Another wonderful day on the raw food diet. Woke up feeling good and rested even though I only slept around 4 hours last night. I was up immediately after the alarm clock rang. I jumped out the bed, did the hygiene thing, and weighed in. I weigh myself every morning before I eat anything. Today was another weight loss day.

I don’t like losing weight. Before I started working out and taking whey protein senior year in high school, I used to be  skinny. I made a great effort to go from 155 lbs to 185 in a year, which took a lot of timed eating, protein shakes, and working out. It was not all muscle.

I just wanted to gain weight and look more muscular. I thought being more muscular would make me more attractive to members of the opposite sex. Needless to say, that was not the way to go, but that’s what I had been bombarded with by the media, society, friends, etc. So when I see myself losing weight now, I feel like I’m losing part of the hard work I did that year. It’s like painting a beautiful painting, that you are proud of, and then slowly tearing pieces off of it.  I say pieces because I usually lose the weight in a certain order. First my arms become skinnier, then my stomach, then my chest. I don’t like it, but I’m sure the pros will outweigh the cons.  If they don’t, I can always return to my standard diet.

After weighing in, taking my temperature, and checking the pH balance in my body, I went to the kitchen to prepare my food. Today I didn’t have to go to work until later so I made myself a fancy breakfast, or at least I decorated it to the best of my ability.  I’m no chef but I had fun playing with my food…tha’s right, I am a rebel!  What I noticed is that the raw food seems to taste better and better every day that I eat it.

At first it was kind of different and my body felt it was weird to eat just raw food without any condiments, but slowly it’s adjusting. I can feel it.

When I made the switch from white bread (around 7 years ago) to whole wheat, the whole wheat tasted like cardboard.  It took two weeks of forcing myself to eat it for me to start liking it. Once I did start liking it, I never went back to white bread. I would not usually eat the white bread if that was all that was available (the rare exceptions being fast food, which I ate about once or twice a month before starting the Raw Food Diet). On to breakfast!

Breakfast

I really liked the way the kiwi tasted when I combined it with the bananas. It took me around 5 minutes to prepare this meal, most of that time was spent peeling the kiwi and oranges. It took me 10 minutes to eat everything. The only part that takes a long time is the time I spend measuring and documenting everything. I am documenting it because I want others to read this blog and decided to try the raw food diet for themselves. And once they do, they’ll thank me for it!

1. organic kiwi (216g)
2. organic bananas (311g)
3. organic oranges (378g)
4. glass of water

Pre-Lunch Snack

I’m trying to increase the caloric intake because whereas most people think you will be hungrier on this diet, I am actually having to push myself to eat. I just don’t feel that hungry a majority of the time. This could just be part of the detox or it could be my body adjusting to the diet, but I don’t feel like I want to eat all that much. A quick point I will share, David Wolfe said, “Your body will tell you what is best for you, so listen to it.”

1. organic Fuji apples (321g)

Lunch

Great meal. I love blueberries. Not much to report other than tastiness!

1. organic oranges (298g)
2. organic grapefruit (259g)
3. bananas (286g)
4. blueberries (371g)

Dinner

For dinner I usually have a salad, I like being consistent. I still have a tough time with greens. I sneak other vegetables into the salads and I blend the not-so-tasty-greens in my blender, but I still don’t like greens that much. I will have a day where I love eating the salad and then one where I’m thinking, “It’s so bland, blah!” I have tried making my own salad dressings to get over the bland flavor, but I still crave the old standard dressings I was using before this experiment. Dinner time!

1. mixed salad: organic romaine lettuce, red cabbage, and carrot blend (162g), organic mixed baby greens (39g), tomatoes (237g), cucumbers (60g)
2. glass of water

When I eat dinner, I usually try to read a book or some articles online. A couple of days ago, I found out that all almonds produced in the United States are pasteurized, even if the label on the almonds states they are raw. There are also no labels on the packaging stating that the almonds have been pasteurized. I had the so called raw-pasteurized almonds in a few of my meals so far, but I am not going to be eating any more going forward unless they are 100% raw almonds.

To be honest, I’m not surprised that our government doesn’t label things quite as it should. It is massively influenced by powerful processing food companies like Kraft, Kellogg, Campbell, etc. They have ways of sneeking in amendments to bills that affect even organically grown foods. I mean organically grown foods are supposed to be sacred and yet companies like Kraft can still get their say due to the lobbyists they back. I just wanted to post this as a warning that things are not what they seem, so if you read a label and it says raw, you should do your homework and find out if that labeling is 100% accurate.

Post Dinner

I decided to make a smoothie after dinner to get more greens in. I chewed it slowly…mmmmm greens!

1. green smoothie: bananas (310g), organic chard (74g), organic baby spinach (50g), 3 cups water

Vitals

Weight: I’m down another .8 lbs from Day 8.  Down to 180.6 lbs. I guess all that running around to see David Wolfe speak had its tole. Also I did not eat too much on Day 8, so this was to be expected.

Body Temperature: My temperature today was 97.7 °F. Temperature seems to be going down.

pH levels: The pH level today was an average of  of 7.25. I measure it three times a day and just take the average.

Blood Pressure: My blood pressure seems to be staying where it’s at. The systolic was at 129 and diastolic at 68.  I hope this will come down by the end of the experiment. My theory is that I’ve been eating many animal products until now and those were not so good for the heart.

Endurance: I did not go to the gym today and did no running.

Strength: Like I said, I did not go to the gym.

Cognitive Capacity: No significant change from Day 8.

Today I woke up feeling really excited. This was not due to the diet itself. I was excited about seeing David Wolfe (a major raw food guru) speak LIVE (nice pun here ) in Orlando. I find it interesting that I decided to start the raw food diet 2 weeks ago, then found out one of biggest gurus in the raw food diet community was coming to speak within miles of me. David has not been to Orlando since 2001, so you have to wonder if there was more than coincidence at play. I mean, would I have known anything about his speech if I had not fully immersed myself in the raw food diet? Probably not.

I will make a separate post on David Wolfe and some of the nuggets of gold he shared with those in attendance. For now I would like to focus on what I had for breakfast because, as always, breakfast was delicious!

Breakfast

Today, I decided to have a big breakfast because I knew I would need the calories to deal with traveling to and around Orlando. I went to visit and have dinner with a friend there.

My breakfast today consisted of all organic fruit. I noticed that even though it may not taste that different, organic food definitely makes you feel better.

1. organic bananas (235g)
2. organic plums (339g)
3. organic blackberries (347g)
4. organic mango (335g)

The plums were especially good. I don’t have them that often and when I saw them in the store, I pounced. They have a tangy taste that I like and they’re not available year round, so when I see some I’m inclined to buy them.

Lunch

For lunch I had a salad that was amazing. It was so delicious, I felt as though my stomach was thanking me every time I put a forkful in my mouth. It was just that good. It was literally as if my stomach was sending out good energy to the rest of my body. Very empowering!

1. salad: organic romaine and radicchio salad (190g), pineapple (202g), organic cucumber (63g), organic avocado (181g), organic red pepper (182g)
2. green smoothie: organic baby spinach (63g), red Swiss chard (80g), organic bananas (297g), 3 cups water

The smoothie complimented the salad nicely and after eating both I felt happy and serene. It was a peaceful state and contemplative. I was trying to think of questions I could ask David Wolfe in person.

After lunch I jumped in my car and drove 2 1/2 hours to Orlando. I went and hung out with an old friend, whom I will call John for the sake of his secret identity. John’s primary concern is health and although he eats 80% raw food (most of it organic), he a different philosophy on nutrition. By different, I mean different than my own.

John does not eat any grains at all. He stated that grains were not readily available hundreds of thousands of years ago. In fact, grains only came into existence as a primary food source around 10,000 years ago due to the discovery of farming. Since we have not had enough time to adapt to these foods, he does not believe that we should be eating them. John has read that these foods cause high acidity in the stomach. While I’m not currently eating grains myself, I don’t fully agree with his theory, so at one point I brought in the big guns, the Food Enzyme Concept.

I enjoyed the debate we had. I am always open to what other people believe and rather than dismiss them, I’ll invite them to tell me more. This does not necessarily mean I’ll agree with them, but it does provide me with an opportunity to learn something new.

Dinner

I had dinner a little earlier today. John and his friends took me to Joe’s Deli. It’s ironic that I had a salad at a place with deli in its name, but I was not the only one. Everyone in the group had a salad. It was great being able to eat with a group of people without having to resist the temptation to look at their plates with longing lustful eyes. It was as though a great iron weight had been lifted off my shoulders. The temptation to stray back to cooked foods was gone and I felt like I had a support group to talk to. I need to establish a raw food posse that I can roll out with on a regular basis. Any volunteers?

I have only visited Joe’s Deli a couple of times in the past and was not even aware that they have such an extensive salad bar. Most of the food at the salad bar is organic. They have lettuce, mixed salad, bell peppers, and spinach leaves. As if that were not enough, they even have avocados!

1. salad: organic spring salad mix (89g), organic romaine and radicchio salad mix (68g), yellow bell peppers (65g), red bell peppers (57g), organic grape tomatoes (112g)

This was satisfying and I did not feel hungry until 6 hours later, when I was driving home from David’s lecture.

Post-Dinner Snack

1. bananas (331g)

While driving home from the lecture I felt more awake then ever. I sometimes become sleepy when I’m driving long distances at night. I usually have to pull over and rest or do some brief exercises to wake myself up. In this case I had energy to spare.

Vitals

Weight: I’m down another .2 lbs from Day 8.  Down to 181.4 lbs.

Body Temperature: My temperature today was 98.1 °F. Don’t see too much of a cool down in the temperature department.

pH levels: The pH level is still an average of 7.25. I’m still hoping it will go up a little more before the end of the experiment.

Blood Pressure: The systolic was at 129 and diastolic at 67. Seems to be lower than the first reading and it looks like we are making progress. We will see.

Endurance: I went to John’s gym, but did not have that extra boost of endurance. My endurance was good but my breaks were not as short as they were on Day 7.

Strength: I felt strong, and my weight felt lighter than it normally does. I did not increase the weight in my exercises even though I probably could have.

Cognitive Capacity: I felt pretty clear throughout the day. I was focused and in a calm state of mind. My mental abilities were tuned in to my surroundings. I did not get lost at all while driving through Orlando and made it to all places with little mental effort.

I woke up feeling fantastic today! No signs of mental fog at all. I think I made it past the tough part. I bounced out of bed and was already in the bathroom within a few seconds. I felt energized and after washing my face I was wide awake. Usually I drag myself around a bit in the mornings. On my standard diet it takes anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to fully wake up (I don’t drink coffee), but today I was ready to go in a flash.

As I walked around my house I was doing everything more quickly. I wasn’t in a rush, I just felt like the energy levels were off the charts. Even as I was preparing breakfast, I was executing the cuts with more precision and speed. I felt like my head was in a state of clarity. Like I was seeing clearly for the first time since the previous experiment. It is difficult to describe the experience, but the differences between my SAD (Standard-American Diet) and raw foods is light years apart.

The differences could be compared to watching movies on an old black and white TV (SAD) and watching movies on a “52 Plasma Flat Panel TV with the Blu-Ray DVD player built in (raw foods diet). I use this example because I’ve seen the “52 Plasma TV in the mall for around $20,000 and people were very interested in it. Now imagine you could experience everything in high definition with a clarity unparalleled by anything you’ve experienced in the past. Would you be interested in that experience?  Of course you would and it’s not even going to cost you anywhere near $20,000. In fact you’ll be able to feel those amazing feelings for a fraction of a percent of what it costs to purchase the big screen TV. On top of that, while the TV will make you just want to sit and watch it, the raw food diet will give you the energy to do the things that really matter to you. On to breakfast!!!

Breakfast

Today I made a big fruit salad involving some of my favorite fruits. Looking at the plate it almost looked challenging to eat. I say challenging because I don’t really like eating a lot of food in one sitting, but I finished this off in around 15 minutes.

1. mixed fruit salad: plums (230g), organic bananas (176g), strawberries (213g), red seedless grapes (195g)

After finishing the breakfast, I really felt alive. Another side effect of the raw food diet is that my sinuses feel clearer.  My lungs feel cleaner as well. I was not having breathing problems on my standard diet, but I noticed that I do feel like it’s easier to take in deep breaths on this diet.

Lunch

At lunch the back of my hands started to itch. At first, I started getting dry fingers around Day 3.  After Day 3, the dryness spread to the inside of my hands, then around lunchtime today I noticed the outsides of my hands were dry and cracking. I looked at the outside area where my lower thumb meets the rest of my hand and it was a light red color and puffy. I assume that because I am eating no greasy foods and very little fat, that my hands don’t have any oils to lubricate themselves. In any case, the drying of my hands has progressed rapidly, I mean, I’m only on Day 7, I wonder what will happen when I reach Day 30.

1. organic kiwi (210g)
2. peaches (290g)
3. salad: organic baby spinach leaves (89g), iceberg salad (60g), organic tomatoes (210g), avacado (86 g), organic onions (40g)

For lunch I had a mixed salad which was quite tasty. I ate the peaches and kiwi at the same time. So I would take a fork full of salad and eat it, then I would sneak in a bite of a peach or kiwi as I went along. I feel salads are kind of bland without dressing, so this is the solution I figured out on Day 3.

Dinner

For dinner I changed things up a bit. I ate some raw peanuts. I like to live dangerously, so I picked some raw peanuts up from my local Whole Foods store and ate them. Raw peanuts need to be inspected for mold because it grows on them easily. I did a brief inspection as I measured them and then moved on to making my salad. Dinner was delicious, especially with the berry smoothie I made.

1. peanuts (40g)
2. organic grapefruit (221g)
3. berry smoothie:  strawberries (270g), organic blueberries (140g), organic bananas (218g), 3 cups water
4. mixed salad: iceberg lettuce (160g), organic spinach (120g), organic tomatoes (80g)
5. salad dressing: mango (40g), organic carrots (20g), organic banana (20g), 1 T lemon juice, 1/4 cup of water

After dinner I spent an hour reading a few articles on raw foods. I then headed to the gym for what turned out to be an amazing workout. Upon arriving at the gym I felt energized. I ran my warm up mile on a higher speed than usual. I just felt like my 6.5 mph was a bit of a slow pace so I upped it to 7 mph. Then after I was finished I went on to lift the weights, which felt lighter than usual. I increased the weight on each exercise by 5 lbs.  This may not seem like I big jump, but I don’t want to go overboard just yet. I finished my sets for the day and I felt like I still had energy to spare so I did a couple of extra sets today.

Vitals

Weight: I’m down another .4 lbs from Day 6. Down to 181.6 lbs.  Hmmm…need to eat more, problem is that I feel full so I don’t eat.

Body Temperature: My temperature today was 97.9 °F.  A little lower than Day 6.

pH levels: The pH level today was an average of  of 7.25, guess I’m moving out of the acidic zone.

Blood Pressure: A new low for systolic today, although not by much. The systolic was at 128 and diastolic at 68.

Endurance: I went to the gym today and I had energy to spare. I went from machine to machine hardly needing any rest. I don’t see why more athletes don’t adopt this diet.

Strength: I lifted around 5 lbs more in each of my exercises today. I felt great and the weight felt lighter than normal. I also did a couple of extra sets on some exercises.

Cognitive Capacity: I felt sharper today and this started at the beginning of my day. I felt like my mind was crisp and quicker than normal. Processing time was cut down for thoughts and I had some creative ideas for projects in the future.

Today was a challenging day and if cravings could be compared to a disaster, today was Armageddon. I woke up feeling fine – no mental fog and no physical fatigue. I ate my breakfast peacefully and really enjoyed it, but after a couple of hours this insatiable craving for meat possessed me. At first I just wanted to taste it in my mouth, but then I started to crave it all over. The cravings were powerful, like I was being compelled by a force outside of myself. I was clenching my teeth at some points due to the insanely powerful need to savor and chew cooked meat. It was beef that I was craving. Poor little cows, to think all these years I’ve been a slave to my taste-buds. I was wondering why I had these intense cravings, so I did a little reading. I will post my findings after I am done with the experiment. On to breakfast.

Breakfast

Today I decided that I needed to eat more food in order not to lose too much weight. I figured I would devour a bunch of bananas and hope for the best. I ate the five in the picture along with the grapefruit as well. I felt stuffed - even though the meal was still low on the calories side.

1. organic bananas (426g)
2. grapefruit (449g)

I felt pretty full after this, so I think I will incorporate more snacks throughout the day, rather than try to force myself to eat a lot of food in one sitting.

Post-Breakfast Snack

1. almonds (86g)
2. golden-yellow apples (92g)

I ate this snack after breakfast, I didn’t want to be over-stuffed. I don’t like that stuffed feeling. Makes me feel like I’m a turkey. From now on I will try to eat more snacks. This will increase my calorie intake still allow me to fit through doorways.

Lunch

Mmmmmm, delicious!

1. mango (147g)
2. blackberries (187g)
3. cashews (78g)
4. salad: Italian salad (280g), orange pepper (27g), yellow pepper (45g), organic tomatoes (84g), avocado (49g)
5. salad dressing: mango (81g), avocado (46g)
6. glass of water

A simple salad with some fruit. Feels like I’m eating ambrosia.

Dinner

I was looking forward to dinner, not because I was hungry, but because I was going to eat a nice big salad with onions and garlic dressing. I love onions and garlic, but can’t eat them too often because of the bad breath factor. I’ve tried brushing my teeth and nuking my mouth with mouthwash, but anything short of an exorcism doesn’t help much. Also keep in mind that you are what you eat. So if you eat garlic and onions more than a little bit, it will seep out of your pores in the coming days.

While on the first trial, I ate a lot of garlic one night and the next day friends told me I had a bad smell on me. They also asked me if I had eaten garlic. I smelled much like a person who drinks alcohol regularly or a person who smokes cigarettes on a daily basis. I had the smell. You know that distinctive smell they have when they come by. Today that was going to be me. Since I stayed in, I treated myself to a the onion and garlic salad. Hey, I haven’t had a vampire bite yet!

1. mango (226g)
2. strawberries (235g)
3. green salad: organic iceberg lettuce (150g), radicchio salad (29g), organic tomatoes (279g), organic cucumbers (128g), organic onions (54g)
4. salad dressing: organic banana (42g), organic carrot (39g), organic baby spinach (18g), organic garlic (8g), 1 T lemon juice, ½ cup water
5. glass of coconut water

This meal was uplifting and made me feel fantastic. I’m really starting to like making salads now. I also combine fruits and veggies to make dressings that make the salads even better. I’m looking forward to new combinations in the future.

Vitals

Weight: I’m down another 1 lbs from Day 5. Down to 182 lbs.  I take this measurement in the morning and I did eat a whole lot more food today so I hope I can increase this weight.

Body Temperature: My temperature today was 98.2 °F.  Seems I’m not going down in temperature.

pH levels: The pH level today was still an average of 7.0  for most of the day.

Blood Pressure: My blood pressure seems steady. The systolic was at 129 and diastolic at 70.  Still in pre-hypertension range though.

Endurance: I did not go to the gym today, so I could not put this to the test.

Strength: I felt pretty strong, but like I said, I didn’t go to the gym.

Cognitive Capacity: For the most part, I felt pretty normal today. Like the rainstorm was over and the clouds were clearing out. I was focused, but nothing beyond my usual ability.

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.

1. organic oranges (235g)
2. 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.

1. 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.

1. mango (243g)
2. organic Brazil nuts (131g)
3. 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.

1. 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.