Day 44

Weight: 13 stone 7 lb

Lost: 1 lb

Total weight loss since day 1: 1 stone 8 lb

After my day's fast it appears that I only lost 1 lb, but it's 1 lb in the right direction so I'm happy about that!

This morning after gobbling down 2 bananas, I took myself off to the gym where it was CV day, with 1 hour and 15 mins on various machines. Then it was back to house to put a tonne of wood away which was delivered last night and was another workout in itself!

After all that exertion I was feeling peckish again so I had a bowl of chia seeds, almond milk and sliced up banana. Chia seeds expand when you add liquid to them and make for a very yummy breakfast when covered in almond milk and a spoonful of honey.

Then it was off to Marbs to see a friend of mine who very kindly took me out for lunch to my favourite restaurant, Terra Sana. Since my friend is also vegan we both ordered the Wellness and Energy Salad which has a nice mixer of smoked tofu, rice noodles, crushed peanuts, basil, beansprouts, spring onion, chinese cabbage, coriander, red pepper, lettuce hearts and a soy dressing.

And very enjoyable it was too.

Wellness and Energy Salad

After lunch it was back to my friends house where I had pre-prepared a dessert of raw chocolate mousse and almond kream topped with yummy raspberries.

Raw choccie mousse delight

Chocolate mousse (Courtesy of Shazzie)

This is very easy and simple to make and it goes something like this:

1 avocado, peeled and stoned

6 dates, stoned

4 heaped tsp raw carob/cacao powder 

Chop the dates. Bung all ingredients into food processor. Process until smooth. You may need to add some water if it's too thick or add some orange juice if you want some chocolate orange. If it's too 'caroby', add more orange juice. 

(Don't do what I did and add tablespoons of carob instead of teaspoons, as you need a lot of orange juice to soften the carob!! Oh well...)

Almond Kream (Courtesy of Ani Phyo)

1 cup almonds

1 cup water

2 tbsp agave syrup

1 vanilla bean (seeds)

Combine all ingredients into a high speed blender until smooth.

When I tell people I'm on a raw vegan diet, they always seem to question, 'Where do you get your protein from?' So, here's a list of just some of the fruits and vegetables I can eat, that deliver my protein:

Apricots

Bananas

Cherries

Cucumbers

Red grapes

Valencia oranges

Peaches

Strawberries

Red tomatoes

Watermelon

Asparagus

Broccoli

Cabbage

Carrots

Corn

Kale

Green leaf lettuce

Spinach

Of course there are more fruits and vegetables that contain protein, but this gives you the general idea of where I'm getting my protein from. There are also nuts and seeds supplying protein too.

Too much protein in our diets can actually do us more harm than good because it often leads to toxemia (toxic blood and tissues). In general, high protein-based foods (meat, fish, cheese) are highly acid-forming in the human body. This is because their predominant minerals are the acidic minerals - chlorine, phosphorus and sulfur.

To maintain a stable and constant internal system, the body must counterbalance the acidity caused by excess protein consumption. Unfortunately, it does so in part by taking a precious alkaline mineral - calcium - from our bloodstream. The body replaces calcium into the blood stream, where calcium levels must remain relatively constant by removing it from our bones and teeth, setting the stage for osteoporosis and tooth decay. 

It is no coincidence that fruit and vegetables contain just the right amount of protein to build and maintain the human body. Nor is it a coincidence that the minerals they supply are predominantly the alkaline ones: calcium, sodium, magnesium and potassium.

So I hope this information now helps you to understand a little bit more about where us vegans get our protein from and why we don't need protein from meat. I'm not against people eating meat...it's their choice and I believe in living in a free society where people can make these choices...and many years ago I made a choice firstly out of compassion, then health, not to consume meat and I've never wavered from it. 

So it's Valentine's Day tomorrow and I will try and make something a little bit special, but still sticking to 'raw', as Saturday my partner and I will be spending the day in Malaga City, where we will be visiting a vegan restaurant.

Hasta pronto