Ten Days Raw

I must begin by explaining that my need to try the raw food 'diet' is educational and a necessary experiential process. About 75% of what I have read and studied over the past two or three years has been related to nutrition. It is a widely varied subject, with hundreds of acclaimed authors claiming to have the best idea of it. In fact, I find that the more that one reads, the more confused one can become. Though, I have found as well that if I stick to my instincts, and to a handful of ideals, that I can find a balance and an understanding that is relative. I am no scholar, but I find the teachings of Andrew Weil, and also the teachings of Ayurvedic medicine to be the most helpful. Like I said, nutrition is a vast and varied subject. What it all comes down to, no matter how many books you read, speakers you hear, or websites you scour, it all comes down to what works for you.

So, I had read many a webpage and even a couple of books on raw foods, and the detox process. What I notice about the raw or living foods diet is that of the majority of people willing to try it, most did so in an effort to escape debilitating diseases, morbid obesity, and life threatening illness. When I read their stories and did the research, I saw that this was an ideal based on healing. It's a way of life that, without a doubt, drastically increases health and wellness. I was sure of one thing. I wanted to attempt the detoxing process to see just what happened. It was more than I imagined. Three days of headache and miserable intensifying of symptoms which drove me to try it in the first place. In the midst of the process, I was crying mercy and beginning to wonder if I had done something seriously wrong. Then came days four and five. Clarity. Energy. NO pain. Happiness.
The days since my initial three day juice fast (very short in terms of cleansing diets) have been ever clearer and better than ever. At no point have I felt deprived of anything.

I have continued on with the raw food, making sure that most (over 90%) of what I eat is raw fruits, vegetables or nuts. I have had no hip pain* or back pain since my 3 day juice fast. Other wonderful things have happened too. My skin has become clearer. My night vision (which is terrible) has notably improved! I drove home last night from the store in awe at the fact I could see quite well. Any digestive issues I had are far better. I have far more energy than I have ever had. I am able to concentrate without the thoughts slipping from my mind. My knees don't hurt. My sinuses have been clear. No throbbing kidney/liver issues. Over all, I am in the best shape! And all of this in ten days time!

Think for a moment about the fact that I'm 28. Of course you feel great, you're 28 years old. You should feel great. Exactly! For years (about 16 long ones) I have suffered from miserable hip pain. Absolutely miserable. Nearly constant pain, keeping me up at night, and basically have just been living off of Aleve for years. Taking 2-4 a day. No wonder my liver is so very weak.** I went to see a doctor when I was 12 and had x-rays done. He said there was nothing wrong with me. Probably just growth pain he said. (It never ceases to amaze me the daunting gap between conventional medicine and nutrition.) I also have had on and off throbbing pains in my kidney/liver area for several years (about 3). I was having debilitating migraines 1-2 times a month (severe pain lasting 12-24 hours), allergy problems at least every 3 months, and monthly breast pain, but had managed to control that by cutting out caffeine, most of the sugar I eat, and refined flour. All of those symptoms return when I go back to any of those things.
My hip pain was greatly decreased as well, but still haunted me, which led me to the detox and to try the raw food diet.

So, you see, I'm no 'fad' dieter. I am not working for a slimmer figure (though that would be a wonderful side effect!) but for an energetic and pain free life! I shouldn't be in such pain at my age, and I have been for years! This is great. Every symptom I have had that I have talked to my doctor about has fixed itself, except one***. Doctors have basically said "It's nothing serious, I can't see anything that is causing it, would you like a pain prescription?" to which I answer no, because I am quite anti-prescription 'medicines'.

What to do now? Well, I am going to continue on, doing about 80% raw (fruits, veggies, nuts, etc.). I do like cooked food, and in fact, I think you just aren't living life if you can't have something special now and again (for instance, a barbecue pulled pork sandwich). And I do love to cook and enjoy a wide variety of cultural dishes. However, my research is not done on myself. I still have many things to figure out, and will further research the living food phenomenon for the remainder of the year at least. Thus far, overall, this has been a wonderful experience, and no amount of reading and studying could replace this real life experience.


*My hip pain returned once, after eating whole wheat noodles.
**If I drink 8 oz. of wine, it takes my body about 12-16 hours and sometimes even longer to process it. This has been a noticeable change over the last 4 years.
***I have an odd lump in my right armpit. It has been checked and doesn't seem to be anything serious, but still is concerning for me, since it was never there before and has developed over the past year and a half. I'm looking for it to shrink or go away.

Some related links:
http://www.welikeitraw.com/rawfood/before_after/index.html
http://www.nov55.com/hea/food.html
http://www.detoxyourworld.com/acatalog/raw_food_diet.html
http://www.drweil.com/drw/ecs/index.html
http://www.holheal.com/

8 Days Raw...mostly

Okay. Today I begin my eighth day raw. I have had two meals in the past week that were not fully raw, though, so I can't say they've been eight days all raw. However, I really have noticed that after eating a cooked meal I do not feel immediate energy from it. When eating raw, I am filled and refueled instantly.

What I ate yesterday:
a green smoothie
an apple
a handful of almonds
dried goji berries
a pomegranate smoothie
celery sticks
carrot sticks

This morning I have enjoyed a red grapefruit. :) One of my favorite foods! And a banana.
It's a busy day though, I have to pack me a snack. The girls go to H.O.P.E. today. That's a program they do on Fridays that is publicly funded. I am headed to the Whale of a Used Book Sale at the Jefferson Co. Fairgrounds. Yipee! Books!

The Blind Mind

Twelve years ago this week, Shannon Hoon died at the age of 28, my age today.

When I think of the things that have molded me into 'me', Blind Melon plays a large part in it. In a time that I was immersed in grunge and depressive music, Blind Melon was a light to me. Warmth and happiness. Knowing it was alright to be me. It was okay to be goofy. It was okay to be happy, even when it didn't make sense. Even if it wasn't 'cool'. Even if my life wasn't. I love Blind Melon, and Shannon Hoon most of all. I could dance and smile, I could let life slip past dazily. I could be myself and be unafraid. All these things I learned partially because of them. I immersed myself in the lyrics that expressed regret, shame, anger, and in the next breath, satisfaction and happiness in my adversity. When I think of words to sum up portions of my life, Blind Melon's lyrics come to mind.

Of being an abusive alcoholic's daughter:
"One of these days this will die. So will me and so will you." ~ Mouthful of Cavitities
"My eyes are dry and my hands are clean, and I can't believe all the things I've seen." ~ Dear Ol' Dad
"And the sand blew in my eyes....as I stood on the edge and looked out to sea, the light of a new life shining upon me." ~ Deserted (I related to having the thought of living with my dad at the beach)

Of the act of religion:
"Holyman, you don't understand. The cuts on me they run much deeper." ~ Holyman
"Holyman I tell you man you gotta Believe in what you see, 'Cause its you that corrupt us man and deep throat philosophy. I don't need your spells or the little games you try to pull on me Come to think of it I don't need your religion." ~ Holyman
"And I'm oh so tired of you pushing that thorny crown Down onto my head so hard, my knees are two inches in the ground." ~ The Pusher

On being different:
"Nobody here really understands me, and so I'll wave goodbye, I'm fine. I'm fine." ~ Tones of Home
"All my friends patronize me, they say 'Hey Boy! Have you found what your looking for?' You see they don't really know me....it's here. It's what they can't see." ~ Tones of Home
"Instead of sittin' here not seein' clear, just sitting here not fittin' here...." ~ Toes Across the Floor
"But I'm not appalled or afraid verbal pocket play is as discreet as I can muster up to be. Because the Cadillac that's sittin' in the backIt isn't me, Oh, no, no, no it isn't me. I'm more at home in my Galaxie." ~Galaxie

On my life:
"My mind is a mind that I have come to know, and my eyes can't conceive what cannot grow." ~ Paper Scratcher
"Life ain't so shitty." ~LASS
"I find myself singing the same songs everyday. Ones that make me feel good when things behind the smile ain't okay." ~ Walk
"And I can't believe that I have to bang my head against this wall again. But the blows they have just a little more space in-between them. Gonna take a breath and try, try again." ~Walk


I was in high school when Shannon Hoon died, and I wore black for two weeks straight. The year before he died, Kurt Cobain died. I was never too much of a Nirvana fan. I liked them, but thought that Kurt Cobain was a whiner that should get over his problems. He should have taken a few lessons from Shannon Hoon, he should let go a bit, and not take everything quite so seriously. When I mourned the death of Shannon Hoon, hardly anyone knew who he was. I did.
I still mourn him, it's true. His death taught me that good things don't always last, and that sacred things can be stolen from you in a breath. He taught me with his words, that 'you have to have an eye to see what's wrong with the world, and a mind to change it.'
I am still sad that there aren't more songs. I'm sad that there are other artists with less talent that still breathe. There are other artists with less to say with their music. Shannon Hoon was onto something. I cherish every song that they ever released, they are still so dear to me, even now. All other bands have faded, but Blind Melon is in my fabric. Perhaps that partly explains my fruitiness. :)

Earlier this year, a tribute album was produced. You can check out the website.


This song has often times been the motto of my life.

Blind Melon

"Change"

I don't feel the suns comin' out today
It's staying in, it's gonna find another way.
As I sit here in this misery, I don't think
I'll ever (no Lord) see the sun from here.
And oh as I fade away,
They'll all look at me and say, and they'll say,
Hey look at him!
I'll never live that way.
But that's okay, they're just afraid to change.

And when you feel life ain't worth living
You've got to stand up and
Take a look around you look up way to the sky.
And when your deepest thoughts are broken,
Keep on dreaming boy, cause when you stop dreamin' it's time to die.
And as we all play parts of tomorrow, some ways will work and other ways we'll play.
But I know we can't all stay here forever,
So I want to write my words on the face of today.
And then they'll paint it.

And oh as I fade away,
They'll all look at me and say, they'll say,
Hey look at him and where he is these days.
When life is hard, you have to change.

Blind Melon - Soup (slideshow)

Day 4~Raw Foods, save one.

I just wanted to post at the end of Day 4 on my Raw Foods excursion that I feel good. The lower back pain has ceased! Yay! I have plenty of energy right now, and no need for any extra food. No cravings. Nothing. I feel pretty good. My mental energy is good, though I'm getting a bit tired at this hour. (Fogey I am.)
I did have one non-raw food at dinner. A salmon patty. Felt the need for Omega 3s, and since I haven't figured out the maze of raw nutrients, I settled for salmon.
Tomorrow I'll try to post my reasons/goals/inspirations/purpose/etc.
Nighty night.

Day 2 and 3

Days two and three of my juice fast/detox were no fun! The headache I mentioned on day one? It lasted fifty-six hours, and compounded with each passing hour. Saturday night (day tw0) all of the symptoms worsened, my aching hips and lower back (from a detoxifying colon) were the worst inflamatory pain I've ever experienced. When I hit the pillow I was nauseated, weak, exhausted, shaking and losing hope. I could not sleep, could hardly sit, and it hurt to move. Pain, pain, pain. Odd, isn't it? A juice fast shouldn't cause such symptoms...should it?? Ahh...but the detoxing. Yes. I was not hungry, and on Sunday (day three) actually found myself quite full most the day, though I did have some solid food. I had some canteloupe for breakfast, an avocado at lunch time, and Sunday evening I rewarded myself with brown rice and a sweet potato. They were cooked, but I ate very little of it and it did raise my energy levels considerably. The headache finally puttered out around noon, while we were out in the fresh air enjoying some grade A sledding weather. 9 inches of snow fell around us on Sunday!
We enjoyed a calm day together as a family, as we usually do on Sundays. Its a great life with no cable television!
Sunday night, as I lay down to sleep, the pain in my lower back had really become sharp, and I slept with a heating pad on my lower back most the night. It was misery. When I woke this morning, it had dulled considerably. Today my mental clarity is very good, much better than usual. I am surprised that after a few days of doing a juice fast and eating minimally, that my mind is actually clearer than usual. The remains of my congestion are seeming to clear. Though I have developed some really bad breath, most likely part of the detox process as well. I'm trying to drink my gallon of water a day, and am falling behind a bit.
For now, I have kids to teach! Mondays are Story of the World, and we always enjoy those lessons. We are continuing on in our ancient Egypt studies.

Juice Fast~Day One

After some research here and there, I have decided to try out a raw foods diet. I'm not quite sure how it will work, but one thing's for sure, I know it will be good for me.

Having a 'Living Foods' Diet means this: Everything I eat is alive. Which, by default, makes me a vegan. Never thought about being a vegan. Never really wanted to. But if I am to have a living foods diet, I have to be. The girls are trying it too, though I can't speak for David.

So I am starting out with a two to three day juice fast to detoxify myself. Yesterday was technically my first day. I felt good, and was not terribly hungry. I did have some of a pomegranate, though, so I had some solid food.
This morning I feel terrible! I was warned that detoxing can be a miserable process, and wow is it misery this morning. I woke in the night sick to my stomach when David came home from work, then I woke this morning with a sneezing fit like I've never had. Now I have the strangest dull headache. It's a deep seated headache, not sharp and restricted to one area, like a migraine. When I have a migraine I know exactly where the pain is coming from (usually throbbing from behind the eyes, around my sinus cavities) but this is a dull steady deep seated ache. Like a hangover. Another odd sensation is a feeling in my lower back, a burning feeling. Most likely, (and I hate to be gross) but that is likely my body (liver, kidneys etc.) releasing toxins into my digestive tract. I have a feeling this will all get much worse before it is over. As for my energy, my mental energy is excellent, while my body feels like I have the flu.

I am going to continue the fast into Sunday, then begin my raw foods diet. Over the next few weeks, my body will continue this detoxifying process.

All of this began with me having an allergy attack for the first time in over a year.

A few websites:
Living and Raw Foods Community
Raw Denver
We Like It Raw