Within/Without

I'm not completely sure about this... The thought came to me on the elevator looking at a thin chick..... Not completely sure if this is how I really feel.... I have put a lot of thought and effort in my lifestyle.... BUT..... If I was a thin as I wanted to be, I might not be a vegetarian... Its not like becoming a vegetarian got me to my goal weight.... It did free my mind when I stopped eating the wrong foods.... But unless I was as thin as I'd think I'd like to be.... I will never know.... i don't think its possible for me to beas thin as I dream.... I'm big bone-ded. Peace

I am NOT the author of this survey, but I think its good to put it out there. 1. If you have to choose between locally grown or organic, which do you usually choose? Local. You have to take the store's word for it if its Organic. I buy from local growers who sell their stuff locally. The food tastes better too. More intense. 2. Favourite way to prepare potatoes: I Know this is prolly real wrong.... FRIED and seasoned well 3. Do you press your tofu before preparing/cooking it (if you eat soy)? Actively try to avoid soy 4. Name your favorite recipe that is a tradition in your family: I make a collard green and blackeyed pea gumbo at New Years. My family are poison animal eaters and this recipe is all my own. But I will pass it on to any subsequent interested generations 5. Any food allergies? The older I get the more prevalent they become. Raw pineapple and strawberries and I believe I'm starting with walnuts 6. When you want to go to a fancy dinner, where do you go? Cafe Sunf...

Ave you ever noticed that vegan food and raw vegan food is hella expensive? I became a vegetarian before it was fashionable. Back then, my food bills decreased considerably. Plus I started making my own products because I stopped trusting what people put in theirs. That saved some money too. Now I have to scheme on the purchasing of foods I used to buy on the fly. A bag of apples used to cost maybe $2. Now they are $5+. For a dollar, you could buy enough beans to feed your family for a month. Now, $1 will buy just enough for a meal for two. Potatoes, tomatoes all very expensive. I wonder who is causing all of this to happen? Its cheaper to eat off the dollar menu than eat healthy food. Follow me on this… Eating poorly to save money, and that food is delicious… gain weight, that food is full of fat, salt, sugar, and chemicals… over time develop chronic ailments…. Now have to take all kinds of meds…. Dead before you can collect social security, and they blame your socio-economic ...

I recently watched a documentary on what has happened to the garment industry. It chronicled the decline of said industry. At one time, the garment industry was the largest employer in NYC. Now less than 5% of clothing worn in this country is made in this country. The reason why this latched on in my mental mind, (1) because I have been on a purchasing fast with regard to clothing and (2) my mother took me shopping for my bornday. She wanted to buy me something pretty. I buy as much American as I can find. I have owned 5 cars, all of them American. I really wanted a Prius this last time, but I could not bring myself to buy one. And every time I see one pass me I tear up a little. But I think it’s important to support your own. And since I am a resident and citizen of this country, I feel it’s our duty to make supporting your own a priority. In this society we have moved away from ‘we’ to ‘me’. That’s not cool. Me cannot support a whole country and our nonchalance for what hap...

I have stomach issues. Always have had them. My father had stomach issues too. The first place I feel something good, bad, physical or emotional is in my stomach. So my stomach or gut is something I do not take lightly. When I get angry, I get nauseas. When I?m in love I get Gooey. When I am nervous I get butterflies, etc. I recognize that not all people have this sensitivity within. My mother and brother can (and have) eat ANYTHING. Nothing ever affects them in their stomachs like it does me. I believe they get headaches. We are all different in some aspects. Anywho?.. For the past few months I have been having problems with my tummy. It has been giving me fits. It won?t settle down. This is an on/off thing. I will get hit with an intense wave of nausea, and then it will settle down. Then I will have some cramping with noises. Then it will settle down. Then I will have some intense hunger pangs, and then it settle down. Or it can manifest as bad heartburn, but you guesse...

One of my goals with my clothing is to reduce the amount of clothes that I have by 1/3rd. this weekend I am swapping out summer clothes for winter ones (I really should only have a single wardrobe, since GA has a temperate climate), and I did not need to forcibly close the trunk. Actually there is room in the said trunk. Amazing. I have not had room in my trunks in over 10 years. And the thing that truly surprises me is that I don't feel like I'm 'poor'. I didn't grow up with a lot of my own clothes. I went to Catholic school and had to wear a uniform. The only other clothes I had were 4 dress for church (2 summer, 2 winter) and a pair of jeans and a few sweat shirts. I shared my closet with my mother and she had the chest of drawers in my room. We weren't poor, far from it. But my practical mother could not fathom why I would need more clothing than that. I never had appropriate clothing for any activity outside of school and church. I used to go to an after sc...

For some unkown reason, I have been suffering (and suffering is the correct word) from soreness in my breasts. I have no idea why they hurt, but they do. There is also some priapism happening here. I am hoping (that's all I can do at this juncture) that I am not beginning to hit the change of life. I started early so it stands to reason that I will end early. Though my mother was 50 when she hit change... I think. Hard to tell with her. But I digress. I will worry about the cause later (next month), right now I need to concern myself with relief. I came across this concept earlier this year. And thought it crazy. But yesterday, I was desparate and searching the internet for a home remedy that would not cause additional sytemic problems and I found it again. Cabbage leaves are supposed to relieve sore breast-esis. Well. I took myself to Kroger and bought a clean looking cabbage, went home, and stuffed my bra with a few leaves on each side. Low and behold.... I woke this...

Not really, but my locs are tripping. I can't figure out whats going on with them. They look white. And no they aren't graying for all you smartasses out there. Though there is some gray. They look chalky or dusty. I noticed them doing that awhile back. I rinsed them with vineager. That used to work when my scalp got all ajedie when I was un-loced. But it didn't work this time. If anything, it looks like it made it worse. Folks not getting why Im concerned. I wear my head covered so what does it matter if my locs look a bit crazy. Ummmm..... No! I ain't NEVER busted, I ain't 'bout to start now. Besides if that was the case then why bother having hair under the wrap at all. I've tried everything that I can think of. So I'm starting afresh. I'm gonna give myself a hot oil treatment, wash my hair with the white folks clarifying shampoo and do a watery conditioner. Heavy conditioning like I used to makes my hair enirely too heavy and limp. I ain't re...

As much as it pains me… and it does…. I am lifting my ban and restriction on soy products. The reason being, I live in this world. And although I would love to grow and make all of the food that passes through my lips, it’s impossible. I have too much other-ness going on. Remember, I have to rotate on my own axis. In a previous post I mentioned that soy is on the top 10 list of allergy causing foods and also one of the most genetically engineered foods. It’s a huge crop in this country. One of Montsanto’s cash cows. And its round up ready. I don’t want my body made up of this. Soy is every where. It’s in damn near every food that’s out there. If there is a list of more than 10 ingredients in a label, best believe soy is one of them. The question begs to why is soy in so much food? What does it add? Eugenics? There are a lot of foods that I can’t make on my own without using some type of milk. Soy milk can be used in cow’s milk place. Almond milk, rice milk, none of them wor...

I did a bad thing y’all. I gave into an impulse and ate something I KNOW I shouldn’t have. I didn’t indulge in swine or any of the prohibited foods. But I knew that eating this food was gonna do me harm. And it did. ****sigh**** It didn’t take long either. It was almost instant. Ok not almost instant. But I ate the damn thing at 8 pm and by 12 am I had broken out in hives. And I know that it was the food because that was all I ate. The next morning I had a familiar rash. And I kicked myself all day yesterday because I new my discomfort was caused at my own hands. SMH So this is what I did…. Since my dilemma was due to food that I had eaten… And btw it didn’t want to come out either if you know what I mean…. Why not forcibly push it out? And that’s what I did. Drank a glass of senna tea and waited for it to work its magic. I prefer senna tea vs. the commercial laxatives because it works gently. It doesn’t correct all, it corrects some. Though the cramps hurt. But I suppose its my justic...

I am out of perfume. That is a huge accomplishment for me because I don’t ‘run’ out of anything. Last year I looked at my fragrance shelf and thought, “My, I have a lot of fragrances.” I don’t want you to think me excessive, but if you did, I couldn’t dispute that. Anyway… Since I only smell like the scented shea butter, I decided to go get some more perfume. I have some essential oils that I could mix, but I have no medium to dissolve it in. I dissolve EO’s in vodka This joker came through and drank everything that I have. And I keep a stocked bar! At least I did. The nigga promised that he was gonna replace what he drank. But after a year, I suppose he’s not gonna keep his word. Plus that would take at least 2 weeks for the scent to develop in vodka. So…. I went off to the hood Beauty Supply Store. Why a hood BSS and not Sally’s? Because hood stores have hood needs. And I wanted oils. Not oils that smell like popular blends like Dior, Glow and White Linen. Nope. I wanted...

If you follow this blog regularly, you know that I have been in the process of giving up milk products and eventually eggs. I say it's a process because I have to find all the milk I have been consuming. You also know that I have this crunchy vibe going on where I avoid processed foods and synthetic fibers. I try to keep a small garden, recycle and have a problem with GMO’s. Stuff like that. Well since I’ve been giving up milk, I realized that maybe the sour cream and cheddar potato chips might be off limits. Hmmm? Well what about the buffalo blue cheese chips? And the cappuccino latte smoothie? I have begun to read labels…. In earnest. I have come to a startling conclusion. Not only is there a lot of unsuspecting milk in a lot of products, but there are fillers too. Follow me on this… One of my favorite snack chips right now are salt and pepper chips. I never thought that potato chips could ever have any more ingredients than potatos, salt, pepper and oil. Apparently not. These c...

This is just a mild update…. My milk cessation is moving right along…. Literally. When I remove something from my diet, my body always makes an adjustment. Removing milk is no different. Which was a little weird since I didn’t think that I ingested that much milk/cheese/butter? Well maybe I did, but I have had a bit of withdrawal… (1) I have the bubble guts! Y’all know what that is without me having to explain it. (2) This is interesting… My iron levels seem to be staying up with out my added attention. Hmmmm…..? Could milk be playing a role in my chronic iron deficient anemia? My anemia has been so bad in the past that I had to postpone emergency surgery because it would have required 3 transfusions. (3) The last thing I have noticed, which is not really surprising to probably anyone but me, is that I'm reading labels regularly and asking the question, "Is this vegan?". There is milk hidden in all kinds of food. Candy, chips, salad dressing… All the stuff that I ...

I had this small piece of fabric in my stash that I have had for years. It is really pretty. That’s why I bought it. I shouldn’t have. It’s made of polyester. I purchased it before I made the decision to cease and desist with synthetic fibers. Actually, I purchased it before KOS! I originally intended to use it for a skirt, then a lining, then a blouse. I keep seeing this fabric when I view my stash and decided to just whip something up. I decided on a top. It wasn’t really enough to do anything else; plus it is that slippery type of material and it’s hard to work with. I wasn’t in the mood to do hardcore sewing I decided on an easy top. I know there has to be a name for the garment I made but I don’t know what it is. It’s like one of those African women’s outfits where the fabric is folded in half and 2 seams are sewn to contain the arms and separate the torso. Anyway….. After the garment was all finished and I really liked how it turned out, I had enough to make a headwrap...

Yesterday I bought a salad. One of those salads that you make in a store in one of those plastic containers and they charge you by the pound. A salad bar. Yes, that’s the name for it. Anyway… I ate what I wanted and brought the rest home. I plan to eat the rest of it for lunch today. I had a few salad fixins left over from the last grocery shopping I did. It wasn’t enough to make my own salad at home (plus I was out and had to eat something), but it was enough to augment the left over salad I had and bring it up to a full meal. I tried my hand at gardening this summer and was able to grow a total of 7 big cucumbers. (Hell, I’m proud) I had one on the counter that I cut up and added to the salad. The entire time I was driving to work, I smelled cucumbers and that’s it. Not cucumbers and onions, or onions and beets or any combination of what was in the salad. Only cucumbers. That got me thinking…. When I was a shorty (teehee) my mother used to fry chicken for Sunday breakfast....

I have made the difficult personal decision to slowly move from my vegetarian diet to a more vegan diet. ***silence*** I ain’t happy about it. I love cheese. All kinds of cheese. But I can no longer deny that dairy is dangerous. Grown folks should not do dairy because it’s un-natural for any mammal to consume dairy after weaning. It messes with the body and animals should not have to be subject to our proclivities especially when globally, there are so many more alternatives to consume. These aren’t Paleolithic times. We can import food from all over the world. At the farmer’s market there is food I’d never even heard of. This can be done, and be done in style. I’m not going cold turkey. Probably because I enjoy food so. You don’t get how much I enjoy it. It is a sensual experience for me and I apply all the tools at my disposal to make it an enjoyable experience. Also I don’t want to be discouraged by huge limitations. I know me. If it is too aggravating and it doesn’t make me sick I’...

Over the past few months I have been plagued with skin issues. I actually have had an outbreak of eczema that has been present for over a year but in at different levels. I have plans for my body and the treatment that would have been dangerous. I have been working with a naturopath and I have had some slow success. Last week I got angry with my health. Seriously, I got really angry. And my body knew that I meant business and acquiesced to my desires. Who knew it could be that simple? Let me share how it all went down. Last weekend I decided to do a cleansing. Basically, I didn’t eat any solid food for 3 days. What I did consume was huge amounts of water, the Master cleanse beverage, prune juice, fresh grapefruit juices, tea tonics natural laxatives, garlic and vitamins. I treated the lesions with clove oil. (I got that from a young girl who had HIV lesions) Can I tell you? I just have the scars. And I ain’t mad at that. I have been looking to see if there are any relapses....

I’m sick. The sad part is I’ve been sick without trying to do much about it. I have been very western in my in my thinking with my eastern practices. I am a practitioner of holistic medicine with a heavy emphasis on Ayurveda. Yeah, I said it! Let me sum it up for you…. I have had a rash for about a year. It went away for the most part last month, but it came back with a vengeance. I have picked up some other symptoms like headaches, nausea, vomiting and dizziness. When I look at my lifestyle, I can see that I’m slipping. Bad. Not less than 2 years ago, I was on my game and on it hard. I did not use artificial/commercial products directly on my skin. I did not allow myself to wear synthetic fibers. I ate better; absolutely no fast food. Actually, mostly organic. On the flip, I had Jesus, makeup, a weave, and way more money than I have at my current disposal. I drank and smoked heavily too. But…. I appeared to be healthier. And I had no real stress. I know a lot better now a ...

I have gained 10 lbs! I have no damn idea how this happened. Seriously! I have not been overeating. I am not lying. I may eat fruit or a croissant in the morning, have my main meal at lunch, and eat a light snack in the evening. I don't eat a lot at night because it interferes with my ability to sleep soundly and I wake up ravenous. I got enough problems in the morning. I thought it was cycle weight, but that has passed and my thighs are still chafing. This ain't good y'all! Peace

This is kind of pissing me off. Why can't I cut and paste from Word to here? There goes an hour I can't get back. Anyway.... I did it. I have begun the excercise portion of my healthy makeover. And I'm hurt all over. It's been 11 days since I began to truly eat better. (I sould like a recovering crackhead don't I?) I recognize that a good diet is just not enough. I plan to be a look looking old woman. And I don't want to be on any long term medications. Hell I don't want to be on ANY meds. I already eat a pretty healthy diet, yet I have some issues. So I suppose I have to move something. I don't work on Fridays, and I don't go to church on Sunday's. I've chosen those days to walk at least 3 miles in the park. This park is cool. It has walking and hiking trails. There is a lot to see and be entertained while you walk. I want to be active at least 3 times a week; so Tuesday and Wednesdays are days earmarked to do something additi...

I'm only human, I'm just a woman. Help me believe in what I could be And all that I am. Show me the stairway, I have to climb. Lord for my sake, teach me to take One day at a time. I started this weekend to get back on the healthy bandwagon. I wanted to do a 3-day cleanse. It was not easy. The goal is to cut junk food down to a bare minimum and eat only healthy foods. Not so much for weight loss, as that would be nice, but I recognize that all folks aren’t meant to be thin. (I’ve decided to be the chic chubby chick) But we are meant to be healthy and longevity without chronic health problems is the ultimate goal. I hate the thought and action of having to give up something I cherish. I cherish junk food. I love junk food as much as I loved smoking and drinking. But just as I put those nasty habits away, I am struggling to put away the junk food habit. And it ain’t easy. Damn it ain’t easy! I have been a vegetarian, raw foodist, sometimes vegan and at times a pescatarian fo...

All right, all right….. I know I’m prolly setting myself up for failure. Especially since I’m about to go to Show & Prove; and y’all know how it’s done on vacation… But… I think…. I am going to get back on the “raw food” bandwagon. Two reasons. 1st reason: I feel guilty every time I put non-raw food in my mouth. And I try to rationalize it all out by eating a salad with it. Imagine how it all looks, BK (just an example. I don’t do fast food on the reg) veggie burger with cheese and all the fixins, onion rings (cause I only eat McDonald’s fries) a vanilla shake and a side salad. I rationalized that the fixins and the salad are raw and therefore count toward my goal of ‘high raw’. NOT. 2nd reason: And most importantly…. This morning I put on a dress that I couldn’t wear last summer. The dress was so tight I felt like a sausage in it. I almost gave it to Goodwill. But I wanted to wear a sweater today that I rigged last night and this dress was a good fit. I expected to have to wear al...

I’m feeling poopy. I probably continue to feel poopy unless someone does me a huge solid. I need to cheer myself up. I have decided to do one of my favorite things…. Cookout! Now as a vegetarian folks be on it like there is no way I can get any good use out of my grill. I pity the closed minded. I use way less charcoal than the carnivores because my concern is only warmth and flavor. I don’t have to make sure the food is completely cooked through. That actually makes me wonder if I have the close minded gene lurking within. But that’s another blog. Here goes my tentative menu…. Portobello mushroom caps Kebabs (Vidalia, mushrooms, mango, peppers, squash) in a jerk sauce Spaghetti salad Grilled Polenta Berries Sweet Tea Leftover Mead (I need to make more) You hungry yet? Peace

It’s been a minute. I know. Life is definitely fighting back. But it is what it is and it cannot last forever so….. With this month nearly completed I want to hip you up on what is going on in my cipher. I said that for the month of May I was going to drink the water. I have been, for the most part, drinking 128 oz of water daily. WoW! Who knew it could be done. I disliked the taste of water before. But I can say with complete honesty, that it doesn’t bother me anymore. As a matter of fact, I can now recognize thirst. It’s a beautiful thing. I have come to realize that a lot of my desire for food was actually me being thirsty. And the temporary time that my stomach stays full with water is enough to allow the urge to past. Thus I have lost a few pounds behind the effort. Which brings me to my next issue… I must admit loudly and publicly… I am not raw fooding anymore. It’s not that I’m against it. For some reason, I just don’t want to do it. And I have searched internally...

I wrote on yesterday that I was bored. After I got it all nice and posted I did what I do best…. I overanalyzed the situation. This is what I came up with… Q. If I am so bored, why am I bored? A. I have been eating the same thing over and over again Q. How do I fix that? A. Go internal and see what the body is wanting Q. On May 6th, what does this body want? A. Sausage! Okay… WTF? I’m a vegetarian for nearly 10 years. Right now, a raw foodist. Why would I be looking to eat a piece of sausage? More importantly, I’m righteous, and that ain’t never gonna happen again. And I wanted some of that country sagey, hot sausage at that. Maybe a biscuit with some of that pork gravy that I used to love and blood pudding….. Mmmmmm…. Now a days, I don’t eat pork, but in the past, when I did eat it…. I ate all the nastiness you could think of. Head cheese or souse on a cracker to be lady-like, chittlins at the holidays (with a small fork), ribs all year long because my mother loves her p...

I’m bored with the raw food thing. At first, like any other food plan, I was cooking and obsessing over ratios and such. Then I started to get lazy and just eat salads and whole fruits. I’ve tried to go back to the meal planning and what not, but I can’t find anything that I want to eat. I have been un-cooking my favorites like BBQ, Goddess Chips and taco meat. But I don’t want to eat that every single week. It’s boring. And the desserts leave a lot to be desired. I’m allergic to avocados and that is an ingredient in a lot of cakes and pies. Plus… I hate the standard date/nut pie crust. I know. I should innovate. Come up with my own recipes and such. I have done that, but am a little hesitant. I don’t wanna screw up good food experimentally. My sweet tooth has taken over and I can never seem to get full no matter how much I eat. Maybe it’s hormones, but I doubt it. I have been feeling this way for a minute now. Oh well. Maybe my body is trying to tell me that it doesn...

I have read countless blogs of folks proclaiming their 'nappy-versary'. Never thought I'd be that blogger, especially since I don't know the exact date of my nappyversary because I never did a big chop. But last year this time I did begin my locks so I can claim May (still don't remember the exact date) as my lock-aversary. After a year of trial and error, I found a routine that works. At least until I find another routine that works. I wash my hair no more than every 3 weeks with either castille soap or a natural made for naps shampoo. No conditioner, tightening my hair with setting lotion (preferribly Lottabody) let them air dry and the occasional oiling. I tried clarifying shampoo... Too stripping. My hair was crunchy. Conditioner kept my hair from locking. Hence my routine. Also my sister, an 18 year locker, gave me this routine and it works. I tried a bunch of lock gels too. You can find them all under my sink. I despise sitting under the dryer and this was a r...

It has been a minute since I blogged….. Life has been happening. Yeesh! But I hate blogs that don’t update regularly. And I refuse to be one of those non-updating individuals. Sooooo….. I wanted to update y’all on my raw food progress. I had company at the very beginning of April. My company was not a vegetarian, but was willing to give vegetarianism a shot. But I was raw vegan up to that point, not vegetarian. He adjusted his diet and so did I. Woooooow. Big difference. I have heard people talk about switching up and getting sick, but never have I personally experienced the reaction. It ain’t no joke. And it definitely will make me rethink switching diets all willy nilly. Before I was eating true raw meals, using all my toys. The new dehydrator (Did I tell you about my new Excalibur? A future post.), the juicer, the food processor and blender. But lately, I have been just using my hands. Salads and plain fruit. I have been eating just one meal a day. I know I said that I wanted to get...

I did a baaaaad thing, y’all. Let me ‘splain. Yesterday I was distracted. My only vehicle has given up the ghost and moved to that big ole dealership in the sky…. It happened rather suddenly and that was where most of my focus was yesterday. So I wasn’t really paying attention to what I was putting in my mouth. I had homemade almond milk for breakfast with some strawberries blended in (I believe I’m becoming allergic to strawberries) for lunch I ate a bag of organic microwave popcorn. And for dinner I went to Whole Paycheck, I mean Whole Foods and meant to get a salad, but walked around eating free ravioli and cheese. Then I settled in with some fresh baby mozzarella, olives and some chicken fried tofu and rice crackers. None of which was cooked. I even had the unmitigated gall to wash it all down with a soda. Damn. I don’t feel good. My head hurts, I feel foggy, nauseated, bloated, gassy and my throat feel like it wants to close. My stomach doesn’t feel right either. I’m ju...

Peace Family! This is Day 6 into my raw vegan diet. I have just one thing to complain/build about (depending on how you look at it)… God Allah Saves! Not a good look (or sound/smell). I’m assuming it’s because it still in the early stages of things, and my body is not used to it. I’m hoping the urges will pass. Meaning stop and not the other pass. I’m a lady. I can’t abide this for the long haul. I have had prep going every single day. There is something soaking, sprouting or dehydrating at all times. I cannot allow myself to slip and be lazy. It will be that much harder to resume because of the preparation back log. I have a lot of staples in the fridge and even should the possibility occur that I might come home one day and just veg out in front of the Tell-lie-vision (and I 12 it) I will still be ok. Although, all this aggressive dehydrating has the dehydrator acting up. It’s not getting ‘dehydrator warm’ anymore. I need to give it a rest. It has been on for the last 3 days straight...

Happy New Year Family! Well since the sun is up, it is officially the Equinox! Many cultures consider this the New Year. Including myself. There are loads of calendars out there; Julian, Jewish, Astrological, Gregorian to name a few. But I want to mark mine on something that hasn’t been mixed diluted or tampered with in any form. So for me, the Equinox is the New Year. The Equinox is a Sun:Earth:Star event. When the Sun appears to rise on the Earth in the constellation of Aries, so begins the New Year. I’m waiting for the devil to try to mess with that! The Equinox, for this blog, is the beginning of my “Rawness”. Last night, while preparing for a little party I’m having this evening, I prepared a bunch of raw dishes. I went to a raggedy farmer’s market and purchased produce earlier in the week. I cleaned up… windows, floors, surfaces, laundry… to get things in order for this evening. Still have a little more to do, but all is well. The trick with raw food eating is plannin...

I need for y’all to know… This was a very uncomfortable fast. Not because I wanted to cheat. I didn’t. Nor because I was tempted and whatever. Nope. I have been sick for a minute. For nearly 2 of the 3 weeks of this fast. And I still ain’t right. It is a combination of detox/flu/and hormones. Let me tell you…. That is not a good combination. I came to work last Monday because I had watched too much CSI and didn’t want to be found dead in my home months after I died. I figured a public death would force folks to see about me. I tried to end the fast early because of the continued illness and my body rejected the food. Ain’t like I tried to end it with a pizza or something. Just some soup. And the soup came up for an encore performance. I don’t want to give the impression that fasting is bad. It isn’t. I have never suffered in the past as I have suffered this time. I bet I’m a modicum healthier for it. I enjoyed the clarity and I lost a lot of weight. I have set a new wei...

19 days y’all! 19 long assed days. Wow. Not just wow because of the length of time I have been fasting, but that all of the physical crap that I have been dealing with the entire fast. This whole fast I have not felt well. I have a cold that won’t let go. Normally when I am ill, I fast. And in the 7 years that I perform this fast, don’t normally get sick. I have had this cold m(possibly detox) for a minute now. Today I notice a blemish on my face. I am almost convinced that it is hormonal. I decided to start a liver flush. I began last night. No stones yet. I had forgotten that liver flushing could rid a person of allergy symptoms. I am anticipating that this flush is just what I need right now. I am not dying over the oil or anything like that. I really just want to feel better. I have begun to cook. This morning I took some kale chips off the dehydrator. Made some raw pesto too. I have plans to make some raw granola, raw corn chip and a few desserts. Also a few salads and some stuff...

I feel like shit! I have been progressively getting sicker over the last few days. I initially chalked it up to detox. But detox this late in the game is not good. It has been nice here the last few days. I didn’t take it upon myself to go all buck-wild as show my behind and toes. I just think I have a cold or flu. I work in a doctor’s office and folks have been slugging in here sick. Now I go to work when I’m sick. I have to. I don’t have the luxury of being sick or taking time off at my job unless it is a pure emergency. But I don’t be all up in people’s faces trying to make them sick either. Folks have been sick here and on the bus. I suppose even with my healthy lifestyle, the Russian roulette bullet was bound to hit me in the skull. My nose is runny, I can barely speak, my throat is gravelly and I can feel it every time I take a breath, my cheeks and tongue are swollen, and I hurt…. All over. My dang ear is killing me. It’s the body pain that makes me suspect cold/flu vs....

I don’t like the concept of genetically modified foods (GMO’s). The concept is that foods have been engineered at their DNA to produce favorable traits. And that this process is synonymous with grafting or selective growing. It is not. First of all there are combinations that could never happen in nature. Like combining plant and animal genes. And since this is a new process (GMO’s hit the shelves in the 90’s) no one knows the long term effects of this practice. (Like the microwave. But that’s another build.) And the reasoning behind this is not so that the food will be tastier or healthier. NO… It is so that farmers can spray pesticides directly on the plants without damaging them. Come now? Has our selfishness really taken us to this level? I remember some time in the 90’s I became really very ill anytime I ate a food that contained or was cooked in corn oil. I couldn’t be in a home where corn oil is being heated. No doctor could ever tell me what was up with my new allergy...

I have been fasting a week today and it’s progressing just as expected. I have noticed that this fast is a little more high post than my previous fasts. Not really knowing why. I’m putting it on the fact that as I age my tastes become more refined. Oh well. The clarity is good too. I have come to many realizations. None more important than the fact that I tend to expect bad things to happen. People have told me for years that I’m negative, and I never understood why. When I do have good expectant thoughts, I mentally suppress them. So I have given myself permission to be happy. And guess what. I am. Wow. Who knew? I have been losing weight. That is a given when you choose not to eat. But the weight is all over. This is the frustrating part. Where as my clothes are getting looser and looser, my body looks the same. I’m losing weight in proportion with my ordinary shape. I had a friend who went on a diet and lost a lot of weight. She was shaped like an egg. But as she los...

I’m not going to blog every single day of this fast. If I do 4 times that will be a lot. I decided to blog on this day (Day 2) because it will be Day 7 before I can get back to the keyboard. Fasting is not new for me so I really have lost the excitable insight that a newer faster has. I will say that yesterday was DAY 1 (make it sound big and spooky) and it, for the most part, was uneventful. My body has not really come to terms with the fact that it is about to detox. I had some off dizziness and quick periods of voracious hunger, but that’s it. I really don’t eat all that much, maybe 1 meal per day at lunch and a mid morning snack. I drink a lot of beverages and will get busy with some chocolate or chips. I had a lot more energy than I have had lately. Though I’m still waiting on my vitality to return. I have no idea when I lost that; but it is gone. Yesterday I had a green smoothie with banana, strawberries, blueberries, canteloupe, and filtered water for breakfast. Just wat...

I never remember the groundhog rule. As natural as I strive to be, I’m not overly confident in the natural superstitions. The newspapers said that our regional groundhog predicted an early spring. I sure hope so. I’m so ready. I do buy almanacs every year. And I have noticed that my cat is beginning to shed his winter coat. I say all this to say…. Spring is Coming!!!! And with the coming of spring and the vernal equinox, I must prepare Serenity. Serenity prepares by fasting. I do a 3 week juice fast every year usually (for the most part) twice a year or 6 weeks total of missed days eating in a year. I started this practice in 2003. I was preparing for surgery and I had read that fasting for 3 weeks prior surgery aids in recovery. Anyone who knows me in person knows that I despise being labeled a “Punk Bitch” and will take every precaution to guard against falling into that category. So I came across fasting as a way to recover quickly from surgery. The funny thing was it gav...