Breakfast on this Journey

I decided to break my fast a little earlier then expected. I felt ready. I have reached a place where I can accomplish the goals I set out to achieve. The main one was to give my body a much needed break from allergenic foods and junk foods. Wheat products in particular I find makes my body react in an unhealthy way. My number two goal was to acquire the taste for green juices and to get in the habit of making them everyday. This process already started about a year ago but I just wanted to give my taste buds a light speed boost. The next goal was to cleanse. We talked a couple of days ago about colon cleansing. I accomplished this through daily enemas and I was able to release plenty of old, backed up "trash" and also some parasites and candida. This feast was a way for me to get back on track with eating exclusively whole foods and include plenty of raw and living foods. The goal for me is to eat mostly live foods with maybe an occasional soup or some quinoa. Another added benefit that I didn't really predict was really feeling true hunger. I mentioned earlier that sometimes our emotions can trigger signals to eat even when we are not really hungery. Well I know what being hungry really feels like after this juice feast and now I can compare it to the times when I am feeling stressed and need food for grounding and security. Then make an intelligent decision and eat when it's good for my body (especially my tummy) and deal with the emotions in a way that will have a lasting effect.

I approached my "breakfast" with intentionality and love. My whole meditation yesterday was balance and harmony. I now resolve to view my body as a partner not an enemy. I now choose to view my health challenges as signals for me to find balance rather than a problem to solve or a battle to fight. We always hear about the "War" on cancer, AIDS, poverty etc. but why not make peace with these things. Why not change our perspective? Can these things indicate that we have veered off course and knocked off balance?

A word on my own personal health challenge

I am coming to these conclusions after years of research and deep consideration into my own personal health challenge. In 2005 I was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) which upsets the balance of the hormones, causes irregular or non-existent cycles, infertility, acne, hirustism and weight gain. At that point I had been suffering from extremely long moon cycles (I'm talking weeks long). The options my doctor gave me were this medication (birth control) or that medication (glucophage, a medicine for diabetics). I wanted neither! And so started a journey of intense learning about the female body, herbs, yoga, meditation, vegan nutrition, minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and so forth. I have used many modalities for healing which all contributed to my drastic improvement.

In short, I have found that we are our own healers and that our dis-eases are just words for "imbalance" and we can restore the balance if we are willing.

This is what I intend to do. I used to look at my body as a battle ground but now I'm calling a truce. Cease fire! I intend to continue on my path through holistic healing and this path has lead me time after time to raw and living foods. There are just too many testimonies of people who have turned their lives around by eating fresh, live, whole fruits, veggies, sprouts, nuts and seeds. PCOS is related to diabetes. Many women with PCOS are insulin resistant and this disrupts the hormonal cycle. But Dr. Gabirel Cousens is healing diabetics in 21 days with raw and living foods. So I know it is possible. I know there will be peace! There will more on this subject to come. I'm just taking the opportunity to get a little up close and personal with you so we can heal ourselves and the world together!

With love and an open heart,
Eranah

The Importance of Colon Cleansing

Many people are uncomfortable with idea of colon cleansing. However, it can not be over looked because it really helps the detox process. The colon is like the trash room of your body, if you don't empty the trash the room gets crowded, stinky and infested with pests. Well the same thing actually happens with the colon. For those of us who don't have at least 2 bowel movements a day we are constipated and that means we have a surplus of "trash" that is backed up in our colon.

Did you know?
If stretched out to their full length, the large and small intestines together would measure 25 feet long.
The total surface area in the intestines (made larger by myriad folds) capable of absorbing nutrients is the size of a tennis court.
The intestines can store a vast amount of partially digested, putrefying matter (as well as drugs and other toxic chemicals) for decades! Some intestines, when autopsied, have weighed up to 40 pounds and were distended to a diameter of 12 inches with only a pencil-thin channel through which the feces could move.

EEK! So we can see now how much the colon and intestines can store!

When we are chronically constipated we can encounter some serious problems.

A Few Symptoms of Colon Dysfunction

Lower back pain
Neck and shoulder pain
Skin problems
Brain fog (hard time concentrating)
Fatigue
Sluggishness
Colds and flus
Constipation or diarrhea
Digestive problems
Flatulence/gas
Pain in lower stomach (especially left side)
Bloating
Crohn's disease
Ulcerative colitis
Colitis/Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Diverticulitis/Diverticulosis
Leaky Gut Syndrome
Hemorrhoids
Headaches
Bad Breath
Allergies
PMS
Depression, irritability
Frequent Infections
Colon and other cancers

I know I have been constipated since I was a child. I grew up eating the standard American diet (SAD) and I barely ever drank water. So now I am paying the price with food sensitivities, allergies, indigestion and possibly irritable bowel disorder. But I am so happy because now that I am taking charge and responsibility for my health I have been reversing these dis-eases easily through a nutritious diet and periodic cleansing like the Juice Feast! YAY!!!

There are many ways to cleanse the colon the most simple way one can start right now is called the "water cure". And it goes like this; upon rising in the a.m. drink a litre of water. That's it! This will flush your system and eliminate the waste from the day before as well as prepare the body for digestion. I personally do this everyday!

There are many herbal cleansing systems, there is colon hydrotherapy, eating raw foods will definitely help because of all the fiber and juicing is very powerful in it's cleansing effect.

If you are serious about taking your health to the next level and healing the body naturally then you must include colon cleansing. Be open minded about the options. A combination of plenty of water, exercise, fresh raw foods combined with periodic colon cleansing using herbs, juicing and colon hydrotherapy will gently ease any issues with constipation and colon dysfunction. Remember the goal is to eliminate every time we eat a meal. This is how our body is designed to function when we are in good health, anything less than that will lead to illness.

Another word on stress:

When we are chronically stressed our digestion is severely impaired. So add some stress relieving techniques to your cleansing regiment. More on this later! :-) Until then......

I am Herbally yours,

Eranah

Loveliness, Juicyness and Stress

With day two complete of my juice feast I am sitting at home reflecting on a pretty hectic day. On my drive home (my car is my seat of contemplation) I realized that I have some serious digestive issues. What I have noticed is, although I am consuming only liquids, I have had a fair amount of really good energy. Comparing this to how I usually feel is like night and day. I am usually very tired especially after a meal. I have also been dealing with some abdominal pain that has lessened quite a bit in just these last two days. Of course I have been hungry, that goes with out saying, but the juice has truly been sustaining me.
This is because liquids are the most easily digestible food.
Today I drank 16 oz. of green veggie juice with spirulina and coconut oil, 32 oz. of carrot juice, 16 oz. kombucha tea, and 16 oz. of mango guava loveliness!

I didn't hit the gallon mark unfortunately, but that is only because I was extremely busy today with work (and the coconut man is on hiatus). Being on the juice has also allowed me to really tune into when my emotions trigger my appetite rather than hunger. When I get stressed or under pressure I turn to food to ground myself. But I must ask the question is this really healthy? Is this really what my body needs? If I eat when I am stressed, not when I am really hungry will my food be properly digested? Probably not. When the mind senses stress it sends a message to your body to send blood and hormones to your muscles in your arms and legs. Where does this extra blood come from? From organs that aren't need to fight or flee, such as the digestive tract and the brain. So our digestive capabilities are compromised when we are under stress, so it doesn't help to eat right at that moment.



From now on I am going to make time to relax before, during and after my meals. I am also going to notice the emotional triggers to reach for a snack and look into dealing with the emotion in a more appropriate way.



Until tomorrow, I am Herbally yours!
Eranah

Juice Feast Extravaganza

Wow I can't believe how long it's been since I posted...oops! Anyways, I am updating with an entry on The Juice Feast. What is Juice Feasting you ask? Well, it is similar to a juice fast, abstaining from solid foods while consuming only fresh, raw fruit and veggie juices. However it's called a feast because there is no maximum limit to how much one can drink. In fact, it is recommended to drink at least a gallon a day. Why am I doing this you ask? For many reasons, I have been contemplating this for about a year. You see fasting and I really don't get along, I usually can only last to day 3 on a "long" fast. But this time something has shifted in me, it's like my spirit is finally saying "ok, let's do it!" and I am so excited. More on the why below....So here is my first days' experience

Day 1 Juice Feast 9-29-09

ok I started last night at sundown (the Hebraic beginning of the day) at the closing of the High Holy day Yom Kippur. I dry fasted as is the custom for Yom Kippur and broke the dry fast with my juice feast (oh yeah good news, my hubby is joining me! Yay!!) Yesterday evening we had about 6 oz. of coconut water, then 16 oz. of green juice, then, I had about 16 oz. of guava, mango, gogi berry juice, DH had more of the sweet stuff. For measuring purposes I am going to measure my intake from breakfast (a.m.) to the last juice of the day. This morning it was difficult for me to get out of bed, my body wants more sleep than usual. I also feel a little of balance, a like shaky. I'll see how I feel after I drink my juice. I am going to get a gallon of coconut water today to have on hand when I need a fresh drink and I haven't yet juiced. I am very excited about this whole thing though. But I got hungry last night after all my juice was digested. I should have took that as a signal to drink some water and go to bed but I stayed up too late. So this morning I'm feeling it!

Another observation, even though the mango has a little bit of fiber in it and probably isn't ideal for the feast, we had some so we just had to consume them and I think it's a good way to transition into the whole thing. Those mango, guava drinks are kind of like watered down smoothies!
Well the whole morning shakes were a bit of low blood sugar because I felt fine after my first juice which was more mango/ guava. In the future I want to start off the morning with the green juice. One of my primary goals for this feast is to acquire the taste for the green stuff. I want to include at least 16 oz. a day from now on (much more for the feast of course). I figure if I have to live and sustain myself on greens my body will learn to love it. I also hope to cleanse the toxins out that are making my body acidic. This process is already starting. The whole point of this juice feast is to supercharge the body with plenty of nutrition, to alkalize and cleanse the blood and tissues and give the body a rest from digesting solid foods so it can concentrate on healing other parts of the body. Some of my goals for this feast is to get over some food addictions, to relieve the body of foods that I may be sensitive to or allergic to (i.e. gluten products) and to resume a vegan diet consisting of only whole foods including plenty of fresh and living foods (uncooked). I really want to get away from processed foods so this is my jump start into it! Wish me luck!

herbal love for you always!!!

Eranah

p.s. here are some great resources on juice feasting.....

David Rainoshek

Juice Feast Enthusiasts

The Global Juice Feast

Angela Stokes-Monarch

Magical Mango Mystery Tour!!

Yes! The season for mangoes, the King of all fruits, is in full blast down here in the Virgin Islands. My heart goes out to all of my northern friends because I never ate a "real" mango until I came down here. Well, whoever is interested is welcome to visit and taste for themselves!

Eating whole, raw, fresh and ripe fruits is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth with out eating sugar and chemical flavorings found in most desserts. Mangoes are a great candy alternative because they are SO SWEET!!

Mangoes are a delicious fruit with a taste similar to peaches and are surprisingly low glycemic! Mangoes are an excellent source of vitamin c and carotene (orange colored fruits and veggies carry the nutrient carotene). Due to it's high concentration of antioxidants it is a great anti-cancer food. They also contain enzymes for proper digestion, similar to papain which is in papaya. Mangoes also protect against infections and can prevent intestinal disease and diarrhea, especially in children. It can help prevent giadara, or "traveler's diarrhea".

A study was done where scientists poured mango juice into a test tube with a virus in and the virus was eliminated. Mangoes are also high in iron, so combined with their high vitamin c content, they make great blood builders. Mangoes is one of the few fruits that can be safely eaten by diabetes. In comparison to other tropical fruits, the glucose and insulin response to mango was the lowest!

Careful not to eat unripe mangoes or fruit that has not been ripen before harvest. The mango tree releases a toxic sap when the fruit is picked before ripening that can cause skin irritation and allergies. Some mangoes remain green when ripe, but most become a beautiful golden color with a hint of pink or orange.

My favorite way to eat a mango is to peel it and go at it as is (allowing the juice to drip down my arms)!! However my second favorite way is in a fruit salad with sliced bananas and pineapple or papaya. Mangoes are really great in green smoothies to make and excellent, rejuvenation drink full of iron, vitamin c and k!

Enjoy,

Herbal Eranah

sources

Murray N.D., Michael 2005. The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods. New York, New York: Atria Books. pgs. 291-294.