I have been RAW for 10 days straight!  Congratulations to me!  What an interesting adventure, and not without it’s low points (and equal highs, of course).  I’ve been keeping notes about my general moods and mentality, as well as my physical experience, along the way.  I should note that this week I began my cycle, and thus it may be difficult to parse PMS/MS symptoms from a strictly dietary response. With that in mind, my 10 days have gone something like this:

Sunday (day 1) through Tuesday, I had a constant dull ache inside my forehead, the delightful affects of caffeine withdrawal.  This was gone by Wednesday, and was the only acute detox I experienced.  On Monday I began getting incredibly tired after eating.  This exhaustion would last around an hour and would be nearly-debilitating in its severity.  By the weekend it had abated, but was replaced by another strange symptom: a post-meal headache. I have been getting these pretty frequently following lunch or dinner, and I cannot guess as to the cause. Wednesday night I had a very strong craving for gin, which I found quite odd. Beginning Thursday morning and continuing all the way through this morning, I have been feeling sore and easily fatigued during my workouts.  Friday I was craving hot food all day, and had a bad headache to boot, with accompanying body aches.  Boo.  Saturday and Sunday were much better, and I seem to be on an upswing since then.  I definitely had trouble re-learning how to regulate my blood sugar, and I had to deal with a few accidental crashes this week, which are decidedly not fun.  So, a bit of a learning curve for this RAW life, but I think I’m getting the hang of it now!

Of course I recorded what I consider to be the true measure of my health, my movements: 

S- yes, M- yes, T- no, W- yes, R- no, F- yes, Sat- yes, S- no, M- yes

Food Journals

I did not make a complete accounting of everything I consumed each day, but I did keep meticulous lists on two random days: Wednesday and Friday.  I ate very differently on these two days, which presents an interesting contrast.  I analyzed my meals with this awesome and highly recommended website.  Keep in mind that during this trial I am really trying to listen to my body.  I let myself eat whatever sounds good, I eat whenever I’m hungry, and I stop when I get full.  I was surprised by both the low calorie count on Wednesday and the high fat ratio on Friday, because these two days did not feel that different to me.

Wednesday, 4 March 2009 

• Green Smoothie – 1 banana, 1.5 oranges, 1 small tomato, pineapple chunks, squeeze of lemon, 2 big collard greens leaves
• 1 big carrot
• 2 collard greens ‘wraps’ stuffed w/ tomato, diced onion, sunflower seeds, Tamari
• 1/2 bottle Kombucha
• Green Plate – arugula, 1/2 red bell pepper, small tomato,  1/2 avocado, diced onion, 1 tsp flax seeds 
• Homemade Dressing – 1 garlic clove, 1/2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp white balsamic 

Total Calories: 759  

55% from carbohydrates (423 calories)

36% from fat (271 calories)

9% from protein (65 calories)

Total Carbohydrates: 116 g

• Fiber: 31 g
• Sugar: 57 g

Total Fats: 32 g

• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Omega-3: 412 mg
• Omega-6: 5756 mg

Total Protein: 21 g 
 

Vitamins – I was well over my vitamin requirements *except* for these:

• Vitamin E: 69% DV 
• Thiamin: 68% DV 
• Riboflavin: 44% DV 
• Niacin: 50% DV 
• Vitamin B12: 10% DV 

Minerals:

• Calcium: 43% DV 
• Iron: 31% DV 
• Magnesium: 67% DV 
• Phosphorous: 50% DV 
• Potassium: 88% DV 
• Zinc: 21% DV 
• Copper: 59% DV 
• Manganese: 126% DV 
• Selenium: 16% DV 

Friday 6 March 2009

• Green Smoothie – 1 banana, 1 brown pear, 2 tbsp almond butter, 1 tbsp agave, 2 collard greens leaves  
• 1 medium carrot, 1 head of broccoli, and 1 handful green beans w/ 1 tbsp of Tamari + 1 tsp white vinegar with 1/2 clove garlic
• 4 collard greens ‘wraps’ stuffed w/ RAW ‘refried beans’, tons of guacamole, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, diced onion, green pepper, lemon juice, cumin and chili powder

Total Calories: 1897  

35% from carbohydrates (652 calories)

55% from fat (1067 calories)

9% from protein (177 calories)

Total Carbohydrates: 177 g

• Fiber: 63 g 
• Sugar: 58.5 g 

Total Fats: 126 g

• Saturated Fat: 14 g 
• Omega-3: 954 mg 
• Omega-6: 31857 mg 

Total Protein: 59 g
 

Vitamins – I was well over my vitamin requirements *except* for these:

• Vitamin B12: 0% DV 
• Pantothenic Acid: 93% DV 

Minerals:

• Calcium: 81% DV 
• Iron: 102% DV 
• Magnesium: 185% DV 
• Phosphorous: 155% DV 
• Potassium: 171% DV  
• Zinc: 76% DV 
• Copper: 167% DV 
• Manganese: 300% DV 
• Selenium: 101% DV 

Analyzing these two days, the caloric and macromolecule disparity is amazing. The calories more than doubled, while the carbohydrate : lipid ratio virtually flipped! Here are the things I found most interesting:

Although the overall calories were very different, the protein % was the same for both days.  This represents differing protein intake (21g vs 59g), but either way I’d prefer my protein to contribute a slightly higher percentage of total caloric load.  I am a firm believer in a low(er) protein diet, and am hesitant to even broach the subject given the general hysteria it so often incites.  Suffice it to say, I’d like to see my protein  ratio higher – closer to 15-20% – via foods that won’t add as much oils as nuts, seeds, and avocados do.  I’m investigating options.

So, on Friday I got 55% of my calories from fat.  HA!  I should point out that this was atypical, because at the last minute I added a great gob of guacamole to my dinner – an entire 1.5 avocado’s worth for ~350 calories and ~31 grams of fat. These are all ‘good fats’ (and fiber as well!) and I’m not worried about it at all, but I thought I should explain the cause of such inflation.  Don’t worry – if statistical analysis were run across the entire week, Friday would definitely be an outlier.

In general, I am much less concerned with macro-nutrients (protein, fats, and carbs) than I am with micronutrients (vitamins and minerals).  Considering the components that interest me most, I am very pleased with these results.  It just remains to be seen how pleased I’ll be with the overall lifestyle.

I’ll continue to tweak my habits in order to produce a more balanced, optimal range of nourishment.  I’ll be tabulating two more days in the coming week and reporting them at the 2-Week Check-In.  Anything else you’d like me to track before then?