I woke up this morning feeling better physically, but was still somewhat mentally lagging. I was still in the fog zone and it took me around 35 minutes to come to a bit more functional state. I didn’t feel any of the sick symptoms from the previous day.
All I did on Day 4 was sleep, and lay around feeling sick and lethargic. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, think about anything, or even eat for that matter. I just wanted to stay in bed and sleep, which I couldn’t do once I had gotten enough sleep. Instead of just sitting in bed, I started reading a book on the raw food diet.
It’s a good thing I made it to Day 5 without the sickness. I think I may have adapted faster this time because of my previous trial on the raw food diet. The first trial affected me in a good way, partly because it let me know what to expect on the second attempt. On top of that, the first trial acted like a mini-detox session, because during that trial I was way sicker on Day 4 and Day 5. Knowing what to expect and the mini-detox were great, but the most important aspect of the first trial was the habit it instilled in me during the following months.
The habit of eating raw food for 12 days straight during December instilled in me a tendency to eat more raw vegetables and fruit from that point onward. So even though I went back to cooked foods, upon entering the supermarket I would go towards the produce isle first. Then I would browse, load up, and budget to see how much money I had left over for cooked food. Why did I do this? Well, by doing the 12 days of straight raw foods diet, I had moved the needle in the direction of a cleaner and more conscious diet. I’ve read it takes 21 straight days of actively doing something to form a habit. My 12 day trial was less than that, but it still moved the needle in a more conscious direction. I’m not saying I’ll never eat cooked foods or cooked meat again, but I do know that I have significantly reduced the amount of cooked foods and cooked meat that I have consumed in the past few months. By significantly I mean around 50 percent. That’s a huge change. Why did I decide to change? Well I was partially motivated by the incredibly good feelings I felt from eating raw foods during my trial. I realize it was not an entirely altruistic choice.
I have felt good feelings from eating steaks too, but I figured if I could feel even better (and better is not the right word, it should be fantastic), while at the same time not harming any animals, then that would be a win/win for me and for the environment.
On a side note, this website and the experiments on it, are not aimed at trying something and succeeding on the first attempt. Although if you can, the more power to you. This website is here to help you move the needle towards more conscious choices. Even if the needle moves just a little, that is still a great start. The old quote “even the longest journey, begins with the first step” is a great example of that. I don’t suggest everyone be as extreme as me. You can first start out by just cutting down on processed food and working from there. All I ask is that you try something. I applaud effort just as much as success. And if you don’t get it right the first time (notice I fell off after 12 days), well, hey, that’s ok! Take a deep breath, dust yourself off, and try again.
Breakfast
I was pretty excited to eat breakfast. I love breakfast because the fruit helps me wake up. I don’t ever eat green vegetables for breakfast so I’m pretty enthusiastic during my morning meals. Today I ate some organic oranges that were out of my mom’s back yard. She has 2 orange trees and they produce a lot of fruit. These oranges are packed with juice and nutritious, yummy goodness. After I eat them in the mornings I feel wide awake, I really can’t describe the feeling any better than that. I also made myself a fruit smoothie that was berrylicious.
- organic oranges (235g)
- fruit smoothie: strawberries (161g), organic bananas (315g), blueberries (40g), 3 cups water
Lunch
I was looking forward to lunch which came 6 hours after breakfast due me having to take a later lunch because of a client. I was pretty excited about the mixed fruit salad I had prepared.
I came out of the mental fog a little before lunch, which was great. Wondering around in the mental fog is counter productive and a bit of a drain.
Speaking of drainage, I like that the raw food diet lunch never makes me sleepy after I eat it. In fact it has just the opposite effect, I’m always so full of pep after I eat. Today I felt like I could go climb mountains and wrestle bears! Although I’ve consumed plenty of cooked meals that made me want to hibernate like the bears, I’ve never had a cooked meal that could make me feel like I could wrestle them.
- fruit salad: organic banana (85g), organic grapefruits (561g), organic blueberries (176g), strawberries (239g), kiwi (180g)
Dinner
Dinner was a little tough to get through. I kept having these strong meat cravings. I just felt like I had to have a burger or a steak. From what I’ve read this is not only a withdrawal symptom, but also a sign that I am not eating enough greens. This is true in my case, because I don’t really like green vegetables unless I eat them cooked or with some nice fattening salad dressing. I also noticed a buildup of saliva in my mouth as I was thinking about the meat. I studied Pavlov’s dogs in college, but I never knew how they felt until today. I tried to keep my mind off of the cravings and just chewed on some apples while watching a DVD on Raw Foods.
If you plan on attempting this diet, I suggest you throw out your TV. The worst thing you can do while going through the initial two weeks is watch TV. Every time there is a commercial, there is a 60% chance it will be a food commercial. Your brain will be bombarded with food commercials. The advertisers know their stuff so they make the food look appealing using plastics, smoke, nitric acid, special effects, etc., but notice that when you order food at your local fast food place – it NEVER looks like the commercial! Never! Like I said, stay away from the TV.
I would recommend reading this blog (I’m here for you 
) and also books on the raw food diet. You need to saturate and immerse yourself in it. Read about other people who were inspired to try it and whom are now raw foodists. It’s hard to go at it alone, so don’t. And if you feel a strong urge to stray, tell yourself you can go back to your standard diet after one month. I doubt you will go back completely, but even if you do, be proud of yourself for having moved the needle.
For my dinner I had a green smoothie and some mango. I added a little bit of fat to the mix with the Brazil nuts. I like cashews most of all, but Brazil nuts are also among my favorites. For the green smoothie I also added some pumpkin seeds and flax seeds. I ground these up in a coffee grinder. In order to get the benefits of flax seeds you need to grind them up, otherwise your stomach can NOT digest them. Also if you do grind them up, put them in the fridge and use them as quickly as possible, otherwise they oxidize and lose nutritional value. Experts say it only takes about 15 minutes in the light for ground flax seeds to oxidize if oxygen is present. And last time I checked, oxygen is all around us.
- mango (243g)
- organic Brazil nuts (131g)
- green smoothie: organic bananas (139g), rainbow kale (41g), organic collard greens (53g), organic baby spinach (40g), organic pumpkin seeds (20g), flax seeds (21g), 2 cups water
After-Dinner Snack
I felt some meat cravings after dinner so I went to the fridge and grabbed two apples. After finishing the apples, I still craved the meat, but not nearly as much.
- organic Fuji apples (217g)
Vitals
Weight: I’m down another 1.2 lbs from Day 4. That clocks me in at 183 lbs. Now I’m worried. I know I haven’t been eating enough calories. I seriously need to up my intake in the coming days to keep from losing too much weight.
Body Temperature: My temperature today was 97.6 °F. Which is a whole degree drop from yesterday. Maybe my temperature will continue to drop as well.
pH levels: The pH level today was an average of 7.0 for most of the day.
Blood Pressure: My blood pressure did not change too much from previous days. The systolic was at 130 and diastolic at 68.
Endurance: I went to the gym today and felt pretty normal. I was lifting my normal weight without any problems.
Strength: The weight I was doing felt like my normal weight. It didn’t feel any heavier, but it wasn’t any lighter either.
Cognitive Capacity: I still had the mental fog when I woke up, but it was to a lesser degree than on Day 4. After lunch the fog was even lighter. Still, I’m not at normal capacity. And there is still some fog around my brain.
