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30 Day Juice Fast Journey -- Day Three I was hungry only now and then throughout today. But it wasn't the horrid monster hovering over my head with it's drooling mouth and big teeth like it was yesterday. Today wasn't so bad. Really. I was hungry only now and then, here and there, throughout the day. But it wasn't the horrid monster hovering over my head with it's drooling mouth and big teeth like it was yesterday. Yesterday was just down right miserable. But it's behind me now, and today proved to be so much more tolerable. I even had moments of peace.
As I mentioned a couple times before, Day 3 is so very close to the edge of making it out of the really suffering part, that it's foolish, so very foolish, not to stick it out. What're three eensy agonizing days compared to succeeding to the end of 30 glorious days! Tomorrow, at Day 4, my digestive system should shut down, for the most part. The sensation of physical hunger should fade away.
Anything that resembles hunger, I am just going to treat it as a psychological phenonemon. When I see a seafood commercial on TV for sizzling, grilled salmon with golden rice pilaf on the side, or sexy pink shrimp dancing across a plate while an anonymous hand squeezes lemon juice, like rain, all over them, and if I feel a growl in my gut, I am going to treat as a psychological phenonemon: I'm just imagining the desire to head to Red Lobster and order every shrimp dish on their menu. It's all in my head. It ain't in my gut. I'm sure that will make it all so much easier to resist.
I know that what I am doing is the best gift I can give to myself and my body. (If I can just stay away from the the sneaky little puffs now and then) And because I have done 30 day fasts before, I know in a few days to a week, I am going to cross the threshold into a higher realm of fasting. The fast itself (going without chewable food) will become easier, the extra energy my body releases will expand, my head will be so clear that I'll smell colors and hear scents and I will feel so good, so alive, so vital... so I know what I have to look forward to. I just need to keep facing forward, keep my eyes on that brilliant light at the end of the tunnel and keep reminding my hungry belly of the incredible gift I am giving myself. This gift is tantamount to me, myself and I personally giving me, myself and I... LIFE! I am shedding the tattered remnant of an old life in the form of toxins-of-self-abuse and then cleansed, my body will heal and rebuild, rebirthing an opportunity for a new body full of new life. That sounds so romantic one would almost forget how painful the beginning of a fast can be. But then everyone who has experienced it, knows that all births are painful.
Whether it's the birth of a child, the birth of an idea, the birth of a new opportunity, the birth of a new body, the birth of new health, birthing, the shedding of the old, the building of the new and then the emergence of a fresh new life isn't easy to achieve. Just ask a butterfly the next time you happen upon one.
***
I ran out of vegetable broth, so I am in the process of making some more for tomorrow. I am using a few different veggies today than I did when I made the first pot of broth. I threw in some yellow crooked neck squash, some zuccini squash, some bell pepper, a hunk of red cabbage, a beet as well as the usual carrots, celery, sweet pots, tomatoes, onions, garlic, apples, and on... I smell it burbling on the stove and it smells so divine. I also added fresh rosemary from my rosemary bush that grows out front between the taragon and sage bushes. The smell of rosemary wafting on the back of garlic and simmering vegetables is a smell made just to tickle, tease and tantalize the senses. Especially when the belly feels a tad bit... light.
What does everyone else do with their pulp? I use it for different things, but there's always something to use it for rather than throwing it away. I threw a couple pinches of the veggie juice pulp into this broth for a bit of fiber. I am not worried about triggering my digestive system because I didn't add enough for that. But there is just enough for a bit of fiber. I also give my dalmatian some of the pulp. She absolutely loves her veggies and she's an old queen, already three years beyond her warranty. Dals live on average about 12 years. Cassandra is 15 years old. And she's still youthful enough to run and cavort and turn heads. I think it's the greens. I also use the pulp as a thickener for other dishes I make for my husband and myself when I am not on a fast. I also throw the pulp in homemade bread batters, carrot nut bread is a favorite. A great gift to your plants, mix it in with the potting soil. Don't just throw your pulp away. There are so many uses for it. I even make a face mask from various fruit pulps such as pineapple pulp.
I bought a new bike and am itching to take her for a spin. She's so sexy. She's a fabulous Townie by Electra. You can see her in all her pink pearlescent glory here: http://www.electrabike.com/04/bikes/06bikes/townie/06_twn_09.html Mine is just a tad darker pink and has back and front fenders and I put long white glittery streamers on the handle bars. The spokes boast glow-in-the-dark blinking little clip on flowers. I put a parrot horn on the handle bar and it squawks just like an exasperated parrot would. I installed a light in front and back and rear-view mirrors. It's kinda like I'm stroking my inner little girl. I actually thought about collecting Barbies because I didn't have one when I was a kid. So, this sweet little bike with the awesome curves and silly accessories is holding Barbie at bay for now. Thank god.
But this is the cutie who's going to ride my butt all over the 'hood while I am on this juice fast. I thought I'd map out on my odometer five miles and ride that route twice a day if time permits. While on the other 30 dayers I did, I mapped out three miles and walked that route twice a day. But this time, I have a sexy little bike and think I can do ten miles on it instead of six miles walking. Of course, I will have to begin slowly and work myself up to that lofty goal. I'm afraid my voluputous gams will be a tad sore otherwise.
It's good to plan ahead your juice and broth menus. It's a good idea to plan ahead your various activities and interesting projects to do while on a prolonged fast. Planning keeps all aspects to the fast flowing smoothly and keeps the element of surprise to a minimum because in all that planning, there should be a horde of contingency plans, just-in-case plans, and lots of plan Bs.
It's interesting to note, that when I am not fasting, I don't have this kind of awesome energy. I am not fatigued, per se, not tired or anything like that. I'm just not active in the body. I prefer to read than to jog. I prefer to write an essay to playing racketball, say. But on a fast, I must be active. I want to be active. I need to be active. My husband is on his toes when I am fasting. Closets get cleaned out. Things get thrown away. He doesn't like that. I begin ambitious projects that, at times, require his help. He doesn't like that either.
***
Today, I consumed pretty much the same things as I have been. I drink copious amounts of water. I sip on hot veggie broth all day. I drink herbal teas... I tried this new one called Madagascar Vanilla Red, a rooibos (roy-bus) tea. It's wonderful. Deep, rich vanilla and spices. Quite soothing. I also drink White tea. White tea is similar to Green tea except it's process isn't quite as long as the green tea. Green tea is dried for a day or two after harvest. White tea is dried even less than that before the drying period is halted with heat so the tea doesn't oxidize. White tea is more delicate than green tea which has a grassy flavor, though not unpleasant. Green tea is noted for its powerful, healing antioxidents. White tea is purported to have an even higher concentration of antioxidents than Geen tea. White tea is rarer than other teas and you may pay a premium for it, but it's well worth giving it a try. It's smoother than green tea, less grassy taste and you can dress it up with fresh ginger, mint leaves, a cinnamon stick...
For Your Information :
Green tea -- Dried for a day or two
Black tea -- Fermented (dried for about a month)
White tea -- Dried very briefly, heated quickly, not oxidized
Rooibos Tea:
Rooibos (pronounced roy-bus) tea is grown exclusively in the Cedarburg region of South Africa, where it has been growing wild for centuries. Also known as Red Tea, rooibos tea gained popularity during WWII when tea supplies from Asia forced drinkers to find an alternative. With the many amazing health benefits surfacing and many flavors available, rooibos tea has far surpassed its role as an alternative beverage. Technically, Rooibos is not a true tea. It comes from the plant Aspalathus linearis, rather than the Camellia plants that produce traditional teas. The name Rooibos comes from the African slang for the Dutch words for 'red bush'.
Rooibos tea contains no caffeine. According to studies conducted in South Africa and Japan Rooibos has been shown to aid in health problems such as insomnia, irritability, headaches, nervous tension, and hypertension.
Studies also show that this tea relieves anti-spasmodic agents, which can relieve stomach cramping and colic in infants. In South Africa Rooibos has been used to treat allergies such as hay fever, asthma and eczema very effectively . It is also used to treat irritated skin. Rooibos is brewed and placed directly on infected areas. Rooibos contains anti -oxidants which can help slow the aging process and boost the immune system.
Rooibos tea contains almost no oxalic acid, making it a good beverage for people prone to kidney stones. Rooibos contains the following minerals: copper, iron and potassium, calcium, fluoride, zinc, manganese, alpha-hydroxy ( for healthy skin ) and magnesium ( for the nervous system ) are also components of this tea. In South Africa pregnant women and nursing mothers drink Rooibos because it contains no caffeine. And last but not at all the least, Rooibos tea is not only a beautiful red tea, it tastes terrific, too. Add a little vanilla and you're transported!
***
Why am I blogging my experiences with a 30 day juice fast? What made me decide to reveal my struggles and sufferings and potential humiliations to a sensationalistic world? Because yes, I did think about this before taking the plunge, if I may be so cliché. I thought if I shared my experiences and some of the things I do to enhance the fasting experience for myself, I may be able to influence some of the girls in my Yahoo Group, and anyone else reading this, to take the plunge and either incorporate juicing into their lifestyle and or do a juice fast with support from the sidelines. Everyone knows that not eating is going to be painful, so I am not going to pretend otherwise in this blog. Yet, I know that the suffering ends once the digestive system shuts down, so it's important to show that the suffering doesn't last and if I can get through it, most people can. I also thought I may be able to leech some internal strength from every person who reads this blog by revealing my battles with the cigarette. But I have since decided that along with not permitting self flagellation if I backslide here and there, I am probably not going to focus too much on my personal struggle with the cigarette in this blog. I may mention it now and then, but I am going to keep my focus on the more postive aspect of this fast.
I'm not going to discuss the nasty waste products that exit my body either. That's just plain gross. There are a deluge of other blogs and informative websites on the 'Net for that kind of information. Curezone offers a fabulous directory with a plethora of links and an abundance of information. I don't need to present it here. I can't even look at pictures other people share. It's absolutely not appealing to me and I'd much rather share recipes of well being and discuss clever strategies and the benefits of juicing than to detail the mucoid plaque that ended up as rat food in the sewer. Especially when I have just waxed poetic about rosemary hitching a ride with garlic a few paragraphs above. It's just a wholly unpleasant topic and one that's not going to be discussed in this blog.
Well, time to strain the broth and store it for tomorrow. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, Day 4, when I won't feel so hungry anymore. What a relief that will be!
Until then, Sweet Dreams...
~ Dazzle
January 18, 2006
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