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Archive for the ‘Body’ Category

I decided to go on a fast/detox to rid my body of all of the toxins that I have acquired from processed, sugary, high fat, unhealthy foods.

I wanted to change my eating habits and adopt a healthier lifestyle which I will explain more in depth in my article titled “MY JOURNEY TO A WHOLE FOODS/VEGETABLE/EATING REGIMEN”

Before embarking on my journey I wanted to cleanse my body and give it somewhat of a fresh start.
I began to research fasting the different types and the overall benefits. I went on a fast before called the lemonade cleanse which consisted of lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper and looked into doing that, but while researching I came across a book called “Fasting for Health” by Dr. Joel Fuhrman. It taught me a lot about water fasting which I did not know was an option, because I thought you could die if you didn’t consume foods. What I learned is that our bodies are so amazing they store all of the foods that we eat for emergencies. When we stop eating our bodies start to feed off of the fat from the food it has stored. Our bodies typically store about 40 days worth of food. After approximately 40 days then our body will start to feed off of itself. This is considered starvation mode and is very dangerous.

“When one deprives the body and focuses on God, the spirit is fed and things become more clear. It is a time of cleansing of the body and the spirit.” Unknown

In his book Dr. Fuhrman explains in depth how the unhealthy foods we eat destroy our bodies and are the most common causes of the prevalent diseases in today’s society. He explains how he puts his patients on prolonged water fasts to help with ailments such as arthritis, diabetes, lupus, etc. One of the things Dr. Fuhrman does recommend is that longer fasts should be done under the supervision of a medically trained physician, but shorter term fasts are ok to do at home.

For this reason I decided to go on a short term fast. I decided to go on a 3 day water fast to do some cleansing of my body.

Materials: Distilled Water; I purchased a few jugs of distilled water for the fast. It is recommended to drink one gallon of water per day.

Pre fast: It is recommended that a few days before you do a fast you should start to eat healthy and consume lots of fresh vegetable and fruit juices. I did not follow this exactly due to a busy schedule. I did not start to consume only fruit juices until 5 pm the day before.

Earlier in the day I worked a promotional marketing job in the hot sun. I was exhausted, parched, and extremely hungry. As a result I consumed what was in the cafeteria which was of course not so good foods. I had a veggie burger and fries.

Day 1: I was still up and running errands. The first day or two our bodies feed off of the glucose stored in us for energy so I still had the energy to do everything I wanted to get done. I wasn’t really hungry and when I felt slight hunger I drank water and it went away. By the end of the day I developed a bad taste in my mouth and my throat started to feel a little soar. I started to feel weak and sluggish by the end of the day which I read was totally normal, because the body needed to start to repair itself and it was recommended to start resting.

Day 2: I felt extremely tired, the soreness in my throat was gone, but the bad taste was still in my mouth and I also tasted alcohol. I figured this was because I went out and had drinks with a few friends the past weekend. I did not have much energy and when I did gain a small amount of energy to get up and do something I then had to lay back down again. When I showered I started to question my bath and body products, because I became conscious of how they seep into our pores. I used them, but no longer felt right about them, because I’ve read if you can’t consume a product then you should not be using it, but that is another article I will speak about at a later time. I noticed that later in the evening I started to feel really sluggish and sick and I felt heavy cramping in and like something was being pulled out of my legs. I rested for the rest of the evening.

Day 3: I still felt the cramping in my legs and decided to look it up. I read that this was normal and that since the legs are the largest part of the body lots of toxins are stored there so the cramping that I was experiencing was toxins being pulled out. I rested all day. By the evening I felt extremely sick and knew it was because I did not properly prepare my body for this fast before doing it. I decided to break the fast the next day

This was very challenging for me. Probably one of the most challenging things I have ever done. I really commend those individuals who are able to fast for longer periods of time. I would eventually like to go on a longer term fast to do a complete detox of my body.

Maybe it won’t be as challenging for me the next time, because I will be giving my body a jump start by eating healthier, but overall I am very proud of myself.

Fasting is very mental as well as physical. I took time to prepare myself mentally, but forgot about the physical. The next time I fast I will make sure my body is ready for this and give it a boost by doing some cleansing before the actual fast.

No ingredients in this recipe are processed or cooked.

Ingredients:

Crust:
2 cups of any type of nuts (Pecans, Almonds, Walnuts)
1 tbsp coconut oil
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
4-5 Medjool Dates (These hold the crust together)
Pinch of sea salt

Filling:

Strawberries
¾ cup melted coconut oil
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
¼ cup water
Pinch of sea salt

Topping:
Shredded Coconut Flakes
Strawberries

Materials:
Blender/Food Processor
Pie Pan

Crust:

1. Take nuts and blend them into small crumbles in a food processor.
2. Add coconut oil, vanilla extract, and a pinch of sea salt. Pulse to mix.
3. Slowly add dates and blend one at a time until the crust starts to stick together when you press it together.
4. Oil the bottom of the pie pan with coconut oil and add crust mixture.
5. Start to press and shape the crust to the pan until it is as neat and fitted to the pan as possible
6. Place in the freezer for 30-60 minutes.

Filling:

1. Cut up strawberries and place in the blender.

2. Make sure to cut up extra strawberries to place as a topping once the pie is finished.
3. Add water and blend until smooth.
4. Add coconut oil, vanilla extract, sea salt and blend.
5. Pour this filling into the pie crust and place in the refrigerator or freezer for a few hours until firm.

6. Once firm add shredded coconut as a topping and remainder of the cut up strawberries.
7. Keep refrigerated.

Topping:

1. Once the pie is firm add shredded coconut and the remainder of cut up strawberries as a topping.
2. Keep Refrigerated.

Enjoy!!!

Ingredients:

One head of cabbage

Smart Bacon Veggie Protein Strips

Seasoning of your choice

Black Pepper

1. Rinse Cabbage

2. Break up or cut cabbage into pieces

3. Add a little bit of water to a pot and place on a medium heat stove

4. Add cabbage and let boil down until soft

5. Heat up veggie bacon protein strips in a skillet, cut up and add to pot for flavor

6. Season with seasoning of your choice and black pepper

7. Enjoy!!!

Serves about 4

Cabbage is a good source of Vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, vitamin B6, biotin, calcium, magnesium, and manganese.

Do you drink enough water?

How much water do you drink daily? Aside from the juices that say they contain high water content or the flavored water that eliminates all of the nutrients, because it contains heavy sugars how much GOOD OLD FASHIONED WATER do you drink daily?

I can honestly say I used to go some days without drinking any pure water. Ignorant to the benefits and need for a tall glass of water I chose to indulge in sugary fruit juices and sodas which clearly showed through on my skin in the form of horrible acne that I could not get rid of. I knew I had to do something, because I was constantly thirsty even after I’d just had a drink, sluggish from the empty calories, and my skin looked horrible.

I remembered in previous years when I was dieting how water made me feel healthier overall and caused my skin to glow. So I decided to up my water intake, because I was getting back on the path of leading a healthier lifestyle and those sugary empty calorie drinks were unhealthy for me.

Benefits Of Water

As a motivator I decided to research the benefits of water. What I found is our bodies are comprised of approximately 65 percent water. Our lungs expel between 2-4 cups of water daily and about 2 more cups if we workout and perspire. Adequate water consumption detoxifies our bodies, protects our organs and helps the organs absorb nutrients better, protects and moisturizes our joints, moisturizes the air in our lungs, prevents and lessens the severity of colds and flu, helps prevent constipation by aiding our digestive system with elimination, moisturizes our eyes, helps transport nutrients and oxygen into our cells, etcetera.

For all of you dieters out there water is definitely your best friend, because it suppresses your appetite, reduces sodium build up, helps maintain muscle tone, reduces fluid retention, and reduces fat deposits by assisting with metabolizing fats.

You may not know this, but every system in our bodies depends on water. Our brain consists of approximately 93 percent water, our blood consists of approximately 80 percent water, our muscles consists of approximately 75 percent water, our bones consist of approximately 22 percent water.

When we are usually thirsty it’s our bodies signal that it needs water to continue functioning. If we do not get enough water or are not replenishing our bodies with the water its losing on a daily basis we can become dehydrated which can cause a whole new set of problems. Some people are dehydrated and do not even know it.

Every day you lose water through sweating, exhaling, urinating and bowel movements. For your body to function properly, you need to replace this water by consuming beverages and foods that contain a high water content. Fruits and Vegetables have a higher water content than most foods. Your body would prefer pure water as its beverage, because it takes the stress off of having to break down the sugars and syrups that may be in other drinks. Plus sugary or high caffeine drinks actually perform opposite of water by stripping our bodies of its water.

The recommended daily intake of water is 8-10 glasses daily and this also varies based on your level of activity. By following these guidelines every day we are restoring our body back to its natural equilibrium.

How do you know if you are not drinking enough water?

I knew that my water intake was inadequate due to my constantly being thirsty even after I had consumed juice or soda. When you drink water your thirst will be quenched. Also my skin was breaking out and most importantly my urine was dark in color. Urine should always be light or colorless.

If you have any of these symptoms or worse symptoms such as constipation or urinary tract infection there is a great chance that you may not be consuming enough water.

Some additional more severe signs may be dehydration, headaches, dizziness, and sluggishness.

Results

I decided to do a total transformation and eliminated all of the sugary unhealthy drinks from my refrigerator. Now I drink water 98 percent of the time. As a matter of fact I do not keep juice in my home at all. After drinking adequate amounts of water within the first week I noticed that I did not crave juice or sugary drinks like I used to. Certain drinks actually are too sweet for me now and I feel like I am drinking pure sugar. If this is difficult for you in the beginning at least try to drink your daily recommended allowance of water or drink water whenever you are thirsty trust me you will not crave sugary drinks shortly after consuming large amounts of water.

I decided to make drinking water fun. To mentally trick myself into drinking more I purchased an appealing water pitcher and garnishments such as lemons, limes, or any other type of fruit to add a little healthy flavor to my water. It actually worked and I unconsciously started to drink majority water. Lemons are actually great to add to water, because of their healthy benefits. Lemons are acidic, but when put into the body they make the body more alkaline which assists the body with fighting off disease. Disease cannot flourish in an alkaline body, but that is another article.

I have noticed a drastic difference from increasing my water intake my skin and eyes are clearer, my mouth is not dry, I do not crave sugary drinks, I feel healthier, I feel lighter and not bloated, and my stomach actually looks flatter.

I completely removed soda from my diet and when I do drink juice on occasion it is either a smoothie or juice that is not from concentrate. Not from concentrate simply means: the juice is pure

Warning engaging in the consumption of adequate amounts of water may cause Side Effects that you will enjoy:

Frequent Urination in the beginning due to toxins being flushed. After about a week your body will get used to the large water intake and start to hold on to that water instead of eliminating so frequently.
Bright Clear Eyes
Beautiful Clear Healthy Looking Skin
More Energy
Healthier Feeling Overall in your body
Quenched thirst
Decreased cravings for sugary drinks
Regular Bowel Movements
And so much more

This article just touches on the surface of how powerful water is and how important it is to our well being. I suggest that you also engage in your own research if you would like to learn more and need a motivator to drink more water.

Water is our best friend so we should develop a relationship with it and treat it as such. After all without it we would not be alive.