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On Feb 1, 2010 I committed to eating at least 80 % raw foods.

If you read what it is that is playing a significant role in motivating this decision, you will better understand.  With a pretty elevated blood pressure, I had to figure out a way to begin the process of reversing the health risk that High Blood Pressure can cause.(previous post: part 1 & 2)

So far,  I must say, that this has been a great experience.

Here’s what my diet has looked like on any giving day during the month of February:

Breakfast:

• Fruits, fruits, and more fruits.  Pineapples, cantaloupe, papaya, pears, grapes, or some variation of at least 3 out of the bunch.

• Home made granola.  I’m pretty proud of this accomplishment, although, its fairly easy to make.  But I’m a granola freak, always have been, and its great to actually try my hand at making some.  For some examples of recipes, feel free to check out source: recipe

Lunch:

• Has usually consisted of avocado, lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, or some salad concoction.  With lemon/lime juice as salad dressing.  I know I’m missing something here, but I hope to get a bit more creative with this meal in the future.  I’m starting to feel like a rabbit, so any suggestions to broaden my options are always welcome :->

Dinner:

• Brown rice, Multi-Grain tortilla, or whole wheat sandwich(stuffed with tomatoes, lettuce…minus meat,etc etc)

• Some sort of bean(lentils, red beans, etc)

• More salad

Snacks:

• When the urge hits, I’ll usually much on some fruits, or granola.  I need to add some other options to my repertoire.

Kiwi

Failures:  I was a bit ambiguous as to what the “20%” of cooked food would be during the month of February, and as a result, I didn’t clearly resolve to be strictly vegan or vegetarian.  Soooo, I confess, that when my mom visited and decided to torment me with Talapia that smelled like it had fallen like manna from some river in heaven…well…I did indulge.  And it was good!  What can I say.

Besides that wonderful Sunday evening meal, I did have a few sub sandwiches that I didn’t have the heart to order without cheese.  I’d already reached a milestone just eating a purely vegetarian sub(which is pretty good by the way), so the cheese was my consolation prize.

Exercise:

So walking everyday for 45 minutes, turned into walking around 4-5 times a week.  But I am beginning to feel like its time to start jogging(Slowly jogging that is).

Current Blood Pressure Levels & Weight

As of January 4th, 2010, I had Blood Pressure readings of  above 170/98, and I weighed about 198 pounds.  As of today, I weigh 195 and my last blood pressure reading was 155/101.  Still very high!  I have more work to do.

Commitment for the future:

I do feel better, especially when I walk for 30-40 minutes in the morning.  My whole day is different when I don’t put it of for the evening.  So for March  I’m going to begin my morning jogs earlier(b4 8:30am), and aim for at least 1 mile 6 times per week.  I’ll continue eating 80% or more raw foods(w/ the 20% being vegetarian).  I’ll also begin experimenting w/juicing some of the fruits & vegetables in order to get more nutrients and change things up a bit(I’ll share a couple recipes if all goes well).  I’ll also eat more garlic, which I hear is great for lowering blood pressure.

Sound good?

Updates towards the end of March!