Dear Jesus,
No doubt you’ve noticed that the men here on earth who are responsible for leading your church are in the news a lot these days. You must be shocked and horrified that these men who are supposed to be leading your flock to live pure lives here on earth in order to find eternal salvation in the next actually covered up some of the most heinous and horrific crimes known to man - systematic and continual sexual abuse on children. You often spoke in sermons of how we must protect and love our children - and yet the leaders of your church when they learned of the sexual abuse perpetrated by their priests turned a blind eye to it and went so far as to protect the evil doers so that they went on to commit more crimes time and again. If this was an isolated incident or even isolated to one area of the world we could say well it must be circumstances, something awry in that particular country or place. But it turns out that these crimes were committed in Ireland, Germany, Italy and the United States to name but a few. The Pope himself is inculcated in a cover up when he was an Archbishop in Munich. It gives one pause to wonder, to consider that such a sordid pus leaking out of the edifice of the Catholic Church must be a symptom of some deeper psychosis. Yes, indeed something is rotten in the Catholic Church.
Then the Church was in the news again. This time it’s health care. On the eve of the vote for President Obama’s health care proposal that would result in 32 million more Americans having access to health care and making it impossible to refuse to treat American children with preexisting conditions the Archbishop here in the United States came out against the health proposal because of the language regarding abortion in the bill. This news turned the Catholic Congressmen and women into a tailspin. They represent mostly Catholic communities, communities where people are dying daily from lack of health care, where children are dying because they don’t have access to doctors and medicine. And yet the Catholic Church came out against it on account of abortions - between 1.5 and 2% of Americans get abortions every year - 100% of Americans need health care. ( I think it’s important to point out here that nuns across the United States supported the health care bill - perhaps we would do better with women priests - what do you think?). Jesus - it seems the men you have at the top aren’t very good at math, perhaps? Or are they? Perhaps it’s not about abortion or child abuse at all - perhaps it’s about power.
You see Jesus the main reason I’m writing this letter to you is to warn you that the men in charge of your church have lost touch with your central message to the world - “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:36-40) They don’t care about sick people getting access to health care. They don’t even care about children being raped by priests. All they care about is keeping their jobs and using hot button issues like gay marriage (less than 10% of the American population is gay) and abortion ( as I said above less than 2% of Americans have abortions every year) to wield their power on your flock.
You made it very clear in your sermons - “do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.” (Mattew 2:12) Then it would seem only right to subject the men running your church to systematic rape, cover up the crime and then when they get sick refuse them health care and let them die.
I can only for happier Easters in the future.
Isn’t man an amazing animal? He kills wildlife by the millions in order to protect his domestic animals and their feed. Then he kills domestic animals by the billions and eats them. This in turn kills man by the millions, because eating all those animals leads to degenerative - and fatal - health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, and cancer. So then man tortures and kills millions more animals to look for cures for these diseases. Elsewhere, millions of other human beings are being killed by hunger and malnutrition because food they could eat is being used to fatten domestic animals. Meanwhile, some people are dying of sad laughter at the absurdity of man, who kills so easily and so violently, and once a year sends out cards praying for “Peace on Earth.”
- Preface from Old MacDonald’s Factory Farm
by C.David Coates
Over the 5 day juice fast I created 20lbs of pulp from the veggies and fruits that I juiced - this delicious mix will be going to the pig farm in North Las Vegas to feed the little piggies.
Below is a photo of the plastic wrappers and boxes from the veggies. As there is no recycling in Vegas I had to drop it off at one of the casinos on the strip where they do recycle.
Well Kristin, Sadhbh and I finished the 5 day juice fast. We all benefited a lot from it - as you will see from comments below. Stay tuned as over the next few months we try and incorporate our healthy intentions into our diets…
from SADHBH in New York
http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/sadhbh-walshe
so here’ s my analysis. Am glad it’s over!
How did you find the Juice Feast/Fast?
A bit too extreme for me, especially as I had a lot on in the five days and particularly Fri, Mon and Tues were very difficult as I had to work and needed more energy than juice provided. So on those days,
I had to have some food to get through. Friday I had an egg and Monday and Today I had some granola, a banana and a bit of salad so technically I cheated quite a lot but still felt like a major detox.
If I were to do it again, I would need five days when I could sit by a pool basically and do nothing! don’t know when I will ever get five such days though…
Did you feel like you benefited from it in anyway? how?
Absolutely, feel like I kicked caffeine addiction. feel lighter and clearer and healthier.
Did you lose any weight? If so how much?
I don’t have a scales so don’t know but I do feel lighter and slimmer.
Do feel mental clarity? Do you feel like you have more energy?
not more energy at the moment but the head is clear!
Was it hard/easy/in between?
Just being hungry and the carnal desire to chew. Felt wrong to deprive my body of food and found that very distressing the first day in particular. I kept thinking of people who are actually starving
and got kind of depressed about that. But it got better I suppose. Also very hard to go to things (any social event) and just drink water. I’m just not suited to deprivation I think! Finally, not eating is not fun. Realized how much I love food, but also that I don’t want to over burden my body with crap. You definitely can get through the day without all the little snacks and pick me ups we think
we need.
What was the hardest thing?
Hunger and boredom.
What was the easiest part?
not having to cook or wash dishes.
How do you feel emotionally now that you are done?
Relieved and sanctimonius.
What was your favorite juice recipe?
Carrot, ginger, cucumber, apple and a touch of chile
Your least favorite?
anything dark green
Did you learn anything over the course of the fast?
that I love food!
Would you recommend other people to do it?
I wold recommend a modified version like I did. As I thought juice alone was just too extreme unless like I said you had nothing to do or had previous experiences of such fasts.
Are you going to change your eating habits as a result of doing it? If so how?
Yes, going to stay off coffee and sugary crap.
Were there any benefits from doing it with a group as opposed to by yourself?
would not have kept going with ciara the motivator!
from KRISTIN in Pittsburgh
Hi Everyone,
Well my fast ended last night. Two full days of teaching almost put me over the edge. I was exhausted last night. I woke up this am and had a bowl of oatmeal and feel great. I would need to be poolside to do a full 5 days as well.
Caffeine…realized I wasn’t as dependent as previously thought. The coffee was not hard to give up.
Didn’t weigh myself but feel less bulky and full.
Hardest thing was the evenings.
I made a great carrot, ginger, mango with a bit of cilantro. It was by far my favorite.
Didn’t like the all green goo….
Group motivation is a must!!!!
from ME in Las Vegas
How did you find the Juice Feast/Fast?
It was not as bad as I thought it might be - I did a fast where I ate nothing for a week - that was a lot more difficult. I was also surprised that my energy level went up so much which proved to me that I was eating food and drinking things that obviously brought my energy down. Although I was only drinking 4 litres of juice a day I had a lot more energy than normal. I still do as I have stayed off caffeine for the past two days. However, that’s not to say that it was easy peasy. I found it difficult to relax as I tend to chill out around mealtimes and chat with Kim as we enjoy our meals together. In fact at the end of the fast he said it was nice to have me back - he missed me as I had disappeared for 5 days. I missed eating a lot - and barely made it through the 4th night and 5th day - not because I was hungry but because I was bored of the drinks.
Did you feel like you benefited from it in anyway? how?
Yes I kicked the coffee habit - at least for now. Am looking into alternatives - will keep you posted if any of them appeal to me. I am also going to try and stay off meat- which is a little tougher since I live with a committed carnivore.
Did you lose any weight? If so how much?
The day after the last day of the fast I weighed in 5lbs lighter - however this does not mean I lost 5lbs as I had no food in my stomach at that point. I would say I might have lost 1 or 2 lbs which is okay with me. I feel lighter in general - not bloated.
Do feel mental clarity? Do you feel like you have more energy?
I have tons of energy - actually am feeling a bit hyper and found myself working longer hours to keep my mind off the fact that I wasn’t eating.
Was it hard/easy/in between?
I would say in-between. I clearly drank enough juice to give me the same amount of calories that I would normally eat so I was never hungry. There is no way that I could have gone to a restaurant like Sadhbh did - my will power would have been too weak to contend with the delicious smell of food cooking. I was very surprised and really delighted to have so much energy. I also feel a lot more aware of the food that I am now putting into my body. I’d say previously I was an absent-minded eater - I’d graze during the day anytime I was on a break not because I was hungry but more out of habit. I also appreciate food more now - especially the healthy kind.
What was the hardest thing?
Sheer boredom and being unable to relax and hang out and chat. Also it’s a bit of a hassle making 4 litres of juice everyday - took a full hour to wash the veggies and juice them.
What was the easiest part?
Drinking the juices - they are delicious.
How do you feel emotionally now that you are done?
Delighted to have finished and looking forward to tucking into some lovely meals.
What was your favorite juice recipe?
see March 7 of my blog - carrot, apple, ginger, spinach, celery, broccoli. Also really enjoy grapefruit and apple in the morning as a wake-me-up.
Your least favorite?
I liked them all - but didn’t do anything completely dark green.
Did you learn anything over the course of the fast?
that I love food!
Would you recommend other people to do it?
I would recommend a modified version as Sadhbh mentioned above. Several times over the course of the 5 days I wondered why veggie soup couldn’t be included and then I thought well why not veggie salads and roast or steamed veggies too. I hope to do the same thing in September but at that time I will definitely mix up the juices with salads, soups and cooked veg. Obviously drinking the veggies raw is of the maximum benefit but I definitely think it was just too boring.
Are you going to change your eating habits as a result of doing it?
If so how?
Yes, going to stay off coffee, processed food and hopefully meat and fish.
Were there any benefits from doing it with a group as opposed to by yourself?
I definitely could not have done it without Sadhbh, Kristin and Sinead - there was something psychologically comforting knowing that they too were going through the same thing in different parts of the country. At my most tempted moments to eat food I thought of them and said no….
Well I certainly am excited that it’s the final day of the green juice diet. I cannot wait to get back to eating - what a truly glorious endeavor that is. All of us are feeling good. We have plenty of energy and are definitely feeling lighter. So now that we have the 5 days behind us we have some decisions to make. Tomorrow is a big opportunity for us because we have by this stage gotten over many of the foods and drinks we are addicted to. I’m not craving coffee like I used to so if I can find an alternative I could certainly stay off it without headaches etc.. We have suddenly gotten used to not having that glass of wine at the end of the day. So we are in the exciting position of being able to change what we eat without too much difficulty - lets face it any food at this point will make me happy - even a plate of steamed vegetables.
So here are some of the things we should think about as the Juice Fast/Feast draws to a close:
What do I want to omit from my diet?
For example I would like to cut out caffeine and all meat. But in order to do this I need to be prepared. What can I drink instead of coffee? I ran this question by my Facebook friends yesterday and here were some of the answers - Red bush tea, Lemon Ginger tea, Teeccino (http://www.teeccino.com/), mate tea, sencha tea, matcha green tea, decaf Chai and gingseng & blueberry.
If I’m not going to eat meat I have to make sure that I get my protein from some other source as the last time I was vegetarian I became anemic. So I am going to start collecting vegetarian recipes from friends, the web etc.. One great website for very tasty recipes is epicurious.com - they have a great selection of vegetarian recipes that are all rated by people who’ve tried them which is a fantastic system. We use that site a lot. As you contemplate your carnivorous vs. vegetarian lifestyle consider the following. These are some of the highlights of a recent IPCC study about the impact of a meat-based diet versus a plant-based diet. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in a well documented scientific study reports:
- Of all raw materials and fossil fuels currently used in the U.S., more than one-third goes to raising animals for food.
- An area of rain forest the size of seven football fields is destroyed every minute to make room for grazing cattle, but each vegetarian saves one acre of trees every year.
- More than 260 million acres of U.S. forest have been cleared to create cropland to grow grain to feed farmed animals.
- The world’s cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people—more than the entire human population on Earth.
- Raising animals for food is grossly inefficient, because while animals eat large quantities of grain, they only produce small amounts of meat, dairy products, or eggs in return. This is why more than 70 percent of the grain and cereals that we grow in this country are fed to farmed animals. It takes up to 16 pounds of grain to produce just one pound of meat, and even fish on fish farms must be fed 5 pounds of wild-caught fish to produce one pound of farmed fish flesh.
- Eating animals causes 40% more global warming than all planes, cars, trucks and other forms of transport combined. Put in other terms, eating one pound meat emits the same amount of greenhouse gasses as driving an SUV 40 miles.
What other changes can I make?
Can I commit to adding more organic food to my diet (as is financially possible of course)? By the way be aware that sometimes buying organic you can be wasting your money - for example don’t bother buying organic onions or avocados as they do not absorb pesticides like say apples or peaches do. Buy only organic apples, peaches and all berries. Print out this list and bring it with you shopping so you can make sound decisions. Also can I commit to buying more local foods? Avocados from California as opposed to New Zealand - in that way I reduce my carbon footprint.
How am I going to come off the fast?
It’s VERY important that you come off the fast correctly. The first time my friend Sinead and I did a fast - no eating, just water for 7 days - I had to go on a road-trip when I got back and so was stuck eating unhealthy food and I had a very bad stomach for three weeks. So here’s a good tip - for the next 5 days you should stick mostly to fruit and veg - essentially what you’ve been drinking - except now you can have roasted and steamed veg, you can eat the fruit whole etc… What is in your fridge right now? Do you have the right food for tomorrow morning when you wake up and run to the kitchen in anticipation of your first meal? I recommend veggie soup - if you don’t have time to make it don’t worry as Wholefoods and Trader Joes have the very tasty line of organic veggie soups that would be a perfect way to break the fast. Also salads are great. Don’t eat meat if you can help it till next week and then re-introduce yourself slowly to animal fats. It’s not advisable to go on a pub crawl this weekend either!
I know exactly what my first meal is going to be- the delicious Amaranth Sauté in Kabocha Squash from my Real Food Daily Cookbook (Real Food Daily is a vegan restaurant in LA and hands down my favorite restaurant in the world!) :
Day 4, morning in Las Vegas. So we are over the hump… I am feeling good. I have lots of energy. I had a challenge yesterday evening, Day 3 when I really wanted a bowl of the delicious chicken soup that was bubbling away on the stove. It was the smell more than anything that got to me - my stomach was grinding in anticipation of the feast that was not to come. Also I spring cleaned the house for 6 hours and did a yoga class which was not really the best idea. But I woke up this morning feeling fine. I have a mild headache which is a good sign as it means toxins are being flushed from the body. Below I have updates from the troops across the country. Kristin wrote that “This detox thing has made me realize I can do things that have freaked me out before.” And then Sadhbh wrote that she spent 4 hours in a restaurant last night drinking water while her companions drank beer and ate chicken pot pie. Remarkable. This made me realize that doing this detox is more than hoping to have a healthier mind and body at the end. It’s a challenge. We are testing the boundaries of what we can endure and when we triumph we realize many things are possible. A good example of this is the passing of the health care bill yesterday. Those who resist the bill are afraid - afraid we might be stretching ourselves too much as a country, afraid that by reaching out to insure 30 million more Americans have health care we will be trimming back what they themselves have access to. In a similar way we are often afraid to change the way we eat because we might suffer some discomfort or we might we denying ourselves something. But when we take the plunge and change what we eat - everything changes. We feel healthier and have more energy. Now that we have more energy we can really put in the work needed to make our dreams come true, we have the energy to have better relationships, we have the energy to have more adventures, more fun in our lives. But changing what we eat doesn’t only change who we are - it changes the world. Suddenly we are down at our local farmers market buying organic vegetables as opposed to the local supermarket. When we eat less meat we reduce the amount of methane released into the atmosphere which reduces the level of carbon emissions. In fact according to one report I read the methane released by cows creates more carbon emissions than all the cars and trucks on the road. Every bite that we put into our mouth is a decision to either support a vision for a better, sustainable world or simply a contribution towards making corporations like Nestle, Pepsi Co and MacDonalds richer. What’s your decision going to be?
from SADHBH in NEW YORK:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/sadhbh-walshe
DAY 4-2: i’m not too bad really, i do have the headache still, more a tingly feeling than a proper headache, so I guess that’s good and am feeling sanctimonious and all of that. just i’m at work today and everyone’s drinking coffee and I can smell it all around me, so that was hard, but it’s coming up to afternoon now, so it’ll be okay. on a livelier note, managed to spend 4 hours in a wine bar no less drinking only water as my companions had a few beers and chicken pot pie!
DAY 4-1: day 4 for me. feeling very angry with the world:) when is the great awakening supposed to happen!!
DAY 3: don’t feel bad. i broke down and had some salad at my dinner party last night… but back on track now! cucumber and watermelon with a splash of lemon is an interesting combo.
DAY 2: doing okay but watching Ireland lose the rugby to Scotland in a pub in Manhattan with only water to drown the sorrows was not fun….
from KRISTIN in PITTSBURGH
DAY 3: Hungry….
Went for a great bike ride today with my friend Armen. It was the first time I have been on my road bike since my back surgery. Armen is just finishing med school and came prepared with a flat tire kit, CPR training and a positive attitude! Thankfully we only needed the positive attitude. This detox thing has inspired me to really try things I have been a little freaked out to do. I feel myself turning a corner. Back feels OK…tummy is grumbling.
I should also mention we went to the movie after the bike ride and I said no to popcorn! OK…now you know I am serious.
DAY 2: Hungry today…
Woke up last night around 2AM and found myself munching down a pretzel
rod….I have a tendency to sleep walk. Why don¹t we just blame it on that:)
k
DAY 1: I feel great. Just got in from gardening. Treating myself to a pedi. The green shake this morning was alarming in color but not bad in taste. I will keep u posted.
Kristin
from SINEAD in SAN FRANCISCO
DAY 2:
Unfortunately I am not able to complete the juicefast. I woke up yesterday with a really bad sore throat and feel worse today. I am having the juices
but am taking cold meds and chicken soup and some hot food. I will do it again another time. Some great books for eating well are:
You are what you eat - Dr Gillian McKeith and
The Kind Diet - Alicia Silverstone
Also www.101cookbooks.com
And www.cookusinterruptus.com have some great organic whole food receipes.
Yesterday I got a one-line e-mail from Sadhbh in New York - ‘I miss chewing.’ That sums up nicely the Day 1 experience. I wasn’t hungry or particularly weak BUT I really missed eating and mealtimes. I realize just how important meals are. They are natural breaks during the day where we get to chat and re-fuel the body at the same time. Grabbing a green juice from the fridge just isn’t the same experience. Also I think Sadhbh is right - odd as it sounds I missed chewing too. I also had the feeling 5 days - I am never going to last 5 days without eating. It just seems a long time. But then I reminded myself just because something is difficult doesn’t mean we shouldn’t tackle it. Just because something is hard doesn’t mean we can’t have fun doing it. I think most of us try and protect ourselves from taking on big challenges because they might be too stressful. But what if instead of stressful they were exciting - there’s a fine line between stressful and excitement and we decide in our own minds…. So that’s my challenge over the next 4 days - to enjoy the experience and when it’s hard to remind myself that’s okay.
So it’s 11am Day 2- I just had 500 ml grapefruit juice and am getting ready for 500ml of the green juice,. One thing that struck me about the fast is - what kind of carbon footprint am I creating by doing the fast? Yesterday and today I gathered all the plastic wrappings on the celery, broccoli, carrots and grapefruit and I put all the pulp from the juice into another bag. Here’s the issue I face - there’s no recycling in residential neighborhoods in Las Vegas. Kim and I are working with Republic Services to get our condo association involved in a recycling experimental pilot program - will keep you posted on how that turns out. But in the meantime I have pounds and pounds of juice pulp and plastic boxes and bags to deal with. So that’s when I had a cunning plan. I contacted one of the hotels on the Strip and they agreed to allow me to dump my pulp in one of their dumpsters that they fill with leftover food that then goes to Coombe Brothers Farm to feed the largest pig population in Nevada - after all the pulp I am creating they will be very healthy little pigs… I am also going to give them my plastic bags etc… to be taken with their trash to the recycling plant.I know Kristin in Pittsburgh has a lovely big community garden so she will be able to use her pulp to create very nutritious compost- she could also give Lulu her lovely dog a nutritious treat (Lulu is pictured below). Sinead also has a lovely garden in San Francisco and a gorgeous dog Molly who might enjoy some veggies inn with her dog food. Emmett and Sadhbh don’t have gardens but I know Brooklyn NY has many community gardens and Emmett could always pop to Mam and Dad’s with his pulp every couple of days..
Here are some other ideas of what you can do with the juice pulp:
Cooking with Juicing Pulp
Many recipes can be accommodated to use pulp. Adding to muffin or cake batter can make the finished product more moist and delicious. Make zucchini or carrot cake or bread with the pulp as directed by the recipe. Add fruit pulp to plain or vanilla yogurt to flavor. You can also freeze berry or fruit pulp in Popsicle molds for a sweet treat. Use vegetable pulp between layers in lasagna, moussaka or casseroles. Use pulp in place of grating for any recipe that calls for it. Add vegetable pulp to salads, tomato sauces and soups. You can also add some vegetable pulp to hamburger meat or meatballs.
In the Garden
Fruit pulp makes excellent, nutrient-rich compost in the garden. Add the pulp to your regular compost of cores, peelings and rinds and place on your compost heap to let it decompose. You can also use compost as mulch around plants and trees by spreading it directly on the soil. This will help with weed prevention and water retention.
Feeding Pets and Wildlife
Many birds love fruit pulp. spread some around your bird feeder and watch the wildlife multiply. Turtles and other animals that eat roughage also will enjoy pulp in addition to their daily fare. Dogs will benefit from the addition of some fruit pulp to their commercial dog food or raw food diet. Try mixing with a little yogurt for palatability. You also can use juice pulp in dog biscuit recipes. Dogs do not respond well to apples, onions or grapes. Avoid feeding the pulp of these to your canine friend.
So Kristin and Sinead started the fast today. We wish them lots of luck. Here are Sinead’s answers to my questions:
What is/was your last meal going to be?
I am going to a work function in our COO’s house so whatever finger food she is serving and of course a few glasses of wine!! Not the best way to finish but I will go out with a bang.
>
> What is going to be hardest for you on the fast?
Hunger pangs! It’s fine during the weekend but Mon-Wed in work next week may be tough. My glass of wine!
>
> What kind of prep have you done for the fast?
>Not much this time but I do have a homemade fruit juice and green juice drink almost everyday so at least I am used to making them. I haven’t bought anything yet but there is a great organic supermarket in our village so I will be there tomorrow morning with my shopping bag.
> What is your goal for the fast?
To lose a few pounds and to kick-start me back into eating healthy more consistently. I have been travelling a lot lately so it has been creating havoc on my diet.
>
> How are you feeling emotionally about it?
Haven’t given it much thought so the emotions will come over the weekend.
Brought back this haul last night. Spent $95 in Trader Joe’s and Costco on the veggies. Kim and I had the last meal at Yama Sushi our favorite Sushi place. I must confess it was an all you can eat sushi which is not ideal for starting a fast - but so delicious I was for once rendered speechless.
Day 1 - 9.20am - so far so good. Spent about 90 minutes juicing this morning - i have 8 1/2 litre bottles all lined up the fridge. Of course it’s much better if you can juice and then drink right away - as then your juice is ‘alive.’ Today, however, is very busy so that’s the best I can do - over the weekend hopefully I will be able to juice as I go. I have some updates from the troops…
SADHBH in New York
http://www.guardian.co.uk/profile/sadhbh-walshe
Re: the fast
What is your last meal going to be?
salmon, roast sweet pototo, roast peppers
What are you worried about if anything?
no coffee and being hungry and having low energy also having to go to things and having people pressuring me into eating or drinking. Most nervous about being totally grumpy and tired and hungry and
dealing with people telling me I shouldn’t be doing the fast.
What kind of preparation did you do?
Prep - very little. just eating kind of healthy. no alcohol. was going to have no coffee but couldn’t manage it.
What is your Goal for the fast?
Mental clarity. feeling lighter. looking lighter. rejuvinating internal organs… mostly mental clarity though. have tons of stuff to write and making final push on screenplay so need loads of energy.
Feelings - scared:)
March 18, 2010 at 9:11pm
Subject: groceries
Wanted to let you know i’ve purchased 75 dollars worth of fruit and veg and lugged it all home in a backpack and two bags from the supermarket (no cars here..) pineapples are one heavy fruit. water melons too - deceptively so.
just had last meal….
sadhbh x
KRISTIN in Pittsburgh
I am really looking forward to our Big Fast! I have had a really stressful week of wining and dining visitors, my body is crying for a break. The fast is a welcome excuse to welcome in the Spring and celebrate life. I plan on getting started tomorrow (Saturday)
What is/was your last meal going to be?
Heading out with friends to a “Green Drinks” happy hour, followed by dinner. I plan on keeping it light so my body begins to wind down.
The Green Drinks folks are a really interesting group of people working to green up the city. They will be helping me to get the community garden in shape this Spring. Next week we are meeting to discuss the project. The whole idea is to make a small film showing the process from start to finish. It should be really cool. Ciara, we could use you here.
What is going to be hardest for you on the fast?
I imagine the hardest part of the fast will be snacking and no coffee. Ugghhhh…
What kind of prep have you done for the fast?
I got a bunch of greens, today I need to get to the store and find all the other ingredients for the juice. I plan on doing a workout, big stretch and sauna, followed by lots of water.
What is your goal for the fast?
I have never fasted so my goal is to see if I can actually do it. I would love to drop a few pounds and recharge my body for the spring! I am going to spend the weekend outside doing yard work, planting seeds, washing away salt from the porch and prepping for the summer…fasting……
How are you feeling emotionally about it?
Great!
St. Patrick’s Day without coffee wasn’t pretty - more like cranky. It was the first day I haven’t had coffee in, well maybe years. Coffee is to me as gas is to a car - no matter how hard I press my foot on the accelerator - without the sparkle of caffeine running through my veins - this body just doesn’t jump into life. However, there are small mercies. I didn’t have a headache as I’ve been weaning myself off the black juice at the advice of a friend who is a nutritionist. By yesterday I was down to half a cup. So today is the first day of the rest of my life without coffee - I am hoping not to go back on it - but that is hugely ambitious as I have done this before and never lasted more than a week. So here’s my question what’s the alternative to coffee? I love everything about coffee. Waking up in the morning and padding into the kitchen in my slippers and getting the pot on while the world is still asleep. The smell of coffee blowing through the house is morning to me. Holding a hot mug in my hands as I gaze out the window watching the world wake up. What can replace that I ask you?? I need to know or else I’ll be back on it for sure.
NPR did an interesting story the other day on human aging. One scientist said, “The cheap man’s option for eternal youth is - water.” He went on to explain the quality of the water we drink directly affects the rate at which we age. Given that Nevada, where I live, happens to have the second worst quality of drinking water in the nation does not bode well for me. So if I seem a little haggard next time you see me - well you’ll know i’ve been drinking a lot of water. Water is crucial in doing a fast. Think of the green juices as the cleaners going in to our cells and digging out the toxins - then in comes the heavy troops - water to flush all the toxins out of our bodies. But of course if the water we are drinking is full of chemicals we are polluting our bodies not flushing them clean. Many of us have filters and I felt quite smug that we had the problem under control using our Brita filter - but it turns out that given that we live in Vegas and that the water quality is so bad we need a better filter than Brita - so be careful in choosing your filter.
Only one more day of food and then the juicers will be in full swing…
So for those of you who are just joining in we are four women and one man in our 30s and early 40s - scattered across the US - New York, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Dublin - and we are embarking on a five day Juice Feasting starting this Friday, March 19. For five days we will ingest only organic veggie and fruit juices in a quest to cleanse our bodies. My brother is the one in Dublin so he will be 8 hours ahead of us on the adventure and will lead the way. He will bring an interesting perspective to the experience as he is a former professional rugby player and is used to putting his body through extremes. In fact when he was a teenager I remember he had two dinner plates at the table - one for a whole chicken and the other for a massive mountain of vegetables. In fact during his rugby years when he came to visit me I had to buy the 24 pack of eggs and 20 salmon steaks - it was like having an exotic pet, such as a tiger, come to stay. He has not done a fast or cleanse before so he’s interested to try this out. We hope some of you out there will join us as we take on this challenge - we will be posting our individual experiences as the fast progresses over the five days.
The key thing over the next four days before the fast begins is preparation. The obvious thing is to make sure you have a juicer - in a previous post I recommended the Breville - we bought one for $99 on Amazon and it’s smashing. On Wednesday or Thursday it would be a good idea to stock up on the fruit and veg - the last thing you want is to be standing in the grocery aisle on Friday afternoon, about to collapse with the hunger, because the cupboard is bare at home. Thirdly, in the same way my yoga teacher encourages us at the beginning of every class to make an intention - I think we should all make an intention, a reason for taking on the challenge and reaching a successful end. My intention is to become more aware of what I eat and to continue to eat healthier long after the fast is over. Finally, mental preparation. Everyday now for the next four days we should be psyching ourselves up - imagine floating through the five days, enjoying the whole experience. Be prepared for tough moments but know that you will get through them. Fourthly, if you can get any of the books I recommended in my post on March 15 it would be a great idea to start reading about the Food Industrial Complex - once you realize exactly what it is you are eating you will be inspired right away to change your diet. Also a good inspiring documentary is No Impact Man - it is about a New York family who took things to the extreme when they tried to live a life of leaving absolutely no carbon footprint for a year. It’s available on netflix.
I remember distinctly when things shifted for me in terms of my views on food. It was June 2003 and we were working on a tv series and living in Los Angeles. The book was The Food Revolution by John Robbins. By chapter 5 I had decided to become a vegetarian. The first five chapters outline in simple terms exactly how meat and dairy products arrive on the shelves of supermarkets in America. And that journey is a horror story for the millions and millions of livestock in America - the cruel manner in which these animals are treated is truly shocking. (Again you can see this first hand in this years Oscar nominated documentary Food Inc. ) The writer of The Food Revolution, John Robbins, himself, has an interesting story. He is the son of Baskin-Robbins co-founder Irv Robbins. Rather than following the ice-cream parlor legacy of his father, he left the company to seek a life investigating healthier ways to live. Robbins advocates a plant-based diet for personal and environmental health. In 1987, he wrote Diet for a New America, an exposé on connections between diet, physical health, animal cruelty, and environmentalism. He updated these ideas in his 2001 book The Food Revolution, the one I mentioned above, which includes information on organic food, genetically modified food, and factory farming. The main reason people don’t eat healthily is because they don’t know how to - they don’t understand that the Meat and Dairy industry don’t want us to know the awful truth about the food they sell to us. They want to make money - they don’t care if one out of every three American adults and one out of every five American children are Obese. It’s up to us to educate ourselves and then tell others the truth about food. By the way greensmoothiegirl.com has other great book recommendations -as well as some great recipes.
So this cleanse we are embarking on is one small effort at raising awareness about what we eat.