Food Awareness Subjective Testing {F.A.S.T.} -Outline
Foundation for Universal Scientific Exploration (F.U.S.E.)
(Exercising Your Mind)*If you have the “luxury”, please consult your trusted and competent registered dietitians, state-licensed health people and such, before any dietary or exercise program is undertaken. -Especially if you are experiencing dis-ease.Food: Substances you eat and drink expecting to be nourished.
Awareness: Alert, subjective observation within a context of changes over time.
Subjective: Self experienced; personal awareness.
Testing: Observing & documenting subjective responses of controls by trial and assessment.
The purpose of this outline is to offer you a simple yet dynamic and accurate tool for identifying and eliminating potential nutritional contributors to enhancements or dis-comforts and their resulting symptoms you may be experiencing. It is sometimes recreational for me -especially the glycemic experiments.
I use this basic program to check for several possible responses. You will see how simple it is and understand the concept. This may be augmented and easily adapted to many activities. This is a type of fast, as foods are selectively eliminated for a short time. The method and personal example(s) follow.
The F.E.A.S.T. or Food Express Awareness Subjective Testing, is a much simpler method than the outline for F.A.S.T. -It works with little or no control or calibration phase.
-To experiment with the FEAST protocol, simply eliminate a certain food, ingredient, condiment or additive for at least one week.
-Then reintroduce it into one of your meals or by itself.
-Observe and document any changes, abreactions, or responses.
-Wait at least two days and then test again.
-Repeat for five to ten trials
*Adding a substance or chemical without first fasting or eliminating is very useful. Through careful observation you may establish cause-effect relationships regarding any novel or rarely contacted substance, and any symptoms or adverse reactions.
*Observing and recording any alterations during the elimination period is an experiment in itself. You may experience withdrawal from a food, for example.
F.A.S.T.
What I have done is to consume a predetermined and consistent formulation of chemicals for up to several weeks or months at first. This means following a “strict-diet” for a short time. I call this transition time a “calibration/ control-period“ or ccp, which is required for the program. The instrument you are using to test the food is your body, and therefore must be selectively attuned biochemically.
A calibration or control-period(ccp) is what I have labeled the practice that results in the attainment of what I call a “base-diet“. This is my generic term for whatever predetermined food program I happen to use to calibrate with. In other words, a routine meal-plan to obtain a stable baseline biochemistry.
After the first calibration/ “control-period (ccp), you should generally require no more than 48hours for each successive calibration after contact with the “test-substance“.
Many of the portions I use here are very rough guidelines. Do your best and plan for you. The plan should include how gradual your ccp will be, according to personal comfort and/or discipline level.
Using F.A.S.T. to test for my response to the sugar in apple juice.
I gradually replaced all non-water liquids and fluids with fresh, clean, filtered water over two months (60 days) to ease any potential withdrawal symptoms. The food graduations also ran concurrent with the water transition. Thus, the initial ccp is recorded to have been 60 days. I call 1 day of test; and 2 days of calibration a “trial” or set.
For Breakfast I gradually conformed to eating 2 eggs, 3 buckwheat pancakes with fresh raspberries and toast.
Lunch would be vegetable soup with bread, rice, blue-corn chips and an apple.
Dinner would be 1/2 to 8/10 of a pound of wild caught salmon with quinoa, rice, green, red and yellow bell peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, beets, turmeric, and many other possible spices, vegetables and beans. Sometimes just rice or quinoa and fish or combined with the listed veggies.
Any Snacks would be any 1 or combination of blue-corn chips and an apple(s)
I waited one week (7 days) after I “controlled” my chemical/nutritional intake and then added additive-free, 100% apple-juice (test substance) with dinner on the next day #68.
I felt a surge in my head that was warm and pleasant. It was also very slightly nauseating for a few trials. My anxiety increased. Beets dye your poop and stain your pee. Other symptoms.
I resumed the ccp for 2-days (48 hours) to clear out the apple-juice and its residue. That means I resumed the base diet. After 48-hrs I drank the same brand and quantity of apple-juice at dinner. Documented reactions. This was repeated for 10 trials for a total of 97 days.
Thats it.
60 days transition/control.
7 day stabilization/calibration [67days]
1 day test [68days]
2 days calibrate [70days]
repeat [73days]…
and so on…
… [97days]
I changed my diet gradually to eating the same foods exclusively every day. Then I added the test-substance; observed my subjective/personal mental and physical responses and documented the experience.
Using F.A.S.T. to check potential digestive reactions
to non-organic oils in organic blue-corn chips
This trial ran after 48-hrs of the apple-juice trial. It began on day 100 and continued 10 trials until day 127.
All that was required for this one, was to replace my chips at lunch or snack time with the different brand of organic chips. The oils in question were canola and safflower in one brand. They were canola and soybean oils in another. The corn-chips used during the control-period specifically labeled their oils as organic; the test chips did not. Not all products like blue-corn chips with organic labels, or that say “Made with Organic Ingredients” contain 100% organic ingredients. Some organic foods are contaminated with GMOs; certain processing negates the benefit of organic raw materials.
I experienced mild nausea at first. Trial 4 and 7 there were loose stools. Some cramping. Other symptoms.
Using F.A.S.T. to determine if any benefits are obtained by consuming b-vitamin supplements
This trial ran from day 130 until day 157 following the blue-corn trials.
Because I was not consuming a b-vitamin supplement before, simply adding one was a sufficient test.
I experienced elevated mood immediately which tapered around trial 8. Increased concentration. More physical energy. More restful sleep. Immediate relief from any noticeable anxiety. Very yellow urine.
Combination trial with blue-corn chips(oils) and apple-juice(fructose)
This last trial was from day 160 until day 187 following the B-vitamins trial.
I have found it very simple to combine. I ate the chips at lunch and added the juice at dinner. One reaction in this 10 trial experiment under these conditions was that I experienced constipation amongst other symptoms.
For optimum results and the purest baselines, my base-diet is always 100% USDA Organic or better. Whatever you can use as a base is fine. However, using an organic base allows me to test non-organic brand reactions as well as reactions to specific nutrient types like certain processed oils, or genetically modified foods.
- I also use basic diagnostic tools sometimes. It is another a bonus and not required. These may include stethoscopes, portable blood sugar testers, analogue thermometer and other pharmacy available tools.
- In other trials no responses were apparent until midway; i.e trial 5 of 10 if at all.
Often times, I do not need to establish a baseline because my diet is usually very controlled. I pay very close attention to my body. This way I am able to readily establish cause-effect relationships regarding any novel or rarely contacted substance and any symptoms or adverse reactions. This is a skill that may be easily honed.
Establish a baseline or control scenario.
Introduce a test variable to the control.
Document any changes or lack thereof due to test.
Repeat.
Hakeem,
Your blogs are absolutely amazing! You are a genius and I am honored to have you as my friend!! You are so young and I can see you going really far with your truths! You are a teacher via experiencial knowledge, the best kind of knowledge! Thank you sharing your brilliant light!