Wow, time really does fly by! It seems like just a few days ago I was contemplating this little experiment. It really has not been anywhere near as challenging as I thought it would be. My food cravings for cooked foods have diminished even more as I’ve gotten smarter about eating more total calories and also eating the right types of foods.

Over the past week, I’ve started to experiment with some new foods and recipes, and have started to cultivate a keen taste for my morning fruit smoothies and evening veggie soups (un – cooked of course)! I actually look forward to these!

In my last update, after 11 days on the 100% raw food diet, I lost a bit of weight – quite a bit actually. Despite going out of my way to keep my caloric intake even, I lost 6 pounds in the first 11 days, almost all of that coming off in the first week alone. Luckily, the weight loss has stopped, and actually started to reverse itself a bit. This is good since I am already lean and not looking to lose much total body-weight overall.

Some highlights I’ve experienced since my check-in on Day 11:

• This morning I weighed in at 1375lbs and 12% bodyfat, which is a gain of 1.5lbs over the past 10 days. The bodyfat %  varies a bit due to hydration levels, so I assume that is pretty constant – which is great!
• I find it a lot easier to eat large quantities of veggies, fruits and salads. Either my brain has come to recognize that meals can consist of only veggies or fruits, my stomach has become more elastic – or both!
• My skin continues to be far clearer than normal.
• My overall flexibility levels are far better than on my vegan diet. I have not practiced yoga nearly as much as normal in the past week, but I still feel very limber.
• My energy levels are quite high overall – no “crashes” in the afternoon at work or in the evenings after eating. I feel quite light and energetic all the time.
• I have lost any desire whatesoever for coffee or caffeinated products.
• I sleep very well, and wake up feeling refreshed. This hasn’t changed.
• I am getting much better vascularity over my body – I can see veins that I never knew I had! No – I won’t be entering a bodybuilding competition any time soon.
• I am realizing that it is totally possible to be a junk food raw vegan! How? Well – let’s just say I’ve discovered the world of gourmet raw food. We have a few great raw cafes around here, and the food is amazing (and far better for you than most cooked food meals) but eating heavy meals with lots of nuts, seeds and sprouted grains, oils and rich raw desserts will leave you feeling lethargic and heavy. There are also things like raw flax crackers, raw breadsticks (made from seeds) and of course…raw almond and coconut butter! Overeating these foods could spell disaster, so I am keeping myself from over-indulging on these things.

What have I been eating?

I am still eating fruit smoothies in the morning and veggie soups in the evening. This hasn’t changed. I’ve been branching out and eating other fruits like honeydews, watermelon, strawberries as well since they are in season. I also buy papayas every now and then. However, I’ve been cutting back on the raw cacao consumption a bit. I like the stuff, but notice that overdoing it will give me a mild headache.

Here are a few random food pics:

(Romaine lettuce, tomato, sprouts and a home-made avocado and pineeapple dressing!)

(Papaya is great for breakfast! I’ll eat a large one before work.)

(Who says you need Gatorade? Watermelon is the among the world’s best post-workout foods. I ate this small watermelon after cycling 30 miles in the sunny Seattle roads around Lake Washington!)

I’ve spent far too many hours this weekend pouring over content by Dr. Adiel Tel-Oren on YouTube through his Dr. T in 3 series, his free tele-seminars available on The Truth About Your Food and his website, Ecopolitan.com (a clever take on Ecological and Metropolitan).

The Dr.T in 3 features quick 3-minute commentaries on various aspects of health and nutrition – offering fresh and no-nonsense perspectives on everything from the impact of dairy products on health to why so many people are facing Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (and what to do about it!).

The tele-seminars on The Truth About Your Food are very in-depth (most are over an hour long) and are absolutely packed with some amazing information, including recorded Q&A.

His insights are delivered in an incredibly clear and fact-based manner and he touches on a wide array of topics relating to health, wellness and longevity. Wow, so refreshing.

What I like most of his approach is that he is not afraid to take on conventional wisdom fed to us through mass media – as well as also de-bunk some common myths that are floating around vegan and raw-food communities. His insights are based on logic and fact, and it is worth your time to listen to a few tele-seminars or his view his YouTube videos.

Below are a few of my favorite Dr. T in 3 Videos: (Note: if you are reading this e-mail in a RSS reader or through e-mail, you won’t see the videos below. Please click this link to view the full post – including the videos!)

Protein

Gluten Sensitivity

Meat

Dairy

Kudos: Thanks to the team at We Like It Raw for dishing up great info….I discovered Dr. T through a reference in a post on their site. Check out their site!