Her triglycerides went from 373 to 226 ( a drop of 147 points or 39%) WOW! Her final fasting glucose reading was 101 (down from 140), cholesterol went down 17 points, TSH dropped too low to .14 (she's on thyroid medication and is now reducing the dosage 75% after talking with her physician), and dropped 3 pounds and 1-3/4" from her abdomen. Amazing results for 30 days!
BACK TO COOKED FOODS & SHAKEOLOGY
When you transition to adding more cooked foods back into your diet, you have to be careful. Your digestive system has gotten used to the raw diet, and if you started back with a heavy meal, could lead to bloating, diarrhea, gas, constipation, and/or in extreme cases...hospitalization. One thing I kept telling my client was not to binge just because the 30 days were over. It would take a few days to get the digestive system acclimated, and then she could eat a few things she'd missed.
We started by adding in broth-based soups, crackers, etc. and saw how our bodies tolerated it. We both had an easy time transitioning, and are now back to eating some cooked foods. We are remaining 50-70% raw, and have added in Shakeology to continue the healing with Superfoods (70 different ingredients). Shakeology is a meal replacement drink by Beachbody (comes in Chocolate and Greenberry flavors), and what I like the best is the flavor, how full it gets me, and all the Superfoods/Prebiotics/Digestive Enzymes it contains.
Another reason we're adding in the Shakeology is to see the continued effects on her cholesterol, thyroid, weight, and hair/nails. In a 90-day study, participants replaced one meal per day with Shakeology , ate a balanced diet, and exercised moderately three times per week. Total cholesterol was reduced on average by 30% and LDL cholesterol was reduced on average by 38%. Other coaches have also reported increased growth in their hair and nails, and that is what my client is very interested in. We've taken photos of her scalp before she started, and will take more when the 90 days is complete.
MY RESULTS
For myself, I dropped 3 pounds, my cholesterol dropped 17 points to 158, my triglycerides were 43, and I feel GREAT! I'm waking up more alert most mornings, and I'm excited to be starting this new challenge with Shakeology. Here is a video of what 100 Doctors are saying about Shakeology. It's really helping a lot of people, and I'm very proud of my client for sticking with the Raw Food Diet for 30 Days and beyond and now adding in Shakeology.
WHAT WE LEARNED
Through all of this, we have learned a tremendous amount about how our bodies react to healthy foods and how to be more conscious of what we put in our body. It was also extremely helpful to have an accountability partner throughout the 30 days. Knowing that you don't want to let the other person down, and wanting to get off all your medications were strong motivators.
I also worked with my client to know what the healthier choices on menus and in supermarkets were, and where to find many of the items in our recipes by walking her around the supermarket and pointing out how to 'eat around the edges' - (ie the edges of the store where many of the non-processed foods are such as fruits and vegetables). If you are interested in doing this as well, just contact me and we can set up a time, or watch the video 'Change Your Food, Change Your Life.' available on Netflix.
Trying a large variety of recipes ranging in complexity before you start the Challenge is also important. When you're tired and hungry and sick of the same foods for 2-3 weeks, you may be less likely to continue. The book I liked the best was 'Raw Foods Made Easy for 1 or 2 People' by Jennifer Cornbleet. You also want to continue eating at least 50-70% raw when you finish, and if you're sick of eating salads, you may have a tendency to binge and return to old habits. Remember....this is a lifestyle change, and not a 30 or 90-day fix. Habits are created in 28+ days, and in that time, you also learn a lot about yourself. You can do this!!
I'm grateful to my client for taking on this 30-Day Raw Food Challenge, and committing to being healthier this year. She has done an amazing job, and I'm excited to start the next phase of our work together with Shakeology.
SUMMARY
Just to recap, the changes we saw in our 30-Day Raw Food Challenge were:
- Feeling calmer and more mellow....especially helpful for those with ADD/ADHD
- Waking up more alert and focused throughout the day
- Needing to sleep more than average as the body healed itself
- First 1-2 weeks felt many Herxheimer (Detox) symptoms: fatigue, nausea, headaches, sniffles/drainage.
- Lost weight and inches
- Reduction of fasting glucose down to 101
- Cholesterol and triglycerides improved significantly
- Thyroid improvement
- Less congestion as a result of no wheat or dairy
- Reduced PMS symptoms
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