This was my 80-10-10 week!  I attempted to eat 80% carb / 10% fat / 10% protein, which many Raw Foodists claim is optimum for energy and metabolic efficiency. The key is to maintain high calories without relying on fatty foods like nuts and oils.  I was skeptical, but I told myself I’d try a minimum of 3 days.  I made it 6 days straight!  And although I was *not* super successful at keeping my calories high enough, I did keep my ratios relatively steady.  And surprisingly, I felt great this week. I was soaring, totally blissed out.  It was sort of amazing!

And of course, the true measure of success,  my movements:

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

Food Journals

I used this website to track my intake every day this week, to make sure I was getting the appropriate 80-10-10 ratio and a sufficient caloric load.  I was very successful with the former but less so with the latter.  It takes a lot of fruits and veggies to meet those calorie requirements!  The only day I came close was Friday, and it was forced. I just wanted to see what it would take to get me there. Most days I hovered around 1,450 calories, but I never felt malnourished and I always felt sated.  I felt incredibly well-fed, in fact.  I have a renewed appreciation for fruit!  

I’ve only included the food diaries for two of the days – Tuesday my low day and Friday my high day, for comparison – but I’ve reported my calories and ratio’s for 5 days (I ate 80-10-10 on Monday but did not record my meals).

Tuesday, 24 March 2009

• Herbal tea with agave 
• Nectarine
• Green Smoothie -  1 medium banana, 1 small apple, 1 small lemon, 1 small orange, frozen mango, small hunk of ginger, 1 tbsp flax seeds, small bunch parsley, 2 kale leafs, 1 tsp Spirulina
• 6 Farmers Market prunes 
• Green Slaw w/ cabbage, half a zucchini, a broccoli stalk, and slivered red onion tossed in lemon juice, live apple cider vinegar, and a wee dollop of tahini 
• Broccoli florets, a carrot, and 2 celery stalks with Tamari-wasabi dip 
• Small apple 

Total Calories: 1023

83% from carbohydrates (238 g)

9% from fat (11 g)

8% from protein (26 g)

 

 

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

Total Calories: 1455

87% from carbohydrates (352 g)

6% from fat (10 g)

7% from protein (32 g)

 

 

Thursday, 26 March 2009

Total Calories: 1603

87% from carbohydrates (392 g)

6% from fat (11 g)

7% from protein (35.5 g)

 

 

Friday, 27 March 2009

• Banana
• Green Smoothie - 1 banana, 2 oranges, 1 lemon, 1 small apple, hunk of ginger, 4 kale leafs, small bunch parsley, 1 tsp coconut oil, 1 tbsp ground flax seeds, 1 tsp Spirulina powder
• Half a cantaloupe and pile of pineapple 
• Half a cauliflower, 2 stalks of celery, and a large carrot dipped in wasabi-Tamari 
• Slaw of zucchini, green cabbage, red onion, and carrot, in lemon juice-apple cider vinegar-tahini dip, served in a red cabbage cup 
• Orange
• Small apple with almond butter 
• Pile of raisins

Total Calories: 1999

83% from carbohydrates ( 465 g)

10% from fat (24 g)

7% from protein (43 g)

 

 

Saturday, 28 March 2009

Total Calories: 1421

80% from carbohydrates (314 g)

12% from fat (21 g)

8% from protein (43 g)

 

 

Overall, I’ve enjoyed eating 80-10-10 a lot more than I expected to. Now whenever I think of digging into that giant half cantaloupe or that mound of pineapple, I just gotta grin.  What I learned from this mini-trial is that I really thrive off of fruit, especially ‘juicy’ fruits (as opposed to ‘dry’ fruits like apples and bananas).  I will definitely be incorporating more of these fabulous foods into my daily regimen.  

 

This week I really caught a glimmer of that ‘lightness’ and euphoria that Raw Foodists always rave about.  I don’t think that 80-10-10 is sustainable for me, but it’s definitely given me insight into myself and my body.  And really, what more could I ask for?

 

We’re nearing the end of this grand RAW adventure . . .