Day 3

Breakfast
Omelet
2 eggs, organic, brown, Omega 3
Chopped onion, bell pepper, Anaheim pepper, garlic, grated carrot
Leftover fried potatoes from the other morning
Leftover veggies in ACV from last night

Lunch
Lettuce salad
Same as yesterday

Dinner
Spaghetti
Homemade spaghetti sauce
Grated zucchini
Steamed broccoli
Celery stuffed with peanut butter

Snacks
Homemade tomato juice
Sprouted almonds

The omelet was very tasty. I put in lots of garlic and onions and love it. I forgot to put in celery which I wish I hadn't forgotten. The veggies in ACV was my favorite part of breakfast and I again felt like my body was craving it.

Lunch was just okay. I do miss my good salad dressings and added fruit on top.

I was craving tomato juice this morning between breakfast and lunch so I took a pint of my homemade stewed tomatoes I bottled last fall, put it in the Vitamix for about one minute and poured it back into the pint jar and drank it while eating the sprouted almonds. It was so sweet and delicious.

Dinner was really tasty. I had wanted to have sauce over spaghetti squash, but Buy Low didn't have any, so I used zucchini squash instead. I didn't want to eat it cold, so I grated it and put it in the sauce and warmed it all up.

Interestingly enough I have not had any cravings for the things I should not be eating. I was worried about this because for the past several weeks I went overboard on eating yogurt when I started adding chocolate chips to it along with a banana and granola. I found that every day I was craving those darn chocolate chips. So craving them, that I was tempted to just eat them straight out of the bag. I resisted that, because I knew it would probably be the end of my self control. I was justifying it by telling myself I was going on this cleanse program. I have found that since Christmas I have just gradually changed my mindset and was giving in to old eating habits and taking a little liberty with food that I shouldn't have. One instance was eating some white chocolate covered popcorn. I didn't do it too often, but it was just enough that my body was remembering and craving "sweet things" too often. Where I used to have a sweet treat a few times a week (and that was usually a small bowl of yogurt, granola and berries), I was now eating something sweet daily which is not good even if it is supposed to made from healthy ingredients. Sweet is sweet and it is addicting......and.....I am an addict to sweets.

I had gained 13 pounds last winter from eating popcorn several times a week, covered with nice warm butter. I justified it saying it wouldn't be harmful because it wasn't sweet. I only ended up loosing about 5 pounds during the summer, so when this winter hit I was determined to not gain any more weight. I did pretty well with that and was maintaining that weight until I broke my arms. The first couple of days I thought this would be a breeze and I would probably loose weight since I could not fix my own food and the only way I could eat was to have someone spoon feed me. I don't know if it was all the good food that was brought into us or that my body was craving food, especially protein, that as soon as I could feed myself, I overate. I would eat my portion, then clean up Dennis' plate. I just couldn't stop myself. It was during this time I started eating so much of the yogurt and chocolate chips because it was something I could fix for myself and tasted SO good. Well that all did me in and I gained an additional 10 pounds. On a spur of the moment action Saturday night, I remembered I had a free coupon for Menchies Frozen Yogurt and did the unthinkable for me (again justifying this cleanse) and I stopped and got me one. Oh boy.....was that......ever.....so.....GOOD.....and.........ADDICTING!!! When it was gone I just wanted more, more, more. I guess it is good to have these experiences on a rare occasion, because it proves to me yet again, that no matter how long I go without that stuff, it is still an addiction I have. An alcoholic cannot have just one drink and a smoker cannot have just one cigarette. I cannot have just one dessert.

To sum this all up, I am really glad I have this opportunity to cleanse my body, to purge the fat and cravings along with the yeast overgrowth. I can and will make the best of what I CAN eat and not dwell on what I can't. It is, after all, only for 20 days and will get me back into eating more fresh vegetable and drinking fresh vegetable juices.

Day 2

Breakfast
Oat groat cereal
Oat groats
Cinnamon
Stevia
Chopped walunts
Grated unsweetened coconut
Almond milk (homemade, unsweetened)

Lunch
Lettuce Salad
Romaine, Spinach, Red leaf lettuce
Cauliflower
Radishes
Avocado, sliced
Sprouts (homegrown)
Homemade salad dressing (olive oil, ACV [apple cider vinegar], mustard, sesame seeds)
Leftover chicken from last night

Dinner
Shrimp (pan steamed with a little olive oil)
Asparagus, steamed
Tomatoes, cucumbers and red onions in ACV

Snacks
Cashews
Almonds, soaked
Carrot sticks

I am still struggling with what to have for breakfast since I don't love eggs and that is about the only breakfasty thing I can think of on this cleanse. Yesterday I called the School of Natural Healing of which I am a student and who sponsors the Healthier You Saturday morning radio program to talk to someone about this diet. They said it would be okay to eat only oat groats occasionally as it is still a grain which turns into sugar in the gut. So I tried it today. The best way to cook them is to put 1/4 cup per person (in this case just me) in a thermos and cover with 1 cup boiling water (per person), place the lid on and gently shake so all the water and grain mixes well and lay it on its side and leave it till morning. When you wake up, like magic, your cereal is all cooked. Just add the rest of your ingredients and it is ready. I often times put the oat groats and milk in a saucepan so the milk will warm up. I have to admit that I did not care for this too much. I am too used to having a banana and agave to sweeten it up. I only added about 1/2 tsp of stevia, but it was not enough to sweeten it sufficiently. I was leery of adding too much as I don't want to do anything to help the yeast grow as I am trying to rid it from my body.

The dressing I made for my salad is not the greatest either, but again, I am too used to adding agave to my homemade dressings. You try and find a recipe out there that does not add any sweetener. There just are not too many.

My favorite part of tonights meal was the fresh veggies in ACV. I was shocked that my body actually seemed to be craving it. It actually tasted sweet and very yummy. I also loved the asparagus.

I went shopping today and got lots of fresh veggies. I am looking forward to lots of fun recipes for the next 20 days.

Day 1

This cleanse runs for 20 days. Along with taking different herbs for those 20 days in order to kill off the yeast and help heal the intestinal track there are certain foods you cannot eat because it is stuff the yeast thrives on.

Do not eat in any form:
No Grains (whole or refined)( bread, muffins, crackers, cereal, rice, tortillas, etc)
No Fruit (dried, fresh, frozen, or canned)
No dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, cottage cheese, etc.)
No sweeteners (sugar, agave, maple syrup, sucanut, etc)

Foods to eat:
Vegetables (all you want, but eat a good variety)
Dried beans that have been sprouted (soaked) for 48 hours.
Some meat, but not a lot.
Stevia (as close to pure as possible)
Herbs
Pure virgin Olive and coconut oil
Apple Cider Vinegar

It is challenging to think of what to eat when you know that you can't eat certain foods for awhile that you are used to. The hardest for me is what to have for breakfast. I usually have a green smoothie or oat groats with a banana, but for the next 20 days, I have to be creative. I have decided to keep a daily journal of what I am eating in case anyone else should have this problem. The hardest part is not having a menu plan to follow or at least look to as a guide.

Breakfast
2 scrambled eggs
1 potato fried in a little olive oil

Lunch
Lettuce salad
romaine, spinach and red lettuce
Avocado
Radishes
Carrot (grated)

Dinner
Baked chicken breast
Baked butternut squash

I did not have a lot of fresh vegetables on hand and this is what sounded good to me. I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I found some excellent deals at Buy Low and Rancho Market and will go there tomorrow (actually just to Buy Low's as they price match now).

Snack:
Sprouted almonds

I sprouted almonds for the almond milk which is so easy to do. Just place raw unpasteurized almonds in a bowl and cover with ample water. I did this before I went to bed and they were ready for me to make milk out of in the morning. To make almond milk, just take 1 cup soaked almonds and 3 cups water and blend in the blender (I use a Vitamix) and blend well. Pour into a bowl lined with muslin or cheese cloth and press out the "milk". Today I threw out the pulp that was left as I could not make any muffins or desserts out of it. I took some of the soaked almonds, rinsed them, put in a small bowl, added some more water, covered with an air tight lid and placed in the fridge. The rest I placed on a plate with a paper towel and let air dry on the counter top, gently shaking every hour or so until all sides were dry. They are SO DELICIOUS. They taste so much better this way and are way healthier for you. If you were going to make your own almond milk, you would want to consider adding some sweetener (I sometimes add agave) and vanilla. It will keep in the fridge for several days. Kids love to drink this and it is so much cheaper than buying it in the store.

New Year, New Challenges, New Growth Opportunities

I woke up one night and could not go back to sleep, so I got up and went to write in my journal. I don't usually go into the kitchen when I can't sleep, but this particular night I did. I did not have any lights on and as I went past the dishwasher I noticed that it had finished so I opened the door to let the dishes air dry, and I proceeded to go down stairs to write in my journal. When I finished, I turned off the basement lights and was walking through the kitchen, in the dark and wham, bang, I ran into the dishwasher door and went over the top of it and landed on the palms of my hands, with my arms outstretched. I knew for sure that I had broken the dish washer door because I felt it go all the way to the floor. I thought I had also pulled the dishwasher loose from its screws, anchoring it to the counter top. I picket myself up and Dennis asked if I was alright and I said yes, just shaken up and that my arms hurt a little. This happened about 3:00 am. I tried to go back to sleep, but when the alarm went off at 5:00 am, I had had very little sleep and my arms were now in quite a bit of pain, and I could hardly bend my elbows. We got up and Dennis insisted on taking me to the emergency room. I wasn't in much of a condition to argue as I was pretty sure my arms were broken and needed to be x-rayed.

Sure enough, after an hour and a half, and some very painful positions for the x-rays, the doctor announced that I had broken both my elbows. They were actually hairline fractures at the top of the radial bone near where it attaches at the elbow. It was pretty funny, when we ran into the Relief Society president who was taking her daughter in to have some stitches removed as we were leaving the hospital. By the end of the day, we had help lined up for the entire week, and I would not be left alone for 1 minute. I did not have casts on my arms, of which I am so grateful. The ER just sent me home with slings and a prescription for pain meds, of which I am so happy to say, that I did not have to fill.

Amanda, Alisha, Mom, Nancy and Lisa all came to stay with me along with some very kind RS sisters. They had to feed me and help me with bathroom duties. I was pretty embarrassed to say the least. By about Wednesday or Thursday I could move my left arm a little and was able to start feeding myself, and take care of bathroom duties by myself. That was a huge relief.

I started taking BF&C and Vitalerb Capsules every half hour and Dennis wrapped my arms with BF&C fomentations during the day for the first two weeks. Then I found it better to wrap my arms with the fomentations at night and put the cream on during the day. I did not have any pain and I know that is from doing all this herbal care. I remember Dr. Christopher saying that when you feed the body the proper nutrients, there will not be any pain.

I have had exceptional care from my family and the Relief Society sisters and am so thankful for it. I has now been 4 weeks and I have most all the use of both my arms back, but my right arm has a way to go still, so I am careful with it.

Throughout this time I at first laughed for days at my crazy predicament due to a totally freakish accident. As I reviewed the circumstances of the accident I began to ponder about it and ask myself if perhaps this happened for a reason. Why did I wake up in the middle of the night and not be able to go back to sleep? Why did I go through the kitchen to write in my diary, when I usually go in the craft room where there is a big table to write on? Why did I break both arms and not just one? At first I thought it was a lesson for me to slow down my life as I usually go 100 miles a minute. Then it came to me one morning after I had called into a Healthier You Radio Show I usually listen to on Saturday mornings at 9:00am on 1400am.

I did call into the program and told David and Fawn that I have been eating the proper diet, exercising and following the program they gave me for my ostopenia for the past 2 1/2 years and I am not getting any better, just worse. That is when they suggested that my body is not absorbing correctly and that is very likely due to Systemic Yeast Overgrowth and Leaky Gut Syndrome, which is from taking lots of antibiotics and eating a SAD diet(Standard American Diet). I had done both of those things in a big way. When I was 5 years old I had Rheumatic Fever and had to take Penicillin everyday for the next 10 years. Along with this I ate a pretty standard American diet which is full of processed foods, lots of sugar and white flour, shortening and other very unhealthy fats and very little exercise. They guided me to an article in their archives and I started researching it. I found out that it is