Day 224

Thoughts: Yesterdays blog was about calorie restriction with optimal nutrition. Jinjee who has only eaten raw foods now for 13 years said “I woke up this morning knowing I wanted to drink more water. To do this I have to eat less often, as it is not good to mix food and drink or you dilute the digestive juices. So I want to eat more nutrient dense foods, which are foods with the most nutrients per calorie, which are, according to the ANDI (Aggregate Nutrient Density Index) - Kale, Collards, Boy Choy, Spinach, Arugula, Cabbage, Romaine, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Green Pepper (top 10). The top 10 fruits are: Strawberries, Blueberries, Oranges, Cantaloupes, Apples, Peaches, Cherries, Pineapples, Mangos and Grapes! The top nuts are: Sunflower seeds, Flax seeds, Sesame seeds, Pistachios, Almonds, and Walnuts. Lentils are also really high up on the list. (You can soak orange lentils til they're soft enough to eat, and put them in your salads. They're yummy!)” – www.thegardendiet.com 
Jinjee is also the creator of the 21 Day Spring Cleanse that I just took part in. It was 21 days of only raw foods with a exercise and meal plan (I learnt so many new raw recipes!) created by The Garden Diet.
During the cleanse I got present to how addicted I am to pain and suffering I am, and that I know when I am about to over eat – and the consequences – sluggish – heavy face – tired – slow heavy thoughts - yet I still do it. Do I not want to be connected all the time? Do I think I do not deserve to feel good all the time? I am not sure – If I was sure I guess I would be in a different place than what I am now. I guess knowing is the first step – I feel like all I know is that perhaps I have to give up that addiction to the pain and suffering. And I feel like I am waiting for that one day where I will wake up and not want any more drama in my life – so all choices after that will be out of love, harmony, joy and peace. This day is not going to happen. I realize that. And I am starting to see that I have to create it – make it happen – today – now – otherwise you know it’s just my mind disease waiting – waiting – waiting for something better, a new day, running on the treadmill, living in a ‘someday’ place, something in the future that does not exist. The challenging part? How do I start? And do we ever let go of the pain, suffering, ego and drama? Or is it part of being a human and I am just to master it – to conquer my own humanness! Perhaps :) That certainly sounds like my next adventure! 
Jinjee lost 10 lbs. “I wanted to from my belly!” Storm lost 15 lbs. “of winter weight he was carrying!”
This is how it was for me:
Week One – was easing in to the cleanse with simple, easy, nutritious, and delicious raw detox recipes and Storm's secret herbal tea recipes! It was the easiest simplest cleanses I have ever done! I wasn’t dreading that I had 3 weeks ahead of me with only raw foods, instead I was excited to receive the new recipes and meal plan. I no detox symptoms, withdrawals or cravings! The first day had this amazing salad using herbs as a base and my favourite avocado! I was starting to learn that raw foods combined can make some delicious meals, and some even tricked my body, and I felt that same fulfillment that I would from a cooked meal! I wasn’t missing cooked foods at all. I was wondering if it would get hard eating only raw foods. I decided that if the raw meals could be this yummy, exciting, entertaining and fulfilling there would be no need for me to go back to cooked foods. I was surprised after just one week to experience a lightening of both my physical body and emotional being. I definitely feel more energetic, and I was even working 10-14 hours on a film set that required nothing but pure energy and presence! 
Week Two – was High Cleansing Week. We had simple whole foods Days ("Mono"-eating), one food at a time, just fruits and veggies. Mono eating is my favourite, for example it is no mixing foods or ingredients, simple for me and my body, I would have orange juice, then another meal some cherries, another meal rock melon (cantaloupe), another meal watermelon. There is no cutting or mixing involved, no recipes, just go to the store or farm or your garden, and eat it as it is. Eat it as it is. Yum! We also eased in to green smoothies, green juices, and fruit smoothies (which melt the lbs. away!), which certainly were a shock for my taste buds, I could taste the health, the alkaline state of the juice – the acidic part of me didn’t exactly like them! We also did a one-day water fast, and easing out of the fast with Liquid-only and "Mono" days. I also noticed weight coming off, inches coming off, my face shape changes to more defined and toned, my skin was clear and shining! 
Week Three - Simple Raw Meals with cleansing juices and teas was a great, simple, refreshing way to complete the cleanse. I now have some favourite raw recipes that I love, and I even got created and made up some of my own recipes! Last night I made a creamy avocado and strawberry nut pie! My husband said it was the greatest thing I have yet created! I planted some vegetables and herbs in my garden outside at the beginning of the cleanse, and they are all just starting to boom now! So exciting! I was looking at our tomato plants yesterday and the perfect firm round green tomato formations, and was blown away with the plant, how it forms and how I will eat from it in a couple of weeks when the tomatoes are ready. Respect for the plant! I have certainly found a new appreciation for food and where it comes from, and that every piece of food came from somewhere, and it is not to be taken for granted – someone put a lot of hard work into gathering that for me to be able to eat at that moment – I appreciate that, and so I should! It is after all supporting my existence! It wasn’t like I was on a hard, or challenging cleanse – it felt like a positive permanent lifestyle transformation! In sum the 21 day cleanse of eating only raw foods had me discover incredible inner peace and mental clarity. My thoughts were creative, uplifting, and it was easier to choose thoughts on a frequency of love, peace rather than hate and anger towards myself. Being raw has instilled the love, respect and appreciation I once had for my self – back in! Yeehaaa baby :) 
Jinjee says of the cleanse, “You will enjoy your body transformation, be more sensitive to the blissful rays of the sun and the feeling of sand and cool water, the sounds of the surf, feeling like a part of it all with a body that is at one with the beauty of nature.” 
What other people said about the cleanse ...
"The best thing I have noticed about this cleanse is that if I am hungry, I do not have to eat, water is what I need first. When I do eat, I do not eat even a fourth of what I usually eat and I am full. I am not getting headaches..Amen...My body is not in pain when I awake in the morning. My clothes I just bought for mother's day are way too big (I have to take them back). I am sleeping better, I do not need a fan blowing at me and I breathe easier while sleeping. I think clearer than I have in months. I have discovered myself...I know that I am a wonderful, loving, giving person and warm person. And the biggest thing that I discovered is that I CAN DO IT...I can continue to be raw thru all the potato chips, Pepsi, cake, cookies, coffee, chicken, hamburgers, fried rice, sausages, pancakes, milk and white chocolate, fried sea food and enjoy the food that I am eating that is simple, easy, is filling and most of all it taste great...I have lost twenty pounds and I am loving it and myself"- O
"I have been 100% raw for one entire week even while my kids are with me (an amazing feat for me, especially since I made them some cooked things.) And, as happens with me when I do 100% for more than about three and a half days, the feelings come rolling in.”
"What I learned and what I got out of this cleanse:• I lost 15 pounds and my clothes fit great• I gained confidence in eating cleaner when others around me are not• I learned that I feel better when I eat live foods• I learned to be in self control• I lost my sugar cravings• I liked being reminded that exercise and happiness are a cycle (thanks Jinjee)• I learned that I could compete in athletic events being raw and be stronger than with a cooked diet• I learned how to create simple, yummy meals to satisfy my cravings• I felt sexier"
“My husband also did the cleanse and he was even more perfect than me. He lost 20 pounds and has learned that he can reach for a piece of fruit or vegetable and be delighted by the taste. He learned that ice-cream makes him hike slower and that he feels better when eating lighter.” 
"I have more energy and sleep better and I have felt very nice working out. Thank you so much for the recipes they have helped me to enjoy the raw foods so much more". - S
"I am a 100% raw foodist and have been for almost 4 years. I was diagnosed with cancer of the prostate and decided to allow my body to heal naturally. In the process I have improved and stabilized that condition and transformed the following:
1. Weight reduced from 83.7kg (184.1lbs) to 60.7kg (133.5lbs): a drop of 23kg (50.6lbs).2. Blood pressure dropped from 135/85 to 110/60 (the blood pressure of a 21 year old, not a 67 year old). At one point sticking around 140/90.3. Thyroid Function: TSH down from 27.90 to 3.12 (Healthy Range 0.40 – 4.00).4. About 6 months into the raw food program, after initially getting worse, the diarrhoea I had been experiencing for several years stopped and normal bowl movements returned and have been sustained.5. Also around the same time, after a very bad eczema attack on my shins, again which I had been suffering from for many years, disappeared along with the tinea between my toes and groin rash I had had since a young age. I have not re-experienced any of these skin conditions since.6. Cholesterol has reduced from 5.3 to 3.8 (Healthy Range <5.5*).æ LDL Cholesterol (the bad stuff) down from 3.8 to 2.6 (Healthy Range <3.5).æ Coronary Risk Ratio has come down from 5.3 to 3.8 (Healthy Range <5.0).7. Hay fever and itchy eye: This disabling condition, suffered since childhood has completely cleared.8. I am engaged three times per week in a ‘serious group outdoor personal training program’
As you can imagine I am hooked 100% for life…"
"I am able to move without pain for the first time in years"- Jeff
"I lost 8 lbs. the first week!"- Christine
"I just fed my family your RAW Tacos and they LOVED them. Cleared the plates and wanted more"!- Cindy
"I had a tumor the size of a grapefruit in my leg. It is now lemon-size after drinking your vegetable juices for a week! I don't have medical insurance so I'm lucky I heard about your site!"- Brad
"Quick thanks to you and Storm. My husband and I have three children...15,13,11. As a family we have lost 140 lbs so far"!- Darla
Chris before - 
Chris after - almost unrecognizable! 


Challenges: Letting go of the pain, suffering, attachment and drama that I have created in my life. Allowing my self to feel connected and be fully self expressed all the time. 
Triumphs: One step at a time :) A jug fills drop by drop - Buddha
What I Ate Today:
Food fest 1: 2 nectarines
Food fest 2: The juice of an orange and grapefruit! 1 nectarine. 
Food fest 3: Raw Strawberry nut pie - my husband said it is the greatest recipe I have created yet ;) Creamy, rich, yummy, sweet! Ingredients: Dates, brazil nuts, cocoa powder, a dash of olive oil and himalyan salt, creamy avocados, macadamia nuts, more dates, strawberries and blackberries! 
Food fest 4: Macadamias, strawberries, blackberries :) 
Recipe: The recipe for raw Strawberry Nut Pie will be in The Earth Diet book released this November! You would never know this recipe is raw - absolutely the perfect dessert!
Exercise: A Saturday stroll with my husband! We went bike riding to the beach and the store in the morning, and in the arvo we went riding around the streets feeling like teenagers again!