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My daughter just turned one over the weekend.  Needless to say, past year has been a learning experience for me.  Somehow my Super Woman switch got turned on as soon as I had Luna and I felt it was my job to save the world. Maybe this happens to all moms, but man, it is exhausting! I challenged a lot of norms over the past year including trash, cable and other technologies, vaccinations, food, disposable diapers and other modern conveniences. I led my family on a wild goose chase as we gave up trash, cable, disposable diapers, certain foods, and so much more.  The journey was a learning experience for all of us. We have all learned to be less wasteful, more responsible and much more aware. 

Life quickly became frustrating and far from enjoyable. We found without some of the modern conveniences life became very stressful. For example, without trash pick up you have to learn how to shop to avoid waste. Mainstream does not make this easy. To avoid problems in our family and relieve the stress we all compromised in our changes. We kept the cloth diapers, but got back trash service, however, we increased our recycling load and decreased out typical trash load significantly. We still don't have cable. We replaced it with Hulu and Netflicks and saved a bunch of money. Since then, my husband also purchased a $15.00 antenna and now we get ten clear channels! As for our foods, we are still learning, but we try to keep our foods local or organic whenever possible. We grew some of our vegetables as well.  Some of my opinions and decisions also brought about controversy, I guess that is all about standing up for what you think is right.

It really has been a great year and I feel confident about the changes that we have made as a family. I am also grateful for the people that have taken the time to listen to our experiences and support us. My perspective on life has definitely changed drastically and the challenges have made me a better person. Time to relax and enjoy life a bit.  

3 Day Juice Cleanse - Day 3 and after

So, I finished up the cleanse and have never felt better. I was ready to get some real food back in my system, but my body felt alive. I also was very energetic and mentally clear. It was a very good experience and I plan on doing the cleanse again soon. I lost a total of 4lbs over the 3 days as well. Of course some of the pounds came back, but that is expected. It was also a very liberating experience. I felt in control and disciplined.  I also find that I make better choices now on the foods I eat. Now, food also has an awakened flavor profile that really makes you enjoy every bite. Highly recommended.

3 Day Juice Cleanse - Day 2

Since this is a short cleanse, this is going to be a short entry. I feel better already. I woke up feeling lighter, energetic and not anxious at all.

Day 2:
32oz Juice: Kale, Carrots, Apples, Oranges, Ginger, Celery, Cucumber 

I made a big batch for the day again. I know that the juice loses nutrients if it sits, but making it as needed it is not an option in my day of juggling work and a baby. Anyway, I had energy all day, I was a bit hungry mid day again, but it was curbed by 2 glasses of juice. I am down 2 lbs and feeling fantastic. My skin even looks brighter. It's amazing what a little juice can do. I am also sleeping, which is more than I can say for a week ago! Oh what a relief! It really isn't that hard either. The hardest part is my husbands desire to eat the most desirable foods these past couple of days. WILL POWER!

On the final day I plan to treat myself to a sashimi dinner, a nice light way to introduce food back into my diet.

3 Day Juice Cleanse - Day 1

Lately, I have been challenging the norm of the typical American diet. I eat healthy. Let me rephrase that, I eat healthy in terms of what I was taught to believe is healthy. The general belief in America (which we are taught as early as kindergarten) is to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner all based around the food pyramid. Okay, it's logical to a certain extent, but why if I am following those guidelines do I feel anxious, sluggish, irritable etc. I started to pay closer attention to the symptoms and found that they came after meals.  I wanted to start fresh and flush my body of what is perceived to be healthy with a juice cleanse of fresh fruits and vegetables that I know make me feel great. After the cleanse, I plan on selectively adding foods back into my diet in order to more easily detect foods that may be working against my body instead of with my body.

Day 1
Food: I made a 32oz batch to last me the whole day:
4 bushels of Kale, A little Ginger, 3 stalks of Celery, Four Apples, One Cucumber, One Pineapple

Reflection: It was easier than I thought it would be. I even passed up a hearty Italian meal from one of my favorite restaurants for dinner. I did find myself hungry around lunch time, but it only lasted a few minutes. I guzzled a glass of my juice and felt fine again. My mind has also settled, I don't feel very anxious and my energy level is average.  I am also not tired.  Only two days left!