Could you go five days without eating?  I mean nothing, no solid foods at all?  Well, I just got back from a Cleanse and detox program designed to improve digestion and overall health and it was the most amazing experience!
 
A couple weeks ago, I decided to take a break to recharge my mental batteries but had no idea where to go. I wanted somewhere close by, but far enough away that it felt truly 'vacation-y'. As the Universe is prone to do, it provided the perfect answer.  In talking with my accountant, I mentioned my desire to get away and he recommended a little piece of paradise located in Desert Hot Springs - The Spring Resort and Spa
 
In looking at their website, I noticed they offered a 5-day cleanse and fasting program, something I'd been wanting to do for months, so I thought 'why not?'.  The Spring Resort and Spa is a quaint, exceptionally clean, and intimate facility. The entire staff is polite and genuinely caring.  They offer a full service spa including sauna.  When you go, be sure to get a deep tissue massage from Dan - it's not for the squeamish - if he finds a knot, he is relentless - but his hands are a gift from heaven and sooo good.
 
On the first night, we (that's me and the ten other people taking part in the Cleanse) met in the common room and Jan Minter, the creator of this Cleanse program, gave us an overview of the program.  Jan is a loveable fruitcake.  She chatters incessantly - which can be annoying in the first few days of the Cleanse when your head is pounding and your muscles feel like they've dissolved into some sort of gelatinous mass - but 'thank you, thank you' for her quirky personality.  Had she been stuffy, preachy or overly serious, it's doubtful we would have been able to get through the week. 

 

Jan is thoroughly knowledgeable about digestion, supplements, reactions to the cleanse, raw foods and a whole host of other topics.  Her nutty personality keeps you smiling (if only on the inside), she constantly observes your body for adverse reactions and she is always willing to do whatever it takes to help you be comfortable.  At one point, after I mentioned my body temperature had dropped (it always does when my metabolism ramps up) and my feet were too cold for me to sleep, I found socks taped to the door of my room. Bless you Jan.
 
For the next four days, we survived on supplements and two cups of a green juice at noon plus one cup of soup at 7 pm each night.  I have to mention the soup - all vegetable, different each night, pureed and delicious beyond description.  Have you ever been on a farm when it's dinner time? You know how the cows come running in from the field to line up to eat?  That's sort of how we all were as 7 pm approached.  Soup!  Hot! Need it NOW!!! It was hilarious how excited and satisfied we were by one small cup of soup.
 
We learned all sorts of helpful and interesting information about the importance of proper digestion, how our bodies work, and the differences between alkaline and acidic foods and how they affect our health.  Jan even provided alternatives for each of our specific food allergies and restrictions. All of the supplements were of high quality, she made the Cleansing steps foolproof and easy to follow, and somewhere along the line, the way I view food completely changed. It's sort of like a game now: How efficiently can I move food through my system?  What are the best food combinations?  How many nutrients can I get?
 
On the last evening of the Cleanse, Jan did a preview of the 'break the Cleanse' diet (vegetables & fruits) and offered us samples of several raw delicacies.  One of these was cashew milk (recipe at the end of this newsletter) and I fell in love immediately.  It is GOOD.  And while there, I was perusing a raw food cookbook (is the word 'cookbook' an oxymoron when talking about raw food?) called RAWvolution.  Its recipes looked so good and were so easy; I bought a copy Friday night.  This weekend, I made the Thai Coleslaw, all raw and so tasty it felt like eating something sinful and yet, it was the perfect post-cleanse meal.
 
So what were the immediate effects of the Cleanse?  Well, for one, I kicked my caffeine habit, no small feat.  Two, I gained a new perspective on health and the importance of organic foods.  Three, while I will never completely give up animal proteins, I am now committed to incorporating a larger proportion of vegetables and fruits into my diet.  Four, I found alternatives for gluten sensitivity and how to control hypoglycemia.  Five, I will definitely add more liquid meals to give my digestive system an occasional rest. 
 
And, ok, yes, I'm sure you want to ask: 'how much weight did you lose?'  Well, I didn't 'lose' any, but I 'donated' 8.5 pounds into the Universe (when you say you 'lost' something, your subconscious tries to find it, get it back.  I don't want those 8.5 pounds back, so I'm donating them instead, thankyouverymuch).
 
Life is a series of choices and the consequences of those choices.  We can choose healthy or we can choose unhealthy in all areas of our lives - be that food, drink, spiritual, occupational path, relationships, etc.  When it comes to food, neither choice is a case for celebration or self-flagellation. But it makes one wonder - when we put 'bad' food into our bodies, what are we saying to ourselves?  Do we not think we are worthy?  Don't celebrate the choice, celebrate who you are.  Love yourself enough to make healthy choices, realize you are perfect the way you are and that you deserve all the best life has to offer.