Is that hope on the horizon?

The other night, someone said to me, "This is who you are..." And they went on to describe me better than I could describe myself. There was a sort of thrill and relief that went through me.

I do not have to try to be someone I am not just because I am afraid of rejection. Because I will NEVER feel happy pretending. WOW! Sounds simple, but I assure you, it's a big breakthrough for me. More to come, I hope.

I am now done with my library job. The sweet kids gave me tons of hugs. The kindergarteners gave me a book that they made. The teachers brought me fruit and veggie trays, chips and salsa, and a gift certificate to a bookstore. I enjoyed my time there, but am happy to be done. My last formal job ended so badly (getting fired basically), so it is nice to have done well at this job and be appreciated. I know this is not a job I would want to do as my life's work and so I can move on without feeling like I "failed" or lost out in any way.

The "last day" was strenuous, and that along with the stress my body has been put through lately, I went to bed at 6 p.m. last night and slept 14 hours. I guess I needed it!

Tonight, I am SO excited because I joined the Fruitarian Fitness 90 Day Body Challenge. I want to feel fantastic again! Anyone else in?

Healing

I have a bad habit of thinking of myself as completely healthy now that I eat raw.

I tend to forget that I've only been eating 80-10-10 for a few months and that although my health has improved dramatically in that time, I still have years worth of toxins to dump and massive healing to be done.

On Tuesday, I stayed home sick from school. I had a low-grade fever in the morning and a very runny nose. I didn't eat much and I slept most of the day. Interestingly, I had 6 bowel movements (all "normal"). I felt pretty light and cleaned out. Maybe my body was spending more time repairing my bowel, which had been pretty irritated for the last 2 years or so.

I felt much better on Wednesday. Ideally, I would have taken another day off just to rest and recover fully, but I don't have paid sick leave, so back to work I went.

I feel good thinking about all of the repair work my body is able to do without me consciously directing it. All I have to do is "stay out of the way" by not consuming toxic substances and resting properly.

Tired (and tired of being negative)

The title says it all.

Literally, at times this week, I have only not eaten cooked foods because I know I will get violently ill. Several items that have been occupying my mind... Taco Bell bean burritoes, vegetarian super-nachos, and waffle fries. When I think of them, I simultaneously feel desire and nausea. The thought of eating them literally makes me want to vomit.

But then at other times, I feel better.

Actually, I don't think there's much I could say at this point that would be interesting or useful to anyone. But I want to record how I feel for the future. So when everything is all wonderful and I am the person I always was meant to be, I can look back and see the depths from which I rose.

Geez, even that sounds bad.

Ok, two things I am grateful for... Patton Oswalt (warning explicit language, but GOOD GOD, this guy is funny) and Tomato-Peach Soup (recipe in Dr. Graham's 80-10-10 Diet).

Good night all and thank you for being here for me.

Resting and letting my body cleanse

Another photo from the family reunion last week. Aren't they sweet?

Today, I simply felt wiped out. My head felt better. I had big plans to spend the day in the garden, but my body had other ideas. I slept out in the sun for a little over an hour this morning, then listened to a teleconference in the recliner and did some stuff on the computer for a little while. Then I took a long afternoon nap. I had loose stools four or five times throughout the day.

I imagine it must seem odd to my friends who know about my raw journey that I have spent so much time this summer being ill. I personally feel a little discouraged by this myself at times. But I understand that this process is my body healing from all of the toxins that have accumulated from years of smoking (in college), poor eating, stress, etc. I am happy to know that all of this is being released and feel confident that I will continue to feel healthier as time passes. Already I have seen so many benefits. I often get impatient and don't give my body the rest it needs when I experience symptoms of cleansing. Then my body has to throw out stronger symptoms to get my attention. So, I plan to try to rest when my body says rest.

Today, I was happy to have the opportunity to really rest well, since my husband and the kids headed off and spent the day at my in-laws for the family's annual garage sale. They packed lots of fruit and the best of intentions, but again, the kids indulged in meat and everything else. It is very hot and so as I nurse my 3 year-old, her sweat reeks of dead animal. I am curious to see if they throw up this time or if their little bodies are too busy with the stuff from last week to bother...

Tonight, I managed to go out to the garden and harvest some tomatoes, summer squash and cucumbers for tomorrow's market. I plan to try to go get some chard, endive, okra, potatoes, and a couple cabbages tomorrow morning. We'll see how it goes. I was annoyed that I forgot my radio to to set up to keep the raccoons out of my corn. Let's hope they don't find it tonight.

Today's Food (*denotes local)

9:30 a.m. About 10 cups watermelon
12 p.m. About 8 cups watermelon
6 p.m. About 2 cups organic romaine, tomatoes*, cucumber*, a little summer squash*, 4 organic bananas

Approx. 1400 calories, C-P-F 84-7-9

Eating Locally, in fits and starts

Photo from Seeds of India

Photo from Ozark Gardens

I LOVE those cucumbers. One of the best things about this summer has been discovering what I love to grow and what I love to eat. The Poona Kheera cukes were grown by another farmer's market vendor, not me, but I'm definitely growing them next year. They are so sweet. I did, however, grow the Armenian snake cucumbers. They are very mild, but not so sweet, have very small seeds, and are very crisp. They have a very tender skin and since you don't have to peel them, they keep this cool shape, like the cogs of a wheel. They also sell like hotcakes! Luckily, the plants really produce.

Well, as you can see from my August expenses record, we are eating a LOT of nonlocal food. On August 1st, I felt pressured to eat 100% local (solely pressured by myself--just a typical bad habit I get into, an "all-or-nothing" mindset). I hadn't done much homework and had no local fruit to eat, so I ate 7 large ears of local raw corn that was too old and starchy. I spent the entire day of August 2nd violently ill and feeling dumb. I will remember that lesson.

After calling around and asking all of my market vendors, I have found that there are virtually NO local fruits available right now. Melons will not be ready for another week to 10 days. The second crop of raspberries are not ready yet. Peaches in this area were all killed by a late frost. Plums and pears are not quite ripe. There are some sour apples; we bought 25 today. Let's face it, we can't survive for even one week on sour apples, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

This does NOT excuse buying nuts, which is certainly not good for our insides or our budget! Today, I re-read that both "raw" cashew nuts and Brazil nuts are decidedly NOT raw. O.k., I admit it. I am soothing the savage beast of emotions run amok. I need more rest, need to overschedule myself less.

I had a WONDERFUL time working together with my whole family at the Farmer's Market today. I had a WONDERFUL time reading archives of Suvine's blog. I had a WONDERFUL time with my family watching Dr. Who (the 9th doctor?). They have all been into Dr. Who lately, from the 60's stuff and onward, but I have been resisting because I generally don't like science fiction. But I liked it. We have also been reading Bone together.

I am done with the nuts. I am breaking up with cashews. They are mean to me. LOL! I will eat local melons as soon as I can get them. I will keep eating all of my lovely garden produce. Okra pods are coming. Tomatoes of all kinds cover my countertop. I have too many beans to keep up with picking. We had some nice savoy cabbage leaves tonight, although I have gas now. I can't digest the cole crops really. But the savoy leaves work perfectly for wraps. In my defense, I tried to sell the savoy at market first.

We also got some DELICIOUS sweet corn, which I will eat in moderation. I will trust my tastebuds on the corn! I will eat enough sweet fruit to prevent cravings and fuel my body properly.

Today's Food (Local food has a star* by it)

Morning during Market: Nectarine, Mexican Midget tomatoes*, Armenian snake cucumber*, yellow cucumber*, 1/2 large ear of corn

Around noon: Various tomatoes*, 4 medium ears sweet corn*

Around 4 p.m.: Savoy cabbage leaves* with mashed avocado (only one between the 5 of us) and salsa (tomatoes*, onion*, sweet corn*, lime juice, cilantro)

Around 6:30 p.m.: Banana and raspberry ice cream

Around 8 p.m. Several handfuls of cashews and an ounce of Brazil nuts

If you are a committed 80-10-10-er, you probably are groaning because you know that if you ate like this, your stomach would hurt. Yes, I admit it, my stomach is hurting. Well, tomorrow is a new day!

Gooseberries

Picture found on Wikipedia.com

I went to bed at a proper hour last night, so I didn't get a chance to blog about my day. Imagine that. So here's what happened yesterday.

The weather was nice and cool so my husband worked a bit longer at his painting job than he normally does. This gave me a chance to work on some housework, something I haven't done in ages, it seems. My husband has been taking care of things quite nicely while I've been gardening, but it was nice to scrub the kitchen and hang out some laundry myself.

When he returned, I headed to a friend's house with the girls to pick more raspberries. Mmmmm. Not many came home. My friend is one of my dumpster diving converts and so she also shared some of her dumpster finds with me--peppers, tomatoes, red grapes, and more.

My son has been suffering from some cleansing symptoms, so he rested on the couch all day and read books and slept. My daughter had a similar bout last week, so we all know it will pass. :) For some reason, he became obsessed with wanting to know how big the longest shrimp in the world is--maybe this was inspired by the full-color flier for Long John Silver's I found under his pillow? Anyway, you might like to know that the largest variety of shrimp in the world is the Black Tiger shrimp, which averages 21 centimeters in length, but a fisherman in Colombia caught one that was 40 centimeters long! Check it out here http://www.local6.com/problemsolvers/8755909/detail.html

I headed to my garden in the afternoon and did more weeding and replanted some okra where I didn't get good germination. My garden looks better every day and it is especially nice to have the cool weather to work in this week.

On my way home, I checked out a wild place near my friend's house to see if I could find any ripe berries. I tried some ripe gooseberries for the first time! I can see why they're mainly used in pies. Not bad but bland and somewhat tart at the same time and with a sort of strange consistency. Not something I'd go out of my way to pick again.

Yesterday's Food

12 p.m. About 3 cups black and red raspberries

2 p.m. 5 medium bananas

5 p.m. A few gooseberries, black raspberries, and mulberries

5:30 p.m. Salad with iceberg and endive, half an avocado, and a salsa made with grape tomatoes, zucchini, onion, cilantro, lime juice and a few sprinkles of spices and salt

8 p.m. Another salad with purslane and green leaf lettuce and more salsa

Approx. 1500 calories, C-P-F 80-8-12

No formal exercise.

Is Greenmama Crazy?

Yes, folks, that's exactly what you think it is... jars of urine in my lovely leaded glass window. Following Jgunn's advice, I have started sprinkling my urine around my garden in an attempt to discourage the groundhogs and the rabbits who are wreaking havoc on all of my tender greens. Is it working? Well, if it's working on some of the critters, I don't know. But it's not working on all of them. Maybe my raw vegan pee isn't stinky enough to scare them. Or maybe I just don't have all right places "watered"--it is a pretty big garden! Pretty soon, I'm going to have to start camping out there! (By the way, before I get any more tips, I have already tried moth balls, Irish Spring soap, and other deterrents. Next year, I plan to invest in a fence.)

Yesterday, I did rest and fast as planned, although I chose to break my fast in the evening and eat a bit. I slept in until 12:30 in the afternoon! I haven't done that (except when very ill) since I've had children. I am feeling better.

Today, I spent a solid 6 hours weeding my corn. I wish I could say I was finished. I also had a fun time picking red and black raspberries with my daughters and planting beans with my son.

This weekend, my husband and I discovered that our son had been convincing neighbor children to give him junk food and he had a major stash hidden in his room. After talking with him, we decided to institute a reward system. If he is able to go one week without eating junk food, he will get a Transformer. He is very excited. I am not sure this is the right way to go, but it seems more productive than our earlier attempts, which included long talks and grounding him when he broke the rules. He understands why we eat the way we do and he agrees with it, but he is just simply compulsively drawn (one might say, addicted) to white flour and sugar.

Today's Food

10 a.m. 4 cups iceberg lettuce, 4 blended bananas over the top
12 p.m. 3 cups red and black raspberries, while picking
5:30 p.m. Some purslane while weeding in the garden, 1 Greek fig (a present)
7 p.m. 4 cups iceberg lettuce, 1 cup raspberries, 8 bananas (4 blended for salad dressing, 4 blended for "ice cream")

Approx. 1700 calories

*I have not lost any weight since June 5th, people. I need to get back on the exercise wagon ASAP!

Transition Slowly?

I am reposting the above picture of my beloved junk heap because it went to junkyard heaven this week. The final straw was a major gas leak. So, Greenmama's family just got greener now that we're down to a single vehicle. Less money for insurance should mean more banana money, too!

I recently joined Nora Lenz's Raw School Yahoo group and have enjoyed reading through old posts this evening. One of her early teachings that intrigues me is her suggestion that transition foods, such as dehydrated foods, nuts, and non-optimal combinations, are a good idea for many people to use in the beginning. Her argument is that many people try to go to a 100% optimal raw diet too fast, and then give up quickly when the going gets tough. (I don't know if she still advocates this... the posts I was reading were from 2005.)

My first reaction is to reject this option... why continue to poison the body unnecessarily? I know that dehydrated foods are downright difficult for the body to process and salt and onion powder and cayenne are basically excitotoxins (emphasis on the toxins). If my intention is to adopt an optimal diet, why not just DO IT and not look back?

On the other hand, Nora's approach certainly would allow me to not beat myself up today for again indulging in those darn Sprouted Salad Crunchies, that I promised that I WOULD NOT eat again after my discomfort 2 weeks ago. The question is why. After thinking about this for awhile, I think I am trying to numb myself from feeling the fear and pain of making so many "radical changes" and having many decisions and anxieties about the way forward for me and my family in many areas of our life.

In the short term, I am thinking about lending my dehydrator to a friend and buying some dates. The middle road?

Tomorrow, I plan to rest and read in bed for much of the day and fast. If the last time I ate like this was any indication, I will probably not be feeling well.




Today's Eating (and eating and eating and eating)



7:30 A couple of tablespoons of Sprouted Salad Crunchies
9:30 5 bananas, 1 small head bok choy
12:00 4 bananas blended over a lot of Four Seasons and Black-seeded Simpson lettuce
1-2 p.m. About 3 cups of black raspberries while picking
4 p.m. About 1 1/2 cups of Sprouted Salad Crunchies, 1 avocado
6 p.m. About 1 cup of bok choy with a bit of lime juice
8:30 p.m. A banana "shake" with 4 bananas



Approx. 2200 calories

Don't eat like me...

One of the new things I am getting used to is how to tell if I'm really hungry or not. It used to be that I ate when I got a craving, or during a scheduled mealtime. And since I was eating all kinds of toxic things that produced cravings and I had 3 meals scheduled for the family, I basically ate all the time.

Now, I don't have cravings to guide me. I don't take an hour three times a day to cook a meal either, although we still do three meals' worth of preparation such as cutting fruit, tossing salad, and blending dressings, soups, or smoothies.

I am having to learn how to experience true hunger, and let me tell you, it's not easy.

Two concepts I am trying to internalize:

1) Hunger is not a rumbling stomach (actually, this is a symptom of digestion of food still in your body). Hunger is also not cravings. Those are by-products of "food addictions," created by toxic substances that, like drugs, create withdrawal after they leave the body. After almost 2 months raw, I rarely experience tummy rumbling and I have no cravings. Now, I am waiting to get the "pleasant tingling sensation in the mouth and throat" that is supposedly the sign of true hunger. I'll keep you posted. Right now, I'm eating when I think, "I should eat!" Sometimes this feels like a response to physical hunger, like after I've been working for hours in the garden. But sometimes, it's just "time" to eat. So, this is still a work in progress!

By the way, eating monomeals is supposed to help with relearning the true signals of hunger and satiation. Though I do at least one monomeal per day, I probably could benefit from an extended stretch of all mono-meals, like a banana fast. Stay tuned.

2) It is not good for your body to be digesting all the time. You should try to eat several large meals instead of snacking all day. Digestion requires lots of energy and taxes your digestive organs if they don't get a rest between meals.

Sometimes, I find myself eating when I really need a rest, but am trying to force myself to keep moving. Today was one of those days.

Today's food

9:30 a.m. 10 C. watermelon
12 p.m. Some purslane while weeding the garden
1 p.m. 5 blended bananas over 4 C. Four Seasons and Black-seeded Simpson lettuce
5 p.m. About 2 C. mulberries off the tree, about 1 C. of sugar snap and shell peas
7:30 p.m. 4 blended bananas over 4 C. Four Seasons and Black-seeded Simpson lettuce
9:30 1/2 of a large red pepper, some seasoned lentil sprouts (only about 1 Tbs., had to check the seasoning for my Sprouted Salad Crunchies that I'm selling tomorrow at market)
10:30 A few more spoonfuls of seasoned lentil sprouts--the salt is calling my name! Go to bed already!

Approx. 1700 calories

Yesterday I was busy in my garden until after sunset and when I got home and nursed my daughter to sleep, I fell asleep also. Guess I needed some rest!

Today, I sold some lettuce to a local eaterie, brought the Farmer's Market donations to the local food pantry, and then the whole family headed to visit my parents to go swimming. Some of you may remember that last week our swimming was cut short by a surprise swim meet. This week it was cut short by thunder and showers.

As usual, it was a fun/ tense combo of hanging out with my family. I asked my mom some parenting advice about my children and their food choices, but she didn't really answer me. My mom doesn't like to give advice. She likes people to make their own way. I love my mom! (But I'd love her advice sometimes. At least I think would.)

Bad news! Aldi is closed for one week for remodeling. The horror! How will I replace the hundreds of dollars of free produce I get every week?



Today's food

9 a.m. About 10 cups watermelon
1 p.m. About 3 cups sweet cherries, large salad of iceberg and Four Seasons lettuce, more of that salsa made with Roma tomatoes, colored peppers, onion, cilantro, lime juice, agave syrup, cumin, and salt. I added a lot less salt this time (although I should NOT be eating any!)
4 p.m. About 4 cups watermelon
6:30 p.m. Zucchini "Pasta" with Raw Pomodoro sauce made with blended Roma tomatoes, a little avocado, fresh oregano and tarragon, lemon juice, and a bit of agave and a sprinkle of salt

About 1600 calories

Rest and Optimal Eating

A photo of me, my son, and our cat, Bartimaeas taken today. Bart's wondering why the heck I picked him up while he was playing outside. That's our little gazebo in the background.

I have been really working hard these past few days in my garden, the community garden, and today at the Farmer's Market. I am noticing how the less I rest and the more sleep-deprived I get, the less I tend to make optimal food choices. Why is that?

I ate a LOT of raw salsa with salt in the past two days. Since I have been completely abstaining from salt in the past month, I really notice a difference. I'm thirsty, despite drinking more water, and am feeling a bit of extra fatigue. I have also been allowing myself to eat too late at night and eating more blended foods, rather than taking the time to slowly eat and thoroughly chew whole foods. I also have been making more "ice creams" and while they're a great treat, I don't want to start eating too many frozen foods because of the stress they can place on your digestive system and the flora inside it.

Today, after another fun day at the Farmer's Market, I spent some time with our friends wrapping up a garage sale. We made a pretty penny, and cleared out lots of unwanted clutter from our house. My husband and the kids spent some time with my husband's extended family at a local "lake" fishing and swimming, so I had the afternoon to run errands, sell Farmer's Market leftovers to some shut-ins, buy a Father's Day present, pick up waste to compost from a local florist, and meet with a plumber about the water hook-up in the community garden.

My husband has just finished a full week of 100% low fat raw vegan! He challenged himself to do a full week, with a reward at the end. I'm very proud of him. What a great gift to a great Dad for Father's Day.

My cat has not really taken to the raw meat yet, even with the regular food and egg mixed in. Yesterday, he vomited on the floor in the living room, a mixture of what looked like grass and water. He has never vomited indoors before and I believe cats eat grass when they are feeling ill. I really need to research more on transitioning him properly.

But, I better be off to bed now!

Today's Eating

9 a.m. 1 pint raspberries, 1 pint blackberries, about a cup of mulberries
12:30 p.m. Lots of homemade raw salsa (Roma tomatoes, red, green and yellow pepper, raw onion, cilantro, lime juice, agave nectar, cumin and salt) over Four Seasons Lettuce
5 p.m. Green smoothie with bananas, mango, and Four Seasons lettuce
6:30 p.m. Another large green smoothie with bananas, mango and Four Seasons lettuce
8:30 p.m. A totally unnecessary frozen banana-mango ice cream (wasn't even hungry, but made some for my husband and decided to eat some)

Total: About 1900 calories

A Day of Rest?

Picture from www.faeriesfinest.com

I slept in until 10:30 this morning. I needed it!

I did a lot of puttering around town doing errands and talking with people. Today, the universe sent me someone who gave me lots of free advice about running your own business. And about where to get a greenhouse (possibly free?!?). I'll have an inner city herb farm yet.

My husband also scored a job moving some rocks. Yep, that's right. Not a bad-paying little gig, and it might turn into more odd jobs. We could definitely use the grocery money!

Tomorrow, we are headed to visit my family and go swimming with them. Should be fun. I'm a little frustrated because I took a bit of a spill down the stairs this afternoon (carrying my daughter, thank goodness she didn't get hurt!). Now my legs have very painful scrapes on them and so I may not be able to get in the pool tomorrow after all. But if not, I'll just enjoy the sun.

Maybe I'll do some healing while I sleep. Maybe I'll actually get in bed at a decent hour! O.k., not maybe, I WILL.

Today's food...

11:30 a.m. About 12 C. watermelon
3:30 p.m. About 3 C. sweet cherries
4:00 p.m. A big salad with Four Seasons lettuce and leaf lettuce w/ a blended dressing made with roma tomatoes, red pepper, yellow pepper, iceberg lettuce, lime juice, fresh oregano, cumin and onion powder
6:00 p.m. Another big salad with Four Seasons lettuce and leaf lettuce with a very similar dressing (I added a bit of kelp powder this time--just a pinch)
9:00 p.m. About 3 more C. of sweet cherries

(I've gotta get back to eating a big enough dinner and not eating late! Not good for my sleep.)

Speaking of which, GOOD NIGHT!

Another fun market day

Our friend Lynn visiting our booth during the Grand Opening of the Market in May.

What a wild and wonderful day.

After a whopping 4 hours of sleep, I woke to a crabby 2 year-old and husband. I washed some more lettuce and bagged up my Sprouted Salad Crunchies (sampling a few before beginning--I know, I thought I could resist and then I didn't).

This week, I decided to try trimming up the lettuce, and only selling the tender inner leaves of the Four Seasons Lettuce, combined with some Black-Seeded Simpson lettuce that is finally ready. Of course, the washing and trimming process is time-consuming, explaining my 2 a.m. bedtime. The lettuce mix did sell better than the Four Seasons lettuce alone. One customer, however, wanted the Four Seasons lettuce, unwashed and in a whole head (it keeps longer that way), so I'll have to bring that next week.

It was a gorgeous day for the market! Sunny, but not too hot. And yet attendance was down from last week when it was overcast and drizzly. Go figure. Of course, I had fun! The market is my favorite part of the week. Too bad getting ready for it is soooo draining.

Kristi, my market partner, and I had the brainstorm of trying to sell our leftover wares to some elderly folks that can't make it down to the market. We made four stops after the market and sold more of Kristi's bread and rum cakes. I felt a little like a drug pusher, selling white flour and sugar to little old ladies with failing health and false teeth. None of them wanted any lettuce--can't chew or digest it, they say. But they were so thrilled to see us and said to come back next week. Perhaps they'll be more receptive to the veggies later in the season when I have tomatoes and other things.

We talked with another market vendor who works in a nursing home and hope to find another venue for our products. There is also a bakery downtown that has a little lunch counter on the weekdays and they have expressed interest in buying fresh, local produce and herbs, so we'll be trying to make a connection there soon.

Kristi and I spent time fantasizing on our joint herb farm. (Lisa, if you're reading this, we want you to move back and help us). There are some cheap vacant lots available in town that we are eyeing.

After market fun was over and a quick lunch and time with the family, I headed off to pick up rabbit poop donations for the community garden's compost bin. That turned into a lot more work than I thought it would! First of all, there was a LOT of poop. I took my two oldest kids with me, but the buckets were too heavy for them to help with, so they mainly just kept me company and complained a lot.

Then I spent some time with an elderly garden neighbor who spent time regaling me with all the details of his home repair and landscape projects and showed me his own little garden. He also gave me detailed instructions on how to refinish my hardwood floors. I may use that knowledge someday!

And then, I tried to rebury all of the flowers that the squirrels dug up. Time for some cayenne pepper! I started on the watering, but the kids' patience was wearing thin. So tomorrow morning, I'll have to head over there. The new plantings look awfully dry.

After dinner, I headed off to see The Giving Tree Band perform. What fun! Some friends got me in as an "usher." What good friends... I plan to write another post about the concert tomorrow.

After the concert, I was so energetic, I made a dumpster run at Aldi. The dumpster was so darn full that I couldn't even get in it. A lot of moldy strawberries and white bread were in the way of proper investigation. But I got LOTS of good stuff, which you can see listed in my June grocery expenses post.

And now, here it is, 11 p.m. and I'm quite tired!

Today's eating was less than optimal and resting was nonexistent. I feel better, mostly, but I have a quite strong dry cough that surfaces occasionally, making me feel like a lung is trying to hop out.

7 a.m. A few ounces of Sprouted Salad Crunchies (Triple whammy--legumes, dehydrated, salt)

9 a.m. About 8 cups watermelon

1 p.m. Big salad of Four Seasons and Black-seeded Simpson lettuce w/ blended cucumber, tomato, red pepper, lime, and basil dressing, a whole lot of Sprouted Salad Crunchies

5 p.m. A medium peach, a blended soup made from blended cucumber, roma tomatoes, red and yellow pepper, iceberg lettuce, with lime juice, onion powder, cumin, cayenne, and a dash of salt (see--more salt!), more Sprouted Salad Crunchies

6 p.m. About 4 C. watermelon

Detox or "cleansing"

Picture from www.herbsforhealth.com

I am finally experiencing the dreaded detox that everyone tells you about. I have had four days of acidic nasal discharge, sore throat and fatigue. On The Path of Health list, we have been encouraged to use the word "cleansing" rather than detox, because the connotation is positive. I am trying to stay positive. My symptoms are telling me that my body is cleaning house and I am happy that it is doing so.

Of course, part of the problem is that I have been "too busy" to rest. (Of course, it's just that I haven't been making rest a big enough priority.) So, I've been cheating on my sleep, and generally just working myself to the point of exhaustion.

Now my body is DEMANDING that I pay attention. Today, I have really felt awful, and I'm finally taking the time to really rest. The most strenuous thing I've done is read blogs and sort through blueberries. Actually, I stayed in bed until 1 p.m.

I felt that maybe I should fast, but was conflicted since I am breastfeeding my active 2 year-old and do not want to jeapordize my milk supply. I visited Dr. Graham's VegSource Forum and he advised me to not fast more than 36 hours, but to monoeat and REST. I waited until 4 p.m. to eat, and then ate watermelon to the point of satiation--about 12 cups. What a wonderful resource his forum is--I encourage anyone to go there with questions.

I plan to rest as much as possible tomorrow, but Saturday is Farmer's Market, and my partner must be away, so there's no avoiding getting there.

However, I must say, that I do feel much better than I did this morning. So, we can hope.

Finally, some rest

My favorite napping photo ever. That's my youngest when she was about 9 months old. Too bad that the photo quality is so poor. And too bad about those cooked peas on her tray. Oh well, I didn't know any better.

Today was Farmer's Market. It rained a bit just before market and just as market was ending. Attendance was down, but not too bad. I made a whopping $8, which I managed to spend all before I left. Luckily, my friend Kristi who shares her booth with me did pretty well. I only sold ONE bag of lettuce. Although I'm not a smoothie person, I'm going to be making a whole lot of green smoothies to use up all of this darn lettuce this week.

After market, I took a much-needed 2 1/2 hour nap. I woke up feeling a bit under the weather and I know I need to get more rest. After my nap, I took it pretty easy and spent some quality time with the family and relaxed. Tonight, I've been having fun hanging out at the Really Raw Food Forum. What a great bunch of people!

Today I ate:

9:30 10 C. of watermelon (immediately felt sick, almost like I would throw up, but it passed quickly)

3:45 (after my nap) Ate 2/3 of a medium cantaloupe. It was soft and juicy, but not sweet. Annoying.

6:15 Large salad of romaine, Four Seasons lettuce and red pepper with blended raspberries, bananas and more Four Seasons lettuce on top

About 950 calories for the day because I missed lunch.

Watermelon Face

Finally, a truly yummy watermelon.

I have been getting lax on reporting my food intake for the day. I do keep track at SparkPeople.com, but I know it was helpful to me when starting out to get an idea of just what a raw vegan would eat... so I'll try to post my food intake more often. Not that you should take my eating habits as a suggestion! I am still learning.

Today:

8 a.m. 4 C. of watermelon

10 a.m. Most of a medium cantaloupe

1 p.m. A large salad with iceberg lettuce and dressing made from blended cucumber, celery, Italian seasoning, onion powder, cumin, and a sprinkle of salt

3:30 A small Hawaiian papaya, 1 mango

5:30 A large salad with iceberg lettuce and a dressing made from banana and raspberries

8:30 Blended bananas and frozen strawberries.

Only about 1,000 calories. I feel hungry and could eat now, but 11 p.m. is not a good time to eat! I will survive until breakfast. I am still working through how much and when and what to eat.

Speaking of which, I am becoming aware that I am not resting enough! On Path to Health, Elchanan recently said something that really made sense... "Food is only one aspect of health. And it's not necessarily the most important." (It's a paraphrase.) So with that, I must be off to my bed.