Post-Fast Log: Day 3
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[For “Post-Fast Log: Day 2,” click here.]
POST-FAST LOG: DAY 3
Wow! Another 1.8 lbs. gone! I’m now down to a very svelte 127.0 lbs.! No idea how much longer my weight will continue to drop while I’m actually easing off the fast! But, I’ll take it!
Yesterday, I managed to stick to raw foods: Fuji apples and broccoli florets. That was surprisingly satisfying. Crunchy. Sweet. Aromatic. Sort of like eating first a fruity fragrance followed by a more earthy fragrance. Who knew raw food could be tasty!
Today, I’m going to branch out into fresh blueberries and strawberries for my fruit (Normally, I would include raspberries and blackberries; but, the last time I had those, I noticed tiny little bugs crawling off them—even after I rinsed them umpteen times!) and raw snow snap peas and spinach. I’m staying away from any lettuce for now because it’s too tempted to add some sort of dressing on it. I’m also staying away from carrots because they might still be too hard to digest.
Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D., was named by Psychology Today as one of seven natural health pioneers in its November/December 2006 issues. He has written many influential books about natural healing, including Doctor Yourself: Natural Healing That Works
He has a wealth of information on his website about how modern medicine is actually hurting us, and, even, killing us! Below are a few of his excerpts.
DOING LESS AND ACCOMPLISHING MORE: FASTING
Americans eat way too much fat, way too much sugar, and way too much protein. In fact, Americans simply eat too much of everything. The way out of this dilemma is so easy that we usually miss it: Consider occasionally fasting.
I can almost hear the sound of yet another one of my books being slammed down, being put back on the shelf, or being quietly incinerated. While you are warming your hands from the imaginary glow that these pages would doubtlessly produce, may I continue?
Look, nothing succeeds like success. We could spend all day talking about the value of fasting, but only you can find out for yourself what it can do for you. Experience is your best teacher, and improved health is always the best proof. A fast will cost very little money, and may well be one of the best things you’ve ever done for yourself.
Yes, you cannot accuse me of being in this just for the money, for not eating is certainly cheap enough. Fasting should be with your doctor’s approval, and is not for growing children, and clearly not for anyone pregnant or nursing. People who are taking certain medications and people who have other compelling medical reasons should not fast. This still leaves the majority of us as more-or-less willing candidates.
One of the reasons fasting merits your attention is that anything else is so often ineffective or downright dangerous. One of the really amazing books of our time is Limits to Medicine: Medical Nemesis, the Expropriation of Health
Ever since George Washington’s doctors killed him with their prescriptions (No kidding! See, Medical and Physical Journal, London, 1800, Volume 3, page 409.), people have been seeking LESS HARMFUL treatments than conventional medicine has offered. A common “scientific” argument against fasting is that it is always unsafe. Truly, the pot is calling the kettle black when drug-based medicine criticizes the safety of the therapy that all animals naturally use, namely fasting. First thing a sick animal does is go off its feed.
Fasting has GOT to be safer than, say cocaine or heroin, don’t you think? Yet each year, doctor-prescribed drugs [including government-approved forms of cocaine and heroine] kill more Americans than street drugs. Drug Abuse Warning Network statistics indicate less than 10,000 deaths annually from illegal drugs. 130,000 Americans actually die in hospitals each year from prescription medication. (See, Whitaker, J., Health and Healing, September 1993 Supplement, page 3.)
TO BE CONTINUED …
More on the benefits of fasting, the possible side effects, and how I’m doing in the next installment of my Post-Fast Log. If you want to share your own fasting experiences or, perhaps, your concerns, please do so in the comments below!
[For “Post-Fast Log: Day 4,” click here.]
[For entire “Fasting Log,” click here.]
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July 15th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
Hi Shanel, what a great blog - I’ve just followed your link from your comment on Gretchen Rubin’s Happiness Project blog.
I’m very interested in fasting, but wondering how you handle social situations, for example when friends invite you to join them for dinner, or a family birthday.
July 15th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Hi Budgie! Welcome and thanks for your comment and feedback! I try to plan my fasts for when there are no social events for at least 7 consecutive days. If something comes up during that time, I either politely decline, or, if I must attend, I go and refrain from the food and only drink water. I’ve only fasted for extended periods twice; and, so far, this simple plan has worked out just fine for me. Good luck on your potential future fast! Let us know how things turned out if you do it!
July 18th, 2008 at 6:42 pm
It’s great to hear that your giving a raw food diet a try! There’s nothing better than knowing that everything that’s going in is doing good! I hope this fast works out well for you. It’s important to remember to add healthy food to your diet. Many people focus on subtracting unhealthy foods from their diet when it’s important to add nutrient rich foods. The body will naturally crave more and more healthy foods. It’s a beautiful thing and so good for human psychology to practice natural health!
July 18th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Hello, Natural Health Guide! Thanks for your comment and suggestions! I love your enthusiasm! I’ll definitely keep this up as long as I can. I feel so amazingly light on feet and clear-headed all the time now. : )