I've been clarifying priorities for myself as I transition back to the world of eating. Some of these regard specific decisions on what and how to eat and others are more about the mindset I am choosing to maintain surrounding food and drink. I'd like to list some of them!
*1 - 2 lbs of leafy greens per day, in the form of salads, soups, smoothies and juices.The amazing amount of leafy greens I've listed as eating every day has become really clear to me during the juice feast. I see so many raw foodists who do way too many sweets and fats, and furthermore, have a difficulty cutting down on them. Just try taking in that many greens per day and I guarantee you'll crave less of the 'raw junk food'.
*Simplification - minimal complicated dishes with lots of ingredientsI got very into complicated meals before I started my juice feast - complicated entrees and breakfasts all the time. I was eating dishes with massive amounts of ingredients (although all raw, of course), and I felt VERY imbalanced.
*Minimal fat intake; primarily avocados and hemp fats, occasional nuts and seedsMy body does very well on a light diet with minimal fat. My ayurvedic constitution is pretty equal pitta/kapha and less vata. Thus, I totally thrive on a more cooling, light diet. Part of the reason juice feasting worked so well for me is due to my ayurvedic constitution. After the feast, I have very little interest in fats right now, which is truly a phenomenon for me because I was definitely attached to all raw fats before this feast
*Water upon waking every morning, drinking at least two liters of water per dayI've been so hydrated with the massive amounts of juices I've had on this feast, I want to make sure that I continue to hydrate myself with lots of water. I plan to eat a lot of water rich foods and so I may not need a whole lot of water, but I would like to commit to at least 2 liters, and definitely more on the days that I exercise.
*Fruit eaten aloneI'm definitely sensitive to food combinations now and fruit really feels best eaten alone.
*Minimal consumption of dehydrated foodIt could change, but part of me almost feels like I could never go back to dehydrated food in large amounts. I feel like it might actually make me sick... wow.
*Increase consumption of wild and garden grown foodThis has become a HUGE priority for me on the juice feast, both due to the intuitive attraction to this kind of food and also education on the increasing importance of our ability to eat sustainibly. I've been gathering some wild greens, such as lamb's quarter, chard and arugula. The last few days also been gathering a bunch of pecans, which grow around here, although almost no one seems to recognize they have the best pecans in the world right there for free. I am excited to try some of these pecans when I can and want to eat nuts.
*Finish eating by 7pm.I feel this is very important to digestive health. I'd actually like to stop eating way before 7pm, but I put 7pm there because I eat light in the evening anyways.
*Supplement with MSM, medicinal mushrooms and green powders or algaes every dayThese are my favorite supplements and are really important to me to continue taking regularly. I don't feel the need for a huge amount of supplements, but green powders like Pure Synergy and algaes like E3Live, spirulina and chlorella feel fantastic for my body. The medicinal mushroom powders - reishi, agaricus, coriolus and cordyceps - have totally taken me by storm. MSM has been my favorite supplement for years now, I totally notice a difference by taking it.
*Everything chewed extremely well such that it is nearly juice by the time it is swallowedChewing well has not historically been a strong point for me, but it is a huge priority for me now. Our stomach's don't have teeth.. our bodies are like huge juicers.
*Increasing amount of fermented and probiotic foods to at least a few times a week, ideally dailyI've been educating myself more on this as well, primarily by reading a bit from the philosophy of the Body Ecology diet, as well as other sources. I did a little fermented coconut water on the juice feast, and now I'd like to get into other fermented foods.
*Eating all meals very slowly to allow for satiation feeling to set inIf I recall correctly, it takes our system 20 - 25 minutes to register that it is satiated. To respect this, I want to eat small amounts slowly so that I don't overdo it and feel too full later on.
*Eating not to fullness but rather to satiation. This is very different, as most of us are used to eating until we are fullRather than eating to total fullness, I am interested in actually maintaining a feeling of lightness and emptiness. Simply to calm the hunger sensation yet not feel the fullness sensation. This may mean smaller and more frequent meals, but it feels the best for me.
*Incorporate juice feasting as a regular practice in my life.Juice Feasting has given me a huge sense of freedom and totally blasted apart any apprehension or fear of taking on fasts, feasts, or cleanses. I feel a lot of freedom to be able to juice a day or two here and there, do some shorter feasts of a week or so, and also simply juice every single day as part of my fuel.
*Being present with all food and really tasting it - minimizing eating while doing other things. Eating with absolute gratitude and love - eating as a meditation and sacred practice of intimacyThe meaning of food has totally changed for me on this feast. It is no longer another thing I do everyday because I always have, paying little attention to what it really means. Dr. Gabriel Cousens has always said, "Food is a love note from God." While this was beautiful, I never really
felt it like I do now. What an amazing thing that we can have this incredibly intimate experience of a substance grown by the sun and the earth, experience it in the most sensual way - taste, touch, smell - take it INTO our bodies so that it literally becomes part of us, and gain energy to fuel these vehicles of light we call bodies. What a miracle. I have a new reverence for the act of eating and I want to eat and live with that gratitude and reverence. It feels almost dishonoring for me to consider eating while doing other activities, or not really paying attention to it. Perhaps I sound a little extreme about it now, but after all, I did just come off of two months without eating :)
Again, I want to really thank everyone who has been writing to me during the feast, who has been following me, and who has been telling me that they are inspired. That truly has been the biggest gift of this feast - to feel that my experience can be of service or inspiration to others. It has been so humbling to receive the words of love and support from people I don't even know personally.
With gratitude,
Courtney
