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Hi there PureJeevan readers! We wanted to let you know that Jim's new novel CHROO is available on Amazon. It's a crazy adventure involving a billionaire heiress, her Chihuahua BFF ("Chroo") and a host of human and animal characters. Find out more on Amazon! Here are some links:




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Jim here... Wow, it's May 1st already! May is an exciting month for me because that's usually when my running kicks in more regularly. There's nothing like hitting the pavement and being in motion, MP3 player in hand. Whether it's an intense half hour of intervals powered by the Foo Fighters, or a longer moving-meditative outing accompanied by Michael Hedges, I do enjoy being out there (even if I'm distracted now and again when my canine running companion? -- aka "the Jooge" -- chases after something she shouldn't)!

But, as I was getting at:? Ever since I lost the weight, I simply can't abide cold. I've heard many raw foodies talk about this phenomenon, and have heard numerous explanations for it. My suspicion is that all of the "why raw foodies are always cold" theories are partly correct -- or, better put, that the theories cumulatively contribute to our slightly lowered body temperature.

I remember back before going raw (when I was still convinved that my weight problem simply meant that I wasn't working out hard enough), I used to head out running on the most ridiculously freezing nights. It almost took me longer to bundle up in all of my layers than it did to take the run! But, I powered through it in those days, sure that through exercise alone, I'd regain the athletic physique I had at age 20.

I was SO wrong! In fact, now I definitely view diet as more important than exercise. (I'm not asserting that exercise is unimportant but, if I had to rank the two, I'd say it's better to be a raw vegan who doesn't exercise than a meat and dairy eater who runs marthons. Time will tell how well recent Olympic phenom Michael Phelps' infamous 12,000 calorie/day "high-pizza" diet carries him.)

Now, it's interesting to me as a raw vegan to consider the many well-established branches of raw veganism out there, some of which seem to contradict each other conceptually. I'm not bothered by these contradictions, though, because we all have an intuitive sense of what makes us, as individuals, feel best. So, don't feel that you *have* to cling to a certain diet or protocol. Just pay attention to your body, isolate anything you want to work on or heal, and let your research and intuition guide you.

For example... I've decided that May is going to be a dietary experimentation month for me. Specifically, I want to see how my body responds to a strict low fat raw vegan regimen. I've come to realize that I always feel better when I eat this way, and I like the things I've read about it (e.g. Dr. Doug Graham's protocol, the "80/10/10 Diet"). Here's a snippet from Dr.Graham's site that explains the concept clearly:?

The numbers refer to the percentage of calories that are ideally obtained daily from the three food elements: carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Put another way, 80% of your calories will come from simple carbohydrates, 10% from protein, and 10% from fat. So in a 2000 calorie per day diet, 1600 calories will come from carbohydrates, 200 from protein, and 200 from fat. This works out naturally if 90 - 95% of your calories come from sweet fruit, 2-6% from leafy greens, vegetables and non-sweet fruits, and 0 - 8% from nuts and seeds. This is generally accomplished with two or three large fruit meals during the day with a large salad in the evening. (from the FAQ page on Dr. D's site)

So, to kick off the month, I had relatively normal meals (for myself) twice today so far: an orange/banana smoothie for breakfast, and lunch smoothie consisting of three enormous medjool dates, one extra large navel orange, 1/2 bag frozen strawberries, a handful of frozen blueberries, one frozen banana, and a tablespoon or so of Vitamineral Green just for kicks. For dinner, I'll probably have a salad.

Now, a few comments on that:? First, I don't always want to have as much frozen things as I've listed above. I do regularly like a *little* frozen fruit in my smoothies, if only because I enjoy the sensation of cool/cold foods. But, I also do this because certain things just aren't always available to me fresh here in Pittsburgh. It's my hope that, once we relocate to a warmer climate out West, I'll be able to find so many fresh fruits that frozen will become a true last resort. It's also true that freezing does have a slightly negative impact on nutrition. But, as far as I've read, it doesn't actually introduce any qualities that the body identifies as toxic.

Second, you may have read some of the controversy regarding whether a high-speed blender "kills" nutrients (effectively "cooking" food via the high-speed friction). Yes, I've read this theory, too. But, I personally don't buy it. I think there are too many people running around as living testaments to the healing power of fuit smoothies, green smoothies, and other Vitamix/Blendtec concoctions. So, I don't equate blenders with cooked food.

Third, if you've read Dr. G.'s book, you may wonder why I mentioned Vitamineral Green, above. Well, I suppose that's just part of my personal spin on this experiment (at least while I have some VM Green left at home, anyway). I don't consider VM Green to be a supplement, per se. Rather, it's a mixture of dried foods and greens. It contains nettle, shavegrass, alfalfa, dandelion, barley grass, oat grass, wheat grass, basil, moringa leaf, yacon leaf, nopal cactus, chickweed, ginger, broccoli, kale, spinach, parsley, carob, amla berry, spirulina, chlorella, kelp, dulse, nori, alaria, bladderwrack, protease, amylase, lipase, cellulase, bromelain, papain, alpha-galactosidase, probiotics, and more. (Okay, well, maybe that does sound just a tad supplement-ish... And, for the record, I'm not sure off-hand what bladderwrack is, and I can't seem to say it without smirking like a mischievous 12-year-old.)

So, that's my story, and I'm sticking to it -- at least for May. I'll report back on June 1 and let you know if I feel like sticking this out longer, or if I'm going to sprint to the nearest health food store to chomp down some of those unbelievably amazing Raweo cookies (chai flavored) that I had last night. Goodbye high-fat raw veganism. I shall miss your nutty indulgences. But, we'll see how I feel in 30 days.

Original Comments

Below, we have included the original comments from this blog post. Additional comments may be made via Facebook, below.

On May 1, 2009, Courtney wrote:

Cool! I will be curious to hear how your experiment turns out. Thanks so much for sharing :)

On May 1, 2009, Robin wrote:

Wow - I just started an 80/10/10 experiment, too - so we'll be trying it together! :-D

On May 1, 2009, debbiedoesraw wrote:

I do some fat, mostly nuts and coconuts, some flax oil.. body needs some oil ya know!
Good luck and we will wait to see what happens!
I love experiments!
deb

On May 2, 2009, Robyn wrote:

Hi Jim! Bladderwrack (hehehe) is seaweed. Great for supporting thyroid function. I know, I giggle a little bit too when I say it! :) Good luck. I'll be looking forward to hearing your findings.

On May 2, 2009, sheryl miller wrote:

Hello Jim,
My husband are currently training for a Fun Run (10km) well let's say it's a work in progress.
What do you listen to while running

Thanks for the thoughts on the 30 day experiment!
I will be keen to hear about the end results, how are you going to keep track of what you ate etc - food diary ?
I will give those smoothies of yours a try!
the date one sounds yum!

Keep moving forward
Sheryl Miller
Canberra
Australia

On May 2, 2009, MindXdreamz wrote:

Excellent, excellent JIm!!!

Yes we'll be looking forward to how your month goes... and my hubby and I also are using two different "green" juice powder additions in our morning smoothie. Of course our morning smoothing is the Raw Cacao / Banana - or some derivative thereof that I prepare in a youtube vid found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch v=midBMo1HpCM

But yes these green powders, we really like them because even in sunny Florida, depending upon what store or farm has what to offer, we just can't get ALL of these ingredients fresh, much less organic. So we spend the $30-$40 whatever dollars on these canisters of powder (one I order online, and am also a distributor for - the other I buy from my chiropractor/kinesiology doctor). Here's the info on those:

Greens First
http://doctorsfornutrition.com/products.htm

Wholefood Farmacy - Farmacy Pro Power
http://mindxdreamz.wholefoodfarmacy.com/2005/CA...

I wanted to agree with the comment about how we all need healthy fats, from nuts, oils, coconuts, etc. but am wondering if 10% will truly be enough. So, yes this is going to be an interesting experiment for you. :)

To all of us, living our best day ever,
sheila

On May 2, 2009, MindXdreamz wrote:

Jim, do you have a coupon code for the Tooth Soap? I want to order some but want to ensure you get the credit and I didn't notice any particular difference in the URL link (like a specific distributor or affiliate number) when I went to their site, then the order form. Just checking!
Also, I'd heard about Natural Zing from a gal who leads one of our raw food groups here in Florida so I had went to their site initially and placed a large order, then later, saw you all are an affiliate. Obviously I know we can't go backwards but I wanted to let you know that all future orders we make (because WOW we love that online store, whole experience from order, to receiving the shipment, and the taste of the food(s), was spectacular!) will order via clicking on their link on your site here or from the purejeevan site. Thanks so much for always being supportive!

our best,
sheila & richard

On May 2, 2009, Lois Kubota wrote:

Hi Jim. I'm real curious to see how the 80/10/10 works for you. I have been gaining weight lately and although I'm not 100% raw, maybe 70%, I don't know why this is happening. I was also thinking about doing some mono foods. I'm very confused and very frustrated right now.

On May 2, 2009, Jim Dee wrote:

Thanks, Courtney! I'll post a few updates here & there, I'm sure. So far, so good!

On May 2, 2009, Jim Dee wrote:

Fantastic! Ever tried it before?

On May 2, 2009, Jim Dee wrote:

I have a good feeling about this experiment. I'd done quite a lot of nuts & coconuts over the past few years -- and definitely love them. But, I do feel like my diet still isn't perfect for me. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens!

On May 2, 2009, Jim Dee wrote:

Thanks, Robyn -- you saved me from Googling it. I suspect I had some thyroid trouble a few years back (likely resolved now) -- so a little bladderwrack is probably good for me.

On May 2, 2009, Jim Dee wrote:

I love 10Ks! Only ran a few official ones, though I've run 10k+ on my own tons of times. For music, I really do mix it up a lot. But, over time, I'd have to say that my favorite running music is the Foo Fighters. Their style seems perfect for interval-style training. Many of their songs start out slowly and then build in intensity. So, you can kind of run along to it, build yourself up to a near sprint, and then take a breather on the next tune. While most of it is pretty hard-hitting rock, I have to say that I've had many deeply profound experiences while running to their stuff! I think Dave Grohl is one of the more self-actualized people on the planet.

A food diary is a great idea... I may do something like that. Today I had two smoothies, both with some foraged dandelion from our yard.

Thanks, Sheryl!
-Jim

On May 2, 2009, Jim Dee wrote:

Thanks, Sheila.

I think the 10% will be fine for me. I'll have to comment again later to explain that, though, as I need to run (literally) now. But, I will return and comment more on that. (I think some of this comes down to genetics, and will require a lengthier explanation because of that.)

ps BTW, we decided long ago here at PJ to edit out comment links as an overall policy. (We just never got around to explaining or posting that policy -- yes, we still have "to-dos" here at PJ, even after a couple years of raw blogging!). But, the Disqus comment system does allow people to have profiles, which anyone can get to by clicking on usernames. So, I'll definitely check out your vids sometime via that.

On May 2, 2009, Jim Dee wrote:

We're affiliates for that - - so any link coming from our ads should go through just fine. We're new to Tooth Soap, too!

Oh, and we really love Natural Zing, so thanks so much! Wendi has worked with them on two occasions (once at RSF 2008 in Sedona, once at a green festival in DC). She sometimes blogs about her crazy adventures with Rawbin & NZ's owner, Jeff Rose. I think of those three as the Three Muskateers. But, NZ is a great company with truly high standards!

On May 2, 2009, MindXdreamz wrote:

Great Jim, about all... so I placed a substantial order today with NZ so just let me know by private email, or NZ if you don't get credit for it. I'm "letting go" of the worry now. :)
p.s. sorry about the links before. I know I'd not shared links before on a post, then you'd said you'd like a link - so I won't do that anymore unless you ask for something specific. No worries. Thanks!

On May 2, 2009, Jim Dee wrote:

Hi Lois-

Some rhetorical questions: What's your 70% raw like? Is it a high-fat raw vegan diet? That *might* have a bearing. What's the 30% non-raw like? Is any of that junk food? That also might have a bearing. How long have you been raw? Do you have other health issues besides weight? Do you exercise? What's your calorie intake like? How's your stress / emotional health right now

See what I'm doing ? There are SO many things that can contribute toward weight gain. I only scratched the surface, above. While this may be of little comfort right now, know that confusion and frustration are *definitely* part of the journey. I know it's easy to immerse yourself in those feelings. But, we're here to provide you with inspiration to persevere. Wendi and I feel so strongly that raw is the answer that we're dedicating our lives to educating and inspiring others vis-a-vis raw foods. So, my recommendation is to read as much as you can about raw foods. Read this blog's archives. Read other sites. Read books. Join communities. Talk / connect with others. And, of course, do as much introspection as you can as well to see if you can connect with your intuition about the weight gain - - and then follow that in your research.

Those are some ideas off the top of my head. Any of those spur some thoughts or provide direction

-Jim

On May 5, 2009, Lois Kubota wrote:

Thanks for the ideas Jim. I was just thinking this morning I have to pay better attention to what is going on with me. I do exercise and just added weight training back in to my routine. I stopped doing it the first of the year because I don't really like it. So I'm trying ways to make it a little more fun. I think that will help.

I'm also going to look at whether or not I am an emotional eater. You are right, this is a big journey. I guess for those of us who have the desire to figure it out, well we are really the lucky ones. I really appreciate you and Wendy and what you do. You make a big difference to us all. Thanks

On May 5, 2009, Jim Dee wrote:

Thanks, Lois. We're happy to be here for you and many others! -Jim