Seriously.

Before summer started, I was drinking a pot of coffee every single day just to get myself through the day.  Yes, I know, ridiculous, but I swear to you, my body would not function unless I had the Joe circulating through me.  If I didn't my coffee...WHOOWEE, stay back.  Seriously.

I've had people tell me before that my "love" for coffee was border-line excessive but I've always brushed it aside.  I mean, I KNEW coffee was addicting but I've never considered myself being addicted to it.  That's because I appreciate everything about coffee.  I love the smell of freshly grounded coffee beans and how it's aroma can embody a whole room.  I love, LOVE the pure taste of coffee (topped off with a little bit of chocolate milk -- enough to still preserve it's original roasted goodness ).  And of course, I LOVE the kick it gives me to start off my mornings.

"Okay, so...you appreciate coffee but why drink a whole pot, you crazy?!"

Fair, fair.  I do admit that a pot is a tad excessive but I SWEAR, I didn't start off like this.  Before I entered a new program for school and started working at a new job, full-time, at the same time, I'd be good with a medium coffee at Tim Horton's.  But as my days got more intense and the fuller my plate got what with everything going on with school, workshops, volunteering, and work ( I swear, it was BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, one right after the other) my body started to really feel the weight.  So it went from a medium coffee to a large to an extra large to three extra large coffees every single day.  And if I didn't get my fix, I'd get a major migraine and my hands and body would shake uncontrollably, screaming for coffee.  Pretty scary to see how dependent I'd become.  

I decided once summer started and my school load lightened up, I would give it up, cold-turkey.  Easier said than done!  The first week was absolute hell.  I would stay in bed all day, getting up at about mid-late afternoon, pretty much blowing my whole day.  The only time I would force myself to get up was for work and even then, my body would feel like it was hit by a truck.  I was SUPER moody (you had to keep sharp object away from me, that kind of moody) and my eyes constantly felt heavy, soar, and puffy.  There was also one point where my face started to break out like crazy.  I had no energy and my body really started to show it.

The second week wasn't any better.  My body still screamed for coffee, and I was still very unpleasant to be around.  The third week lightened up a bit but then I started to compensate my want for coffee with food...lots and LOTS of food.  When I wasn't in bed all day, I would be eating.  In one sitting, I would consume close to 3-4 equivalent meals (and of course, all unhealthy binges is what I'd go straight for).

It's gotten a lot better as time passes.  I do still think about Joe whenever I pass by a Tim's or a Starbucks -- I find myself caressing the air in reach for one more cup of that liquid gold.  It's been a little over 2 months now, give or take a week, and I'd say I am a lot better now than when I started off.  I'm not going to lie, if I see someone holding a cup of coffee or smell that sweet, sweet aroma, my mouth does start to water while my pupils dilate to twice it's normal size (comparable to a food-deprived, savage dog eyeing a piece of juicy, juicy steak) but I do think I'm getting there... =/.  No but in all seriousness, I've gotten my eating habits settled, now.  I've started drinking A LOT of water to re-hydrate my body, get my skin under control, and battle the headaches that would pop up.  I also started consuming a lot more antioxidant-rich foods as well as adding antioxidant water boosters in order to kind of rehabilitate my body back on track.  And if I needed to add a little bit of kick to my day, I would turn to a nice cup of oolang tea.  My body reacts A LOT better with tea -- I get my antioxidant boost and at the same time, it keeps me hydrated.  I am also starting to re-appreciate the different flavours of tea and it's aroma is just as lovely as my past-beloved coffee. (Did you know that I used to be an avid tea-drinker?  I even had a little tea collection going on (I know, lame...don't judge!) which has gone untouched for quite some time...until recently, YAY!) 

But anyways, just to recap, I think I'm doing a lot better now.  I've gotten the cravings under control plus I can totally see AND feel the benefits with my choice on giving up Mr. Joe.  Hopefully, I can maintain this once the school semester starts up again!  Fingers crossed!!

Till next time! =)

OH, and BTW, I just got back from the Pacific and I think I've fallen in love with the mountains, clear skies, and the blue-green waters.

GORGEOUS.

I know I’ve probably over-killed my tedious-ness this time and I really do apologize for that!  But anyways...

ONWARD WITH THE RAW FOOD DIET UPDATE!!

I think I left off saying that I’ve still been eating raw even after the completion of  the trial.  After my 30 day trial on the Raw Food Diet, I managed to stay on it for about 5 more days (the 5^th day is where I actually fell off the raw food band wagon!).  Initially, for the first 2 days, I had no desire to eat anything other than the raw foods I had on the diet.  I had a couple opportunities that could have ended this raw food streak for me but since I had no desire to eat anything outside of the raw diet for the time being, I thought to myself “why should I end it just for the sake of ending it?”  But I think I knew deep down that I just wanted to see how far I could push this diet.  (You know when you’re running on a treadmill and you have 30 seconds left till you are done your run?  In those last few seconds, you give it your all.  Your legs are burning, your heart is pumping a million miles an hour, and sweat is dripping off your brow – then 3...2...1 second left and YOOOU--- go another minute just because you want to push yourself.  That’s how I kind of see the extra 5 days.)

On the third day, my dad surprised the family with some take-out goodness!  I truly wanted to just end it right there.  But no – I held strong (or so I’d like to think!) and resisted!  While the family enjoyed their deep fried dumplings, egg fu young, fried rice, and all them other good stuff, I was in the other room, eating half a papaya.  And nothing against that wonderful papaya meal I had but the smell of Chinese take-out intoxicated the whole house.  You can imagine how enjoyable the papaya was at that time! 

Forth day – I didn’t really have a problem on the forth day.  I spent most of the day studying and preparing for that upcoming course I keep telling you guys about.  Since I was more focused on that particular aspect, food was really in the back of mind.  I just stuck to very basic wholesome foods like apples, bananas, grapefruits, and mangoes.  I don’t recall having any temptations that could have made me fall of the raw food band wagon.

Fifth day – Ahhh, the fall from my glorious raw food streak!  Actually, it wasn’t as bad as I’m probably making it out to be!  Similar to the forth day, I started off fine.  Again, I continued eating some wholesome fruits and spent most of the day studying like a banchee.  (I am a perfectionist when it comes to these things!  I need to be absolutely prepared for the first day of any and every class – it’s a sickness, really!)  That evening, however, I went out to eat with a couple of friends.  It was the same sushi restaurant I went to on Day 6 of the trial so I assumed I would not have any trouble ordering some raw rolls again.  I assumed wrong.  Once I tried to order the rolls without any rice, the waitress straight up rejected the request and said it would be impossible to even stick the ingredients together.  It was kind of annoying for her to tell me that when I didn’t have a problem requesting it before.  But it wasn’t too big deal because since the trial had ended 5 days ago so I really had no more obligations to stay on it any longer.  Although, I was a bit disappointed because I felt like I could have prolonged the diet a little longer.  And so, that was the end of my raw food streak!  Who knew I could last being raw for almost 35 days! 

So...what have I been up to now after having gone through this raw food journey?  I haven’t been 100% raw but I can honestly say that the majority of what I’ve been eating as of now has been raw.  I still drink at least one green smoothie a day and still continue incorporating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables into my diet.  After having gone through this trial, I do not look at food the same anymore.  Having gone through this experience has definitely changed some of the values I used to have regarding food.  I have become more aware of the foods I eat.  And when it comes to choosing the right foods to eat, I not only look at it as fuel or nourishment for my body but also something that can be quite tasty and enjoyable to eat.  When I’m in a grocery market, I am finding myself more drawn to fresh produce rather than packaged and/or canned goods.  And if I do decide to purchase any canned/packaged goods, I always check the back NOT to see how much calories or fat it has (which I’ve constantly done in the past) but to check the ingredients it contains.  I tend to purchase items that contain very basic ingredients.  If I can recognize and/or read the ingredients on the back, then I’m usually good to go.  But if it contains a story book length of modified fat ingredients, mono-and diglycerides, and hydrogenated oils than I usually say “No thanks!” 

The ingredients found in a typical frozen dinner:

I’m pretty sure most of you know this already but a lot of the packaged foods we buy at our local grocery stores have certain chemicals added into it in order to prolong shelf life.   I totally get that we live in a world of “convenience” – I mean...we’re busy with school, work, family, friends, etc so popping in a frozen meal in the microwave for lunch or for dinner work for us.  But with all these added chemicals, processing and preservatives, most of the nutritional elements we would usually find from the real thing (using wholesome ingredients) have been severely jeopardized.  Yes, it is a bit time consuming preparing our own meals but we can certainly develop methods in order to make it a little more convenient.  A lot of the meals I had on this trial have been very basic and didn’t take too much time to make.  Plus, there is this certain gratification you feel when having made a meal from scratch!

ENERGY LEVELS

I’ve noted a couple of times through out the trial regarding my high energy levels and how I’ve been able to sustain the energy (on most days) despite the lack of sleep I had during this trial.  Most of the skeptics I’ve shared this trial with suggested that the high energy levels I received have probably been caused by my high consumption of sugary fruits.  And once I get off the trial, I may become dependent on the sugars found in these foods in order to sustain energy.  Although coming from the skeptics, I do agree with this suggestion somewhat.  The food choices I’ve made on this diet have definitely contributed to the levels of energy I’ve been receiving.  Note that on day 14, I described how lethargic and sluggish I felt when I decided to up my fat intake too much, too fast.  And after re-reading through my entries, the days where my energy levels were at it’s highest had fallen on a day where the majority of what I ate was fruits high in sugar.  So yes, I guess the increase of these natural sugars have attributed to that aspect.  But you know the old adage you are what you eat?  The fact that I was able to sustain such high levels of energy through out the day (even after taking into account on my chronic lack of sleep) and not experience any harsh sugar crashes one would usually get on refined sweets like cake or candy says something.  And it’s not like I’m going to completely scrap this whole way of eating all together.  Hey, if I became dependent on fruits after having completed the trial, all good on me, right?!  Although most fruits contain a good amount of natural sugars in them, they are also LOADED with other beneficial nutritional elements that help our body to react and respond better to each other and to these sugars. 

Take a banana for example – depending on the size and how ripe it is, a banana can contain 15-30 grams of sugar.  Although pretty high in sugar, bananas are chalked full of potassium, magnesium, complex carbohydrates, vitamin c, vitamin b6, fiber, and is literally fat free!  The potassium in bananas helps our body to control high blood pressure while the magnesium helps to keep our blood pressure levels in line.  And for anyone looking to lose or maintain weight, turn to the almighty banana!  The vitamin B6 found in bananas helps build up our immune system and work to its full potential.  I am still consuming a good amount of bananas today and I plan to continue keeping this up until God decides to wipe the world of all banana goodness!    

WEIGHT LOSS

I mentioned on the last day of the trial that I’ve lost a total of 11.4 lbs on the diet.  And I have to say, I am both quite pleased and shocked at the results I received while on this diet.  Although the trial was not intended primarily as a means of weight loss, like any other girl (or guy, I’m sure!) out there, finding out that you could fit into your old favourite pair of jeans again would make girl happyJ!  And again, going back to the energy levels mentioned earlier, my increase in energy helped me to sustain a consistent yet challenging work-out regime. 

What has been happening to my weight loss since coming off a 100% raw food diet? It may be too early to say anything as of now but from what I can tell, the weight loss has definitely slowed down.  I expected this to happen sometime soon.  I started this trial at a healthy size and weight already so I never really based most of my weight loss the percentage of fat loss.  I really do believe that this diet has done a lot in cleaning out the gook that’s been building up inside my body through the years.  I’ve still been tracking down my weight on a weekly basis and based on the past three weeks, I averaged -0.26lbs (1^st week: -1.1lbs, 2^nd week: +1.2lbs, 3^rd week: -0.9lbs).  Week one was the week where I stayed raw for about 5 days more so I think that contributed to some of weight loss.  I gained 1.2lbs on week 2 – which was a little bit of a shock.  However, I did suddenly increase my intake of cooked foods this week (think:  3 different birthday celebrations in one week!).  Also, due to some of the food choices I made on this week, I ended up feeling sluggish and had this constant “bloat” feeling in my stomach.  On week 3, I upped my fruits, and green smoothies intake.  After a day, the bloat went away and I got back to my energetic selfJ! 

 DETOX SYMPTOMS

I have heard a couple of horror stories regarding the detox symptoms some people might get while undergoing a raw food trial.  It could be as mild as a headache and/or toothache or as severe as constant diarrhea, migraines and even vomiting.  The milder cases, I’ve experienced.  But I wouldn’t be able to give you an honest answer on whether I’ve experienced the severe detoxification cases.  On day 11 I mentioned how I did a 4 day raw food detox because I wanted to get rid of a terrible illness I had at the time.  I was already going through some serious uneasiness concerning my bowel and stomach area sooo I don’t think I would’ve even noticed if I experienced any of those particular detox symptoms. 

Some other milder cases I experienced while on this trial is bad breath, and the drying of my finger tips.  The bad breath only lasted for about a week more and was easily subdued by chewing on mint leaves or eating something citrus-y.  I am a little iffy considering that the drying of my fingertips was really one of the detoxification symptoms.  They continued to be dry up until the very last day of the trial.  I’ve been using an Arnica Cream to combat the dryness.  I’ve heard of many people experiencing this symptom while being on a raw food trial but I think my case might have something more to do with the dry winter my city’s been having.  As of now, my finger tips feel extremely smooth and I am currently not using any creams.  The weather in the city has warmed up quite a bit and may have something to do with that.         

BENEFITS

Goodness, I can go on and on with the benefits I’ve received while on this trial!  I’ve already mentioned a couple already!  Some other benefits?  Well, I have noticed an increase in my concentration and focus while incorporating these raw foods into my diet.  I’ve also previously described how this diet has helped me combat some of the severe anxiety I used to experience in the past.  Foods rich in complex carbohydrates, antioxidants, and specific vitamins and minerals have all helped to work with my body in order to create a calming effect on it.  I go into more detail on this here.  I have also noticed that my complexion has developed this healthy glow to it.  I used to have a little problem regarding combination skin (dry spots on my cheeks, oily on my t-zone area) but now, it looks and feels more supple and smooth.

IS THIS DIET FOR ME? 

To go raw or not to go raw:  that is the question!  I definitely think that this has been an awesome experience and I have received so many benefits on this raw food trial.  Although, I don’t think I will be able to maintain a 100% lifestyle on raw foods (sorry David Wolfe!).  Eating out may pose as one of the problems.  I only ate out once during the trial and now I’ve recently discovered that that was based purely on my luck at that time.  I think I would fear going out to eat due to the lack of control and knowledge I would have over the preparation of my food.  All the foods I consumed during the trial were very basic and/or prepared by my own hands therefore allowing me to be more aware and be more in control of the foods I ate.  However, I wouldn’t find it too hard living a lifestyle that is primarily rich in raw foods.  I am still willing to devote most of my food intake on raw foods.  I just feel so much more better being on a raw-food rich diet than I would normally feel when I’m off it.  Oh gosh, I sound like an addict or something!  But that’s okayJ!  I am always looking for ways to further benefit my health and nutritional knowledge and this trial has truly given me some of the tools to do so. 

WOULD I DO ANOTHER RAW FOOD TRIAL IN THE FUTURE?

Absolutely!  There are so many ways to go about doing a raw food trial.  On this particular trial, I tried to stick to these very basic guidelines: only consume raw fruits, vegetables, and nuts -- nothing processed, no added refined sugars and salts, and no added spices.  There are SOO many things I could change up and add for the next time I do another food trial.  Maybe incorporating some gourmet meals, adding some organic spices, disallowing hot beverages (oh noo!  My hot cacao drinks! lolJ), and maybe even trying to add raw fish and raw cheese to the diet (I’ve heard some hardcore raw foodists doing this).  I could also get more technical.  Aside from tracking down my weight loss, a lot of the observations I’ve made on this trial we’re personal observations which can be biased.  For the next time, I would like to get a bit more technical:  maybe tracking down my temperature levels from day to night (one’s temperature usually drops when on a raw food diet), checking weight fluctuations on a daily basis, keeping track of calories/macronutrients on a daily basis, and maybe even keeping a daily record of my pH levels in my urine!  (I know it may sound kind of sick to do but the raw food diet has often been referred to the “alkaline food diet”.  An alkaline-rich diet is extremely beneficial in keeping your body fit and healthy.  A raw food diet abundant in alkaline-rich foods helps normalize one’s alkaline level.)  Oh, there are so many possibilities and so many routes I could take for the next trial!  This is definitely not the last you’ve heard from my raw food trial! ;) 

If anyone has even the slightest inkling to try out such a diet -- whether it being for health reasons, personal benefits, detoxification cleanse, or even just out of pure curiousity -- go for it!  Who knows, this could be the perfect diet for you! 

Lastly, I’d like to end this saga by saying thank you too all the people who have been following and supporting me through this trial.  I’ve stayed honest and provided as much detail as I could possibly dish out based on my personal experiences and observations during this trial.  Although the trial has ended weeks ago, I am looking forward to further explore and expand my knowledge on healthy living and I will definitely continue to do just that.  So won’t you take a ride on the health-train with me?  Oh, gosh, OKAY, I’ll stop =P.

Ciao for now!