Day 3 Juice Feast -- Types of Juices and Specialty Liquids

Last night I made up two different types of fermented juices.  I've found fermented beets to be just about the only way I can drink beet juice. I used to juice them but found them too strong on my body. It was like my liver became a punching bag and beet juice was a world champion boxer. So, one of the fermented juices is a combination of beet, celery, cabbage with a bit of Celtic sea salt and one stick of kombu seaweed. I shred or chop finely the beets, celery, and cabbage and add all items to a gallon jar.  Then I fill it with spring water and set it in the closet. Here it sits and ferments for about  3 days (my house is fairly warm) and I then harvest it through a strainer and drink and store the excess in the refrigerator.  This mixture can then be filled again with water for a second harvest, although I usually let it sit a little longer (maybe 5 days) this time.  The second fermented juice I made was taken from the Jubbs book Lifefood Recipe Book: Living on Life Force. It's made with shredded cabbage, lemons with the rind cut off and I throw in a pinch of sea salt.  This one need only sit for a day or day and a half before the single harvest. I will drink these in addition to the 4 quarts daily.

The other types of juices I'm making are green juices with either spinach, swiss chard, kale, lettuce I picked up from the farmer's market, 1 head of celery, 1 cucumber, 1 inch of peeled ginger, and two lemons with the rind cut off. I have two of these each day.  I fill the Vitamix up with these items, add in a minimal amount of spring water, blend and strain through the nutmilk bag.  After I did the 3 Day Green Juice Feast I've found I have a greater taste for green juices. This was not the case during the first Juice Feast. I have also had Spirulina Blue Eyed Goddess juice, one quart of pineapple with liquid probiotics added (my favorite!) and small amounts of grapefruit juice mixed with Chlorella Manna or Warrior Greens and fermented spirulina. While making my juices I like to think of the most loving, positive thoughts I can. I usually say my mantra over the juice but when I'm spending extended time with food and making juices I listen to monks chanting Om Mani Padme Hum with a forest (a favorite place of mine to be) background.  The mantra is complex but in simple terms it is said to alleviate the suffering of all sentient beings. I like to listen to it on some nights too as Eknath Easwaran  has taught those who use mantras should try to embed the mantra deeper and deeper into their being.


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I had my first colonic this afternoon. Afterwards I felt so relaxed I could take a nap. Too bad I had to deal with Friday afternoon traffic. During the first Juice Feast I regularly woke up early Sunday morning and drove for my weekly colonic. I don't remember exactly how many weeks (maybe 6 or 7) I went but I stopped once I felt nothing was coming of it. I usually do a castor oil pack the night before I do a colonic but I didn't last night. So today about an hour and a half before the appointment I rubbed magnesium lotion into my abdomen. I haven't done that before so I don't know what will come of it.  My plans for the evening are a trip to the sauna and more sleep.

Not All Products are Equal (Pt 3: Best Skin Ever - Seabuckthorn)

Credit: Botticelli Venus

I haven't spent a lifetime looking for the best facial care, rather in the last few years (when I've merely scratched the surface of what is possible for health and beauty) I've experimented with several increasingly natural organic facial products.  I quite like Tonya Zavasta's green clay mask and moisturizing cream.  I used these products exclusively on my first Juice Feast. All things considered, my facial skin was beautiful. I especially like that she adds in the techniques of dry skin brushing before the mask and using a separate brush to remove the mask--this makes a huge difference.

I am still using up some of her products. I have also been using up some highly fragrant, chemical-free, beautiful moisturizing creams from Mountain Rose Herbs. The Cucumber Skin Cream had an amazingly calm effect on my skin. I liked to use it at night for an extra oomph. Mountain Rose Herbs offer a variety of different creams to target different needs. These are organic, pure and unbelievably low priced.

For roughly the last two months I've used Nadine Artemis's Best Skin Ever --Seabuckthorn as a moisturizer as well a cleanser. My skin has become soft, the tone has evened out and I have been (nearly) blemish free. Since I've started using it I no longer want to wear even minimal amounts of mineral makeup (I still wear a dusting to work but as it makes me look worse! I suspect I will stop altogether in the near future). On the weekend I never wear makeup up and may apply two or three additional squirts of the oil throughout the day and rub gently in my face while reciting my mantra.

As I prepare for a Spring cleanse next week I thought to brush up on Annie Padden Jubb and David Jubbs' suggestions for a blended fast in their awesome book  LifeFood Recipe Book: Living on Life Force. What struck me as interesting was how they talk about a "dead oil test". The test consists of pouring some oil from the grocery store on your finger. Then rinse your finger in water. Finally try and wash it off with soap. How long does the oil stay on your skin?

I saw similar advice in David Wolfe's  book Eating for Beauty. He invokes the image of a used bottle of saturated oil. Try and wipe off the drippings that have over spilled and sat on the outside of the bottle.  He articulates the use of dead oil on skin and its consequences.  The results of organic, cold-pressed oils are regenerative and healing.

Not only do I do my very best to consume only organic, living oils in my diet but now I demand the same for external benefits to my skin.

Summer's Release (Another Liver Cleanse)

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Summer is officially here! When I observe nature this time of the year I see a comfortable, confident flowing relationship. It is a season where nature lets it all hang out. Naturally with the new moon on Tuesday and the Summer Solstice on Wednesday I felt like it would be a good time to do another liver flush. I was conscientious this week to drink extra detox liver tea, take chlorella and spirulina often, drink plenty of pure water and make as many wise eating choices that I could. There were no hardships or guilty feelings, instead I translated them into health-bringing moments of pleasure. To me, this indicates my reduced toxic load as cravings no longer control me. I am always amazed how much I can be influenced by toxins.

Perhaps this feeling of contentedness supported me last night as I stood in the darkness of my bedroom with my glass of organic olive oil and organic grapefruit juice, I already had the shakes knowing I was going to drink it. I have never been able to swallow the Epsom salts straight so I encapsulate them and save myself that unpleasantness. But there is no way to avoid drinking down the olive oil. It was the greatest hindrance to me starting on this liver cleanse protocol. Yes, it's difficult to get it down psychologically but it does go down. This time I chanted the Medicine Buddha mantra while I drank and I hardly noticed it. Then I immediately hopped in bed. I had put on a castor oil treatment before preparing the oil for drinking so I lay scrunched on my right side with a castor oiled cloth and a heating pad draining toxins from the outside. I remained still for a long time and finally I fell asleep.

The liver cleanse is certainly a challenge but the rewards keep me coming back for more. The best thing for me, is these cleanses release anger, irritation and other unhealthy thoughts.  When I was doing them with every new moon I felt euphoric after each one. Now, several years after the first cleanse I maintain my feeling of peace and evenness with greater ease. Each cleanse gently places me back where I need to be. My level of awareness has raised to a new level from the liver cleanse.

New Moon, Spring Solstice and Deep Cleansing

I have had excellent results when I time my cleanses with the lunar cycle and the seasonal rotations. There is something magical this time of year and my body tells me it wants to shed unhealthy choices. It's like one of those glorious cat stretches where your legs stick straight up in the air and your toes expand into lion feet (licking between toes is optional), and then you contract back to yourself and feel magnificent. Nutritionally I try to align my choices with the lunar cycle. At the new moon I am releasing so I try to assist that flow; at the full moon I am retaining so I try to eat the highest nutritionally available food I can find.

I recently watched Dr. Christy Westen's talk at the Women's Wellness Conference 2012. She is an amazing spirit dedicated to getting the word out about grounding. As I continuously educate myself on healthy, sustainable practices I sometimes realize somewhat painfully I didn't know the right information to begin with! Of the many interesting things that Dr. Westen mentioned was that grounded women have menses and ovulation in alignment with the lunar cycle. I think these cycles can greatly influence food choices--so beware and prepare!

Spring renewal

Interesting enough, this week there is both a new moon and the spring equinox. With this time for new beginnings and time for perfect balance I try hard to use these opportunities for targeted releases and requests to the Universe for improvements in my life.  This week I am physically planning another liver flush, mentally I am constantly working on reflective self-development (thanks grad school) and spiritually by chanting the Medicine Buddha mantra and finally creating a vision board. I am excited for the new sprouts that will appear in my life from this spring transformation.

I have found a way to drink the required apple juice without making my teeth hurt or tiring of the sweet taste. I add in an ounce or two of Cocobiotic to help clean up the excess sugars. Intuitively I have also felt the need to add in apple pectin to my diet. It's been awhile since I last used apple pectin. So I tapped some dry powder into my mouth to see what it tasted like (mild, almost flavorless) and without any liquid it formed something of a concrete sidewalk on the roof of my mouth! It slowly eroded without harm--but I think it's best to add to liquid first.

This week will be intense and focused on releasing the old to discover the new. It's rarely easy--especially in social situations. In fact today I dodged a very serious temptation at lunch with a friend whom almost persuaded me to eat falafels (because of the convenient location). I love those things--but no way can I eat fried food now. I try hard to eradicate it period--but a bit of advice from some scholarly work gave me a back up for when I am human. If I succumb to unhealthy fried fatty food, take astaxanthin with it to soften the blow. In the interim--when I am being good I also make sure to take astaxanthin with healthy fatty food.

It's always a fascinating experience to self-study. With each piece of knowledge, with each exploration I seek to lighten my toxic load and stretch into a healthier, happier being. My goal is to start my second Juice Feast ahead of the game so I can go into much deeper cleansing.