So..I specifically created this blog to document my experience doing a 3 week cleanse. I'm alone. Utterly alone. In a cabin...deep in the recesses of the mountain side in Gangwon, South Korea.
I'm kicking this off by writing about my motivation for doing this. For a few years now I've been very interested in health. I grew up eating what most Americans eat. But upon going to college and encountering a few wise individuals, I've been turned onto wiser ways to cooperate with nature, my body, and what I perceive to be as spiritual laws. And so...it's been about a 3 year adventure into healthier living. This includes very closely monitoring what enters me.. physically, psychically, nutritionally. That's not to say I've become a sage or that's even the goal. But I'm just becoming aware...just watching. And to my horror...I'm out of control. I am not the master of myself. My raging thoughts are. My food desires are. My emotions are. Everything but 'me' and all that I perceive to be 'me' is simply not in control. So they first thing I'm choosing to tackle is my diet.
I haven't eaten meat in 2 years now with the exception of a deep fried fish coming off my last fast in February. Oh and I had a few bites of shark meat as well. It was more of an emotional, nostalgic craving than anything else. I was in Thailand and I had memories of my mother's Jamaican escovich fish which was one of my favorite meat dishes as an omnivore. And also, I think in cleansing, old cravings come up as that gunk is being cleared from our bodies and is circulating in our blood waiting to be removed for good. I read somewhere that we crave whatever is in our blood. I suppose the science on that is questionable but I inutitively and experientially know it to be true. For examples, the mornings I start my day with fruit or a green smoothie, I have no problem avoiding fried or other otherwise unhealthy foods. But on days where I have nothing, I'm easily tempted into all the abominable non-foods that, as my teacher would say 'aren't fit for a dog.'
So where I am now.. I'm a vegetarian..or rather a grainitarian. I eat a lot of rice (being in Asia it's hard to avoid, but that's no excuse). I eat a lot of fried food (kimchi bokkup bap (kimchi fried rice), kimchi jeon (kimchi fried pancake), a lot of soy faux meat products from one of my favorite vegan restaurants, daeng jang jjigae (a fermented soy bean soup), a lot of nutritionless white rice, and I hate to admit this but, ramen (affectionately called ramyeon here, it's actually a legitimate dished served in restaurants, if you could believe it), and a spicy barbecued root vegetable called todeok with an assortmant of banchan (side dishes, usually raw or fermented vegetables), lots and lots of tofu, and I gave up cheese for about a month, but I cracked one day and my craving came back with a vengeance.. one of my favorite dairy indulgences is margarita pizza (with tomato and basil). I'm also partial to spaghetti, heavy on the bottled parmesean cheese. Another thing nostalgic from my childhood, I used to love my dad's spaghetti..he would make this huge pot and we'd eat it with a large loaf of italian bread, meatballs, and of course loads of parmesean cheese. Spaghetti for daaaays. Anyway, that's pretty much my diet as of late. I rarely even cook anymore, just because I'm so caught up in my cravings and laziness.
I recently bought an expensive high-speed blender: the blendtec. It's an impressive machine and it has inspired me to incorporate more fresh greens and fruit into my diet. In the mornings I've been doing the green smoothie thing.. and I definitely felt the difference just incorporating them into my diet, my cravings began to diminish. But as this cleanse drew nearer, it's as though I wanted to stuff myself with as much junk as possible for fear that I might lose all taste for them with this cleanse. Which is part of my intention, but I'm scared of it as well. The idea of NEVER doing something again scares me. An irrational fear, I know. At this point, I'm 98% sure I'll NEVER eat beef, turkey, chicken, or goat again.
The thing is, at one point in my life I thought that was a near impossibility. It scared me to think I would NEVER eat curry chicken, curry goat, jerk chicken, a jamaican beef patty, buffalo wings with blue cheese, a chicken quesadilla, a taco, a hamburger...it scared me to think I would NEVER eat these things again. I thought my gastronomic experiences would be forever diminished. But here I am.. chicken, goat, beef, turkey, (and fish) free. And not even giving it a second thought really. Honestly, I'm still tempted by fish on occasion.. but all other animal flesh is, in a word, revolting to me. And all it takes for me to become revolted by fish as well is to think of a live fish, swimming merrily along. Or walking past a fish restaurant with live fish in tanks (which abound here in Korea). The smell, the real smell, not the artificial smells culinary artists use to mask the real smell, but the real smell.. is enough to deter me.
My point is, I wanted that deep fried, sweet and sour fish after my last cleanse. I craved it. I couldn't get it out of my mind, and I had it. And I enjoyed it. And I haven't really craved fish since. I saw fish in the lunchroom a few weeks ago, and I stared at with a curiousity. I wondered what it tasted like, but I didn't have a desire to eat it. So, I think the key is to not tell myself 'NEVER' but to make the conscious choice that it is something I want to change about my diet and why, and if STRONG cravings come, indulge. And not feel guilty. Enjoy it. I think eventually, the cravings fall away. Deprivation isn't the way. I no longer look at not eating curry chicken as a deprivation but as healthy choice. One day, I will come to see pizza and tiramisu gelato and all fried foods and all cooked foods in that late. But today, today I'm taking it one day at a time and not judging myself or guilting myself. Trying to find the ever-so-elusive fine line between self-discipline and self-judgment.
So what I'm saying is.. I'm a person that thrives on freedom of choice. In all aspects of my life that are beyond the scope of this blog.. But let's just say I'm free-spirited. And it just really makes me nervous to put restriction on myself even further. Ultimately, I'd like to eat a 90-95% diet that is 80% simple carbs (mostly from fruit), 10% fat (mostly from nuts and avocado), and 10% protein (mostly from nuts and seeds). This diet is based on Doug Graham's book titled 80/10/10. No grains (no pasta, rice, bread, etc.). No soy. No added salt. No added sugar.
Lofty goals from where I am currently (my current diet as described above, heavy on fried foods, grains, soy, sugar, occasionally dairy,etc. So that brings me to this cleanse.
From my understanding, research, and experience, eating, for most modern people, is a very emotional rather than nutritional experience for most people. A thing of habit as well. And so.. I want to re-set my palette (to reject unhealthy things) and also choose to eat for the correct reasons (nutrtion, actual hunger). Like I've said.. I've been watching very closely why, how, what, when I eat. But I've made no significant attempts to really curb my emotional cravings. Just observing, taking notes. And now with a perfect understanding that I eat when I'm bored, upset, social appeasement, and purely for taste. I want to change those things with a concerted effort. Again, I'm not going to deprive myself if a craving becomes extreme, but I'm going to stop playing games with myself...stop convincing myself I'm just over-indulging because 'one day' I won't be able to eat these things. because quite frankly I don't 'miss' meat. And 'one,' elusive day, I won't miss cheese.
So coming out of this fast I want to make food choices based on REAL hunger, not the fake: I'm mentally craving something because I'm bored or I want to suppress some unwanted emotion, type of 'hunger.'
In a sentence, I want to become the master of myself. Essentially, only put food (real food) in my mouth for the reasons of nutrition. And by real food I mean something that contributes to my health and does not deplete anything in my body or harm me in any way. And in my well-researched opinion and experience these real foods, are raw, whole foods.
I'm getting away from the idea that just because I put something into my mouth and chew, it is a food. Things that are not easily eliminated from the body and leave a toxic (poisonous) residue, eventually leading to illness, are not food. Things that are dead (cooked) are devoid of enzymes, vitamins, and life force, which according to Dr. Richard Anderson and many other naturopaths is more important than minerals and amino acids (which are still available in cooked food).
I've chosen to do this Arise and Shine Cleanse after reading Dr. Richard Anderson's Cleanse and Purify Thyself (books 1 and 2). I did a variation of this cleanse for 7 days in February in Thailand and was pleased with the results. Actually, on Day 7, I wasn't ready to stop. I began to feel euphoric.. Everything was all love and light. That 'unconditional love' new agers talk about, seemed tangible. My skin broke out horribly. My stomach became very flat. I felt like I was on the verge of releasing a lot of backed up gunk, but I was in Thailand, and I wanted to eat. I don't regret it. The food was amazing. But that's why I'm doing the same cleanse again, here in Korea, in the mountains. I'm not tempted by anything, and I have my full 3 week vacation to see what happens.
Basically, the idea is that most people have YEARS and years, of build up, undigested, rotting, putrid, matter in their colons which inhibits assimilation, contributes to a bloated looking mid-section, houses parasites, and causes auto-intoxication. This gunk goes by the name of mucoid plaque. So the idea is to get this mucoid plaque out with the assistance of some things: There's an herb formula the good Dr. Anderson developed called chomper which loosens the plaque and other toxins. Then there's an herbal nutrition that helps provide some nutrients (as there's no eating), and there's a shake consisting of bentonite clay and psyllium husk. Psyllium husk is essentially a bulking agent, fiber..to scrub the colon walls and the bentonite has extremely absorbant qualities to soak up all the toxins being stirred up by the chomper herbs.
So. five times a day.. I'm going to take some herbs. Five times a day, I'm going drink a shake. I'm also going to take an enema twice a day.
Also, to assist in the emotional, spiritual part of this cleanse, I intend to wake every morning at 4:30 to meditate. I will also be doing two types of yoga each day, yin and ashtanga. I intended to jump rope also to keep up with my muy thai training, but I haven't even attempted so far...yoga alone has proven to be a bit aggressive. I've been experiencing cleansing reactions, mainly weakness and lightheadedness from the overload of toxins circulating in my blood. I also plan to journal everyday. (I'm a bit late, I'm already on day 5) But I'm going to make an update post next. I also plan to study Korean each day, which I never make time for in real life. So the plan is to get myself into a pattern/habit of doing it everyday. I also plan to work on a few other personal projects that I never seem to find time for in real life.
So to get down to it... With this cleanse, these are my goals:
I am my own master.
I am clear-minded.
My negative thoughts and emotions are released.
I'm able to watch my emotions and can see all the ways I use food to stimulate and satiate myself.
Only nutrition and real hunger dictate what and if I eat. Feed the body, starve the cravings.
I have a new eating pattern. I am only attracted to foods that nourish me.
I'm calm. My mind is quiet.
I have an abundance of energy.
Physically, my midsection is flat, my skin is blemish-free and glowing, and my eyes are clear.
I am observant and receptive.
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Cleansing improves my daily reality by freeing my time to focus on other goals. I feel light--unencumbered by clogged intestines. I'm cultivating confidence through consitency and self-discipline. I'm learning to override both internal and external persuasion. Cleansing gives me something tangible to focus on and work toward. Each day, cleansing contributes to a sense of accomplishment that has long been lacking. I'm exploring myself.
Go for it. Do it now.
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