My diet & detox journal

I finished an 11 day Lemonade Fast - Master Cleanse about 5 days ago. Details will come at some point, (watch for them) but it raised the topic of raising metabolism on a board I frequent. As such, I thought it might be a good idea to share some of my thoughts here on the blog because metabolism is something I’m often asked about.

The post fasting time is often even more challenging than the prep and the fast itself. Preparing means eating cleanly, which for those of us on a healthy journey is neither abnormal, or difficult. We simply reign in a few of our extravagances (for me that’s dark chocolate and the occasional home brewed beer.) The fasting period while it may tax our will power and cravings, is also none to difficult because in the case of the MC, it’s fairly simple. The hardest part may be the juicing of the lemons or the shopping for food for others in the family. Although, in my case, I found both of those jobs pleasurable.

The most difficult part of the cleanse for me is generally the ‘reentry period.’ The rebuilding of the digestive system to accommodate foods which have been set aside for several weeks. Knowing what to eat, how much to eat, and how not to overeat or overcompensate is KEY to maintaining the benefits of any fast, be it 8 hours (overnight) or 8 days. In my case I didn’t reintroduce solids until 2 days after the cleanse. And I’m still doing 2 liquid meals a day, although they are highly supplemented with good oils and fats, as well as hemp protein, greens and the like.

The question that came up on one of my favorite online forums (Alisa Cohen’s RFT) was about feeling cold and even sluggish on a raw diet, particularly when post fasting. Since some of this content is new since I posted on the formum, I am not putting the repost is in italics.

I find it interesting that we crave fats post cleanse. Instinctively, our body knows what you’ve been abstaining from for a bit! I have noticed that while I don’t ‘crave’ the fats right now (I’ve been mixing lemon juice with avocado as my salad dressing rather than using pure olive oil) I have noticed that the lack of fat in the last three weeks has affected my bowel. (I’ve got IBS-C related to my gallbladder function, and it ‘notices’ when I go low-fat.)

Post fast I have to be very careful to not introduce too much fat at once, as low fat CAN trigger our gallbladder and induce a gallstone attack. [Been there. this was what first drove me to see an acupuncturist.] Many folks don’t realize this, but while high fat diets are generally blamed for gall stone attacks, a low fat, low calorie or long term fast can also induce them.

Once our body becomes accustomed to eating fats again, we can slowly increase them in the diet. Fats are crucial to the quality of our cellular regeneration. We are what we eat, and fats help make our skin soft and supple, our cells pliable and able to bounce back. Good fats build our brain, enhance our vision, lubricate our digestive system, and so much more. Fats are key to life. This is one of the reasons I never worry too much when I do super high fat for a few days, or even weeks. I figure my body is craving it, and hey, the quality of fats is everything. the type of fat is also a factor. Coconuts agree really well with me, and help balance my hormones and PCOS. I have been known to eat an entire mature coconut a day! (Back when I first went raw in ‘03 I lived in the islands and they only cost 10 cents each!)

I had a sudden urge to consume fats today (5 days post MC) and so I ate some nuts (well chewed) and plan to put oil on my salad tonight. I also added coconut ‘mylk’ to my smoothies today to up the fats in the am and lunch time too.

Try coconut oil, and other coconut foods. Coconut contains MCTs, or Medium Chain Triglycerides, which are burned more like carbs, rather than fat. In my experience, raw coconut is a helpful partner to boosting the metabolic system, prized by those with low thyroid, PCOS, and other concerns. Personally, I love it, and it makes all the difference. Works great as a spread, in smoothies, or even right off the spoon.

Also helpful are warming foods, and physical activity. Some find that strength training, which builds muscle and increases our metabolism 24 hours day can be a great help for ‘warming’ up.

One caveat, while I’m not 100% raw 100% of the time, I have been in the past, do a few 100% raw days regularly, and although I’ve remained high raw since 2003, I still feel sensitive to the cold. That sensitivity, in part, forced my return from a 6 month relocation to Boulder, Colorado in 2007. I have been living in mostly warm climes since I went raw in ‘03, (the Caribbean, Florida, California) and have had some trouble now that I am in Oregon. But I just dress warmly.

Sometimes I feel bad because I”m married to a guy with a very high metabolism who ‘burns’ warmly and holds very little fat. He wears tshirts and shorts most days, even when its in the 50s! He also turns the heater down on me.

I put coconut in smoothies, on crackers, I eat mature coconut right out of the shell. (Think Survivor! or Castaway! Good stuff.) I love coconut in its many forms. You can use the oil right off the spoon, or mix with cacao powder, agave, and ground nuts to make a ‘larabar’ type candy. While it may seem a bother to crack those brown mature coconuts, I typically buy a few at a time and prep them at once. I’ll chop them into pieces and keep in the freezer so when I want some they’re there.

Have you ever read Bruce Fife’s book on coconut? If not, check it out.

Also, my local co-op here allows us to buy coconut oil in bulk, so my husband pretty well uses it in place of most oil for his cooking (he does a lot of Asian style stirfry) and we’ve also replaced dairy butter with coconut oil on toast for the baby and house guests. People love coconut oil and cinnamon on toast. For those that practice eating 100% raw, are wheat or grain free, or don’t like toast, just replace the toast with a raw bread, gluten free option, or cracker. It’s a simple, delish, substitution.

Still struggling with metabolism post fast? You may want to look at your calorie counts. Low calorie diets are notorious for stagnating the metabolism. I’ve found that my own internal system slows when I fast, so it takes some time to rebuild it back up after an MC. That’s why the coconut and nuts help.

My two cents.

-Cassy

I just broke a 4 day juice fast. I had been fighting a virus, and my body was telling me to stop eating. So from wednesday afternoon till today, I took in nothing other than fruit and vegetable juices. (I’ve posted my journal in the Cleansing and Detox Q&A, but you also get to it by clicking on the “lemon slice button” on the left hand sidebar of this page. )

There is nothing like a short fast to remind your body’s senses of the importance of healthy healing foods. I decided to break the fast according to suggestions by Paul Bragg, in his book The Miracle of Fasting. What does that mean? Well, he encourages a fast to be ended with a nice fresh bowl of cabbage salad. I giggle of course, because any one who knows me knows I love a good cabbage salad! So a bit ago I ate about a cup and a half of slightly marinated slaw, chewed well, as I concentrated on healthy digestion. Later on I will eat a bowl of steamed kale topped with a bit of Braggs amino acids. Again, a suggestion from Bragg’s book.

But I’m actually more excited about the Mamoncillo fruit I found at the grocer this afternoon. I hadn’t been out of the house much since I started the fast, so I was walking a bit like a zombie in the store. Then I passed the tropical fruit shelf and THERE THEY WERE! I have not had these since I was in Venezuela. On the island I also used to eat a similar fruit, called “Cotoperiz”. Both are very similar to a Lichee, in that they take work to eat! (Picture curtesy of Wikipedia)

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Check in time…it is day 5 of my cleanse. I began last Friday evening, inside knowing that Saturday would be day one officially. I had had it with poor food choices, chocolate cravings, feeling overwhelmed…So I commited to the MC. Sure, it was a week late than I had originally anticipated, but then, so goes life. I had to be vested. This week I am vested. So it is now Wednesday evening. So that is end of day 5. And amazingly, I am feeling quite clear and focused.

I have been toting the mix to work with me in a big gallon jug, and drinking it out of this ridiculous plastic cup with a straw, that says ‘lemonade’ on it, and has pics of lemons painted on the side. I bought it at a fair, so it works perfectly.

I have only cheated with a smoothie so far. I was really feeling out of sorts, and ended up getting a Caribbean Passion smoothie, substituting for the sherbert and no fiber addition, etc. It hit the spot, and since then I have not been wanting real food. Take that back, I haven’t had true cravings till today. Now I am feeling the need to eat some chicken. Go figure. But I also ate some xylitol mints, and some gum, and that is unorthodox for the MC too. But I figure I am only human, right?

So, I did have a craving this afternoon…A Moes’ burrito. Why am I not surprised? LOL. It is not like I am hungry. As always, day five brings the chewing cravings. That’s why I decided to have the gum. But the moes burrito would have the protein, and cilantro I am hankering for…No excuses, just noticing the desire. And I am not giving in of course. Instead, I got home and juiced another lemon. Woe is me. But I am determined to make it through till friday. That will be 7 days. And then maybe I can push it though the weekend. But I am not thinking that far ahead yet. If I can make it past day 5- 1/2 I should be in the clear. Cause that is always when I break down. I am strong, I am confident, I can do this. I need to do this. Dad who is 65 can do this, for 10 days at a time, year after year. So I am without excuse.

State of mind…Well, I am hanging tough. Lots of changes at work, and lots of challenges. Lots of challenges in the personal life as well. Someone made the point to me the other day that I have on occasion referred to myself in the third person. That made me think. I do do that, don’t I? It is a self evaluation thing, I think. According to the dictionary, someone who refers to oneself in the third person is called illeist. (IL-ee-ist) noun Whatever that means. But it is true, I do do that. I must be nutty. Surprise~

Well, indeed it is Wednesday evening, and I have as usual plenty of housework to catch up on, and the prep for my 7:30am meeting ain’t waiting either. So I should check out. Thanks for reading.

Caz