Raw Odyssey

I’ve still got the munchies! I even briefly thought about how great it would be to have some Pepsi. But I’m not feeling any desire to eat or drink anything that’s not part of my eating plan right now. However, I have made other decisions: I have decided not to look for raw hummus as long as the hummus I’m eating now is working for me. Same with the taboule; if I have problems finding quinoa to sprout, it won’t bother me to stay with bulgar. The more I read about raw food, the more I realize that I have to do what works for me and to not get caught up in labels. Calling myself a raw foodist implies that everything I eat is raw, but I’m really eating just mostly raw. I can’t say what percentage raw I eat because I don’t know what standards raw foodists use to label themselves, and I’m not really interested in fitting into a label.

It’s hard to not get caught up in labels like “vegetarian” and “vegan” and “raw foodist” when, instead of labeling our behavior, we label ourselves! Just now I rewrote some of my previous sentences because I realized I had said things such as, “what percentage raw I am ” instead of “what percentage raw I eat“. I can see why some raw foodists, vegetarians and vegans become strident; many of them identify with what they eat. They feel compelled to personally defend their way of eating because they are actually defending their own identities. This doesn’t apply to all people who commit to particular eating styles, but it certainly applies to many I’ve come across on the internet. For some raw foodists (and vegetarians and vegans) this way of eating is part of a spiritual endeavor, making it even more understandable why, for some, it is part of their identity. For me, because I’ve had food “issues” for much of my life, calling myself something based on my eating behavior doesn’t feel good, so I want to stay away from that. I’m sure I’ll lapse often (I haven’t read over my past posts to see how often I may have labeled myself), so it’ll be interesting to see how this plays out over time.

Well, enough of my opinions on that topic! Here is what I’ve eaten so far. Oh- I remembered that during my day of munchies yesterday I had a mango close to midnight. I have therefore added that to today’s snacks. Today I purposely had a piece of fruit for breakfast, as I’d decided to do earlier. It worked fine today, although my snacking increased my calories this evening.

>BREAKFAST (around 9:45 a.m.)

1 banana

LUNCH

1/2 Avocado

Green Giant Spring Mix Salad, 1 cup

Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus, 1/2 c

Taboule Salad, 1/2 c

DINNER

1/2 Avocados, California

2 leaves romaine lettuce

Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus 1/2 c

Taboule Salad, 1/2 c

SNACKS

Raw Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Organic Valley, 1 oz

Apple

Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree), 1 tbsp

Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farms, 1 oz

Goji Berries, dried (Himalania) 1/2 tbsp

Mango

Total calories

CALORIES 1,726 CARBS 213 FAT 73 PROTEIN 49

I ate a lot more calories today. I guess I had the munchies! The fact that I ate my first meal before 10 means I had more hours to eat, though. It’ll be interesting to see how my week turns out weight-wise this week. I’m happy that I am bringing my protein up; I noticed that goji berries have a lot of protein, and I had nuts today, which also helped. I just need to start drinking more water. I find that it takes me hours to drink 16 oz sometimes. Maybe I’ll add lime wedges or something to make it more inviting. Other than the higher calories, today was an uneventful, decent day.

I got a tip from Ren that the light patches on either side of my mouth might have been related to the citrus I was drinking, as citrus can have a bleaching effect. That sounds like very sensible reasoning. I let up on the citrus this week and the patches seem a bit darker and smaller today. I hope I don’t forget to buy straws, as I really enjoy my orange and pomegranate juice mix.

I’m exited to start classes next week. I think eating raw will make life easier. Salads travel well, as do fresh fruits, veggies and nuts. I’m so happy to not have to worry about what to eat while I’m out. I’m sure I’ll have some things to get used to - like how much food to take with me- but at the moment things look very doable.

>BREAKFAST (around 9:45 a.m.)

1 small mango

1 tbsp Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree)s

4 tbs Taboule Salad

.75 oz. Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farm

LUNCH

1/4 c Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus

1/2 c Taboule Salad

1 tbs goji berries

2 romaine lettuce leaves

DINNER

3 tbs guacamole

1/2 c Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus

1/2 c Taboule Salad

2 romaine lettuce leaves

2 tbsp sprouted fenugreek

1/3 italian tomato

SNACKS

1 oz raw cheddar

1 tbs goji berries

1 oz raw trail mix

4 wedges watermelon

Total calories

CALORIES 1,979 CARBS 272 FAT 73 PROTEIN 62

I spent much of my day researching facts about protein. My goal is to increase my protein without severely increasng my fat intake. I also thought I should try not to increase my carbs any more than the level they are currently at. At Whole Foods I looked at various nut mixes, but found it hard to find nuts that don’t have almost 3 times as much fat as protein. I did find a nut mix that had 11 grams of fat for every 5 grams of protein, but it wasn’t raw. I looked at some online sources which tout vegetables as great sources of protein for raw foodists. Did you know you could get 131 gms of protein if you ate 50 cups of raw broccoli? Good thing I’m not striving for that much protein in a day! My research for my perfect sources of protein continues…

Today’s meals

BREAKFAST (around 9:45 a.m.)

1/2 medium avocado

1 large mango

1/2 c Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus

1/2 c Taboule Salad

2 Romaine lettuce leaves

LUNCH

1/3 pomegranate (in the form of juice) + juice of tangerine

1 tbsp Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree)

Flax Seed Crisps, RAW, Mauk Family Farm

DINNER

1/2 medium avocado

1/4 c Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus

1/2 c Taboule Salad

2 Romaine lettuce leaves

SNACKS

1 oz raw cheddar

Watermelon, 4 wedges

Total calories

CALORIES 1,778 CARBS 222 FAT 72 PROTEIN 50

Today was a good day, but I ate taboule and hummus for every meal! That’s a bit extreme. On the good side, though, I brought up my level of protein and lowered the fat (no avocados today). The black sesame tahini and the hummus help a lot with giving me protein without goo gobs of fat grams.

Today I made more taboule. It’s amazing how much cheaper it is to make your own, and how great it tastes. This time I mixed cilantro and parsley for a different flavor and it got rave reviews. I soaked the bulgar but it’s still a bit crunchy. Tomorrow it’ll be great. I know bulgar isn’t raw, but as I think I mentioned in a previous post, I’m gonna use all the bulgar up before switching to quinoa.

BREAKFAST (around 10:30 a.m.)

Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree), 1 tbsp

.75 oz. flax seed crisps

15 Cherries

1/2 c Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus

1/4 c Taboule Salad

1/3 medium cucumber

Centrum vitamin

LUNCH

1/2 cup Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus

1/4 c Taboule Salad

1 oz. Flax Seed Crisps

1 tbsp Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree)

1 oz raw milk Cheddar Cheese

DINNER

1/2 c Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus

1/4 c Taboule Salad

Total calories

CALORIES 1,345 CARBS 118 FAT 58 PROTEIN 52

NUTRIENTS

Calories…………………….ranged from 1500 to 1800

Water………………………..average= 6 glasses a day.

An average of 42% of my calories came from fat

An average of 46% came from carbs

An average of 12% came from protein

WEIGHT LOSS

STARTED WEEK AT: 341

ENDED WEEK AT: 325

TOTAL POUNDS LOST: 16

SUMMARY OF CHANGES NOTICED THIS WEEK

1) Tongue was coated with some sort of brownish/greenish layer I had to brush off. This lessened during the week but I’m left often with a strange feeling that something is on the back of my tongue- like when the skin from a bean lies flat on your tongue and you can’t get it off easily!

2) The diarrhea that started on day 3 still hasn’t abated totally, but I have had no more stomach pain, just an occasional stitch in my lower right abdomen.

3) I felt queasy one day and couldn’t pinpoint the reason, although I, probably unfairly, associate it with the raw cauliflower I had that day since it was so unpleasant to eat. The second time I felt ill was when I drank that Kombucha gingerade. I still haven’t finished the bottle (nor have I eaten raw cauliflower again).

4) My eyes usually water for a while every morning, as if I’m crying. This has lessened to either: no tearing, much-shortened tearing episodes, absolutely no tearing (a couple of mornings).

5) I’m in a better mood than I have been in a long time. Although not a huge change, it’s a glimmer of hope.

6) I’ve been free of compulsive eating all week- this removes a large amount of stress from my life.

7) My face developed two small patches with lighter pigmentation, one on each side of my mouth. This hasn’t changed in the 24 hours sinced I noticed it.

8) My skin is less alligatory - this is likely due to the huge increase in the amount of water I drink.

FOODS CONSUMED

Goji Berries

Kombucha Gingerade (Never again. Never, ever again).

Black sesame tahini - still don’t know how to use it. I just eat it as-is.

Raw sharp cheddar (Fiscalini)

Raw Trail Mix

Sea Salt

Flaxseed crackers - good for dip and to smear with the black tahini.

Sprouted fenugreek - very bitter. I might not buy this again.

taboule - has become a staple.

banana

cherries

papaya

Hummus - another staple in my diet, although I haven’t tried any raw kinds yet.

alfalfa sprouts

avocados - yet another staple, contributing to my high-fat raw diet!

cabbage- tried it once but didn’t really like it as a wrap because cabbage is bitter.

cilantro- I just love cilantro. I could just bury my face in it and inhale all day.

cucumbers - these went into my taboule, but I also sliced them and piled them with hummus and taboule.

limes - for dressing and also for the guacamole.

parsley - for the taboule

jicama- I didn’t like this. I tried to use it like a cracker. I may buy it again for salad.

extra virgin, first cold pressed olive oil

pine nuts- boring.

red onions

Bob’s Red Mill bulgar- I’ll probably try sprouted quinoa when this bag runs out.

garlic - Another favorite. I love everything about garlic except biting into a raw clove (ouch!!)

1 pomegranate- this is a new favorite of mine. Too bad they are so expensive.

apples - I’m not an apple fan, but they are convenient.

orange- I do not like citrus, but orange juice is bearable.

tomatoes- a staple.

cauliflower- Can you say B I T T E R? Ugh.

tahini - I don’t like it too much, but enough to keep experimenting with it.

FOODS I DIDN’T EAT

red bell pepper - it went bad

a small watermelon- it was in bad shape when I bought it (I’m not good at choosing melons)

a “young” coconut - it went bad and shot coconut water onto my kitchen counter!

sun-dried tomatoes- don’t know what to do with them yet

Mango- not ripe yet

Organic Wild Rice - don’t know what to do it yet

sprouted mixed beans-don’t know what to do them yet

Veganaise- shouldn’t have even listed this- I’m not gonna eat it! My friend will use it.

ROUNDUP

It’s funny; I began the week feeling some trepidation about raw food- can I live on taboule every daggone day? How come raw food has to be so bitter? But my tastes are already adjusting to the bitterness of such things as sprouted seeds and tahini, and I really like taboule. In fact, I think that as long as I make the taboule a bit different each time, I won’t get tired of it. I’ve had new textures and flavors, some good, some not so good. I haven’t gone through “detox”, unless you want to call the skin thing and the diarrhea detox. I don’t. I haven’t had any major cravings (except a short-lived one for salt early on) or desires to binge.

I will need to learn how to buy food when it’s ripe or almost ripe so that I can time when to eat them, rather than wasting money on veggies and fruits gone bad. Some of my uneaten items will need to be incorporated into meals or recipes of some kind and just haven’t found anything I like yet. I’m looking forward to eating that mango!

I think my fat intake is too high, but since I lost 16 lbs this week (a record for me!!) I’m not gonna complain right now. I do need to work on finding ways to bring up my calcium and B12. For now I’m taking Centrum. (That Kombucha tea has some b-12 in it, for those of you who are interested).

Conclusion: This week gets a thumbs up!

I thought I would provide more specific information about a typical eating day for me, this first week of raw food. Today was typical insofar as what I ate; it differs only in that I didn’t eat breakfast until noon, so it was more like a brunch. My “lunch” was small enough to qualify as a snack. After dinner I had another snack. Snacks are typical for me.

CHANGES for day 7

I have noticed another change since starting the raw life: today I noticed that my face has two patches of lighter pigmentation, one on either side of my mouth. What the heck is that about?? I have medium/dark skin, so it’s very noticeable to me, although my friend didn’t notice it until I pointed it out to her. This should be interesting.

I also have a “stitch” in my lower right side. Could be part of my digestive issues. My diarrhea lessened greatly yesterday but I’m not totally in the clear today.

OK, on to the meals!

BREAKFAST (around noon!)

Organic Raw Black Sesame Tahini (Living Tree), 1 tbsp

1/2 Papaya

8 Cherries

Lettuce

1/2 c Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus

1/2 Taboule Salad

1 tbsp dried Goji Berries (Himalanian brand)

Centrum vitamin (’cause I’m coming up low in calcium and other nutrients)

LUNCH

1 oz. Raw Trail Mix (Mauk Family Farms)

(That was more like a snack, wasn’t it?)

DINNER

Lettuce

1/2 c Baba Roasted Garlic Hummus

1/2 c Taboule Salad

1 oz raw Cheddar Cheese

SNACK

Raisins, 1 small box (1.5 oz)

Raw Trail Mix (Mauk Family Farms), 0.5 oz

Total Nutrients

CALORIES 1,414 CARBS 167 FAT 54 PROTEIN 52

I slept soundly- about 7 hours. My back hurt terribly upon waking up, though, making it difficult to enjoy lying in bed. I deal with this excruciating pain daily and am so used to it that I don’t even take pills. Alleve is the only thing that helps, but I don’t want to rely on it or continually cover up the pain. I’ll reach over and grab some only if the pain is so bad I cannot sleep or cannot get out of bed.

I had breakfast around 11:30: taboule blah blah blah. I was quite hungry. I added some sprouted fenugreek to it. Yikes- that stuff is bitter!! I only used a little. Since I’ve consumed all my pomegranate, I decided to have half of the papaya as my fruit for the morning. I’ve had 16 oz of water and I feel satisfied. Today my girlfriend is taking me to the Whole Foods Market so I can see it myself. I’m looking forward to asking questions and getting new raw food ideas.

WHOLE FOODS

Whole Foods Market was a lot like Wild Oats, Nature’s Bin and other whole food/health food stores. I liked it a lot. They have a wide variety of raw foods. Some of them were ridiculously expensive for my budget but there are a few items I might splurge for in the future. I wanted to find raw peanuts and cashews but the only raw nuts I saw were almonds, spanish nuts and pine nuts. I also hoped to get raw peanut butter but again, almond made up the only raw butter I could find. Here’s what I did buy:

Goji Berries ……………………..2.99 small package

Kombucha Gingerade……………….3.49 bottle

Veganaise (original)………………….3.99 jar

Black sesame tahini………………….8.99

Raw sharp cheddar (Fiscalini)……..3.23

I’m really excited about the cheese. I’m not sure that I’ll incorporate much cheese into my diet because I don’t want cravings for the kinds of stuff I used to eat. If I can handle it, maybe I’ll get it once in a while. The cheese we got was terribly expensive- over $10.00 a pound. The worker there was very kind about slicing off a very small piece for us, and also gave us a taste. YUMMY!! The initial taste is that of salt. My friend didn’t think it had a strong flavor beyond the salt, but I think there is a strong sharp flavor in there, which I loved.

I really didn’t want to get the tahini but it touted some health benefits and my girlfriend thought she might want to try it, too. She also convinced me to get the gingerade- whew, that stuff is lethal! Actually, it isn’t too bad, but it’s a bit tart (and fermented, so it is bubbly as well). I’ll post a taste-test on these items as we experience them. I bought the goji berries because I’ve read about them. I think it’s fun to try new things, whether or not they actually become a permanent part of my diet.

Well, it’s almost 4pm Pacific time- time for me to eat…something!

LUNCH: The usual hummus/taboule salad but I added an ounce of grated raw cheddar. I really loved that cheddar! The salad didn’t need it, but I needed an excuse to try out the cheese.

I noticed that I haven’t been putting my calorie intake down. Most days I’m between 1740 and 2000. I’ve never reached 2000 but I did eat only 1350 or so one day. That was too low, but over a week’s time things tend to average themselves out. My goal is to lose 2 lbs a week.

DINNER: Around 8pm I had dinner- guacamole and flaxseed crackers. Not exciting, but tasty. I drank the Kombucha and really couldn’t stand it. I diluted it by half with water and would you believe it didn’t change the taste AT ALL? My friend said it made her feel a little queasy after two gulps. I thought I felt a little ill as well. I tasted the black sesame tahini I bought at Whole Foods today so I could provide a better description, but I don’t know how to describe it…let’s see… it has an intense flavor and a slighly nutty background. It was bitter. I’m not sure how I will incorporate it into my meals, but I’m gonna give it a try. I also tasted the dried goji berries. Dry, they are sweet and bitter at the same time, with a fruit flavor. I soaked some in cool water for 30 minutes and tried those. My friend felt they had a very strong taste when soaked that she didn’t detect when they were dry (”funky strong” were her exact words). I thought they were sweeter when soaked, but that’s probably because they had plumped up so there was more surface to taste on my tongue. She wouldn’t eat them raw - probably not even with trail mix. but would bake them into something. I, on the other hand, could see them in cereal, either dry or soaked. Maybe I’ll add them to salads or to the raw nut trail mix we got yesterday.

BREAKFAST:
The usual taboule salad. I think having a breakfast with fat and protein is helpful for me in abating hunger. I had pomegranate juice + orange juice along with the breakfast. Around 2 I had a banana. I’ve had 16 oz of water and am about to drink 16 more oz.

Someone asked me what I weighed this morning. I found that I’ve now lost 13 lbs.

I had some eyewatering and sneezing this morning, but less than usual. I’ve maintained the better mood or better outlook on life that I noticed I’d developed after starting raw foods. I would love to feel more alert and have more energy and stamina by the time classes start later in the month.

LUNCH (5:45 pm) : I had a lunch of - you guessed it!! But there is a twist. My girlfriend (the one who lost 150 lbs through a gastric bypass diet) has been very supportive and surprised me with a Whole Foods purchase of raw hummus, raw taboule, raw flax seed crackers, raw trail mix, three types of sprouted beans, wild rice, a papaya and mango. Oh- and some sea salt! I am eating the new hummus and taboule, which I topped with the crunch flaxseed crackers . The crackers are VERY crunchy. They look like flax seeds stuck together, really. They have a nutty taste with a “burnt” finish that isn’t really as bad as it sounds. The hummus didn’t taste too good at first bite, but when I told myself that not everything has to have garlic in it, I realized that it actually was good to taste hummus without overpowering flavorings. The taboule is tasty- as taboule usually is. Can you ruin taboule?

DINNER: 10:15 pm -I made guacamole using a small avocado and am eating it with a couple of flaxseed crackers. I can’t really taste the crackers over the guacamole because I use a lot of coriander, cilantro, scallions and garlic to spice it up. This is one of the best meals I’ve had this first week of raw eating.

I don’t know why I’m hungry so late. I guess I’m just not hungry at the times I’ve been used to eating. But wait- I was generally never hungry when I ate last year. I just ate to eat. Now that I seem to be eating only when I’m hungry, I find that I’m not getting as hungry as often as I thought I would. I had told myself that I wouldn’t eat past 7pm because I have read numerous times that this is too close to bedtime, when you burn fewer calories. But my hunger and eating patterns mean that by 7pm I still don’t have all my calories in. Since I’m not eating a lot of calories per meal, I don’t think I need to worry about eating right before bed, at least as far as calorie-burning goes.

Overall today was a good raw day. I wasn’t sick of eating taboule today, and I didn’t feel sick like yesterday. I tried a new food (the flax), which was great. I still have the diarrhea, but not as bad, and without the terrible stomach pain I had yesterday.

I became so engrossed in a video project last night that I didn’t go to bed at all! Oops. I slept a few hours later during the day, however. I had breakfast around 8 a.m. - same stuff as usual, but 1/2 cup of hummus and taboule each rather than one cup.

Around 3 pm I had a snack of watermelon, but it was kinda old so I hardly ate any of it. About an hour later I had lunch - a banana, some cherries and some baby carrots. I’m soooooo tired of taboule and hummus! This meal seemed very discombobulated- nothing is related. The SAD (Standard American Diet) has gotten me used to “building a plate” of related foods, but who says you have to eat that way? My meal was semi-filling. Maybe I’ll learn to make raw peanut butter or something in the future. Around 5 I had a snack of jicama combined with taboule and hummus. I didn’t enjoy the jicama at all.

DINNER: 9 pm I had a salad. It had cucumber, tomatoes, a lettuce mix, and raw cauliflower. I made a dressing of tahini mixed with equal parts water, with garlic, coriander, cilantro and scallions. I don’t like the texture but I got the recipe off the side of the can. I don’t know if tahini is considered raw- it probably isn’t! I added lemon and a smidgeon of olive oil to make the salad more tasty but I can’t say I’m in love with this meal. In fact, I’m blogging instead of eating it. It looks pretty…. I added raisins and then grapes in last-ditch efforts to fix it up. I suppose in a few weeks I won’t think its so horrid but today it’s just not doing anything for me.

The good thing about eating this way is that with my foods limited, I can’t find some way to wheedle McDonald’s or Pepsi into my menu. If I were counting calories I’d find some way to fit Pepsi in, believe me! With a limited menu that isn’t especially inviting right now, I eat when I’m hungry and that’s it. I hope to actually enjoy my meals as I get used to this, but if a limited diet keeps me from eating poorly, I’m all for it. Gotta do what works for you!

Although I see this more as day two because on January 1st I had fried cornbread and blackeyed peas that had been simmered in pork, this is day three of my healthier way of eating. I woke up with the usual sneezing, the back, shoulder and neck pains, slight headache, blah blah blah. I got up at 8:30 because SOMEONE (you know who you are!!) wanted to go shopping early today to try on clothes. This someone had a gastric bypass last October and has lost about 150 lbs. To re-motivate herself, she wants to try on clothes and have me take pictures of the styles she looks good in. This will be more fun for her than for me, one, because standing and walking for hours isn’t comfortable for me at my current weight, two, because I worry about what I’ll eat. Last night I ended up having an additional snack - a mini repeat of dinner- because I was hungry at 12:30 a.m. Today I’ll be away from home! I will take an apple or two with me, I guess. Lastly, reason number three for not having much fun today will be that clothing is no friend of mine. I can’t wear what I want, can’t afford the clothes that would best fit me AND look good, and hate to be reminded of how big I am while watching her celebrate 150 lbs lost. I’m happy for her (which is why I’m going) but sad for me.

Many people have written that when they started a raw food lifestyle they had some immediate, remarkable changes. Well, two days is too soon for anything remarkable, really, however, I can say that it is nice to wake up without the usual morning breath! Not that my breath was beautiful- I’m sure the garlic and onion in the tabboule I had right after midnight is lurking around in aromatic form, but my mouth FEELS better- not full of “ick.” I had almost 8 glasses of water by the time my last snack was completed- maybe being better hydrated helps with how your mouth feels in the morning, too!

BREAKFAST: this time I’ll start with the protein and fat (hummus, avocado) in the hope that it’ll keep me satisified. I’ll also mortar-and-pestle some pomegranate and combine it with the fresh-squeezed orange juice again.

MEALTIME: 2pm- Today was a little stranger than I was prepared for. I sat down to my wonderful breakfast and found after two bites that I simply wasn’t hungry! I was torn- do I eat to avoid hunger while I’m out, or do I follow the message my body is giving me? I decided that since my odyssey is about getting healthy, that I should listen to my body. I drank the juice and took 16 oz. of water with me, of which I drank about half. When I returned home close to 2pm I was hungry. I ate the remainder of my “breakfast” and was satisfied. I also drank 16 oz. of water. I took a 2 hour nap and felt refreshed afterwards- in fact, I was almost in a good mood. Most days I’m lethargic and feel kind of “down.” This is something I hope my new eating habits will change.

SNACK: 5:30 pm I decided to have a banana and 16 oz of water since I was hungry. I am developing a slight headache as of 6pm- could be caffeine withdrawal, although it seems a bit belated if so. I am already bored with tabouleh. I love it, but I have to get some new recipes in my life or I’m not gonna want to get up in the morning! Around 7:00 I had about 3 cups of watermelon (just an estimate).

DINNER (or whatever) 8:40 pm: I was hungry and ate the usual- taboule, a tiny avocado, hummus, lettuce, alfalfa sprouts, lettuce. This time I only used 1/2 cup of taboule and hummus each, and I added about 1/8 cup pine nuts. I put a little salt on the side of the plate because I’m trying to wean myself off added sodium. Besides I think the hummus is salty enough!