Make Your Own Cleansing Juice Fast!

Make Your Own Cleansing Juice Fast!
By: Michaelene De Young

I know there are many die-hard Master Cleansers out there that say if you don't use that "exact" formula it won't work.  Well, I'm challenging that theory.  I've created my own version of the cleanse and dubbed it MYO-CJF.  I'll be posting my results, detox issues, etc. on this blog and my thoughts and feelings as I continue on this journey.
The difference between a juice fast and a juice feast is that on a fast, you drink less than 2 quarts of juice a day. On a feast, you drink between 2 quarts and a gallon of juice.  This is a fast and is intended to be used for detoxing, cleansing and weight loss.

This formula will make 16 - 10 ounce servings of juice.
Juice any kind of fruits or vegetables till you have 2 1/2 cups of juice.

I used:

• 2 apples
• 2 oranges
• 2 lemons
• 6 carrots
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger

Put in a quart jar and add 1 1/2 cups of raw honey or grade b maple syrup.
Shake well and refrigerate.
When you are ready to start your fast, use 1/4 cup of the juice/honey blend, a pinch of cayenne pepper and 10 ounces of water. Drink 10 glasses a day with water in between if you're hungry.
Each morning drink a salt water flush first thing when you wake up. (2 tsp. sea salt to 1 quart of water)
Each night, drink a cup of Smooth Move Tea before bed.
This batch should last you for 1 1/2 days. This fast should be a minimum of 10 days and a maximum of 40 days. Feel free to mix up the fruit and vegetable combinations using whatever is affordable to you when you do your shopping. You don't have to stick to the same ones every time you make your concentrate every couple of days. Just as long as you start off with 2 1/2 cups of pure juice the ratio will be the same.

You can even choose different fruits and vegetables according to what benefits you need most if that's what you're most interested in.  But, I think higher caloric items would be better since this master drink is going to be watered down 1:3 and you still need to have enough calories to get through your day and not be lethargic.  I'm not intending this to be like a water fast where you have to stay in bed for weeks.  I still want to function, and I want that for you, too.

Organic fruits or vegetables are always best, but I went for budget cost this first time so mine were not organic, but they were at least fresh. The whole purpose of my blog is to live as raw as possible, cleanse and detox on as little money as you can.  I'm testing my theory on this fasting method starting today, March 21, 2011.  I'm going to stay on it as long as I can and I'll update this note with my results.  My starting weight is 266.5lbs.

So far today, I've only had minor hunger pains which is surprising.  I'm just finishing up my sixth cup and it's 7pm. I'm normally grazing all day long and I constantly have to be eating or chewing on something and keeping my mouth occupied. So, it's kind of cool to know I'm able to achieve this small goal and tomorrow, will be a new goal to get through.

I understand the first three days are the hardest and day one is all ready nearing an end.  Amazing!

Master Cleanse Delay

Makes me a little bit upset that I can't get started on time.  Reason 1: I still have an abundance of greens and raw foods in my apartment that will go bad if not eaten soon.  My husband won't eat them. Reason 2: I have to get up at 5am on Saturday morning to go to work.  I'm afraid that the cleanse would interrupt my functionality and my ability to effectively multi-task for an 8 hour period. So, what do I do?

I'm DEFINITELY going to get started a.s.a.p. REGARDLESS of my work situation on Saturday.  I'm just going to finish up the foods I have in the house first then start the cleanse.  Tomorrow, I'm going to juice all the remaining apples and oranges I have and then finish the salad greens over the next day or two.  I'm estimating that I'll be free and clear of temptations by Wednesday.

That would put me in day 3 of my cleanse on  my Saturday work day.  I'm going to have to make my lemonade up on Friday night ahead of time because I won't be able to do it that early on Saturday morning to get ready for work.  I'm just going to take a mason jar with me with the lemonade in it and drink it while I'm working.

I need thoughts and prayers to get through the first few days.  I've never been able to complete even a 24-hour fast without being sick first.  This is going to be a challenge and a stepping stone and also a major accomplishment for me. WHEN I do this, I know I'll be able to do anything I want to improve my health and well being.

I'm a little scared, and I'm also a little excited knowing what I'm doing to help myself. 

Weight Loss and Master Cleanse

Well, I started off eating raw in February. I was at 272lbs. After one month or so, I'm now at 266.5.  I've lost 5.5lbs.  Not a bad start.

Monday, March 14th, I'm starting the Master Cleanse. I finally got all the components to get a start on it. I'm going to be using honey instead of maple syrup because of the cost.  I have the lemons, the sea salt, the cayenne pepper and today I got the last thing, the smooth move tea.  I have enough tea for 32 days.  I'll go as long as I can this first time and see what happens.  I only have a few lemons though.  I'll just buy those as needed.  Wish me luck and health! Here's to Monday! ~Peace~

My Own Kind of Cleanse

I'm calling this My Own Kind of Cleanse simply because, I can't afford some of the items on the Master Cleanse.  So, I'm going with what I can do, and what I can afford. (and what I all ready have in the house)  No one reads this blog anyway so I doubt I'll be seeing much flack over my ingredients.  I'd really be surprised if someone commented on this.

So, basically, the Master Cleanse is lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper with a Celtic sea salt flush in the morning and laxative tea at night.  Here's what's available to me and what I am now calling "My Own Kind of Cleanse."  It will be the same proportions as the "other" MC but with ingredients I have available.  Lemon juice, raw honey, cayenne pepper a regular sea salt flush in the morning, (none of that Celtic stuff) and a spoonful of Konsil in water at night.

I "may" spring for the Smooth Move tea.  It probably tastes way better than the Konsil.  I'm going to start with a 5-day goal and see how it goes.  If I'm doing good, I may continue longer.  I would eventually like to go a full 40 days on, 60 days off, and 40 days on if I can keep that schedule.  Then eat only raw vegan during the 60 days off. 

My main goal is weight.  I really want to be normal.  I want to start enjoying life more.  I want a girlfriend.  I want a job.  I can't really effectively do any of these things the way my health is now.  So, it's off to Publix tomorrow to get the rest of the stuff I need!  I believe I'll be ready to start the cleanse on Monday, March 14th.  For REAL. No Excuses!

Sunshine Breakfast Bowl

I was trying to think of a way of using all the sprouts I grew before they started going bad and this is what I came up with.

Good Morning Sunshine Bowl
1/4 cup sprouted buckwheat groats
1/2 tsp. water
 raw honey or agave to taste
a few drops of pure vanilla
pinch of sea salt
cinnamon
1 cup leafy sprouts
1/2 apple chopped (or seasonal fruit)
1 tsp. walnuts chopped
Mash sprouted buckwheat groats with a fork. Add enough water to make a thick paste. (this is going to be your "dressing") Mix in the honey, vanilla, sea salt and cinnamon. Pour on top of your sprouts and top with pieces of apple and walnuts. Toss and enjoy!

Another variation:
1 cup leafy sprouts
1/4 cup sprouted buckwheat grouts
1 lemon peeled and chopped (use a board so you can pour the juice in, too)
1 tbs. soaked/dried almonds chopped
pinch of sea salt
pinch of pepper
dried or fresh mint
raw honey or agave to taste

Culturing Vegetables + Sprouting = Cultured Sprouts?

I was just sitting here thinking... I had so much fun making cultured cabbage and I have so much fun sprouting... I wonder if cultured sprouts would be any good?  It just seems like I have way more sprouts than I can eat.  I don't want to waste any or have them go bad. So, why not put them in a jar and culture them?  They would last a very long time that way.  I'm hoping someone might have some thoughts on the matter.

Sprouts for Life!

Ok, I'm officially a sprout addict. LOL Today was day 6 of growing the French Garden Mix from www.sproutpeople.org. Wow, they are really beautiful! (On the left side of the picture) In my opinion, the directions were spot on and they needed the full six days to fully develop. Then I took them outside and let them green up for about an hour. Besides munching on them the whole time I was de-hulling them, I also put some on a chickpea sandwich. OMG, I've discovered a new heaven!

I also grew a new batch of lentil sprouts at the same time and I let them go a full 6 days also. (On the right side of the picture) I should have harvested the lentil sprouts a day or two ago.  They are starting to look brownish in spots.  So, next batch, I'm going to keep a closer eye on them and see.  The first few batches of lentils I only let grow 4 days and they were perfect.  Well, it was an experiment in timing.  I'm going to take this batch and let them air-dry on the counter for a while, drizzle them with a tiny bit of olive oil then sprinkle them with a blend of nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, a tiny bit of salt and some pepper.  Shake them up and since I don't have a dehydrator, I'm going to try placing them in my oven overnight.  No heat except from what comes off the pilot light.  I'm hoping these "chezy snacks" will come out like I'm envisioning.

I started my first batch of chickpea sprouts this morning, too.  Can't wait to eat those buggers.  I love chickpeas more than anything and now that I'm going to be eating them sprouted and raw, they're going to be even better.  I can tell! (grin)

My fermented veggies are moving right along.  I put them in a dark corner of my room last night on some sheets of newspaper.  Good thing I did that!  I left the tops unscrewed and just resting on top of the jars and they indeed started to seep over a bit just like I read about.  I'm not going to touch or mess with them till tomorrow, though. (Man, is that hard to do!) I just hope my hubby doesn't notice the smell and start complaining.  He can't stand kraut. And he keeps referring my jars as "that nasty stuff in the corner." Then, tomorrow, I'll clean up the outside of the jars and maybe pour a tiny bit off the tops of each one to give them some more room.  Sandor at www.wildfermentation.org suggested you taste your veg every day or every other day to see how sour they're getting so that you can decide when is a good time to place them in cold storage.  So, I'll do that tomorrow, too along with the clean-up.

Last thing, I'm posting a new video up on youtube for those of you who are interested in hearing me praise sprouts some more! I'm having a bit of trouble with it, it keeps giving me errors for some reason.  Perhaps it's because of all the Saturday internet traffic.  Anyway, keep your eyes open for it and search youtube for webladyone01 and you'll find my video.  I was going to post a link here, but it's still uploading. Umm wait, not it's not.  Another error.  Oh well, I'll start the upload before I go to bed and hopefully, it'll be ready to view tomorrow.

My next blog post is going to be about my transitioning to 100% raw.  I'm still having some problems with it.  I haven't lost much weight yet, either.  I've only lost 3 pounds. So, I'm going to post what I eat and how I prepare it so that maybe I can get some feedback on what to change.
Peace & Namaste

First Batch of Fermented Veggies!

Starting a batch of fermented veggies today. It's going to be hard waiting the 3-6 days to taste them! Here's a picture of what they look like in the jar along with the ingredients.
In case ya'all don't know, fermented veggies are one of the best sources of probiotics you can get. They aid in digestion and help create good flora in your intestinal tract. Also, it's said that they help boost your immune system! Some common ferments are sauerkraut, kimchi and rejuvelac. (a fermented beverage made with wheat berries or rye) Almost any vegetable can be fermented as long as you have a base of cabbage which contains the needed bacteria for fermentation or a probiotic starter powder. Or you can start a new batch with some of the brine from the old batch kind of like a sourdough or yogurt starter.

Ingredients in this batch:

• sea salt
• 1 small head of cabbage
• 6 small carrots
• 1 granny smith apple
• 1/2 a medium onion
• 1 small green pepper
• 1 tsp. whole fennel seed
• 1 tsp. whole mustard seed
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp. whole peppercorns
• 4 small garlic cloves

Mary at Raw Food Rehab warned me about using too much fennel and recommended only 1 teaspoon because seeds and dried spices tend to get much stronger in the fermenting process.  I used only 1 teaspoon but once I started mixing it, it all ready started to have a strong smell.  I just hope I didn't overdo it and waste the batch.  I can't afford to lose any staples this month.  I have less than $100 left to get me through March.

Yeah! Going to do the Master Cleanse!

Dwain just bought me all the stuff I need to do the Master Cleanse!  We ordered it over the weekend and as soon as it gets here, I'm going to start on my 10-day journey.  Wish me luck!  I'll keep ya posted...

Raw Sprouted Lentil Cauliflower Curry w/Sprouted Quinoa

Don't ya just love when you wake up in the morning and your mind is all ready creating something fabulous?  Well, that's how my morning started.  I came up with this recipe just as I was waking up this morning.  I rushed over to my computer and quickly typed it into notepad so I wouldn't forget all the ingredients.  I can't wait to try it.

   Raw Sprouted Lentil Cauliflower Curry w/Sprouted Quinoa

    Ingredients:
        * 1 tablespoon first cold press olive oil
        * 1 cup soaked/dried macadamia nuts
        * pinch of sea salt
        * 1 small/med. onion, chopped
        * 1" piece ginger
        * 2 cloves garlic
         * 2 cups coconut water
        * 1 tablespoon curry powder
        * 1 teaspoon turmeric
        * 1/2 teaspoon cumin
        * pinch of cayenne pepper (if you like it spicy)
        * 2 cups lentil sprouts
        * 2 cups cauliflower florets in small pieces
        * 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
        * 2 cups arugula, chopped (spinach can be substituted)
        * 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

        Procedure:
       1. Put the oil and macadamias in your blender and blend till it turns into a paste.
       2. Puree the garlic, ginger, onion and coconut water in a blender. Add all of the spices.
       3. In a bowl pour the sauce over the lentils, cauliflower and carrots. 
       4. Place in refrigerator for at least 1 hour or longer for spices to combine.
       5. Add the arugula and stir to combine.  Taste and add salt, if needed.  Top with cilantro.
       6. Serve 1 scoop of curry with 1 scoop of sprouted quinoa side by side on a plate.

Master Cleanse

To heck with it! I'm just sick and tired of being sick and tired. Can't juice, cuz the juicer is crap.  Can't make smoothies cuz the blender is crap. Making that soup idea was crap cuz it just doesn't have any good backing.  I've heard too many bad things about it.  The water fast looks like it's going to be out because I don't think Dwain will let me do that for such a long time.  But, I think I can get away with doing the master cleanse.  (www.themastercleanse.org) It definitely looks like something I can do.  Since being on a raw food diet for a couple weeks then craving hot foods and getting sick from them, I've decided I need to start all over again. I've been doing some reading on the Master Cleanse.  It looks so doable.  Going to buy some lemons and maple the first chance I get.  Then after the cleanse, I'm going to stick to the raw organics as much as possible. 

Let me tell you how sick I got...  2 days ago I decided I wanted a cooked meal.  So, I made a spaghetti with fresh steamed broccoli, kidney beans, mushrooms and spinach with a garden vegetable spaghetti sauce on angel hair pasta.  It was really yummy.  But... yesterday, every time I ate, I got a stomach ache and a headache.  I still had it this morning when I ate.  It didn't start to calm down till I found some ginger tablets hiding in the medicine cabinet and I took those a couple hours ago.  I finally was able to eat some of the leftover pasta without feeling sick.  Once it's gone, (I don't like wasting food and throwing stuff away if it's not bad) I'm starting the Master Cleanse and getting back in order.  I just GOTTA do it!

The last few days of the cleanse, I'll start a new batch of sprouts that I can start eating once I ease out of the cleanse.  Back to sprouts and salads for me!

Peace & Namaste

Juice Feast Weekend!

I just got back from my friends home in Fort Lauderdale. It was a wonderful weekend. Steve went crazy in the produce department and bought all kinds of wonderful fruits.  We were making smoothies all weekend. It was fantastic. It made me feel so great that it inspired me to create this awesome t-shirt design! Man, I want a Vitamix blender! I told Steve he'd better guard his well cuz I may just come over and steal it! LOL Thanks, Steve and Chuck for putting up with me and also feeding me so well! I had a great time experimenting and tasting all that wonderful living food.

Doing the Dive

Hi y'all.  Time's a wasting and I'm not getting any younger that's for dang sure.  If I'm ever going to bike cross-country or tune out like I've written in this blog before, it's going to be THIS year.  I've still going to keep working on all my other things; mainly completing a fast.  But, I've also started to really downsize my possessions, too.  I've been selling books on Amazon and now started selling my CDs and DVDs online to get rid of those.  About the only things I am going to take with me is my drawing supplies and essentials.  This summer is going to be the summer of freedom.  I may never come back. LOL.  I am going to have my cell phone on hand to blog and keep in touch with family but that's about it.  I _have_ to do this.  I _have_ to take this leap and get back out into the world.  The preparations have begun.

Ok. Nobody Kicked My Butt!

Hey, it's the 22nd of January and I didn't get one single kick in the butt.  And... I didn't start my fast as planned again.  I wonder why I keep buying food.  Not even good food at that.  Junk.  This is just awful.  I'm defeating myself before I start.  I really need a personal motivator like "Dan the Man: The Life Regenerator."  He's fantastic.  But, he's not here, he's not kicking my butt and I know he'll just say, "It's all up to you, man.  Can you dig it?"  Should I even bother setting a new goal date?  I think I should.  Let's make it January 25th.  Now remember KICK MY BUTT if I don't start on time!!!

Later Than I Expected

Well, it's early Monday morning on the 17th of January.  I haven't started my fast as planned on the 15th simply because I still have food left in the apartment.  I'm feeling so terrible about that.  My justification is that I don't want anything to go to waste and I also don't want to have anything here available for me to readily snack on.  The whole point of this fast in the first place is to break my oral addictions and to cleanse my body.  I don't know if I'm ever going to really start now or not.  I'm doubting myself.  But, I really, REALLY need to do this for my state of mind, for my health and for my over-all well-being.  I'm never going to feel good about myself if I can't get over this addiction to food and to having things in my mouth.  I have got to start SOON.  The way my pantry looks at the moment, I think I'll be starting on the 20th of January now.  Kick me in the butt if I don't write and start this fast on the 20th, okay???

Lifestyles of the Enriched & Fasting

Welcome to Lifestyles of the Enriched and Fasting.  This blog will someday lead to a book I'm planning to write on the subject of water fasting and making it a lifestyle choice.  Let me tell you, before you start anything like this, the best thing to do for your health, wellness and emotional being is to do research, research, research!  Never, ever undertake this major change unless you know what you're doing and why you're doing it.

I have been watching videos of normal everyday people who've water fasted, videos of downright kooks who've vlogged about water fasting and also professionals who talk about water fasting and let me tell you... Everyone has something different to say.  I've read website after website on the do's and don'ts of water fasting.  There is no "one" right way to do this.  Doing a fast is a very personal thing.  Everyone's body is different and requires different ways to heal itself. 

My personal healing time is going to begin on January 15th.  I plan on going as long as my body will let me.  I'm hoping I can go for a full 30 days.  I wanted to start off slow, but the closer I get to my starting day, the more and more I want to extend my fast so that I can heal as much as possible. 

I have 46 years of the Standard American Diet to clean out of my system.  Not to mention, 35 years of cigarette damage and of course my mastication disorder.  I most want to be healed of that.  Not being able to go even an hour with something in my mouth to chew on is one of the reasons I believe I weigh so much today.  That is going to be the toughest part of the fast for me, I think.  Not being able to put anything in my mouth but clean, clear water.

Water Fasting

Since my last post about wanting to change my eating lifestyle, I've been doing a lot more thinking.  I have been eating healthy 75-80% of the time.  But, I want to really make a major life change.  Well, gosh, I've been trying to make a major life change all my life! LOL  Somehow, my goals are never realized.

Then, I started thinking about it some more.  Why have I not been able to reach my goals and maintain the progress I'd all ready made?  I've come to a couple of conclusions.  First off, I've had an oral fixation problem since I was a young child.  I constantly have to have something in my mouth or be doing something.  My mom used to buy me a box of 25 pieces of Bazooka Bubble Gum every day and I would go through it.  I really do mean every day.  Then of course there was 35+ years of smoking cigarettes.  I am thankful I was able to successfully quit and am proud to say I've been smoke-free for a whole year!  Secondly, I'm depressed.  I've been in a depressive state for nearly 20 or more years.  There are a few small times, when I've broken through and not had to deal with my depression, but it doesn't last long.

So, an excellent solution to these problems and several more that I experience on a day-to-day basis would be to start water fasting.  I have watched numerous videos (over 20 vloggs) from beginning fasts to ending them and what happens in between.  I've also read many, many blogs and websites on the issue and 100% of them say that water fasting will dramatically improve my symptoms.  I need to completely break free of my oral fixation.  I think a fast might just do that.  Fasting also relieves depression and reduces swelling in the joints and muscles.

My next paycheck, in preparation of starting a fast, I'm going to buy this amazing product called Konsyl.  It's a bit pricey but well worth it.  This high-fiber drink that will start the cleansing process of my system.  I've used it before and it's absolutely fabulous.  It has very little flavor but it kind of reminds me of drinking water with paper pulp in it more or less.  It's tolerable to me and I like what it does. (Plus, it's Vegan) Doing this will also help lessen the symptoms of the detox my body will be going through.

I'm going to start small.  At first, a 1-day fasting, 2-days healthy eating (vegetarian and raw) for maybe 2 weeks.  Then I'll try a 3-day fast, then a 5-day fast, gradually working up to longer and longer fasts.  Ultimately, I would love to do a complete 30-day fast because that seems to have the greatest results I've seen and read.

I'm not even going to mention, except in passing, the weight-loss and energy benefits.  I think those are a given.  But, I do want to mention that this will also be economically fiscal for me and will help me to save for the holy grail of blenders, The Vitamix. (big grin)

More to come!

P.S.
Now, if only I could get my diabetic partner to partake of the fast.  I think it would help him so much.  He's 67 years old and dead set in his ways.  I'm going to be 47 in a couple of weeks.

Viable Solution?

So, if ANYONE has been reading this blog, they know by now my dietary dilemma.  I think I might have come up with a solution! I was thinking of making this cabbage soup, but then adding a twist at the end hehe.

    * 6 large green onions (1 bunch)
    * 2 green bell peppers
    * 1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (14.5 ounce size, diced or whole)
    * 1 bunch celery, sliced
    * 1 head cabbage, chopped
    * 1 package (Lipton) onion soup mix
    * 2-3 cubes vegetable bouillon
    * 6 cups water 
    * Season to taste with salt, pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, etc.*
    * Don't forget a little cayenne!
    * 1 Bag of spinach leaves or 1 bunch of kale (de-stemmed) or whatever dark leafy green is on sale or in season.

Preparation:
Simmer or slow cook all until soup is done. *If slow cooking, add seasonings about an hour before done. Eat all the soup you want, whenever you want. (here's my twist) Let cool till it's about 110-116 degrees then throw in a bag of fresh spinach/greens and stir till nicely wilted.  Put it all in a blender and drink throughout the day.

What do you think?  Could I use this as a juice feast?  There's be no pulp waste, I'd still be getting a bunch of raw greens and I don't have to worry about cost because most of this stuff is pretty inexpensive. My goal is to try and stay under $5 a day. I figure a batch of soup would last for 2 days possibly 3.

Almost the New Year

Well, 2010 has come and gone and it's time to start a new year.  Last year I was vegetarian for 10 months then slacked and started eating meat again.  Time to buckle down and get serious once more!  This year not only do I want to get back on track eating vegetarian, but I'd also like to go vegan.  I'm working towards eventually going completely raw for a while, too.  I've heard so many good things about it.

Main problem though is I don't have the proper equipment for a raw lifestyle.  My blender/food processor really sucks bad.  It's noisy and it has very little power.  It doesn't do a good job of making smoothies at all.  And, I don't have a dehydrator at all.  You need a job for those things and of course, I'm not working again.  Trying to at least find something part-time but even that is hard since I don't want to have to work more than 4-6 hours on my feet.

My "kick-start" to all this would optimally be a juice feast, but again, no proper equipment.  I have a Jack Lelane juicer, but all the pulp is such a waste.  If I had the dehydrator, I could use the pulp in that to make crackers or something.  Till then, it would be a wasteful ambition to go on a juice feast.  I just can't justify throwing away all that nutritious pulp product.

I wish someone would read this blog and give me some suggestions.  Thanks.  (oh and using the pulp in baked goods is out, too since our oven is crappy. Every time you turn it on, our room fills with gas and gives me a migraine.)

100% Raw New Year!

Ok, I'm hoping for the highly improbable, but I'm going to make an honest effort.  I'm truly wanting to go raw vegan in 2011.  It's going to be an uphill climb living with Dwain and also not having a decent blender or dehydrator.  I'm thinking I'll still be able to make nut cheeses with the grinder attachment on my food processor just not sure how well it'll work.  Gonna have to wait and see. 

I highly recommend and commend Kevin and Annamarie Guilanni who create the Renegade Health Show (http://renegadehealth.com/blog/).  I've been watching them all throughout 2010 and they have been an inspiration to me.

So, here's to the new year, new health and new life!