Jim's May 2009 Experiment: Low Fat Raw Veganism

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Jim here... Wow, it's May 1st already! May is an exciting month for me because that's usually when my running kicks in more regularly. There's nothing like hitting the pavement and being in motion, MP3 player in hand. Whether it's an intense half hour of intervals powered by the Foo Fighters, or a longer moving-meditative outing accompanied by Michael Hedges, I do enjoy being out there (even if I'm distracted now and again when my canine running companion? -- aka "the Jooge" -- chases after something she shouldn't)!

But, as I was getting at:? Ever since I lost the weight, I simply can't abide cold. I've heard many raw foodies talk about this phenomenon, and have heard numerous explanations for it. My suspicion is that all of the "why raw foodies are always cold" theories are partly correct -- or, better put, that the theories cumulatively contribute to our slightly lowered body temperature.

I remember back before going raw (when I was still convinved that my weight problem simply meant that I wasn't working out hard enough), I used to head out running on the most ridiculously freezing nights. It almost took me longer to bundle up in all of my layers than it did to take the run! But, I powered through it in those days, sure that through exercise alone, I'd regain the athletic physique I had at age 20.

I was SO wrong! In fact, now I definitely view diet as more important than exercise. (I'm not asserting that exercise is unimportant but, if I had to rank the two, I'd say it's better to be a raw vegan who doesn't exercise than a meat and dairy eater who runs marthons. Time will tell how well recent Olympic phenom Michael Phelps' infamous 12,000 calorie/day "high-pizza" diet carries him.)

Now, it's interesting to me as a raw vegan to consider the many well-established branches of raw veganism out there, some of which seem to contradict each other conceptually. I'm not bothered by these contradictions, though, because we all have an intuitive sense of what makes us, as individuals, feel best. So, don't feel that you *have* to cling to a certain diet or protocol. Just pay attention to your body, isolate anything you want to work on or heal, and let your research and intuition guide you.

For example... I've decided that May is going to be a dietary experimentation month for me. Specifically, I want to see how my body responds to a strict low fat raw vegan regimen. I've come to realize that I always feel better when I eat this way, and I like the things I've read about it (e.g. Dr. Doug Graham's protocol, the "80/10/10 Diet"). Here's a snippet from Dr.Graham's site that explains the concept clearly:?

The numbers refer to the percentage of calories that are ideally obtained daily from the three food elements: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Put another way, 80% of your calories will come from simple carbohydrates, 10% from protein, and 10% from fat. So in a 2000 calorie per day diet, 1600 calories will come from carbohydrates, 200 from protein, and 200 from fat. This works out naturally if 90 - 95% of your calories come from sweet fruit, 2-6% from leafy greens, vegetables and non-sweet fruits, and 0 - 8% from nuts and seeds. This is generally accomplished with two or three large fruit meals during the day with a large salad in the evening. (from the FAQ page on Dr. D's site)

So, to kick off the month, I had relatively normal meals (for myself) twice today so far: an orange/banana smoothie for breakfast, and lunch smoothie consisting of three enormous medjool dates, one extra large navel orange, 1/2 bag frozen strawberries, a handful of frozen blueberries, one frozen banana, and a tablespoon or so of Vitamineral Green just for kicks. For dinner, I'll probably have a salad.

Now, a few comments on that:? First, I don't always want to have as much frozen things as I've listed above. I do regularly like a *little* frozen fruit in my smoothies, if only because I enjoy the sensation of cool/cold foods. But, I also do this because certain things just aren't always available to me fresh here in Pittsburgh. It's my hope that, once we relocate to a warmer climate out West, I'll be able to find so many fresh fruits that frozen will become a true last resort. It's also true that freezing does have a slightly negative impact on nutrition. But, as far as I've read, it doesn't actually introduce any qualities that the body identifies as toxic.

Second, you may have read some of the controversy regarding whether a high-speed blender "kills" nutrients (effectively "cooking" food via the high-speed friction). Yes, I've read this theory, too. But, I personally don't buy it. I think there are too many people running around as living testaments to the healing power of fuit smoothies, green smoothies, and other Vitamix/Blendtec concoctions. So, I don't equate blenders with cooked food.

Third, if you've read Dr. G.'s book, you may wonder why I mentioned Vitamineral Green, above. Well, I suppose that's just part of my personal spin on this experiment (at least while I have some VM Green left at home, anyway). I don't consider VM Green to be a supplement, per se. Rather, it's a mixture of dried foods and greens. It contains nettle, shavegrass, alfalfa, dandelion, barley grass, oat grass, wheat grass, basil, moringa leaf, yacon leaf, nopal cactus, chickweed, ginger, broccoli, kale, spinach, parsley, carob, amla berry, spirulina, chlorella, kelp, dulse, nori, alaria, bladderwrack, protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, bromelain, papain, alpha-galactosidase, probiotics, and more. (Okay, well, maybe that does sound just a tad supplement-ish... And, for the record, I'm not sure off-hand what bladderwrack is, and I can't seem to say it without smirking like a mischievous 12-year-old.)

So, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it -- at least for May. I'll report back on June 1 and let you know if I feel like sticking this out longer, or if I'm going to sprint to the nearest health food store to chomp down some of those unbelievably amazing Raweo cookies (chai flavored) that I had last night. Goodbye high-fat raw veganism. I shall miss your nutty indulgences. But, we'll see how I feel in 30 days.

Original Comments

Below, we have included the original comments from this blog post. Additional comments may be made via Facebook, below.

On May 1, 2009, Courtney wrote:

Cool! I will be curious to hear how your experiment turns out. Thanks so much for sharing :)

On May 1, 2009, Robin wrote:

Wow - I just started an 80/10/10 experiment, too - so we'll be trying it together! :-D

On May 1, 2009, debbiedoesraw wrote:

I do some fat, mostly nuts and coconuts, some flax oil.. body needs some oil ya know!
Good luck and we will wait to see what happens!
I love experiments!
deb

On May 2, 2009, Robyn wrote:

Hi Jim! Bladderwrack (hehehe) is seaweed. Great for supporting thyroid function. I know, I giggle a little bit too when I say it! :) Good luck. I'll be looking forward to hearing your findings.

On May 2, 2009, sheryl miller wrote:

Hello Jim,
My husband are currently training for a Fun Run (10km) well let's say it's a work in progress.
What do you listen to while running

Thanks for the thoughts on the 30 day experiment!
I will be keen to hear about the end results, how are you going to keep track of what you ate etc - food diary ?
I will give those smoothies of yours a try!
the date one sounds yum!

Keep moving forward
Sheryl Miller
Canberra
Australia

On May 2, 2009, MindXdreamz wrote:

Excellent, excellent JIm!!!

Yes we'll be looking forward to how your month goes... and my hubby and I also are using two different "green" juice powder additions in our morning smoothie. Of course our morning smoothing is the Raw Cacao / Banana - or some derivative thereof that I prepare in a youtube vid found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch v=midBMo1HpCM

But yes these green powders, we really like them because even in sunny Florida, depending upon what store or farm has what to offer, we just can't get ALL of these ingredients fresh, much less organic. So we spend the $30-$40 whatever dollars on these canisters of powder (one I order online, and am also a distributor for - the other I buy from my chiropractor/kinesiology doctor). Here's the info on those:

Greens First
http://doctorsfornutrition.com/products.htm

Wholefood Farmacy - Farmacy Pro Power
http://mindxdreamz.wholefoodfarmacy.com/2005/CA...

I wanted to agree with the comment about how we all need healthy fats, from nuts, oils, coconuts, etc. but am wondering if 10% will truly be enough. So, yes this is going to be an interesting experiment for you. :)

To all of us, living our best day ever,
sheila

On May 2, 2009, MindXdreamz wrote:

Jim, do you have a coupon code for the Tooth Soap? I want to order some but want to ensure you get the credit and I didn't notice any particular difference in the URL link (like a specific distributor or affiliate number) when I went to their site, then the order form. Just checking!
Also, I'd heard about Natural Zing from a gal who leads one of our raw food groups here in Florida so I had went to their site initially and placed a large order, then later, saw you all are an affiliate. Obviously I know we can't go backwards but I wanted to let you know that all future orders we make (because WOW we love that online store, whole experience from order, to receiving the shipment, and the taste of the food(s), was spectacular!) will order via clicking on their link on your site here or from the purejeevan site. Thanks so much for always being supportive!

our best,
sheila & richard

On May 2, 2009, Lois Kubota wrote:

Hi Jim. I'm real curious to see how the 80/10/10 works for you. I have been gaining weight lately and although I'm not 100% raw, maybe 70%, I don't know why this is happening. I was also thinking about doing some mono foods. I'm very confused and very frustrated right now.