Heading into week 4 of the grand detox... I've been a bit slack with posting updates, so I'll fill you in on my progress and discoveries I've made along the way. I've been sticking to a mainly raw vegan diet, with the exception of asparagus and artichokes which are in season now and in my mind can only be eaten cooked.
I was feeling fantastic till about half way into my 2nd week, when I got a sudden attack of candida, in the form of a yeast infection! Delightful! I'm supposing it was brought on by my fluctuation in pH levels, from acidic to alkaline... In hind sight actually, it has been a blessing, because it led me to the discovery of the 80/10/10 diet, something I was completely unaware of. How I came across it was when I googled 'raw food diet for candida' and up came several peoples accounts on how they had healed their candida issues through eating a ton of fruit... which as you may know, goes completely against the common conception or mainstream thought that all fruit should be avoided (for at least 3 mths) and that sugar is the main culprit!!
I ordered the book off amazon and have been reading it voraciously ever since. Dr Douglas Graham, the author, has put together a thoroughly researched book that suggests our current ideas on nutrition are in fact misleading and far off track from the truth. Which has made me question our belief systems in general, which we hold up to such high degrees, some of which one would never consider disputing! Fact is fact... or is it? Who's fact is it really?? It opens up a whole can of worms! But that's another topic...
Moving on, if you're not familiar with Dr Grahams work, the 80/10/10 is based on 80% carbs, 10% protein and 10% fat which is what we should aim to eat daily, in it's raw unprocessed state.
He suggests that it is fat that's the culprit when it comes to candida, diabetes and a host of other problems resulting from diet. It actually all makes sense, that high levels of fat intake, bind to the sugar and insulin molecules preventing them from attaching to the receptor sites and being used by the body's cells as energy, thus causing the blood vessels to remain with high blood sugar. This is what causes diabetes, insulin resistance, weight gain, adrenal fatigue, etc. He puts it quite clearly with a lot of scientific back up and case studies.
If you're thinking of buying this book, go for it, you won't regret it. If you're serious about your health and want a simple solution, this is it. When I say simple, I mean it - this is not a cop out, really, I've been eating this way for the past week, the food is fresh and easy, I never go hungry and I love fruit, so that's a bonus, oh yes and my candida has already cleared up! Plus the stubborn weight I've been battling to lose has started falling away gradually and effortlessly. I didn't realise how much fat I was eating on my raw food diet, nuts as snacks, olive oil in dressings, coconut oil...
I did find my 2nd day to be the hardest, I think it might have been the transitioning from fat intake to nearly none at all and the increase in fruit sugar that left me feeling a little off balance, but I reckon, persevere and break through that stage, you'll feel on top of the world - also crucial to mentally feeling great, is getting some form of exercise, get those endorphins pumping!
Now... I'm also getting creative in the kitchen, because that's what I love best and when I'm not eating fruit, I want variety in the form of veggies and more veggies - so here are some photos of my latest creations - the salad at the top was pre 811, so please mind the nuts!! And remember it is spring here for us, so salads are the flavour... This one below was with grated sweet potato and zucchini, tossed with broccoli, sundried tomatoes and green salad...
with broccoli, coriander pesto and tomato pesto layered between. Topped with avo and alfalfa sprouts. It was yummy!
