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!

Day 30

*GASPS* Another late post? Shocking, I know…J

But if it matters any, I was up till 4 o’clock in the morning de-wiring and then re-wiring the cords of my computer and wireless internet router. Someone had pulled a cord which tampered with the internet connection in the house. This is what I had to deal with and why I was up till 4 am:

You know…if I didn’t have to deal with such a mess and if I knew half the things I was doing with those damn cords, it wouldn’t have taken me so long…

But I am glad to report that a few hours and a couple hundred curse words later…

…the cords still remain a mess BUUUT I got the internet back on and running J ! A girl can only do so much…

BUT ANYWAYS, BACK TO THE TRIAL

I cannot believe I made it all the way through to the last day! Thank you so much for the people who have commented and supported me through this journey! Honestly, I really could not have made it through to DAY 30 without any of you guys! Whoa, where’s my Oscar? Because I think I just put Jamie Fox’s acceptance speech to shame!

These past 30 days have truly been a challenge but I am so glad I did this. I have gained so much (even more than I initially expected!) and to finally reach day 30 is kind of bitter sweet.

But without further ado, here is my final intake on this RAW FOOD TRIAL:

* a mug of hot cacao (1 tbsp raw cacao powder, 2 tbsp raw blue agave), 1 Fuji apple, 2 medium sized bananas

*another mug of hot cacao and 1/3 cup almonds

* My dad decided to treat our whole family out to our favourite buffet restaurant:

I was sooo excited to go because this particular buffet usually has a great selection of fresh fruits and veggies. Plus, how awesome would it be to end off a 30 day raw food trial by stuffing my face with plates after plates of fresh fruits and vegetables?! And booy-oh, did I ever stuff myself. My brother and I actually had a contest to see who would out-eat the other.

Here’s a little glimpse of our showdown:

My jaw got a pretty good work out on this plate of veggies. This first plate took me a while to eat which probably slowed my time down in this first round. My brother was in the lead at this time…

Brother is in the lead at this time. He makes his lead known and mocks me by taking a few pieces of Jello off dad’s plate and eats it while I continue to chew on my veggies. He will soon pay…

After giving my jaw a work out on those veggies, I head straight for the fruits fully hoping to catch up. (The honeydew and cantaloupe slices were SUPER juicy!) I inhale this plate in a second!

Oh, but what’s this? Plate number two’s slowing you down a little, dear brother?

Onto my third plate -- another dish of wholesome fruit goodness. (Unfortunately, the selection of fruits at that time was quite limited. I still enjoyed it but I would have liked it even more if they offered some berries or even watermelon L ).

Oh dear brother, you should have stayed away from the trans-fatty treats. I am totally owning the match by this time.

OWNED!!

Congratulations on clearing your bowl of ice cream! Unfortunately, faaar too late in the game. YOU LOSE.

HAH, okay. I’ll stop now. But goodness gracious, I felt like I consumed 300 lbs worth of food after that! Good thing fruits and vegetables digests pretty quick -- I was fine in an hour or so. Unfortunately for my brother, he had the rumbles in his tummy for a couple more… =/. The only problem I experienced was the “running to the bathroom every half hour” issue. Water makes up the majority of content in most fruits and vegetables.

* 1 dragon fruit

I had checked my weight at the start of the day: down 2.3 lbs -- a total loss of 11.4 lbs since starting this trial.

I started and ended this day off with high energy levels. My sleeping habits still remain the same yet I did not experience any sense of fatigue through out this last day. Even after the meal(s) I had at the buffet restaurant, my energy levels still remained quite high. (Usually, after having a big meal, I‘d be drained for the rest of the day.) Once my fullness subsided, I did some light yoga and then gave my elliptical a little work out. Even after both work outs, I still had plenty of energy to spend. I guess I ended this trial on a high note J .

I will devote another post sometime soon summarizing and further analyzing on what went down during the past 30 days. It might take me a couple of days to collect all my thoughts and hopefully, as I review, I will also have a decision on whether or not I should stick to this kind of diet. So tune in for final thoughts!

DAY 28

Today did not turn out to be a good day. This morning I woke up with a killer headache. This was probably due to my lack of sleep last night which averaged about 3 hours max. I would have gone back to sleep but unfortunately for me, I had work. The breakfast I had today, though, really helped me get through the first few hours on my shift. But as time passed and I got hungrier, I became weak and nauseous. To make matters worst, I had no opportunity to squeeze a meal in during my shift -- work was extremely busy today so none of us could really afford a break. There were many instances through out the shift where I either felt like passing out or throwing up. My energy levels were quite low today as my head continued to pound like a jack hammer.

I did consider that maybe I was undergoing some detox symptoms. I have heard that nausea, fatigue, even migraines are all common symptoms to have during a detoxification trial. But I find it strange to suddenly have these symptoms so late in the game. I never experienced any symptoms like these in the first stages of the trial so why all of the sudden am I experiencing it now?

I shared this info with a friend today and she said that it could be due to the changes I’ve made in my food intake. She suggested that I might have upped my sugar intake a little too much these past couple of days. Maybe the fruits higher in sugar (for example: dates) could be attributing to my lack of sleep. (This idea is kind of similar to when I upped my fat intake too much too fast midway in this trial.) I’ve considered that thought but whilst looking through past intakes, a lot of my meals have been high in sugar mainly due to the large consumption of fruits. I haven’t really been following a certain meal pattern (many raw foodists do -- for example, some might eat the raw foods higher in sugar earlier on in the day and then have the fattier foods, like avocado and nuts, in the later part of the day). For this trial, I just…basically eat what I want whenever I want. And it’s been working well for me so far, so I question the idea that the foods have something to do today‘s state. Which then leads me back to my first thought: my awesome sleeping habits. I guess old habits die hard…

ANYWAYS, my intake was a little on the low side due to the situation I just explained above.  And then once I did get the opportunity to eat, I felt too nauseous to let anything down. After work, I immediately crashed on the couch.  I think my body was begging for some sleep!  I feel fine as of now.  I pretty much just woke up an hour ago to eat and write this post J . OKAAAY, NO MORE BABBLING…

* chocolate banana smoothie (2 frozen bananas, 2 tbsp raw cacao powder, 2 tbsp flax seed, and 1 1/3 cup water)

* 1 juicy plumb

*1/3 cup dates, 1/3 cup almonds

*3 lettuce wraps (each wrap consisting of 2 tbsp salsa, 1 mushroom -- sliced), 2 grapefruits, 1 tangelo, and 2 bananas.

After that nap, and that meal ^^, I feel 100 time better!!

CIAO! J