Thursday, January 12, 2006

January 12- I’m Motivated to Make Some Changes!

My Nutrition Lesson for Today

Today was quite a day of learning for me. First, I’ve decided to not buy any more raw cheese because I believe it keeps me wanting to eat even when I’m not really hungry (of course I’m using this as an excuse to eat up all the remaining cheese quickly!) Secondly, I’ve been doing more reading about nutrients and, despite my skepticism about the raw food information out there, some of the things I’m reading really appeal to me. Since I’m no expert, there’s no guarantee that the information that appeals to me is any better than the information that doesn’t! However, with so much opposing and incomplete information out there, I am just going to continue to trust my own common sense and my body.

Informative Site #1

In my continued quest to learn about calories, fat and protein intake, I stumbled across Dr. Douglas Graham’s website, which advocates that one eats 80% of your calories from carbs, 10% from protein and 10% from fats (.80-10-10 plan, or 8-1-1). If I eat 1800 calories a day, this would mean 357 grams of carbohydrates, mainly in the form of fruit. I would eat only 20 grams of fat, in the form of nuts, seeds and from fruit such as avocados. As for protein, I would only need 45 grams, and would get that from the fruit as well as from vegetables- mainly in the form of a large salad, which would also provide minerals such as calcium, sodium and magnesium. You can read about this plan (and other raw info) at http://www.foodnsport.com.

Informative Site #2

I’m not sure how such a menu would work for me. For one thing, fruit is more expensive than vegetables. For another, I don’t know that fruit would make me feel full enough. These concerns were addressed at another website which provided a personal account of one woman, now in her late 40s (and looking very healthy!) during her transition to raw foods. Reading her site, I gained more confidence in doing my own thing on this odyssey. Her site is Raw School: http://www.rawschool.com.

These sites have motivated me to make some changes: I’m going to transition towards lower amounts of fat in my diet, even though previously I wasn’t worried about a raw diet of 50% fats. I think I will also ease toward the 80-10-10 way of eating to see what it’s like.

If you visit these sites (or already know about them), I’d love to hear what you think of them.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

Doug Graham is amazing! I am also currently transitioning to raw after a year hiatus while pregnant and breastfeeding. I'm still breastfeeding, so I am making a gradual transition back to avoid any negative impact on my breast milk. Anyway, previously I followed the Hippocrates way of being raw and found it hard to stick with properly. Doug Graham's information really makes more sense with me and I am incorporating a little more of a natural hygiene spin on things as compared to my old hippocrates (green juice, green juice and more green juice) ways. Anyway, if you stick with raw fruits and vegetables and lots of greens, you'll have no problem being 80-10-10. I find its the "condiments" and nuts that through things off - and fast! You might also like Frederich Patenaude's site. He is a great source of information - especially for dispelling myths - and he has a great free weekly newsletter. All the best!

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