Juice Feast - Days 5&6

Oddly enough, yesterday & today I experienced more hunger than the previous 4 days. I also had thoughts of eating solid foods, although I wasn't tempted to do so. It was almost like nostalgia, but without the desire to go there. The hunger is always mild, it comes & goes & never stays for long, which is nice. To satisfy it I just drink more juice, but I still haven't made it to a full gallon - 3 1/2 quarts is the most I've been able to take so far. Today I had coconut oil for the first time on the feast & it seemed to be just what I needed. I mixed it with some bee pollen & was so pleased with my concoction that I plan to take it routinely - maybe every other day, alternating with hemp oil. The release of mucus has tapered off & there haven't been any other odd or interesting detox episodes to report thus far. I'll certainly document them here when they do occur.

Raw Food Wonders

It’s been ten days since I broke my fast and I’ve been sticking with a low-fat raw vegan diet. For the first few post-fast days I incrementally reintroduced food, starting with fruit only the first and second day, followed by fruits and vegetables the third and forth day, and from the fifth day forward I added nuts, seeds and avocados. I haven’t had any oil yet, nor have I desired it.

The first thing I noticed as soon as I broke the fast was that my elimination started almost immediately. I was completely surprised since it normally takes a few days for me to get back on track after fasting. I was doubly amazed, considering the fact that this was the longest fast I’ve ever done and I thought it would take longer than usual to “wake-up” my system.

There was absolutely no fat in my diet for the first four days following the fast and I attribute my rapid and efficient elimination to this fact. That trend has continued – even now ten days after the fast has ended. I find the low fat raw vegan diet to be an absolutely wondrous experience for many reasons and I will remain on it for as long as it feels natural and correct for my body.

This was not always so. I tried for weeks before the fast to reduce my fat intake – not for purposes of weight reduction since that’s normal – but for healing. Since the fast ended it’s become easy to significantly reduce my fat intake. (Watch for the link to my soon-to-be-published report on plant-based diets in the next week or two for more insight into dietary fat reduction for health).

I’ve been on a high-raw diet for more than a year, with the past nearly five months at 100% raw. During this time my weakness has been fats – especially cashews – but that’s changed post-fast. Since increasing my fruit consumption I don’t crave the fatty foods and instead of my usual servings of fat with almost each meal - in the form of oil, avocados, seeds or nuts sprinkled on salads, or in dressings, seed cheeses, pates, dips and the like – I’ve upped my fruit servings to compensate for the eliminated fat calories.

That means I eat mountains of fruit, as well as greens, vegetables and some fats. It seems to be working for me as I remain extremely energized, productive, and euphoric. I’m certain that my body is using this fine-tuned nourishment to continue the healing process.

I experienced an interesting, yet disturbing occurrence at the end of my fast indicating that I had become mineral-deficient while fasting. My toes and leg muscles cramped up while sleeping. (That happened to me in the past after drinking distilled water exclusively for several years. Muscle cramps usually indicate a mineral deficiency so I switched to filtered water and the cramps went away. Then I went back to distilled water with minerals added and the cramps stayed away).

Anyway, after the fast the cramps continued for several days and developed painfully in my hands as well. As I incrementally increased my daily food intake (especially fruit) the cramps lessened. It’s been two days now since I’ve experienced any cramping – a sure sign that my mineral stores are being rebuilt with this low-fat vegan diet. My body wasn’t (and isn’t) craving fat and I believe I’ll continue to do well as long as I consume enough calories to maintain my weight - primarily from fruit, not fat.

Before I started the fast I had some extensive testing done to see if I’m still toxic in heavy metals, (including mercury). The tests may also give clues as to what’s going on in my body that might be preventing the elimination of these neck nodules (a vestige of the cancer I had until recently). I’m still waiting on the results of blood work, hair and urine analysis and thyroid ultrasound. I’ll post again when I have the results to share.

Meanwhile I’ll continue with this pleasurable low-fat raw vegan diet. For anyone interested in more information about this diet I suggest getting the book by Dr. Douglas Graham, called “The 80-10-10 Diet”. It’s a must-read if you’re into health at any level.

Spring Cleanse - Day 10 wrap-up

I successfully completed my 10th day without too much effort. Yesterday I only drank 1/2 gallon of the lemonade. At some point in the afternoon I lost my taste for it and switched to water. This morning I broke my fast with papaya but surprisingly it was very unsatisfying. Despite my hunger the fruit left an unpleasant aftertaste in my mouth. I'll try more fruit later.

All in all I'd have to say that the fast was a worthwhile experience although the skin nodules that I had hoped would begin to dissolve have not budged. Nonethless, I trust that my body has its priorities and will get to that task when it's ready. Today I resume my raw diet, certain that my intelligent body will digest these "tumors" in its own time. I'll also continue to chronicle this next phase of my healing journey with weekly posts.

Spring Cleanse - Day 9

I'm in the homestretch and still feeling great. I've experienced hunger off and on each day of the fast but today was the first day I really felt the urge to eat. It was a nagging sensation that didn't quit until after an hour-long meditation. Thankfully it didn't get the best of me. The white coating on my tongue is nearly gone and there have been no detox symptoms today whatsoever. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and the successful conclusion to my first ever ten-day fast.