A Journal of my personal (daily) experiences
By: Mindy Goldis
Vegan Food Chef and Educator
Specializing in macrobiotic/raw food cuisine
WEEK 1
Day 1: Tuesday December 01, 2009
Please note: I will be sharing with you all that I experience on a day-to-day basis as for how I feel physically, mentally, my routine, etc. I want to give you a complete understanding of what I am going through and to know that it is a big accomplishment and anyone is capable of doing it, if they wish (only if you have done many years of fasting and cleansing already). It is really mind over matter. I will also share with you the products I am using and how to contact them for more information. Please note that I only use the purest products on the market, as I am very keen and knowledgeable about ingredients (food products, beauty care, etc) that are the most beneficial for you. If you do contact any of the companies listed, please let them know where you heard about them. You are also welcome to contact me for any of the services I offer, such as personal consulting and guidance, food preparation, private or group classes and traveling chef.
Background information: I became a vegan/macrobiotic in 1990 after learning about it from a friend and reading a book his aunt wrote, called, “Recovery from Cancer,” by Elaine Nussbaum. I didn’t want to wait till something ‘happened’ to me to make the change. Prevention is the best cure! I studied at 2 macrobiotic schools on the east and west coast and then started my own business teaching and preparing food in a group setting and for private clients. About 8 years ago, I became a raw vegan after reading a book, “Nature’s First Law: The Raw Food Diet” by Stephen Arlin, Fouad Dini and David Wolfe. It resonated with me that this was the path to continue on and I have evolved with it in the years that followed by educating myself about the best way to live this lifestyle. In 2004, I read a book called, “The Miracle of Fasting by Paul and Patricia Bragg” (www.Braggs.com or 1-800-446-1990). I had received it from an expo I went to for the natural products industry. I read the entire book and it made sense to me. I decided to follow the protocol written in there. I began with a one day a week fast and built my way up to 3-4 days and then 7 days to as much as 10 (they have a system in the book to follow and guide you with many inspiration thoughts and insights and it is a great book to read through while you are on a cleanse). After I did that for a couple of years, I looked into doing the “Master Cleanser,” and did so before every new season, starting with 10 days and then adding 2 days each time I did it. I followed that for almost 2 years, reaching a total of 24 days. I then began to modify the cleanse, as I was not keen on the ingredients used. From there I went to complete my longest fast of 28 days in May-June 2008. I decided from that point on that 21 days worked best for me and stayed with that amount. I have finally adjusted the cleanse to where I have been doing the same one (before every new season) in September 2008.
This time, I have decided to do a 40 day cleanse/fast. The longest I have ever done one was for 28 days. Like those people who want to run a marathon once in their lives, I want to do this! Like the great leaders of our times (Moses, Jesus, Buddha, etc) who have done so and experienced great spiritual awakenings. I don’t know that I will have any great epiphanies, but I am doing it just the same. I don’t recall if they fasted without food and water entirely.
My journey is my own and thus it incorporates a culmination of a number of years of various types of cleansing/fasting regimens. I figured out what works best for me by experimenting over the last 6 years. As a child (starting at the age of 12) I had fasted for the required Jewish holidays of Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av, in which one does not eat or drink for approximately 26 hours. I had read more about the benefits of ‘dry fasting’ in the book, “Quantum Eating,” by Tonya Zavasta (www.beautifulonraw.com or 1-866-STAY-RAW; there is an abundance of great information on this website, as well as books and products of the highest quality). I decided to dry fast once a week and see how I feel. I was amazing to me how great I actually felt. I had abundant energy with nothing (I don’t recommend this if you have never done any type of fasting/cleansing for many years). No food or water! It is an experience I never had when I was a child because we only fasted that way twice a year and I usually felt faint and weak.
I have decided for this cleanse, I would start the first day off with ‘dry fasting’ and then see how long I can go. I know I can do it for at least one day (the longest I have done was for 2 days), as I have done so many times before. After that, I will consume water only for the rest of the first week.
My first day experiences: I woke up feeling fine and had a solid elimination in the morning as I normally do (usually I eliminate at least a couple of more times during the day, but since I am not eating, that didn’t happen). I went about my day doing everything I usually do with no lack of energy. At other times during my cleansing, I have had some head aching as my body adjusts to non-eating, but this time it was very easy. I recently got over a sore throat/congestion and found myself still coughing and expectorating quite a bit of mucus. My body was able to detox more so because there was nothing inside to slow it down. I did initially feel some dryness in my throat when I woke up, but then it dissipated and the rest of the day was fine. Since I was not eating, I had the time to do some extra house cleaning/organizing. I did go to sleep much earlier than usual, 9 pm to be exact. It wasn’t from lack of energy, it was instinctual.
Day 2 – Wednesday December 02, 2009
My second day experiences: I woke up today and felt fine. I am still ‘dry fasting.’ I had a small solid elimination this morning and am still able to urinate a fair number of times during the day without drinking anything. I continued to go about my day as I usually do with no problems in energy or enthusiasm. I am still expectorating mucus from my throat. I went to bed even earlier tonight after I took a relaxing bath (Splish Splash Natural Bath Filter [‘bath ball’] from New Wave Enviro Products; http://www.newwaveenviro.com or 1-800-592-8371). I always use the bath ball to remove harmful chlorine, since it enters the body through the skin, especially since your pores are open from the elevated temperature and you are also ‘soaking’ in the water for extended periods of time. A bath and shower filter are actually more important to have then a drinking filter because you will take in more the chemicals through your skin and the fact that more water is coming onto your skin then you would drink, even with a 5 minute shower! I have a ritual when I take a bath, so I can treat myself to the full experience. When doing a cleanse, this is a nice relaxing and detoxifying experience. I use bath salts from a company that offers many different varieties to choose from (tonight I used: Gimme A Break 4 oz jar – an aromatherapeutic mineral bath from Little Moon Essentials; http://www.littlemoonessentials.com or 1-888-273-0683) that I put in the tub once the bath ball is removed or else it will be harmful for the filter. I then light a candle (they have different aromatherapy varieties and I am using: Pheylonian Aura Pot ‘True Romance’ Dolphin Energy [pure capping beeswax and it has a heavenly scent] from Pheylonian Production Kohr; http://www.philoxia.com or 1-877-445-6942) and play some relaxing music (The Spirit Sings from NorthSound Audio 1-800-336-5666). I usually sit in the bath for about 15 minutes or so and then when I am finished I very slowly get out of the tub, as I don’t want to pass out (since by body is much warmer then the air around me). The best thing is to take gradual steps. At first I turn my body over and sit with my legs under me and after a few minutes, I slowly come up and always keep my head down in the process so as not to feel faint. I usually keep the window which is by the tub open slightly so I get some airflow. When I feel ready, I stand in the tub for a while with your head hanging down as then you can adjust to the difference between you body and the air around you. When I finally come out of the tub, I do the same thing, till I feel comfortable enough to pick my head up. It is best to keep your body warm afterwards, so as not to get chilled. I like to take a bath in the evenings when you are ready to wind down from your day and let all the distractions go and also not get involved in any more work or phone calls. For some people, it will actually help them fall asleep as they are fell calm and serene.
Day 3 – Thursday December 03, 2009
My third day experiences: I woke up feeling fine and still dry fasting. I had a small solid elimination this morning. I decided to start drinking plain filtered water (Aquasana AQ-4000 from Sun Water Systems; 1-866-NO-BOTTLE or http://www.aquasana.com) after not having any water for 55 ¼ hours. Funny thing, is I actually felt a bit weaker after that, as my body had to adjust. Later in the day, my throat felt a bit dry, too. I did not consume an over abundance of water, only when I sensed a need. I am still detoxing via mucus elimination from my throat and also some foul underarm odor (to help with this, I use Terressentials Organic Real Soap for Hands Chillin’ Mint with Organic Tea Tree Oil to clean my underarms or body and then apply Terressentials Lavender Fresh Super Protection Deodorant – http://www.terressentials.com or 301-371-7333; all there skin and body care products are certified organic). I continues with my regular daily activities. I have stopped any intensive exercise regimen at this time, but I still continue to walk all over town. I went to bed later than the past 2 nights, as I was washing my floors and dusting (done once a week).
Day 4 – Friday December 04, 2009
My fourth day experiences: I slept well last night, except that before I got out of bed, my mind was thinking about things I have to do. I seemed to have more clarity of thought without my body having to expend energy digesting food. I woke up, initially feeling some slight lethargy. It did not last for very long. This morning, I did not have a bowel movement and that doesn’t mean anything is wrong with me. Since I am not eating any food, it is fine. When I have done extensive cleansing (of at least 2 weeks or more), there have been times when I have evacuated much more regularly (it would be mostly loose and watery, as opposed to solid). Well, after I finished writing this (at about 9 am) I went to the bathroom and had another solid movement (not to be too graphic, but it was more than the last 2 days). I also notice that I’m actually not drinking as much water as I thought I would, so we’ll see how the rest of the week goes. I went to sleep quite early this evening (about 7:30 pm), as I was feeling tired.
Day 5 – Saturday December 05, 2009
My fifth day experiences: I woke up this morning and could sense that I didn’t have the same get up and go, as the previous days. It was an overcast and chilly day outside. Today I did not have a bowel movement. I did drink quite a bit more water then yesterday. I stayed in bed most of day and rested. Since it is the Sabbath, for me, I usually don’t do much, anyway. I didn’t feel like I had enough energy to go to my synagogue for services, either. I had quite a bit of lethargy and lack of energy. It is ok to feel this way, as I am living on less then usual and I know my body is detoxing and I don’t feel like I want to or need to eat. I found something that helps me feel more invigorated and that is peppermint oil (from Aura Cacia; http://www.auracacia.com or 1-800-437-3301). I put a dab under my nostrils and then breathed it in. I also noticed that my underarms still have a foul odor and my tongue is coated (means of detoxification). My body is starting to feel colder than usual, as well because I am starting to lose toxic weight (it was also a colder day). I felt somewhat better in the evening, but still decided to stay home (originally I had plans to go out, but I would rather not push myself). I went to bed tonight by 10 pm.
Day 6 – Sunday December 06, 2009
My sixth day experiences: I slept well last night and when I woke up I did not have the lethargy and lack of energy that I experienced yesterday. I did not have a bowel movement this morning. My tongue is still coated and my underarms smell foul (detoxing). I feel like I can do more today and it is also sunny outside, so that helps me to feel better. S0me other physical detox that I have experienced is excess ear wax, dry and cracking skin on the soles of my feet and needing lots more sleep. I went to bed at about 9:30 pm.
Day 7 – Monday December 07, 2009
My seventh day experiences: I woke up this morning about 6 am to go to the bathroom and went back to bed. Then I felt a mild sensation in my colon area that told me I had to go to the bathroom again. It was close to 7 am and I knew that I had to eliminate. I had not done so since Day 4. It was a significant amount that was both loose and solid small pieces. I went back to bed again for a while before I got up to actually start my day. It is raining outside (yey! because there hasn’t been steady rain in San Diego for too long), so I will be staying in and doing what I can around the house. My energy has waxed and waned all day. I did get some projects done, so I felt like I have accomplished something (since I couldn’t do anything outside all day). Another detox stage I noticed, is that my urine has somewhat of a foul smell. I did go to sleep early again tonight (I was laying in bed by about 8 pm and then got a phone call and I seemed to not fall asleep right away afterwards, as I heard the wind howling) and slept fairly well.
My r-Awesome Life 