I need to sleep more.

I suppose I've always heard the lip service given to sleep. Get eight hours nightly, they tell you. But they rarely tell you why.

At the same time, there are myriad reasons not to sleep. There's nine hours at work a day, plus other obligations. If you're working on your own goals, or just want some time to relax, its easy to just stay up at night and get things done.

When I was younger there was coffee, and after I realized how bad the stuff was for me, pigheaded stubbornness. Of course, getting up early the next morning for a run was de rigueur.

It sounds so very American, so Ben Franklin, to be thrifty with your time. As a someone who works hard, progress and activity are very appealing, and it's sometimes hard to "do nothing and go to sleep."

It wasn't until my recent vacation that I began to rethink this notion of nothing.

Sure, I've been staying in bed for seven hours a night for the past several years now, because that was, you know, the standard amount of sleep to get.

On my trip, though, I had little reason to rouse myself, as I'd likely only be reading in a sun chair and enjoying myself. I was purposefully computerless and without work.

So in bed I stayed, and stayed, and stayed. I was astounded that beyond the automatic 7:30 a.m. wakeup that my body was primed for, I could fall right back asleep. One day I slept over 10 hours, which is probably some kind of a record for me.

I was in the sack for at least nine hours a night, and I was loving it. My mind felt so sharp. My memory, normally not to great with names and titles, was recalling things perfectly.

Home, I decided to try extending this. I slept in almost every day over the past week, hitting at least nine hours a night. Despite a new beat dropped on my lap at the paper, my mind felt confident and sharp, and not really bothered by the whole mess. And the relaxation time I was missing didn't seem to bug me.

Sunday evening I was invited out by friends I haven't seen in awhile. After some salad at a restaurant and a movie, we headed by to their place and caught up till 1:30 a.m. It was 2 a.m. before I was home and headed to bed.

I woke up Monday feeling hung over and exhausted. I had slept eight hours, and the sun was glaring in my window, so the option of sleep had vanished.

It's not just the hours, but the timing. The body was meant to sleep at night and be active during the day, and being awake at 2 a.m. just doesn't work for my body like it did in college. The consequence is a sluggish mind and the personality of a beached whale.

And with no coffee, natural hygiene will not let me make up for my mistakes with stimulants.

So tonight it's to bed at 9 p.m, because I'm still exhausted. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

And if I'm not as productive as I once was, well, perhaps I'm getting more done in the time I am working. Or at least that's how I like to console myself.

Good night.

-Andrew

A Return

This blog was created awhile back to chronicle the transformation that my body went through by going raw and then switching back to cooked food.

A general recap is that back wasn't very pleasant for my body or my mind. Staying raw is the only way that I've found to permanently tame my remaining persistent health problems, mainly IBS/gluten intolerance/colitis.

I've also discovered that my mind runs at a completely different level while on this diet. My memory seems to have at least twice the recall ability when fueled by fruit, and appears to not tire as quickly. As an overworked reporter constantly on the go, that's priceless.

I've been 100 percent raw for some time now, but haven't really blogged about it. I'm resurrecting this place to give me a place to write about what's going on in my life regarding my diet, or anything thing else that catches my fancy.

I've also started a website: www.raw-food-health.net , which I've designed to help others find the answers to the diseases and malaise that eluded me for so long.


More soon.

Wrapping Things Up.

I decided that, rather than continuing to post about my post-raw diet, which is really beyond the scope of my original intention, that I should just wrap things up. Readers can see where I was before, during, and after my raw experiment. I hope that this will help anyone who is curious about going raw and wondering what to expect. I highly recommend that everyone at least try a raw, fruit-centered diet for a few weeks.

I'd guess that after the adjustment, that you'll be amazed at your energy, health, mental calm, and comfort in your own body. It may not be for everyone, and I'd be willing to say that the majority of people could gain relatively high level of vitality from a Fuhrman style diet which is centered around raw fruits and vegetables with some cooked greens and a bit of grain, but I'm not sure that you'll ever find a diet that can beat 80/10/10. I don't think my body is every going to accept grains, for instance, and I know that I just feel better with no cooked food.

A few last photos from the weekend are also up. If anyone wants a really quick photo comparison between my my body on raw and on cooked vegan food, check out the difference a few days can make by clicking on my album and looking at the difference between my Diet of Shit Day One Picture (Taken in the morning before any cooked food) and my picture from this Saturday; As for acne, my other permenant bane, check out the difference between this picture taken the day before going raw, and this one taken on raw day five. Keep in mind that this was only an eight day experiment; imagine what a month could have done.

As for my future, well, I like my fruit, quite frankly, and I'll gladly eat just that if given the opportunity. Until I graduate and get my life settled down however, paying extra for all that fruit just isn't in my budget. I plan to pick the diet back up within a year or so, probably for good. Best of luck to the other bloggers working on 80/10/10, and I hope to rejoin you soon. I hope you've all enjoyed my blog.


Best,
Andrew

An Overview of The Weekend.

My weekend was filled with tons of cooked vegan delights. I ate too much, felt kinda eh, and proved to myself that I should never eat grains or salt, despite my wishes in the matter.

Friday morning my weight was up to 172. By Saturday morning it was up to 179. A huge amount of coffee, which is a diuretic, on Sunday evening brought my weight back down to 173. These fluctuations are absolutely ridiculous, and make me a bit angry.

I've decided that I'm going to eat how I think is best, which is pretty much just fruits. I'm not staying totally raw; I may have some steamed vegetables for instance, and I'll probably eat grains on the weekends. For the time being, until my schedule evens out after I graduate, I think this is best.

I've got some pictures from over the weekend which I'll post when I get the chance. My schedule is pretty packed this week. I'll try to get today's up tonight too.

Give me some watermelon.

Diet of Shit Day 3

I'm afraid that I'm a bit rushed today and won't have time to cover everything that was on my mind or do my usual calorie/diet breakdown. But, in short, I ate a big salad followed by an even bigger fruit salad for lunch. My early dinner was a cup of beans and 9 bananas. My mother is sure to have a some really good cooked vegan food waiting for me as a late night snack when I pull into the driveway later tonight (going home for easter), so that'll add on too. My exercise this morning was 15 minutes of light running ( 8 mph, perhaps) and 20 minutes on the stationary bike. About 400 calories would be my guess.

In short, I feel pretty good. I'm up to 168 pounds, a two pound gain from my raw low. While I wouldn't rule out waterweight accumulation, I actually have a theory as to why I'm gaining slowly. I don't think it's waterweight, as my past waterweight gains have been very rapid, as I've mentioned. I think it can be explained in cooked food's effect on my bowel movements. I used to have very irregular bowel movements when I was younger, and they improved dramatically when I cut gluten and went vegan, but on raw they were twice a day like clockwork. Since eating cooked that's been cut back to maybe every other day or once a day. I'm guessing that's where the extra weight is.

Something I've actually been thinking a lot about is beans, oddly. Beans are considered by most medical organizations, and especially by many progressive vegan and progressive diet based physicians, to be one of the healthiest things you can eat, and people with a high intake of them live considerably longer than their bean shunning neighbors. This from Eat To Live

Legumes are among the world's most perfect foods. They stabilize blood sugar, blunt your desire for sweets, and prevent mid-afternoon cravings. Even a small portion can help you feel full. I encourage you to eat at least one full cup daily. They can be flavored and spiced in interesting ways, and you can eat an unlimited quantity of them. Eat some beans with every lunch. Among your choices are chickpeas, black-eyed peas, black beans, cowpeas, green peas, lima beans, pinto beans, lentils, red kidney beans, soybeans, cannelloni beans, pigeon peas, and white beans.

and this:

A large recent study examined the eating habits of 32,000 adults for six years and then watched the incidence of cancer for these subjects over the next six years. Those who avoided red meat but at white meat regularly had a more than 300 percent increase in colon cancer incidence.1 The same study showed that eating beans, peas, or lentils, at least twice a week was associated with a 50 percent lower risk than never eating these foods…
..Beans, in general, not just soy, have additional anti-cancer benefits against reproductive cancers, such as breast and prostate cancer.

What really gets me about raw diets is that they say that beans, so conclusively shown to be healthy, are in fact not good for you. I can buy nutrients being destroyed by heat, so it's better to eat fruits/veggies raw. I completely buy grains being a problem for the body; hell I've experienced that one first hand with my gluten intolerance/bodily irritation with the remaining grains. But you can't eat beans without heating them, and they they seem to be doing a hell of a lot of good for you if you do.

Now, although I like the taste, I can't say that I generally feel on top of the world after eating a lot of beans, and, let's be frank, the occasional gassiness they bring on isn't the most fun. Although I have a number of theories about how beans being good and bad can be possible, I haven't come up with anything conclusive in my readings. Raw, as far as I'm concerned, has failed to discredit them.

I found this awhile back. A nice counterargument, but without the scientific support that I demand from nutrition experts.

From The Nature and Purpose of Disease, Henry L. N. Anderson, Ed.D.
"A downside involved in the consumption of beans, (as well as tubers and grains) is "cooking":
1) The plant's nutrients are deranged - especially protein...which become a pathogenic mess...heating above 150 degrees renders proteins unusable, (deanimated)
2) Heated proteins become soil for intestinal (bacterial and fungal) flora, which yield a menagerie of pathogenic, carcinogenic poisons such as ammonia, cadaverine, hydrogen sulfide, indole, mercaptans, putrescence, and skatole.
3) Heated fats in legumes (and substantially fatty soybeans) are pathogenic and carcinogenic.
4) Cooked tofu and beans (globulin) yield heat-created by-products such as nitrophyrene and indole. (Food and Drug Administration's Office of Toxicological Sciences) see also Diet, Nutrition and Cancer; National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences; 1982.

How can beans both cause and fight cancer, and both cause and prevent a host of other ailments? There are issues here that need to be resolved before I'm satisfied.

I'm afraid I won't have any pictures today, but my stomach looks about the same and my face looks a bit worse, acne wise.

When I get back I'll have eaten grains and salt so I should have that 12 pounds back. Have a good easter break/weekend.

Diet of Shit Day 2

Stats:
Wednesday, 4/4/07
Morning Weight: 167 Pounds

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1855 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1090 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	331 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2276 kcal
- Consumed:	2011 kcal
Calories Left:	265 kcal

Lunch:
Large Salad (Spinach, Tomatoes, Cucumbers): 124 calories
8 Oranges: 361 calories
Dinner:
6 Small Potatoes: 737 calories
1 1/2 Cup Kidney Beans: 337
16 Ouches Steamed Broccoli: 159 calories
Snacks:
2 Cups Cantaloupe: 106 calories
1 Medium Cantaloupe : 188 calories

So, first we'll cover last night. One thing I noticed is that I was a lot more "snacky". Despite my meal exceeding my normal caloric limits, I was still starving, and ended up eating a bunch more fruit to feel full after posting the blog. I felt a bit mentally dull as well, and settled down to some thoughtless reading to pass the evening before bed.

I had to drag myself out of my sheets this morning when the alarm went off, and I noticed that I was considerably less awake as I was going through my morning routine. I went to the gym and was pleasantly surprised to see that I was only a pound heavier than yesterday, which can easily be explained by the extra intestinal transit time of cooked food compared to raw. It would appear that my water weight gain is only brought on my grains and or salt. After my previous raw experiment, I ate rice on my first day off and gained back 15 pounds over the following three days.

To be honest with you though, all I really want to do is eat fruit. As I was eating potatoes today I was thinking about how much better some watermelon would be. Funny how I was romanticizing potatoes and beans when I was eating all the fruit I wanted. The grass is not greener. Which really leaves me to wonder, should I even bother to eat cooked food if I can't have grains? Most of my favorites; Chinese, Indian, Thai, Mexican, all revolve around rice. Ah well.

Also of note is that my acne came back full force. That previously permanent broken ridge of pimples around my forehead, which had been slowly receding into scar-like pink over the last week, is on the rise. I'm waiting for the battery on my camera to charge so I can take a picture, but I'll have it up later tonight.

Diet of Shit Day 1

Stats:
Tuesday, 4/3/07
Morning Weight: 166 pounds.

+ Basal Metabolic Rate*:	1849 kcal
+ General Activity*:	1063 kcal
+ Extra Activity and Exercise:	287 kcal
- Weight Loss Goal:	1000 kcal
Day Quota:	2550 kcal
- Consumed:	2663 kcal
Calories Left:	-448kcal

Lunch:
7 bananas: 735 Calories
Steamed Spinach: 122 Calories
Dinner:
Five Small Potatoes: 592 Calories
Three TBS Raw Flaxseed: 177 calories
Two cups Lentils: 459 Calories
Snacks:
One Cup Cantaloupe: 53 calories
Five Bananas: 525 Calories

An auspiciousness title, I think.

Before I begin , I'd like to mention a few things that popped into my head last night that I figure are worth mentioning. First, have you ever noticed that your tongue is sometimes, if not always, covered with thin film? I have-In fact, I even have a ayurvedic tongue scraper from way back ago which has served me nicely over the years-. Anyway, I noticed that by day four or so my tongue was completely clear. I don't know if this corresponded with improved breath, but it felt a lot better.

The other matter was merely an interesting note. At 180 pounds, running for 20 minutes at 9 miles an hour will burn 380 calories, but only 345 at 166 pounds. The downside of losing weight is that meeting your exercise goals gets harder and harder. I've stared a few days at the counter on the treadmill, aghast has how few calories I was racking up. I suppose I could always run with a weighted vest, or just view it as me having exercised with a 14 pound weighed vest for the past 5 years. Either way, it's now a hell of a lot less tiring to run.

So, after going to the gym this morning and noting my 166 pounds, I decided that I needed to get myself back onto cooked foods slowly. I started off with four cups of steamed spinach with my normal bananas. Wondering if it had cooked enough, I stuck my fork into the steamer and popped a piece into my mouth; It tasted like rubber. I asked my girlfriend, who was besides me in the kitchen, to try a bit, thinking that I had a bad batch. She assured me that it tasted just like any other spinach that she had had, so I shrugged and forced it down.

By the time I left my dorm, I noted that my head felt a bit groggy, and I noticed in my first class that my throat felt a bit scratchy, but it didn't last long. I generally felt pretty good.

For dinner I had potatoes and lentils. It tasted good, but within an hour I was really hungry again, so I ate some bananas, which satisfied me to some degree. I'm writing this soon after dinner, and, perhaps it's my imagination, but my concentration doesn't seem nearly as good, and one thing that I've certainly noticed is that my energy and ambition, which have been pretty much bottomless during the last week, are flagging. I don't even really feel like finishing this blog entry.

In fact, I don't think I will. I am still curious to see if I'll gain weight on just the potatoes tomorrow, or if it'll take grains. Also, I wonder if this energy level is temporary, or just something I had adapted to from eating cooked for so long. I'm going to go lie down and read.

P.S. I added some pics from the morning, my last raw shots if you will.