Wednesday, 05 March 2008

  • 30 DAYS OF RAWESOME GOODNESS

    Yeah, ahh said RAWESOME!

    ACTUALLY, I have been experimenting with this new way of eating know as the raw food diet. Basically, what this diet requires of you is quite simple: consuming foods in its purest form -- raw. This diet usually consists mainly of fruits, vegetables, nuts, sprouts, beans, and dehydrated fruits -- all uncooked or raw. Why raw, you ask? Well kids, the idea is that foods like these lose most of their nutrients if heated to 116 degrees F and over. It is believed that cooking these foods causes it to lose a significant amount of it’s nutritional value thus destroying the “life force” of it. Important enzymes found in these foods that aid in the absorption and digestion for our body is destroyed during the heating process. This diet also requires you to absolutely (or at least, significantly reduce) the consumption of processed, pasteurized, refined, or anything that has been exposed to pesticides and insecticides (in other words, organic is your friend!). If you want to know more about this diet I would suggest you try googling it (or even youtubing it! I found a lot of great and useful information on youtube!).

    Anyways, so I`ve been eating raw for about a month now. I haven’t been completely raw for the whole time but I`d say…about 90% of my diet consisted mostly of raw fruits, veggies, and nuts. It was only till recently that I have decided to undergo a 30 day trial. I am now on my 5th day into it and already, I’ve had a few bumps in the road. Not enough to totally throw me off the trial but enough to ALMOST go ramped at the site of a chicken drumstick from my brothers hand…WHAT! He was totally waving that juicy piece of Kentucky fried goodness in my face just to spite me and kill my chances of ever completing this diet! Evil, evil child! But back to the trial! Besides that little episode, the diet has been working quite well for me. Like I’ve mentioned before, I gradually started introducing this diet about a month ago and have already seen great benefits! Things I have been noticing is the increase of my energy level -- I usually tire quite frequently through out the day and after school and work, once I get home, I am completely dead! Since beginning this diet, I have been able to sustain my energy through out the day with out having myself go through such fatigue. I am also not dead by the end of the day!

    My sleeping patterns have improved. I have always had a problem with my sleeping habits. Although I am totally dead by the end of they day that does not entirely mean I end up passed out on the couch till the next morning. I usually do a little power nap of 30 mins or so and then I stay up till about 4 am in the morning. I am also very restless when sleeping. I toss and turn frequently and often have very bad back pains when waking up (and NO, I am not a 75 year old lady with spinal cord issues!) I wake up cranky and miserable every morning. I am a veerry different and unpleasant person in the morning.  Now, my sleeping schedule has been pretty steady. I’ve been getting about 6-8 hours of sleep a night (which is a great improvement from 4-5 hours a night and waking up every single hour). I wake refreshed and vibrant.  My family has actually commented on how tolerable I’ve become in the morning!

    One thing that I am quite loving about this diet is the control I have over the foods I eat. I have always been a little obsessed with the foods I eat and I do try my best to eat healthier foods but when I get my cravings…BOOYO DO I GET MY CRAVINGS! I used to have craaazy cravings over really sweet sweets (pies, cakes, cheesecakes, donuts, you name it!) and no matter how much I try to control those cravings, once a pie pops into my eyesight, I suddenly transform into this food-deprived ape-man who could and would literally inhale that pie in a second! But ever since I started introducing these raw foods into my diet more and more, I have this new sense of control over sweets! YAY! I am guessing the fruits have something to do with satisfying my sweet tooth. Also, I hardly have any more cravings for any of the refined and heavily processed foods I used to eat. Although my craving for sweets have nearly vanished, I have been wanting more of the meatier foods (things like fish, chicken, beef, pork) which strangely, have never really been an issue before. But luckily, for now, I have been able to control these cravings with nori rolls or home-made salsa on lettuce leaves.

    Most people’s first impressions on this diet is that the foods look quite limited, a little bland, and also, many have this fear of feeling hungry on this diet (for it must be hard to get enough calories from just fruits and veggies). But I will tell you right now, from my experience, I am really loving this diet and the benefits I have gained while doing it. I have noticed how supple my skin as been looking, and how awake my eyes are looking. I cannot owe this to the diet 100% but I definitely think it has played a big part! But I think what I love most about this diet is that I can, literally, eat pounds and pounds of food and NOT gain any weight! Now for a girl who LOOVES to eat, that is awesome news! In fact, many have used this type of diet as a means of weight-loss. You should definitely check out Angela Stokes’ weight loss success on this diet. She lost over 160 lbs living on just pure, raw foods -- it’s quite an amazing story! (Again, I am going to suggest you to google it…not everything in life can be handed to ya on a silver plate, you know! =P).

    I have decided to blog my journey during this trial. I will probably be recording such things like energy levels, emotional levels, changes in mental alertness (focus), any detox symptoms, and any physical changes. I will also try to jot down the foods that I have eaten though out the day. I am not going to track down the calories. I do not want to focus on my calorie intake mainly because I fear becoming obsessed with it (as I have been known to do in past diets). Also, this has been my first diet where I do not intend it being as a means of weight loss. I am quite content with my weight right now and I do not have any reason to lose any weight during this trial. Having said that, I will not do daily weigh ins. I may do some once every week or so, or at the end of the trial (mainly because of my own curiosity!) but I will not be so meticulous on that aspect. I will be eating a very basic vegan-based raw diet consisting mostly of fruits, veggies and nuts. I will try to make this a daily thing.

    Based on the benefits I am receiving right now, I am seriously considering living a lifestyle of raw foods, or at least, base most of my diet on raw foods. This trial will truly test that idea. I have considered becoming vegan in the past but that has always been just an area uncharted up till now. Hopefully, by the end of this trial, these looming ideas will become clearer to me.

    Okie dokes, let’s see how this goes!

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