For those who think I’m nuts for going on a diet of raw fruits and veggies, I have an interesting little article to share with you:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6248975.stm
This article chronicles a little experiment that was done in a zoo in the UK. They took nine people, aged 36-49, and literally put them in the zoo for twelve days, in an enclosed tent right next to the apes. :) Oh, and they filmed the whole thing on TV.
The point of the experiment? They put those volunteers on a diet consisting only of fresh fruits and veggies – things they normally feed the apes. (Otherwise known as, the raw vegan diet – little do they know that there is a growing revolution of humans doing this on a regular basis! Like me!) They wanted to see what this diet would do for the volunteers’ cholesterol levels and blood pressure.
Here’s a list of the foods they fed the volunteers for those 12 days.
5kgs or 2,300 calories of fruit, vegetables, nuts and honey
On a 3-day rota, typically:
Broccoli, carrots, radishes
Cabbage, tomatoes, watercress
Strawberries, apricots, bananas
Mangoes, melons, figs, plums
Satsumas, hazelnuts
(Then, small amounts of cooked fish in the 2nd week, to imitate a hunter-gatherer lifestyle).
Anyone want to take a wild guess at the results?
Cholesterol levels and blood pressure levels were definitely reduced. But what really caught my interest was that the tv crews were primed to capture lots of unhappy and grumpy moments over the 12 days, but to their surprise, after a brief period of getting through caffeine and other food withdrawals, the participants were in a great mood and happy throughout the experiment.
Amazing how you feel, even mentally, when you eat a simple diet of whole, fresh foods that were designed specifically for your consumption!
I encourage you to read the article, it really speaks for itself and has some very interesting anecdotes and stories.
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I fully agree with you on the need for us as human to have a full spectrum of minerals.
I just finished a 21-day Daniel Fast consisting of only fruits, veggies, and whole grains (no breads, just things like whole grain rice, etc.). I felt SO GOOD on it and had so much energy and clarity of mind, that I was SAD when it was over. I’m trying to keep up with eating that way as much as possible. What a wonderful feeling. The only thing I don’t like is that it’s expensive. Oh. And it’s really hard when you get invited out and someone else is preparing your meal. It can be awkward. How do you deal with that?
Thanks for the comment, Alfred.
Jana, thankfully, most of our close friends know we’re certifiable already, and they are very cool with our diet – but we really do try hard not to make a big deal out of it. I am becoming an expert at looking like I’m eating and picking my plate very nicely. If we’re invited to a friend’s house, I just offer to bring something, (a huge salad). Before, I wasn’t trying to do it 100%, but now that I am, I am going to try to be honest in the nicest, politest way I can and explain that I’m on a weird diet, but would love to hang out anyway and could I bring some food to share?
We’ll see how that works. :)
I can totally relate about the trouble with eating at other people’s houses. My grandparents-in-law are wonderful people, but they don’t understand much about health. Potatoes and red meat are staples. My grandma-in-law is always trying to get me to have seconds… you know… because I’m a growing boy. :-)
I agree, an amount of fresh food can make a difference in the body and mind. These kinds of food will bring spurts of energy and good health.
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