How to measure raw food improvements.

[bcoogs]

I am getting back into a raw food diet after a few months eating a lot of cooked foods including some red meat, eggs flour etc. I was thinking that for a bit of fun I should measure my improvements over the next few months so I have some physical evidence to look and to tell others about.

Does any body know any useful tests that are low cost and easy that I could carry out on myself to monitor any body changes? I am thinking blood tests, pH tests etc. It would be great to have a scientific way to measure my energy levels.

Thanks

[blessteve]

High blood pressure goes away. High cholesterol gets normal. The movie "Gersons miracle" says nutrition can heal cancer

[Ucat]

You can measure your body pH from the saliva or urine, using standard (cheap) pH paper. You can get it from garden centres because gardeners use it to measure the pH or their plant feed. You might be able to get it from a pharmacy as well, not sure. But google around on how to do the test because certain things in your mouth can drastically affect the test and your urine can show acidic if you're currently detoxing. Maybe best to test both regularly!

Invest in a 'live blood analysis' at the beginning and end of your raw food diet.

At least here in Europe you can get your doctor to test your blood for certain things for free if you say you've turned vegan and are worried whether you're getting enough nutrients (or something like that).

There are many other useful tests that you can pay a lot of money for, but would definitely be interesting to monitor, like food allergy tests and other things that naturopaths can do.

But the best way I have found to monitor your changes is via a diary. Changes tend to be so gradual that you may not notice them unless you take time to write and reflect on your feelings each day.

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www.cheap-health-revolution.com

[EscapeArtist]

Cool! Some good suggestions here. Can't wait to hear about the tests and progress!

[therawmichelle]

Hi and welcome back to the raw food community! :)

Like the previous person advised, I would say the most reliable test is a blood analysis conducted at the beginning and at the end of your raw dieting period. You can also perform some simple tests on yourself, such as testing for stress and effort endurance (how many stories can you climb using the stairs before and after going raw, or how long can you jog/run before and after going raw, etc). Write down your sleeping patterns and see if any changes occur in the quality of your sleep - does it become more regular, is it more relaxing?

You can also look at your dental health, skin health and hair health. Do these improve in any way as a result of going raw? Does your metabolism change in any way (do you assimilate nutrients faster and is your digestion accelerated)? ...I guess there are a few more things you could look at, the ones i mentioned were all off the top of my head. Best of luck in your new trials!

[Ucat]

I just found this webpage which is quite informative. It gives the optimal ph (potential hydrogen) levels for saliva and urine, which both reflect the ph level of blood. It is also interesting that it states that the higher the ph reading (alkalinity) of a fluid (e.g. blood) is, the more oxygen rich it is. I.e. the less of hydrogen (h+) and the more of hydroxyl (oh-) the blood has, the more alkaline it is. H+OH=H2O=water. [Plus and minus (as in h+ and oh-) are just electronic charges that attract the two atoms together and hold them together in 'ionic bond".]

http://altered-states.net/barry/update178/index.htm

Quotes from above site:

"Salivary pH Test: While generally more acidic than blood, salivary pH mirrors the blood (if not around meals ) and is also a fairly good indicator of health. It tells us what the body retains. Salivary pH is a fair indicator of the health of the extracellular fluids and their alkaline mineral reserves.

"Optimal pH for saliva is 6.4 to 6.8. Spit onto to your Portable PH Meter on arising before anything is put into the mouth. A reading lower than 6.4 is indicative of insufficient alkaline reserves. After eating, the saliva pH should rise to 7.8 or higher. Unless this occurs, the body has alkaline mineral deficiencies (mainly Calcium and Magnesium) and will not assimilate food very well. To deviate from ideal salivary pH for an extended time invites illness.

"If salivary pH stays too low, the diet should focus on fruit, vegetables and mineral water as well as remove strong acidifiers such as sodas, whole wheat and red meat.

"Urinary pH Test: The pH of the urine indicates how the body is working to maintain the proper pH of the blood. The urine reveals the alkaline building (anabolic) and acid tearing down (catabolic) cycles. The pH of urine indicates the efforts of the body via the kidneys, adrenals, lungs and gonads to regulate pH through the buffer salts and hormones.

"Urine can provide a fairly accurate picture of body chemistry, because the kidneys filter out the buffer salts of pH regulation and provide values based on what the body is eliminating. Urine pH can vary from around 4.5 to 9.0 for its extremes, but the ideal range is 5.8 to 6.8."

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www.cheap-health-revolution.com

[MysticTree]

If you feel good and can do things you couldn't do before and your skin is clearer and you thinking is better etc etc etc then that is all the measurement that I need.