Life In The Fast Lane

In my second entry yesterday, Less Is More, I mentioned that my modification to the salt water flush made it ineffective.  This morning, I followed the recommendations and used 2 tsp. sea salt in 1 quart of water.  Let me tell you, it really was life in the fast lane!  I really don't want to be too graphic, but within 90 minutes I was in the bathroom.  In and of itself it was not a terribly enjoyable experience, but the end result (no pun intended - OK, maybe it is intended) is that I already feel considerably better!  I am sure that this is partially the psychological effect from knowing that something is working correctly.  By the way, the song choice should be obvious, Life In The Fast Lane, Eagles - from the Hotel California album.

Over the course of the day yesterday, I was able to get 6 full servings of the lemonade in.  Today, I am off to a much better start.  It is only 11:00 AM at the time that I write this and I have already consumed 4 servings.  I plan to taper off a bit as the day progresses so that I end up with 8-10 glasses of lemonade by the time that I go to sleep.

This morning, I added one more resource to my research on the Master Cleanse.  The Complete Master Cleanse: A Step-by-Step Guide to Maximizing the Benefits of The Lemonade Diet by Tom Woloshyn is a much more comprehensive description of the cleanse than anything I have read thus far.  Mind you, I have not actually read the original book by Stanley Burroughs.  All of my research has been from websites and magazine articles up until today.  The good news is that all of the articles I have read agree on the fundamental points of the cleanse.  In the case of Tom Woloshyn's book, he delves a lot deeper into the hows and whys of the process.  I don't agree with him on all of his points - for instance, he is a proponent of the vegetarian diet - I am grateful for this additional insight on the cleanse.

At this point in Day 2 - yes, early in the day and having only just begun the overall process - I am truly considering extending beyond the 10 days.  As I said when I began using VIDACELL a couple of years ago, there is enough damage done to my body that it will not be corrected 'overnight.'  Woloshyn's book provides a marker to look for that will tell you that your body is ready to revert to a 'normal' diet.  I will likely continue the cleanse until I see that marker.  After that, I will slowly ease back into The Maker's Diet - grass-fed meats, raw milk, raw honey, sprouted grains, etc..  Technically, the cleanse does not truly break The Maker's Diet, it just really limits the 'foods' being consumed.

Light My Fire

Light My Fire is one of my favorite songs by The Doors.  Given the topic of my last post, can you guess what the link to the title of this post is?

I dehydrated some peppers overnight last night.  I also made some salsa (we went grocery shopping right after I wrote the post, so I got the needed ingredients).  The peppers were done drying this morning.  I pulled off the dried husks that remained of the stems and put the peppers one at a time into my mortar and ground them with the pestle.  After all was ground, I ended up with about 1 oz. (dry measure) of 'pepper powder.'  I only call it that because I can't remember the variety of peppers that I used...  I blended both types of pepper together as well.

I am still fasting to this point, so I haven't even tasted the salsa.  However, I wanted to see how hot the pepper powder was.  Tasting the pepper wouldn't break the fast so I simply ran my finger on the pestle that had some residue on it and gave it a lick.  Wow!  It was pleasingly hot but not overpowering.  I felt the heat from even a small taste but I didn't feel the need to guzzle a glass of water.

For the fast, I am mostly just drinking water but have had about 8 oz. of fresh squeezed orange juice -  squeezed 'em myself.  Of course, I also had my VidaCell this morning.  Since dinner on Tuesday night, the only 'solid' food that I have had was for dinner on Wednesday and that consisted of a yogurt smoothie.

Today, I will be breaking my fast around dinner time.  Oddly, I am not doing it because I am at all hungry.  I just don't want to take it too far.

There And Back Again

Yes, I am aware that 'There And Back Again' is part of the title of J.R.R. Tolkien's book, The Hobbit.  It is also the title of a song by Daughtry - yes, that guy that got voted off of American Idol yet seems to have a better career than that year's winner.

Last night, I wrote about fasting.  Well, I decided that I would repeat my mini-fast today - hence, there and back again.  I think that I might have made a mistake with that choice.  Not a major mistake as I can simply choose to break my fast at any time, but the temptation to eat is a bit greater today.

Yesterday, the girls came home from the library with a bag full of freshly harvested vegetables and herbs.  Their group, Green Children, had planted a vegetable garden for one of their projects.  They harvested everything during yesterday's event.  We ended up with quite a lot of tomatoes, a couple of green bell peppers, some spicy peppers that I don't recall the name of, an eggplant, and a squash.  Additionally, we got some basil and some dill.  Victoria was still in the harvesting mood when they got home so she ran out back to our garden and harvested the two peppers that we managed to grow.

The long, green peppers on the left are from our home garden, the rest are from the Green Children garden.

Bottom tray with the basil and dill

Today, after my VidaCell and deep breathing, I got out the food dehydrator and set the basil, dill, and all of the peppers except the bell peppers to dry.  While I would have preferred to use the basil fresh in a recipe, I didn't have anything planned.  Rather than let it wilt and lose it entirely, I needed to dry it for storage.  The dill I will likely use to make pickles, but that won't happen in the immediate future.  As for the peppers, my plan for the ones I had planted was always to dry them and grind them for use in recipes.  I really wanted to plant them indoors to extend the growing season, but they ended up getting planted in the garden.

Second tray with the peppers

The basil and the dill dried out very quickly (as expected), so I simply removed the lower tray when it was done and left the peppers to continue drying.  To speed the process, I cut a slit into the peppers lengthwise.  I expect the peppers to go overnight before they are ready.
I plan to grind the dried pepper for use in guacamole, pepitas, and a lot of other recipes, so I was thrilled to get some of the Green Children harvest in addition to my own.  The plum tomatoes that came home will be made into salsa either today or tomorrow.  I need to get a couple more ingredients in order to make a good salsa, so it will have to wait until I can get to the store.

Anyway, as soon as I started to pick the basil leaves from the stem, the wonderful aroma began to fill the house.  It was only amplified when the dehydrator started doing its job.  If I can fight off the temptation to eat today after smelling that, I will be doing really well!  I think that this is when the spiritual aspect of fasting really comes into play.  Avoiding temptation through prayer is just one of the benefits.

Thanks to last night's post, I really looked further into the health benefits of fasting.  What I found influenced me to repeat my fast today.  I am really feeling great about the decision to fast, so I doubt that I will have a problem fighting temptation at this point.  As well, I am considering taking it a bit further.  One site that I read talked about a 'juice fast.'  Essentially, the juice fast relies solely on fresh juice from a variety of fruits and vegetables and the fast can span one day on up to 30 days.  The duration of the fast depends on the goals the faster has.  As I do not currently have a juicer, I am unable to follow this juice fast as described.  As well, I would continue to use my VidaCell daily, so it would not be a true juice fast.  At any rate, as I did with my self-designed egg fast, I plan to take some elements from the juice fast and work them into my nutrition regimen.

Follow it Faithfully and Realize That You Can't Always Have It Any Way You Want It.

Phew, that's a long title!  I realized the other day that my blog named My Journey to Wellness that often has references to music (yeah, I know...every title lately has been music related) has not one single reference to the band Journey.  Sooo... I had to make up for it here.  The song title Faithfully actually fits in quite well with the concept of this blog - not the lyrics, though.  As well, the title Any Way You Want It definitely does not always describe the way things happen in life.  You know what though?  Just Don't Stop Believin' and things will tend to work out!  Of course, any change in lifestyle can definitely be a Trial By Fire.  OK, enough song references (for now), but I think that makes up for the previous lack of Journey songs.

I know what you are thinking...  You are thinking, "OK Greg, how are you going to tie all of those songs to this article?"  Well, I'll tell you...

Following The Maker's Diet means that I can't always have what I want the way that I want it.  As well, the diet is based on the Bible.  It calls strongly on faith in God.  I think - and I stress think - that the focus on faith and the Bible is one reason that The Maker's Diet has essentially been repackaged and marketed as the Guts and Glory Program in the book Restoring Your Digestive Health that is co-written by Jordan Rubin and Joseph Brasco.  This really is the same diet.  The difference is that the latter has almost no reference to prayer, faith, or God.  It is not completely devoid of God, but the focus is considerably different.  Mind you, I have not finished reading the book so if I find it to be different I will let you know.


Today was one of my several mini-fasts as recommended by The Maker's Diet (and by the Guts and Glory Program).  Fasting is beneficial both physically and spiritually.  Wikipedia describes the physical benefits as such:

Research suggests there are major health benefits to caloric restriction. Benefits include reduced risks of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, insulin resistance, immune disorders, and more generally, the slowing of the aging process, and the potential to increase maximum life span.^[2] According to Dr. Mark P. Mattson, chief of the laboratory of neurosciences at the US National Institute on Aging, fasting every other day (intermittent fasting) shows beneficial effects as strong as those of caloric-restriction diets^[3] in mice, and a small study conducted on humans at the University of Illinois indicates the same results. ^[4]

In the context of both The Maker's Diet and the Guts and Glory Program, fasting is not meant to be used for long periods though this is not unacceptable if done properly.  Mini fasts once per week are recommended.  The mini fast could consist of a juice fast, water fast, or even a total fast from dinner one night until dinner the next day.  The primary reason is to enable the digestive system to 'catch up.'  Fasting gives your body a break.  It also allows you to 'reacquaint [yourself] with hunger.  Hunger is the body's signal to eat, yet most people don't experience this very basic sensation because they eat throughout the day and are always sated.  Short fasts put you in touch with your body's craving for food and help you understand when it is truly necessary to eat.' - page 108-109, Restoring Your Digestive Health
Furthermore, eating 'three square meals a day' is a relatively new standard.  Primitive cultures, in addition to hunting and foraging for their food as opposed to going to the drive thru, would go for longer periods of time between meals than we are accustomed to.
From The Maker's Diet, it is further recommended to pray during your fast each time you feel hunger.

From dinner last night (which consisted of sesame seed encrusted chicken - unfortunately not free range - and organic peas), I had only water to drink and my one serving of VidaCell with raw honey and cinnamon until dinner today.  Dinner consisted of a smoothie that I made with frozen berries (cherries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries), aloe juice, raw milk, raw honey, whole milk organic plain yogurt, and VidaCell.  As I write this, I am seriously considering repeating my mini fast tomorrow.  We'll see how I feel in the morning...