1 Why did you decide to log your diet?
   Logging it allows me to see what I actually consume as opposed to what I think I consume. First step to making any worthy change (or knowing if any is needed) is being conscious of what is actually going on.

2 How long did you do it?

   2 weeks prior to diet start, then 1 week per diet

3 Did you use a website and if so which one?

   Google docs. Web-accessible from anywhere. Downloadable to OpenOffice format for offline use.

4 What did you find out (that maybe you did not expect)?

   Is that a contradiction?

5 What were positives and negatives?

   Pos: information
   Neg: forgetting to record stuff, taking time away from else

6 Did you analyze it and change things?

   Not there yet.

7 Did you also keep an activity log and what were connections with exercise?

   Yes

8 More comments on the experience?

    I procrastinated doing it because I knew it would be a change and a bit of work. Go figure.

Avoid Highly Processed Foods

Initially I was going to avoid packaged foods, but quickly realized that I would be eating only fruits and veggies since everything else comes in a "package" these days.

So, I'm almost done with week 1 of this diet and I'm not feeling lethargic at all after meals which is good. However, I have noticed that I have gotten out of bed in the morning so quickly that I almost fainted, 3 times in the past 2 weeks. I haven't necessarily been good about eating a consistent dinner, so that might have more of an affect than anything else. I entered the week with a substantial sleep deficit from the weekend and this probably affected the rest of the week.

Due to evening social events, I was not able to get out to the gym or for a proper run, so I can't really compare how my this diet affects my physical power and stamina. I did get in a few early morning exercises, but nothing substantial - just enough to get my heart rate up and a 5 minute muscle burn.

My stomach handled the food well all week with the only exceptions being when I "cheated" on the diet. A Jiffy peanut butter (the best convenience store option) sandwich threw my stomach for loops. In addition, 90% of a Trader Joe's flatbread fresh pesto pizza also had a similar effect. Another night I had some peanut butter - organic molasses - right before bed and woke up with a grumpy stomach. So, I guess I learned that peanut butter should not be overdone.


It may also be important to note that although I didn't cut out alcohol completely, I did restrict my consumption to only the beverages that were "clean" and simple. For example, I passed on having beer and instead had a single malt scotch. I could have had some wine, but felt it best to keep overall alcohol intake to a minimum.

I wonder if it would have helped to have some red meat during last week? Perhaps my iron was low. When I had taken iron in the past, due to it showing up low on tests, it significantly improved my max power, exertion stamina, and overall energy. How can I balance this, considering the next 3 weeks are meat-free?

I do think that avoiding the heavily processed foods has made it clear that they negatively affect my energy level and upset my stomach, when consumed in large quantities. There were times during this week when I did cheat a little bit, and didn't have any big problems  - like the 2 slices of pizza  between lunch and dinner. I think that having a full stomach from a healthy meal helps to moderate the effects of "bad foods". Proportional quantity seems to be the key here.

It is interesting to note that whereas I had the belief that homemade goods are significantly better for digestion than packaged goods, I came to realize this is not always the case. The homemade blueberry bread almost immediately caused some stomach rumbling. Clif products seemed to be fantastic.

EASE OF IMPLEMENTATION
I didn't have too much trouble avoiding the highly processed foods. I could generally find food that worked at most locations and didn't have to specifically bring my own.

OVERALL
What worked:
I did notice a not feeling food-fatigue after meals and in general I felt a bit cleaner.

What didn't:
Through no fault of the diet, I suffered exhaustion from a general lack of sleep, hunger from just simply not fixing a proper dinner, and a bit of grumpiness from a lack of exercise.

Take away:
Although I did enjoy my favorite shortbread cookies for snack today, I will certainly be conscious of the amount of these items that I consume. I imagine that having eaten clean for a week would help to reduce the cumulative effect of these items and allow some flexibility before feeling affected. However, if I were to continue this diet for an extended period, I would imagine that I would become more sensitive to processed foods on those rare occasions.

Research

I went to the library to find some books about nutrition so that I can enter this nutrition experiment with the proper knowldege. Most of the books in the nutrition section were focused on dieting for weight loss. This is problematic because i don't want to be on a nutrition deficit. I want to make sure that I'm getting enough of the right nutrients during this trial of exclusion.

The first book that spoke to me was all about the Glycemic Index - a measure of the way your body will react to the sugar you absorb from foods. The GI of each item is based on how much sugar it contains and how quickly your body absorbs it. Your body produces insulin to ferry around the sugars in your system. Maintaining consistent insulin levels will help maintain a consistent energy level. The Glycemic Load is a measure of the overall insulin response your body will have to a mix of foods based on quantity and combination of individual elements. Since high spikes in insulin are followed by deep valleys, it is recommended to consume low to medium GI foods.

As you would imagine, pastries have a high GI and vegetables have a low GI. However there are many foods that have surprisingly high or low GIs, sweetened fruit juices and angel food cake, respectively. Fiber, both soluble and insoluble, have a GI of 0 and therefore help lower the overall GL of a meal.

This book also talks about the importance of carbs and separates the good carbs from the bad carbs.

It also talks about cholesterol, LDL and HDL. Cholesterol is like a courier for fat in your body. As it brings the fat from A to B, sometimes it leaves a mess along the way. A lot of low density lipoprotein is bad for your system is a very sloppy courier and can lead to clogged arteries. However, high density lipoprotein is healthy because as it travels, it helps to clean up the route. You want a combined cholesterol under 200, with between 40-60 HDL and under 120 LDL.

Fats, saturated, unsaturated, and trans. Good fats are those that are liquid at room temperature - oils. Bad fats are those that are solid at room temperature - butters and meat fat. Trans fats are just terrible - they are engineered to be tasty (creamy), but as a result are processed in harmful ways in your body.