The Master Cleanse

So considering that I´m nearing the end of my stay here in the lovely Capilla del Monte and hence ending another portion of my Argentinian journey,  I decided to do a 3 day juice fast to clear out my body (like detox...). and MAN is it hard. Right now I´m nearing the end of day three (my final day) and my body is really looking foward to eating again.

There´s this fast called "The Master Cleanse" which consists of drinking lemon juice, maple syrup, and cayenne pepper for several days (it´s supposed to be 10 days but I just did it for a few to try it out) to help remove toxins from the body. It was hard to get used to but now I feel like I could probably continue it for a few more days if I didn´t feel so weak. Here are excerpts from my journal during the 3 days that I´ve fasted:

Day 1: So this is juice fasting. I miss eating. It´s amazing how big of a part eating plays in our lives, I mean like 3 hours every day we either eat or prepare to eat! All of a sudden I´m filling these empty hours trying not to think about food (I live right next to the kitchen.) The concoction I´ve made doesn´t taste terrible but I wish I hadn´t associated it with vomit earlier. Plus you´re supposed to drink lots of laxative and digestive teas (THAT´S been fun) as well as the juice and water. But other than that I feel fine. Chammomile tea is a treat for me now (something I never really drank before.)So the lemons are supposed to provide vitamins and minerals as well as making the body more alkaline and helping the body cleanse. I don´t have maple syrup so I´m using a healthy sugar substitute syrup that´s hard to get used to. It´s supposed to give unprocessed good sugars that provide micronutrients, calories, and to keep the blood sugar and energy level up. The cayenne pepper acts as a cleanser for the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems.

Today I came back from a special ceremony in San Marcos de las Sierras where a man from Texas (Daniel) headed up a group playing crystal bowls and meditating on our intentions. It really is refeshing to have found people in Argentina who share my view of the importance of being healthy and respecting the Earth. This sis so reassuring that coming to Capilla has been like a recleansing of the mind, body, and soul before I go out and begin teaching. I really felt unhealthy in Chile, like I wasn´t caring for myself as I should have. It´s funny that now that I´m not eating food, food is ALL I think about. And I thought it was bad before! HAH!

Day 2: My whole body feels tired. I´ve been doing silly things all day like forgetting which plants I watered and starting to water other plants again. It´s clear that my body functions better with food. Or perhaps I am not adding enough syrup to my juice. All I know is, I feel fuzzy and dumb. (These are side effects of the first few days.) Today Margarita and I distracted ourselves with some backwalking (a form of massage) and giving bones to stray dogs. We pretty much talked about food all day.

Day 3: It´s funny that I went from learning to cook exciting meals to eating nothing at all and living the boring life of lemons. The hunger pains eventually do subside though. You learn to just wait them out and to listen to real things: dizziness and fatigue. Today I´m better than yeterday but I definitely feel week. It´s a similar feeling to when you´ve been caving for the past 5 hours and you´re about to start the final stretch to the exit. Life is pretty boring here when you´re not eating. I´m always either working with food in the garden, preparing food, eating food, or researching what to make next. Otherwise there´s not really much else to do. I can´t really go exploring because my body feels so heavy. This morning Margarita and I made the would-be easy hike up to the swimming holes and we were exhauuuuusted when we got back. I came home and took a 3 hour nap. It makes me wonder about other countries that incorporate fasting into a part of their daily lives. For example, Tibetan monks eat nothing but "tsampa", a mix of black tea with barley and yak´s milk. It´s so basic, it keeps them alive and able to seek enlightenment! It´s incredible what some people live on; what some people have to live on. [Here I wrote a HUGE rant on farms and corporations and how little we know about the food we put into our mouths. Coming later.]

Tomorrow I start again with food. It´s good to really honor the body when you´re coming off a fast, even if it´s just for a few days. The plan is to just eat fruit and veggie soup with really cooked down leafy greens while still drinking juice. The idea is to NOT go on a rampage. But when I´m ready, I´m eating ice cream.