Hi mamafrey. The fasts have fallen by the wayside for right now. I've been concentrating on getting recipes and have had so much food around the house, I think I have to eat it all before it goes bad! Ha ha. Well, I probably need to fast for a couple of days because I'm eating poor combinations as well as lots of salt.

Hi earthangel. I have been eating desserts lately. I'm making a deep dish cobbler today I got from Raw Guru. It’s coming to church with me to share with the youth choir. I can't eat all this on my own. It's making me ill. I know this is transitional food and I feel like I've been in transition for the last 3 years, but I guess I'm more transitioned than I thought.

I have one more day to fill with recipes. I'm trying to show at least 5 recipes each class.

Take care,

Mona


The joy is in the journey, so enjoy the ride.

hey there...awesome..sounds yummy i am sure your youth choir will enjoy it!!! keep up the good work and enjoy the class..i am sur eyou are a wonderful teacher!!
love earthangel
xoxoxoxxoo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

HI everyone.

I¨m on vacation today with a weird keyboard that has all kinds of foreign keys. I´m not sure how to use it for English stuff, so I keep hitting strange things. anyway, I´m doing good. I was really sick the first week of my vacation. I¨m much better now. I feel better after eating simple foods and very little salt. I also fasted for a couple of days which was a big help. We´re at a place with mango trees, so I´m eating tons of mangos. I don´t think I could do a mango fast though. I´m getting a bit burned out. I think I´m mango saturated. they are incredibly sweet and I love them, but the last day or so, I think, well, no more. So, I´m at the internet cafe, planing on going into the big grocery store in the area and see what else is available. I hope to pick up a good papaya, piña and maybe melons.

I´m also trying to get my dog to eat raw, but she´s not really for that. She loves eating whatever my hubby eats. He really spoiled her! I¨ve joined a couple of raw feeding groups that have taken over my email accounts, so I dumped everything. I figure Í can read all that when I get back from vacation. But my dog has been fasting on her own by refusing to eat the meaty bones we give her. She´s starting to smell better already because due to either her meds or her self inflicted fast. this is all in attempt to help her with her physical illnesses. She´s got a low thyroid, skin rash, and hair loss.

This is supposed to be about me and not my dog, right? My health is much improved. I¨ve got a couple of more recipes I must try for the classes. they start up next week. wish me luck.

Take care.

Mona

´ççççç¡¿¿¡¡'äïá í èà :just some interesting symbols that are where I usually go for apostrophies, etc. ¡what fun!

Enjoy life and laugh loud

Hey hun..yay glad you are doing so well!! keep up the awesomeness...good luck with your class you are going to be amazing i am sure!!
take care
love ya
sach
xoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hello everyone. Hope this is the best day ever!

Everything went well with my classes this week. The first class was really small, but they loved the food. The second class was a little larger and they enjoyed the food, too. They had lots of questions about my diet. They couldn’t believe I don’t eat meat, fish, chicken, dairy products, or any grains or beans. It’s such a new way of thinking for them, they started talking about all the home remedies they use and their favorite food. That’s OK. The first time I heard the horrors of soy I refused to believe it. It took a diagnosis of hyperthyroid disease for it to sink in. That was also the beginning of my raw journey.

I ate way too much fat and spices on Mon and Tue and fasted Thurs until dinner. Luckily, I’ve chosen mostly light recipes for Wed’s class. I decided not to teach heavy nut based meals because I don’t think they’re very healthy. I feel much better after my fast and had a very light dinner last night after eating fruit all day with just a few nuts in the afternoon. I’m trying to cut back on the oils again. I got used to them because of all the recipes I’ve been testing. The difference in the way I feel is amazing.

I have one more week of classes then I can go back to a more healthy way of eating. I can’t wait. The classes are fun and I love the students, but this gourmet way of eating is causing me lots of headaches and nasal congestion. A year or two ago I would have just wondered why I was still having problems when I wasn’t eating any dairy. It’s more than dairy that causes sinusitis, at least in my system.

Peace,

Mona

A friend is one who sees through you and still enjoys the view.

I have one more class to teach and it's tomorrow. I'm discovering how to let go and let someone do her own thing with my food. (Note: I wrote it's MY food!) Yesterday I showed the class how to make "Stuffed Red Peppers" which I got from rawguru.com and "Carrots, Mint and Raisin Salad" which I'm not sure where I got. Anyway, one woman told me that she would take the filling and add bread crumbs and other spices, stuff it into a some poor dead bird and bake it. Well, that's not the point of the class, but OK, she can do that. I have no power over what she does with the recipes I give her. Then she mixed the stuffing with the carrot salad and said it tasted excellent that way. OK, that's fine, I can deal with that.

I got gala apples to juice and they didn't juice very well, so she (yes, the same woman who has continuous countless ideas) put the fruit that was disgarded by the juicer in a blender, added water and made her own juice with it. Obviously, I lost all control in my way of thinking (stinkin’ thinkin’?). But I still feel like I have control issues in this area. Everyone liked the juice even though it came out a little thicker than planned. It's a terrific recipe called "Why didin't I think of that lemonade." (5 apples, 1 whole lemon peel and all, and 1 slice of beet, juice: by Shari V. on the Rawschool Yahoo group)

So, I’m thinking: do I have control issues? I feel as if it’s more like lack of control issues, being too nice, the inability to plan so things work better. Must look into it and talk more about this with my sponsor and not beat myself up about this. Besides, everyone else in my small class seemed happy. That's what I can concentrate on and celebrate.

All my best,
Mona
May the road always lead where you need to be.

I think that lady would have gotten on my nerves!

I mean she knows it is a raw food preparation class, right? So, shut up already about your dead bird and do that on your own at home. And whose class is it anyway? ;-)

Just thought I would vent for you. You are doing great and are being very nice to your rude student. You are doing the right thing to just ignore her and let it wash over your back. :-)

Thanks for venting for me, Karen. Yeah, she was much better today, but still.....

It was the last day and no more teachin' for me, at least for a year. The students gave me a couple of really pretty aprons and towels for the kitchen as a thank you gift. Several people told me they learned a lot and hope I teach again. That was really nice. Since I start school again next month, I will be too busy until next summer vacation.

I'm looking forward to eating less spices and salt. I still can't believe how they have affected me.

Best to all,

Mona

Serenity is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it.

You have planted the seed for more raw food eating in all your students. That is awesome!

The gourmet raw food gets hard to digest after you have been eating raw and eating simply for awhile I have heard. I hope now that raw food classes are over you will start feeling better.

Well, it's been a while since I wrote because I've had family here for the last 2 1/2 weeks and little computer time. I've been able to remain raw, except for one or two lunches. I was tempted every time we went into a restaurant. I still get the urge to eat some wonderful smelling cooked food, esp. fried. It was very hard in many restaurants we went to. Some of the salads had steamed or boiled veggies, so I gave into that anyway; it could have been worse. I wonder if the temptations will ever stop. Most of the time when I give in, I'm disappointed on the flavor. It usually smells better than it tastes, plus it's too salty.

I'm now fasting for the next couple of days to see if I can get some of it out of my system. I started yesterday by eating fruit, only a handful of nuts and a light dinner. I think fasting starts by preparing the body first. I have a headache from not eating, but I know it's because of the stuff I've eaten at restaurants this week.

All my best to everyone who reads my diary.

Mona

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light;
take off all your envy, jealousy,
un-forgiveness, selfishness, and fear.

You did great with family visiting!! You should give yourself a pat on the back! I mean if all you did was eat some steamed and boiled veggies - that is awesome.

I agree, when you give in it is usually disappointing. Not as good as we remembered it to be.

Hello everyone,

This week I fasted for two and a half days. Then, two days later I got really sick. Even though I’ve been raw for three years, I still get terribly ill. I have a sore throat and awful migraine. For years I lived on aspirin and heavy duty pain killers before going raw. I’m hoping that my body is releasing some of those meds and healing in such a way that I won’t get it again.I’m sure there’s lots of residue from them inside me still.

I had bought all kinds of fruit before I got sick and hate to see them go to waste. So in the late afternoon, I had some watermelon, followed by some pineapple. Then it got out of hand and I ate some sunflower seed “beans” that I made the night before for my nacho salad. After that I binged on brazil nuts. That was quite enough so for dinner I drank a mixture of OJ and grapefruit juice.

I don’t know if I’m going to fast away this illness or not. I plan to rest all day and drink lots of water. As long as I don’t take any meds, I know I will heal. It drives my husband crazy. He doesn’t like my diet at all. last night he asked how I get my calcium. I told him I get it through the food I eat. My family has a history of osteoporosis and I can understand his concern. I also know that when I’m well, I’m alkaline and not acid. This prevents osteo. When I told him, he didn’t say anything because he knows nothing about it. He’s a sceptic and trusts the medical model completely. I don’t trust the medical model at all and refuse to go to doctors. This is a major problem when I get sick like this. He thinks I should go to a doctor and take meds. I know other people have problems with their spouses like this, too. I just do what I think is best for me and take care of myself no matter what he says.

Take care, everyone.

Mona

The road to recovery is always under construction.

I hope you get better soon, Mona! I agree with you, that when we are alkaline our body doesn't pull calcium from our bones.

Here are some things you might mention to your hubby - the highest dairy consuming countries (U.S. & Australia, for instance) have the highest rates of osteoporosis. Also, where does he think cows and gorillas get their calcium?

Take care.

Hi Karen,

I'm feeling better, thank you.

I had a high temp when I was talking to him and didn't think of those points at the time. You're right about them and hopefully I'll think of them when and if it comes up again.

Best wishes,

Mona

Look back and be grateful,
look ahead and be hopeful,
look around and be helpful.

Hello darling!!! how are you doing?? wow your class sounds like it was amazing!! they were so lucky to have had such a kind caring sweet teacher!! and obviously they knew it when they bought you those gifts!!!! congrats on doing so well and really instilling some healthy ways of life in people!!!!
Oh and don't worry about a few steamed veggies with your family..you weren't the one stuffing the "raw" recipe in the dead bird ...you are doing great!! i am sorry that you were ill..but not that sorry cuz you knwo that when you are sick it means your body is hard at work at detoxing junk out of it!!!!! and i love detox means you are getting clean and healthy!!!
haha
anyways i hope all is well just wanted to stop by and let you know i caught up on your journal since i have been absent
love ya lots
sach
xoxoxoxo

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hey, Earthangel, I wondered where you'd been.

I've been sick the last couple of weeks. This seems to happen to me twice a year. This time, it's bronchitis, again. I used to get it 3 times a year, now it's down to twice yearly. I fasted four days to get rid of it, but who knows what I really got rid of. I'm still coughing but at least my temp is gone and I have more energy.

So, I'm trying to rest between the times I have to work. The timing of this is really bad because the semester started last week. I have tons of reading and need to focus. I have two tests next week. Yikes!!!

Well, I broke my fast with orange juice, just like Gandhi, and ate oranges all day until dinner when I made a light salad.

I lost more weight than I wanted so I hope I gain it back soon without overeating. I got lots of studying to do so I best go. Love ya all.

Peace,

Mona

Give me the courage to be imperfect.

Good luck with school, Mona! I sure hope you are feeling better and able to focus. On the plus side, you probably cleaned out lots of toxins with the bronchitis. Fasting and then oranges sure sounds like a good approach.

Hi everyone,

I'm doing better. But I went on a falafel binge yesterday. I can't believe it!!!!I was doing so well. I think what happened was my body was cleansing out some fried food residue and that set off the craving. It was overwhelming and I gave in. Hmmm... now what do I do next time? Well, turn it all over to my higher power, drink lots of water, and sleep. That was suggested to me a while back by someone. It sounds like good advice. Maybe next time I'll take it. I know I'll pay a price for eating the falafels.

I'm gaining the weight back that I lost from my fast. I lost way to much weight. I'm exercising to build my upper body strength right now. I'm also doing the 5 Tibetan Rites regularly now. I'm on 8 reps! Wow! I started with 3. I'm working up to 25 like it suggests. I figure by adding one rep a week, I'll get there eventually. Let's see... I think that will be another 17 weeks if I can keep it up.

Today I bought some different melons than I usually get. I really hope to eat more than the tropical fruit I'm eating. I feel like I could use more variety. So I got some kiwi, yellow melon, chinese pears, plums, and some weird small,red, round, porcupline needlelike fruit which I don't have a name for. It's some Panamanian fruit that is sometimes sweet, sometimes a bit tart. I like sweet and normally avoid tart. Oranges are everywhere right now. They're not as sweet as the oranges I get in the States. Sometimes I break down and by imported oranges which are heavenly. They remind me of my childhood. My grandma had an orange tree and they taste like that.

Must go study. I have tests every week this semester. Well, every week so far and I don't know when there will be a break from them.

Take care everyone. All my love,

Mona

Happiness is not a station we arrive at;
it's a way of traveling.

hi mona!!! i hope all is well with yoU!!!! miss ya...love ya...take care and know i am thinking of you lots!!!
xxoxoxoxoxo
earthangel

Much peace and love!!!
EarthAngel
Xoxo

Hi Earthangel and everyone,

I've been super busy at school. I haven't had time to do much of anything. I take one test a week in one class or another. Never fails. I have a test this thurs and took another one today. I don't know if I'll have one next week, but I wouldn't be surprised. If not, it'll be the first week in 9 since to be test-free.

As far as being raw goes, I'm still good. Life is good. Miss you all.

I have one more year in school until I graduate. Yeah! So, I'm learning to bring things with me to school so I don't starve. I get so hungry here. Guess it's all that book learning. Plus I'm here all day long.

My diet still consists of mostly tropical fruit and green salads. We get good apples, so I eat at least one apple a day. Right now oranges are in season so my favorite smoothie is bananas and oranges. I made it frozen bananas a couple of times and it comes out like an icey. Yumm.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving dinner. We always have lots of guests at our house for the holiday. It will be traditional, but I always have lots of raw food that I offer my guests. Since neither my hubby nor any of my friends in Panama eat raw, we always have a great variety of food.

As I said, the biggest challenge right now is making things to take with me to school. I just got a bigger Thermus lunch box. I brought a salad, about 4 cups of cubed papaya, and a dessert. Not enough. I'm just really hungry lately. I want to eat everything.

Almost forgot! I started sprouting sunflower seeds. It's really easy. I sprout them in soil then cut them when the first two leaves are out of the shell. I bought the seeds at the grocery store. They're packaged to feed the birds and therefore really inexpensive. They're a great addition to my salads.

Take care, all. Have a terrific day!

Mona

Truth is to inner space what sunshine is to a garden.

Well, it seems as if I'm currently going through a series of unfortunate events. A couple of weeks ago I twisted my right ankle. Then I got in a car accident with the rescue police last Sunday. I was turning left on a quiet street and they, without sirens or lights flashing, decided to go around me on the left and bashed into my door. I'm ok, but I can't use the car right now. The impact did something to the engine and it leaks some kind of fluid out of it. I would rather not take any chances driving it. Besides, I can't open the driver's door. So as I wait for the car to be fixed, I must walk and take buses and taxis everywhere.

Luckily, my ankle is doing better considering I couldn't walk on it for three days. I had a high temperature, slept a lot and ate mostly fruit during that time. Personally, I think my body has gotten to the point where I'm able to heal quicker than in the past. A friend of mine, who is just a few years older than me, twisted his ankle a month and a half ago and he's still having a lot of trouble with it. He's a SAD eater. When I ate SAD, it took forever for me to heal.

Last night my washing machine refused to go into the spin cycle, so I had to take out all the towels I was washing and rinse them by hand. This morning on the way to catch my bus, I tripped and twisted my LEFT ankle. Now I'm hobbling around at the university. I lost my umbrella yesterday while I was shopping, so I don't have anything to use as a cane or crutch. I think I left it in the bathroom at the last store I went to.

Because I don't want to carry another bag with me, I'm eating in the cafeteria instead of bringing my food. Luckily, they have great fruit salads, so that's what I'll live on while I'm at school. School days now mean light eating days. That's not such a bad thing, really. It could be for the better.

Let see, how can I deal with this? Well, it is what it is and all I can do is make the best of it. My spirit is good and I have turned over these things to the God of my understanding. There is way to much to be grateful for in my life, inspite of these unfortunate events.

I keep you all in my prayers so that kindness and goodness shall always be with you where ever you go and in what ever you do.

Peace and serenity,

Mona

Prayer asks the question. Meditation listens for the answer.

I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a chance to write in a long time.

Since so much talk has been going on about quantum eating, I thought I would give it a partial try for 90 days. That is, dry fasting for 14-16 hours a day. Since I’m NH, and my schedule with my hubby works to eat dinner at later time, say around 7:30 pm, my 8 hours of food and drink tend to be between 12-8, or sometimes, 1-8 or 9; it really depends on what time I get home for dinner and when we can eat.

My husband likes to eat dinner together and to keep our marriage working, I don’t mind... besides, I like his company. So that’s my compromise with quantum eating. I’m practicing more yoga, a good thing, and still working on my 5 Tibetan Rites several days a week.

I’m on day 13 and have some very interesting symptoms. My tongue has a white dry coating. I remember having this before I went raw. I also am getting some symptoms of IBS again. Mostly the feeling is in my stomach, not the diarrhea part. But whatever healing that needs to go on in my stomach and intestines are reminiscence of IBS. I think it’s my body’s way to heal what I stopped before with meds and herbal treatments.

I’m also growing rye grass for juice. I’m not only drinking it, I’m using it to rinse my hair to see if I can rejuvenate the roots so I won’t be getting anymore grey hair. I don’t have wheat grass, so I thought rye grass may work, too. I juice it for drinking with soaked dates and a head of lettuce. Since I don’t have a juicer for it, I use a blender, add some water and strain. It’s mighty tasty and very green.

Hope everyone is doing well. I still have lots of school work to do. Must finish 4 essays before next week. I’m a senior and counting down the months before I graduate. Graduation is in Dec and I can’t wait!

Best to all,

Mona

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.

I’m on day 18 of my dry fast mornings. The symptoms I’m feeling are yellow, dry tongue, sore throat, head ache at times, joint aches, and old phlegm. Some days I want to sleep or rest a lot.

I remember reading that during a regular water fast, it’s best to fast until the tongue is clean, so that’s what I’m hoping will happen by the end of this 90 day experiment.

I’m still eating the same things I did before, but I’m leaning on giving up the oil I use on my salad. I make my own salad dressing and usually use nuts instead of oil, but there are days when I don’t have the nuts, or I’m sharing with friends. So I’ll see if I can eliminate oil. What fun that will be because I just bought peanut oil for my nori raps. Oh, well...

Peace, love, and lots of fun & laughture,

Mona

The road to recovery is always under construction.

16 hr dry fasting experiment, day 23: So far I’m still able to dry fast for around 16 hours. It still fluctuates a bit between 15-17, but 16 seems to be my norm. My tongue is still whitish/yellowish and dry. It even has a flavor. Makes me wonder... My lymph nodes in my neck are going down a bit. I still have a headache on occasion throughout the day and other symptoms of detox. This just shows me how polluted my body still is even after 4 years of raw food.

So where is this coming from? Is it old stuff or new? What is it about my current diet that I can change to help me detox more? As I ponder upon these questions, I figure it’s a mixture of both. I realize that the recipes with salt, herbs and spices may contribute to toxins. Or/and, it could be I eat too much oil. I know I do that sometimes. I’ll make an olive oil based salad dressing, then eat nuts and avocado. I know that’s too much, but it all tastes so good. Or I’ll eat a Lara Bar and then some or all of the above. So, I’ve decided to cut my oils and spices down and eat them only with dinner. I’m replacing my afternoon snack with rye grass and romaine juice. I’d do wheat grass, but it didn’t grow and I have tons of rye seeds that sprout. I also use it on my hair.

My objective is to clear my eyes and feel better and never getting “old age” illnesses like so many of my friends are getting and taking meds for. My goal is to stay drug free and not give the pharmaceutical companies any money or depend on drugs to live like my husband does and all my elderly friends do. I’m continuing with my stretching exercises by practicing yoga. I’m still really stiff. I used to be a ballet dancer in my youth and can’t believe how stiff I am.

God Bless you all.

Mona

The person who says it cannot be done
should not interrupt the person doing it.

DF experiment day 36: You would this would be easier, but nooooooo....... By the 14th hour I’m dying to eat. I’m stubborn/determined and stick it out until the 16th hour unless I’m having lunch with someone and it’s either earlier or later. I’ve been good about not eating any fatty food like nuts, avocado, coconut water until dinner where I have a large salad with a light dressing and a handful of nuts. That may be too much, but considering I didn’t eat any during the day, it’s lower than what I used to do; maybe I should say, regularly do. It’s still another habit I’m trying to change. I still have all the detox symptoms as listed in my last post except my tongue has that morning mouth feel all day long.

My first meal is usually fruit, sometimes watermelon, sometimes a fruit smoothy. The hardest time is still in the afternoon. I do better if I’m at the University or somewhere other than home. I take it one hour at a time, sometimes one minute at a time to keep from eating nuts or a lara bar. My husband bought me 6 boxes last time he was in the States and I still have 4 boxes left. I started taking about 4 bars at a time to a friend’s house to share with her. We cut them up into bite size pieces then put them on a plate and eat them with apples and grapes. It’s more fun to share them like that; besides, I can let her eat most of them while I eat the fruit.

I’m also practicing Bikram Yoga regularly. Not daily, cuz I still practice the 5 Rites regularly, too, plus it depends on how much time I have. Today was the first time in years that I was able to touch my head to my knees while doing the floor stretching. That used to be very easy for me when I was in my teens and early 20’s. But I’m in my 50’s and that’s a miracle. While all the stretches are becoming easier, I able to do them slower and with more control, and my balance is improving. My focus is getting better, not perfect, but improving. It’s a journey, not perfection! Plan is to be an active grandma once I return to the States to be with my grandchildren. Last time I was with them, I was able to play with them physically, like spinning them (airplane--that’s what we called it when I was a kid), tickling them as they tickle me, those kind of games. This is where the 5 rites come in. I can spin!

I keep you all in my prayers. Blessings to you all!

Love,

Mona

There is only one corner of the universe I can be certain of improving, and that's my own self.

DF experiment Day 63: I’ve been able to maintain fasting for 16 hours pretty consistently. I’m dying to eat usually about the 14th hour. From then on I count down until noon, when I have my first meal. Sometimes it’s 11:30, depending on what time I stop eating the night before. I was even able to maintain this during my vacation.

I still have a slight sore throat, a head ache and all the symptoms of detox. I know that even after 4 years of raw food, I have tons of meds, drugs, alcohol and other toxins to dump from this old body.

I have noticed my eyes are starting to clear. They got cloudy sometime over the years, but more so when I was sun gazing around 3 years ago. I wanted to believe it would be healthy and healing, but it burned the whites of my eyes. I was very, very careful, did it slowly, followed the instructions carefully, and still had problems. I don’t know if that’s because I live by the equator and the sun is stronger or what happened. So now, when I look toward the sun as I’m sunbathing, my eyes are closed. At least they’re clearing up.

Another discipline I added is dry brushing. I started doing it 16 days ago and plan on doing it for 90 days to see if there are any changes in my skin. 90 days seem to be long enough to see changes. So I'll let you know. I have the driest skin in the world. If I don’t put anything on it it really hurts. I usually use extra virgin olive oil. It’s easy for me to get and I use it after I shower before I dry off. This seems to help me.

I’m back in school, so I’ll be eating less than my usual 3 meals a day. I’ll be lucky to get a snack in. All my classes are in the afternoon this summer and I don’t get home for dinner until 7:30 some nights. This will make for shorter DFs the following day. I have to eat at noon because my first class starts at 1:00 and I don’t like to eat in class.

Blessings to you all.

Mona

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/13/2008 03:45PM by Mona.

Greetings everyone,

Day 77, Dry Fasting : I’ve been really good about this. My normal DF is 16 hours still with one or two occasions where I ate at 15 1/2 hours or 17 hours. Health-wise, I was doing great until last week. It’s not unusual for me to get sick when I take on a new detox discipline. This time was no different. I had a slight sore throat and headache for a couple of weeks, but now it’s a full fledged “cold.” It’s easier on my family if I call it a cold/virus and not go into the whole detox/no-it-not-a-virus-or-bacteria theory.

I really like dry fasting. I may keep it up even after I’m finished with the 90 days in a couple of weeks.

Day 29, Dry Brushing: My legs, OK, my body began to flake about a week ago. My legs are flakier than the rest of my body. I already have super dry skin, and when I brush, you can see the flakes floating around on their way to the floor. At first I thought it was my tan coming off, but now I’m not so sure because areas that weren’t exposed to the sun during my vacation at the beginning of the month are flaky, too.

I figure I’ll just keep on DBing and see what happens. I heard it takes 25-30 days for for your skin to renew by “sloughing off its outermost layer.” * So, I guess my skin is in accelerated sloughing right now. I’ll see what it does in the next month by continuing the process.


Went to a dinner program last night and almost ate something cooked. It was tempting, but luckily, I didn’t. I ate the vegan cole slaw, the only raw food there. The dressing was light, not oily at all and not creamy. It was very nice. I hate to think of what was in it - sugar, etc. I almost broke down and ate the potato salad, but fought the urge. When I went to the buffet to get my food, the guy serving it just didn’t get that I wanted the plate full of salad. The salad was at the end of the line and my plate was empty when I got to him. People just don’t get that I eat HUGE amounts of salad. I had to go back for seconds later. Over all, it was a fabulous evening.

Many blessings to you all.

Love,

Mona

I have learned how a heart full of gratitude feels.

Serenity isn't out there. It's here. Right here.

*[www.beautifulonraw.com]

Day 87 Dry Fast: I really like how I feel with this. I still have a slight sore throat all the time, but I have more energy most of the time. I notice that my mouth isn't dry like it was when I started, either and the taste is better than it was when I started. My eyes are also clearer than when I started, but still have a long way to go. I've been a slow healer for years, so I have already decided to continue with this another 90 days to see if that can be corrected. I cut my leg when I was on vacation last month and it's still not completely healed. At least when I bleed, the bleeding stops quickly, whereas before it went on for ages.

Day 42 Dry Brushing: I'm not flakey like I was last time I wrote. It's almost all gone. My skin is smoother. I don't feel like I need face lotion like I was as much. I don't feel the need to use oil on my skin like I did before I started dry brushing. I'm less than half way through with the dry brushing experiment and I think it's a great thing.


Love to everyone,

Mona

The journey is the destination.

We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust our sails.

I have read your diary and am encouraged. I started eating raw last june however I faultered and have been struggleing. After reading your diary I am feeling inspired to start again for a better healthfull life. I turned 50 this year and don't want to get those old people illnesses. I really am missing eating raw foods and feeling the good effects from that. Thanks for shareing
Pam

Hi Pam,

Thanks for writing. I'm so happy to hear what I'm experiencing is encouraging. I started eating raw at 51 and feel much healthier now than I did then. I was very sick with hyperthyroid symptoms -- heart palpitations, shaky hands, and others. Plus, I had irritable bowel syndrome, cysts in my breasts, and lots of other problems that may or may not have been connected with my over-active thyroid. I was already getting "old people illnesses" and I thought I was going to avoid them by being vegetarian.

I am convinced our body heals itself if given the chance. Raw food gives it a chance to rest so it can take steps to heal. Dry fasting gives it a longer chance to rest, so healing is faster. I still have some thyroid problems, but the others have all gone away naturally, without drugs. And for me, I don't ever want to take meds. I believe they have a huge role in causing more illnesses. I know many people who start taking one pill daily for something, then end up taking more as more symptoms arise.

For me healing is a mind, body, and spiritual journey. My spiritual life is amazing. I practice both Christianity and Buddhism. (I listen to [www.judithragir.org]. Judith is great!) To me, they are compatible. I'm back in college to expand my mind. I graduate in December at age 55! Yeah!!! I love studying. I have a list of books I can't wait to read. Some of them are text books from classes I won't be able to take because they're not part of the area I'm studying.

Writing about my experience helps me to stay on track. I believe you got to give it away to keep it. I'm happy to share with anyone. Hope you're raw food journey is filled with health and many blessings. Please keep us posted on how you're doing.

Much love,

Mona


Until the pain gets strong enough, there will be no change.

We know what to do, but do we do what we know?