cancer – we can’t argue with that! The positive effects of this diet are apparently shown by an energy boost that “has to be experienced to be believed”. According to articles that I have read I should prepare to feel pretty terrible during the first few days whilst my body detoxes, but after that I will see the benefits. With Earth Day approaching, it feels like the perfect time to go back to basics and try out this crazy diet – I will report the results (good and bad!) next week. Wish me luck!
