25-day challenge continues...
Monday, 26th Jan 2015
Woke up at 10.30am.
Had two plantains with salt and pepper for breakfast, and water. Plantains were one of my favourite foods on my previous raw food challenges as well.
1pm: I bought some creatine supplements and am testing whether they give me mental or physical energy. Took five capsules (4g). I thought I was buying pure creatine but unfortunately there was a second, hidden label behind the one I could see when buying the product (the first label peeled off). The full list of ingredients was hidden behind! So I found out that this was a bad quality supplement, with anti-caking agents, gelatine and cellulose inside the capsules - as well as added magnesium. I thought I would try it anyway, though, since I have to live on a low budget now.
So I emptied out the contents into a glass of water and I also took B12, iron, limcomin and paramin. Note that the guy selling me the supplement said that there are two types of creatine - the more natural one (which I got), he said, caused some fluid retention in the muscles. Doesn't sound good to me.
[Later note: I couldn't really draw any conclusions on creatine in the end during this raw food challenge. I didn't feel any different after taking them but also I didn't try exercising. For best effects the use might have to be regular but I went off the idea of taking these because of the bad added ingredients.]
2.20pm: Smoothie: Mixed berries, lettuce, spinach, tiny bit of fresh coriander (cilantro), milk thistle seeds, hemp leaf powder, hemp seeds (hulled), turmeric, chia seeds, wheatgrass powder, water, fo-ti, ginseng, holy basil, kelp, licorice (raw).
I have a slight beginning of a headache - need to do yoga once my belly is not so full.
2.50pm: I'm getting bored of this raw food challenge. I want to eat some cooked foods (and I'm getting more tempted to try eating meat again).
Today there is something unsatisfying to the taste buds about drinking a large smoothie. My taste buds feel like they need some love too!
3.30pm: Had a few raisins to try to treat my taste buds. Somehow my body doesn't feel satisfied today. Maybe it's because I drank a too big smoothie too quickly.
3.50pm: Not feeling too energetic but not sleepy or properly tired either. I think maybe my food this morning has been too high in carbohydrates.
4.10pm: Had chilli peanut butter (not raw) with apple slices.
I think I may be suffering a bit from the sugar I ate yesterday, feeling a bit like low blood sugar symptoms, weak arms and legs.
6.30pm: I took two digestive enzymes because during the gluten- and dairy-free diet experiment I did back in 2013 it seemed that I may have got more energy after regularly taking digestive enzymes. Perhaps my fatigue is due to too little stomach acid and not being able to digest very well and as a result, not being able to get enough nutrients from foods.
Also soda bicarbs seemed to lift some fatigue symptoms during that diet trial so this may all be linked back to acid reflux and too low stomach acid.
I keep feeling out of balance, maybe because of the sugar I had yesterday. Just had some raspberries, hoping they will make me feel less like I crave for other foods. I think the main thing I crave now is salty cheese, not even starches, and some hot food, like Chinese or pizza.
I put some pink Himalayan salt in the water and drank it, in case my body is craving for salt.
I don't feel hungry at all but I feel like my body needs something. I don't crave or feel like having alcohol, pasta, avocado, olives, lemon juice, fruit juice, caffeine, or fruit juice. But I would like to eat a chocolate brownie... so maybe it is a sugar craving after all, even though I feel like fruit juice wouldn't do it. Or maybe it's just my taste buds missing nice flavours and the combination of fat, salt and sugar ('the comfort food' combo).
I don't feel that tired now - probably because of guarana - but I still feel lazy and demotivated and also a bit down. I want to quit this raw food challenge again and start eating some warm foods. I promised myself not to quit on an impulse though, so will stick to it and hope that I feel better tomorrow.
I now think that it's important for me to stay away from non-raw, non-organic and non-sprouted nuts because they seem to be mucus-producing and difficult to digest. Or at least to make sure to soak all nuts before eating, as they are known to cause digestive problems due to phytates and tannins, etc. which stop enzymatic reactions. On the McCombs candida diet nuts were eliminated as well.
I feel that it will be difficult to follow these guidelines during this raw food challenge, taking into account all the other restrictions that I have (sugar intolerance, money) but I will try.
8.45pm: The more I think about it the more convinced I am that what I am suffering from is indigestion. The key hints are 1) feeling too full 2) heavy feeling in the upper chest 3) no appetite but feeling uncomfortable and 4) feeling a bit like I have something stuck in my throat. I seriously suspect this to be due to nuts.
[Later note: It could have something to do with too much Yin (cold) energy as well...]
Reading also my old caveman diet diary, it seems that I was getting bad symptoms of indigestion from nuts - and tiredness - as well as spots and bad skin, possibly from the bad quality fats and/or too much fats. I was also getting constipation.
Went to bed at midnight. I'm generally sleeping quite well during this raw food challenge - a lot of hours!
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