Day 7: June 14, 2009

This will not be a long post today, as I’m busy with raw food recipe exploration and distracted by my immersion in “My Sister’s Keeper.” Jere has given me the go-ahead to make a sizable investment in some raw food tools, such as a dehydrator and blender, in addition to some uncook books. I’m also going to order some ingredients that are hard to find in our little podunk town, such as raw cacao powder, cacao nibs and Goji berries. Hubby rocks for his continued support of my continued weirdness.

I can’t tell you how excited I am to experiment with the raw food world and make some yummy living foods. Back when Jere bought me the juicer (during one of the many times my gallbladder quit working), I had to learn how to cook all over again, since I gave up all wheat, gluten and dairy. The evolution to raw will be even more extreme. But, my experience being a gluten-free flexible vegan (I used eggs in some baked goods) was fun; I discovered a lot of tasty recipes. Perusing the net today, I found a great-looking recipe for raw lasagna (using sweated and marinated zucchini as the noodles with a walnut cheese and sun-dried tomato sauce) and a chocolate-raspberry torte that looks to die for.

The raw food movement is getting pretty trendy, which means that there are bound to be more available resources in the upcoming months and years. I read in a raw food newsletter that there is a new raw restaurant opening in Salt Lake City, which we will have to check out when we go to visit my cousin out there. I looked at the menu, and the food sounds amazing. If only there was hope of someday having a raw food restaurant in Vermont or even New Hampshire. I wouldn’t mind traveling a few hours to eat the food. Perhaps there’s a slight chance that Burlington will eventually have one. . . after all, it’s a pretty progressive town. Maybe I’ll have to open it myself! : )

I’ve had great energy today, again, and just hungry a few times. . . usually when I was preparing food, like the English muffin pizzas for Kaya’s lunch (mmmm, comfort food). I’ve noticed a couple of new things that I had read about but didn’t believe would actually happen to me: 1) people smell weird. . . like mucous and sickness and lard; and 2) there is a fairly revolting thick, white layer on my tongue, which is apparently common amongst detoxers. (I thought that I could scrub off the layer with my toothbrush, but to no avail. The word is that when you’re finally “clean,” your tongue will return to its normal pink color.)

As eager as I am to taste food again and be done with this lemonade which I’ve grown weary of, I would actually contemplate doing the cleanse longer if I felt I wasn’t clean by the end of 10 days. Unfortunately, I think I might run into a snag because I only have limited amounts of Grade B Maple Syrup and no idea where I might get more. The stuff I currently have I had to order online. Oh darn. I guess I’m gonna have to start eating again. What a bummer.

But, all in all, I am amazed how easy it has been NOT to eat. The second day was hard, but other than that, it has been easier than I ever would have imagined. Admittedly, a lot of my will-power and resolve has been strengthened through prayer. And seeing as I didn’t have a whole lot of will-power to start with, I know that God gave it a heavy dose of fortification at my request. For me, the hardest part still lies ahead—making the dietary changes necessary to lead a healthy life every single day. This cleanse has helped me realize how my diet and health are inextricably weaved with my spirituality. I hope this is knowledge I can impart to other people; so few people see eating as a spiritual matter.

I guess that’ll wrap up day 7. I’m on the homeward stretch now. One more note: I was able to drink the entire SWF in one series of swigs, without ever putting it down. That translated to only one gag reflex instead of three or four. Yipee! (I don’t think I’ll ever think of salt or the ocean or pretzels in quite the same way.) Sayonara.