Review of Day One of my Updated Raw Menu

( Fig photo taken by Xerones. Click image for more images)

Mission: Regrow my hair!
The Plan

1. Get 80 to 100 grams of protein.
2. Get between 50 - 70 grams of healthy fats.
3. Increase my intake of minerals- especially calcium, magnesium, and iron
4. Increase my B vitamin intake
5. Eat between 1200 and 1700 calories.
   

DAY ONE (yesterday)
I tried oh so hard to meet my protein goal! It was hard to achieve it without googobs of fat and calories. Raw foodists have said that we can eat as much fat as we want without infringing on weight loss, but I have not experienced consistent weight loss while eating high amounts of fat. However, my blood tests showed me that eating high amounts of plant fats have not harmed me- and probably contributed to my great cholesterol levels.

This is consistent with what scientists have found with people who follow a Mediterranean diet that is high in healthy fats such as olive oil. While low-fat diets lower your HDL cholesterol- the kind of cholesterol you actually want to raise- a Mediterranean diet protects your heart by raising your HDL. So while I'm not concerned about my heart and arteries when I eat a lot of plant fat, I do worry that I'm slowing or halting my rate of weight loss.

So here's what I ate: fresh figs, some dried fruits, and some nuts. FOUR slices of Ezekiel bread because they had 16 grams of protein and only 2 grams of fat. Mozzarella balls marinated in olive oil, sundried tomatoes and basil, and 4 oz. of smoked salmon. Overall I had about 2000 calories - way more than I prefer. I overdid the fat as well: 100 grams. I made it to about 90 grams of protein, though- yaaay!

ADJUSTMENTS
Using Sparkpeople.com I found that I did not get all the vitamins and minerals I needed, so I'm going to add blackstrap molasses to my diet to see if that helps- it's also good for hair because it's full of iron and other minerals. I'm sure it's not raw, but I'm on a mission this month. I will work on finding more protein sources that I enjoy eating but which have fewer fat calories, like the Ezekiel bread and fish. Hummus would work, too. I'm choosing to avoid brewer's yeast because, despite the fact that it would be perfect, I can't stand the stuff! I refuse to eat foods I don't like.

Here's another change: I'm going to incorporate fresh fish into my diet and greatly reduce or even eliminate smoked fish. Why? Because even though smoked salmon tastes great, both Felicia and I have noticed that we get mild headaches after eating it. It could be the salt it is cured in or it could be the nitrites so many smoked fish products have.

Th-th-th-that's all for now, folks!