RAW Month: 3-Week Check-In

March 24th, 2009 - filed under: The Food » Food Styles

Well guys, I had a rough week.  It was a confluence of factors, all falling in line to foul me up.  Yar!  So I’m a bit rough around the edges right now, and wondering which symptoms are dietary and which are environmental.  It’s been a weird week.

Monday morning started off sluggish with a ‘weekend hangover’, but exercise perked me up and I was in my groove by evening.  Unfortunately, I woke up Tuesday morning with horrible gas pains, which prevented me from exercising at all.  The night before, I’d eaten sprouted beans for the first time since going raw. Was it just that hummus, rockin’ my tummy after 2 whole weeks of nothing but fresh fruits and veggies?  I was also backed up, which lasted into the next day.  I hate that.  I’ve felt bloated and lethargic ever since, although I did exercise on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  I hadn’t intended on it, but Saturday I began taking an unrelated, medicinal tea.  This was the first warm thing to pass my lips in nearly 3 weeks!  I only heated it a bit, not even close to boiling, but it was still a totally strange sensation.  I’ve taken the tea each day since then and will continue to do so indefinitely.  Sunday I felt exhausted, both physically and emotionally.  I feel like I’m getting sick, but I haven’t gotten sick once since going veg*n!  So come on ‘RAW’, don’t fail me now!

 

The most accurate measure of my health, in my opinion, is my movements:

M- yesT- no, W- yes, R- yes, F- yes, S- yes, S- yes, M- yes


Food Journals

I tracked my food for two days this week, using this website again.  I was not as good at listening to my body, which happens when I’m run-down and tired.  As a result I ate a lot of very rich foods, a lot of nuts and oils and dried fruits and the like. The good part about that is, I definitely didn’t have trouble keeping my calories up!  


Monday, 16 March 2009

  • Green Smoothie -  1 medium banana, 1 small apple, 1 small lemon, fresh mini mango, 1 small bunch parsley, 1 giant kale leaf, 1 tbsp Spirulina powder
  • 1 tomato and 1 small head of broccoli w/ a Tamari wasabi dip and a tahini lemon garlic dip  
  • Simple dinner salad of mixed greens, tomato, cucumber, diced onions, tossed in lemon juice, olive oil, and white balsamic vinegar
  • Sprouted Chickpea hummus with carrot sticks, cucumber spears, and broccoli florets 

Total Calories: 1913

60% from carbohydrates (1147 calories)

28% from fat (530 calories)

12% from protein (236 calories)

 

Total Carbohydrates: 304 g

  • Fiber: 77 g
  • Sugar: 108 g

Total Fats: 62 g

  • Saturated Fat: 8.5 g
  • Omega-3: 978 mg
  • Omega-6: 15657 mg

Total Protein: 75 g

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

  • Vitamin E: 84% DV
  • Niacin: 79% DV
  • Vitamin B12: 0% DV

Minerals:

  • Calcium: 90% DV
  • Iron: 175% DV
  • Magnesium: 145% DV
  • Phosphorous: 163% DV
  • Potassium: 186% DV
  • Zinc: 88% DV
  • Copper: 189% DV
  • Manganese: 425% DV
  • Selenium: 50% DV

 

 

Friday, 20 March 2009

  • Green Smoothie – 1 large banana, 1 small apple, 1 small lemon, 1/3 cup blueberries, 2 giant chard leaves, bunch of parsley, 2 tbsp ground flax seeds, 1 tsp Spirulina powder
  • 1 small zucchini and 1 medium carrot in tahini/lemon/tamari/live apple cider vinegar dressing 
  • 1 small piece of chocolate ganache torte 
  • A giant handful of raisins 
  • A handful of kale chips 
  • ‘Green Plate’ with red leaf lettuce, green cabbage, medium tomato, whole avocado, mini yellow bell, mini orange bell, spiny melon, red onion, tahini, live apple cider vinegar 
  • 2 apples with extra almond butter 

Total Calories: 2216

49% from carbohydrates (1085 calories)

44% from fat (983 calories)

7% from protein (148 calories)

 

Total Carbohydrates: 303 g

  • Fiber: 62 g
  • Sugar: 169 g

Total Fats: 116 g

  • Saturated Fat: 27 g
  • Omega-3: 1039 mg
  • Omega-6: 20544 mg

Total Protein: 46 g

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

  • Vitamin E: 41% DV
  • Niacin: 68% DV
  • Vitamin B12: 0% DV

Minerals:

  • Calcium: 77% DV
  • Iron: 101% DV
  • Magnesium: 180% DV
  • Phosphorous: 142% DV
  • Potassium: 162% DV
  • Zinc: 62% DV
  • Copper: 202% DV
  • Manganese: 309% DV
  • Selenium: 17% DV

 

In general, the Raw Vegan community is separated into two camps: the fat-friendlies and the 80-10-10s.  The fat friendly folks eat like I have been eating so far, focusing on fruits and veggies (especially dark leafy greens) while enjoying a good dose of avocados, seeds, nuts, and oils (like coconut and olive).  Each of these treats is high in ‘good fat’, and also boasts an assortment of healthful nutrients. Many people eating RAW get upwards of 50% of their calories from fat, and consume many more calories than ‘normal’, while maintaining average or below average weights.  It’s sort of an anomaly that’s yet to be explained.

The other side of the camp is the 80-10-10 crew, who’s name refers to the ratio of macronutrients they aim to ingest: 80% carbohydrates : 10% fats : 10% proteins. They generally eat a variety of fruits and veggies (again especially those dark leafy greens), but primarily focused on fruits – especially the sweet ones.  This is a ‘low fat’ and ‘low protein’, but very high calorie, meal plan.  Because the ratio of fats and proteins is lowered, the total intake must be higher in order to meet the bodies needs.  Most low-fat Raw Vegans consume an epic amount of food throughout the day, often over 3,000 calories, even up into 3,500.  Of course, they too experience below-average weight, even while consuming enough energy to fuel an orca. Another anomaly.

And, this is how I’ll be attempting to eat this coming week: the 80-10-10 route.  Wish me luck.  My tummy just isn’t that big, so I’ll need it.

sign-off