Last night, I dreamt of food. This isn't some great breakthrough, as I often dream of meals so good that I honestly get a little weepy when I wake up and realize I've made it out of the dream state without clutching my fingertips to the never-ending pasta bowl. No, not from Olive Garden but endless pasta just the same. Get your mind out of the food gutter.
Today's dream is a little different as I won't be eating much for the foreseeable future on this three-day fast. On day one, I am reminded of how much I hate diets. As a Women's Studies grad, I am basically required to have my "dieting being anti-feminist" response ready to spout off at the sight of a Cosmo magazine cover, but beyond that, I also hate the idea of deprivation and denying your body the things that it needs for nourishment simply for vanity's sake.
The feeling in my stomach right now is reminiscent of junior high when I (and many other girls I knew) lived off of two liters of Diet Coke, Saltines, and Extra chewing gum. But this was so not the point of the fast. It's about resetting my digestive track, clearing out the clutter, and ridding myself of bad habits that with no alcohol, no meat or dairy, and no coffee I think sugar may be my only teeny tiny vice. I am reminded of this when I call resident Holistic Life coach and Juice Fast Retreat coordinator Jill Ayn Schneider.
It's 11 o'clock at night when I reach her, and the enthusiastic 66-year-old tells me her high energy levels can be credited to her regular juicing fast regimen. She's just returned from a hiking trip in Italy, and I am writhing around in bed, irritable with a belly full of lemon, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper water.
"Oh, that's going to be tough," she says. I tell Schneider I've made it through the first day on the Master Cleanse lemonade drink, and she suggests if I want to make it the rest of the week, add juices with lots of vitamins.
As for tips on getting through the first 24 hours? "Drink and don't stop drinking. Have delicious high nutrition of living juices with lots of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes which will be very satisfying. Rest, read spiritual books, make boundaries with friends and family, and don't tell lots of people what you are doing, only those whom you really trust."
Whoops, don't tell people? Thank you, anonymity of the internet!
I head to bed and agree to make Jill's Green Smoothie in the morning. Recipe and vimeo instructional video found here.
