Health Endeavors: The ups and downs of the Winter and Spring of 2009

Hello All!
As you can see I have been posting my Raw Food creations, but have not said much about myself. Today marks week 2 of my first ever Juice Feast, and from here on out I going to document my way through this 30, 60, or 92 day adventure! To learn more about what a juice feast is, how to experience it yourself, and visit the lovely website created by David and Katrina Rainoshek, click here.

So, my first documentation on the Feast starts here, with the background of why and how I started my health endeavors.

Although my family has always been focused on health and has forever done most of their shopping at the local food coop, I have never had much inspiration to eat as healthy as possible. In the Fall of 2007 I became a vegetarian after having seen a video a friend shared with me about the horrendous treatment animals received before being slaughtered. Although I no longer ate meat, my diet was by no means what I would call healthy. I continually ignored by bodies messages when I ate dairy and was surely not getting enough veggies, protein and other vitamins. Again ignoring messages, this time from my mom about eating healthier, I continued to eat like an average teenager with the exception of not much junk food. Not until nearly six months later, April of 2008, did I truly start to consider what eating healthy really meant.

Joined and inspired by my mom, I went vegan; cooking healthy was finally inspiring! I continued with my healthy habits throughout the summer, but once my Junior year of high school started, my good eating habits began slowly falling away. I ate more and more carbs and was most definitely not getting enough greens! Although, the daily family dinners were always healthy, my breakfast and lunch often consisted of a piece of fruit, a piece of toast, cereal, a waffle, a granola bar or PB&J on whole wheat bread. I had become so wrapped up in school- between the friends, school work, and many after school activities I was involved in, not much thought went into the actual nutrients that my food held.

After becoming quite sick in January of 2009, all of the above came to a screeching halt. I was missing more and more school, and no one could tell me what was going on.... my diet once again was nothing to boast about. I felt nauseous all the time and went to my comfort foods, carbs, which were also the only thing that didn't make me feel even more sick (that is, more sick in the moment). Now looking back, I am not sure what I was thinking when I was eating nothing but carbs and a piece of fruit now and then. I spent my time on the couch, and had no energy to do anything. The actual thought of putting my bodies energy into healing myself was draining.

Not until April, did I realize that taking supplements my nautropath gave me would, not alone, do the trick of getting me better, finally I started to act...(I also couldn't handle the couch or watching TV for one more minute... reading was even difficult)! It was then that I started with EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique) with an amazing practitioner, Monika Benoit, whom I highly recommend! (Her website is www.healingwithmonika.com). Around this same time, I plunged into the life transformation of being a 100% Raw Foodist. The combination of live foods and EFT finally had me feeling better. But, I continued to go up and down in the energy levels... the month of May was not my best.

This is when one of my mom's friend, who is also struggling with health challenges discovered Juicefeasting.com! My mom was inspired and passed that inspiration on to me! Together we started our first ever Juice Feast!! Now both me and my mom are enjoying the wonderful world of juicy juices! Week 2, here we come!

With love and peace,

Claire