The Raw Food Diet Experiment has officially started. Woo-hooo! I ate breakfast right up today. I love raw fruit and have it for breakfast on my standard diet. Normally, I pair the fruit up with cereal and soy milk ( I haven’t had cow’s milk for over a year ), but I didn’t eat the cereal or soy milk this morning. I just ate more fruit than I usually do. Shortly after, I noticed a small boost in energy. I also felt more awake, which is a little out of the ordinary for me in the mornings.
Breakfast
This morning’s breakfast was tasty! The oranges were right out of my mother’s backyard and were even better than the organic oranges I bought at Whole Foods (during my December ’08 trial). I believe this could be attributed to the oranges being so fresh. I picked them out of a tree, so they were never hauled in a refrigerated truck over a long distance. Also, I ate them shortly after they were picked so they didn’t have a chance to sit in a store or a refrigerator. I can’t imagine fruit being any fresher than this! The bananas were good too – they are my staple fruit due to being so convenient to eat. Also, if you are on a budget like me you appreciate their low price. 
To me, bananas are the Ramen noodles of the raw food world.
- organic oranges (521g)
- organic bananas (163g)
- blueberries (412g)
Lunch
For lunch I had a tasty salad. I don’t eat many greens normally and my body was enjoying it. Even so, I still kept feeling like I needed to add bacon bits or croutons to it. Eating this meal made me appreciate the little things we take for granted sometimes. In this case it was the croutons. They are so little, yet so tasty. You don’t even realize how much you miss them until they’re gone. Oh well…bye, bye, little croutons.
For the salad, I made the dressing myself and it came out pretty well. I used only natural ingredients and no spices. It tasted good, but the dressing definitely felt lighter than the usual Caesar dressing I throw on my salads. Still the mango, avocado, and onion blend provided a new sensation, which I improved upon by adding some lemon juice. The lemon juice gave the salad a bit of a zesty taste and really brought out the dressings finer points.
The actual preparation time for the food was short, only the weighing of the food took some time. To make things clear – the weight and quantities listed below the images will measure only the food I eat. So even though the picture may be of two bananas with peels, or whole apples, I am only counting the edible parts in the measurements. Therefore peels, cores, seeds, etc. will not be in the final measurements.
- berry smoothie: strawberries (150g), blueberries (110g), organic bananas (192g), 2 cups coconut water, 1 cup ice
- blueberries (339g)
- salad: organic romaine lettuce (132g), organic radicchio lettuce (14g), diced green, red, and yellow peppers (56g), organic tomato (95g), organic avocado (51g)
- salad dressing: mango (57g), organic avocado (44g), organic white onion (69g), 1 tsp lemon juice
Dinner
For dinner I had a smoothie and some almonds. I didn’t feel that hungry so I didn’t want to force myself to eat. I ate some almonds just for some added protein and some apples to clean out the almond pieces that were stuck in my teeth.
(no pic)
- smoothie: bananas (236g), organic collard greens (96g), papaya (181g), mango (168g), carrots (113g)
- almonds (54g)
- apples (216g)
One thing I immediately noticed today is how much lighter I felt after every meal. This was unusual since I ate pretty big portions. Another contrast to my standard diet is a lack of sleepiness after meals. Normally I get sleepy after eating certain meals on my standard diet and I can’t stand when my eyes start drooping. That didn’t happen today though. I didn’t want to rest after eating any of these meals and I was ready to go as soon as I had finished them. Other than that, no side effects of any kind occurred today. I felt pretty normal.
Measurements
For this experiment, I will be keeping track of how much I eat, my weight, temperature, pH levels, and blood pressure throughout the 30 Days. I will be measuring the majority of the food in grams, but will also be using some measurements that are used in cooking recipes, such as teaspoons, tablespoons, cups, etc. I figured it would be easier to say cups of water than trying to measure the water in grams. For the food measurements, I bought the Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale. I read a lot of positive reviews about this scale and the price is quite reasonable. The weight measurements will be tracked in lbs and I will be using the Weight Watchers Glass Precision Electronic Scale – WW34. From using it a bit, I’ve discovered that the scale needs a flat surface for it to give an accurate reading, so don’t put it on carpets or uneven surfaces. Other than that it works great. The thermometer I will be using is the Exergen TAT-2000 C. It is used by nurses in pediatric offices, so I know it has be pretty accurate. The pH paper is something I picked up at my local store and it measures the pH levels in .25 pH increments. I will be taking my blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) every day using a blood pressure machine that is located in the Pharmacy Department at a Publix Supermarket next to my place of work.
Vitals
Weight: I weighed myself this morning at 189 lbs, which is pretty close to my average weight of 190 lbs. I tend to lose or gain a couple of pounds throughout the week.
Body Temperature: My temperature this morning was 98.1 °F. This is close to my average of around 98.2 °F.
pH levels: The pH level today was 6.75 pH. A bit on the acidic side, but this corresponds with the readings taken prior to experiment.
Blood Pressure: My blood pressure was a little higher than I expected. I took the reading and the systolic pressure was 133 and the diastolic was 67. The systolic reading was in the pre-hypertension range, which surprised me because I work out 3-4 times a week. I do have a sedentary lifestyle at work and at home though.
Endurance: I went to the gym today and ran my warm up of 1 mile. I didn’t feel a difference in my energy levels while running it or after finishing the mile.
Strength: My strength did not seem to change while lifting weights. I was doing my normal weight and did not feel any differences while lifting.
Cognitive Capacity: I was at a normal state throughout the day. I did not notice a difference in mental capacity.
