Know Any Literary Animal Lovers?

Hi there PureJeevan readers! We wanted to let you know that Jim's new novel CHROO is available on Amazon. It's a crazy adventure involving a billionaire heiress, her Chihuahua BFF ("Chroo") and a host of human and animal characters. Find out more on Amazon! Here are some links:




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It's day three and all is going okay. I seem to have a bit more energy since it's not all being sapped trying to digest complex meals. The last time I did mono mealing, I received countless emails from Pure Jeevan members who were concerned I was doing something unhealthy. Eating simply for nine days, however, is not unhealthy.

Did you know the body doesn't need a full range of vitamins and minerals at each and every meal? Somehow many of us were taught that each meal needs to be a complete balance of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates and that just isn't the case. What the body needs is a well-rounded diet, overall, to be in a balanced state. If, over the span of a month or two, you've consumed a variety of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and sprouts you will find that you've met just about all of your nutritional needs.

I say "just about" because some things, like B12, aren't easy to find in a diet that lacks supplementation. I'm not going to talk about B12 right now, though (but you can search the blog to see what we've said about it in the past). In addition, the digestive health of each individual is different. In my case, for instance, the lyme disease has somehow affected my digestion and it's not easy for me to break down the raw foods I consume. In my case, I am not able to absorb adequate nutrients (particularly iron and protein) where others may easily absorb what their bodies need by eating the same exact foods.

End of day 2:

I'm not hungry, but KDcat/Bailey is eating cooked rice and the smell is making me salivate and desire more food. It's almost time for bed (I know ... teens, eating late at night, UGH!), so I'll just have a glass of water and head to bed in a bit.

Day 3:

7:06... Do you know that feeling you get when you sleep too much? Well, I have that this morning. My teeth were clenched all night again, too, which doesn't feel very good. My tummy is not as flat this morning, and my lower stomach feels tender when I press gently on it. This all comes from my body not adequately digesting the raw foods I consumed yesterday. I'm definitely liking how my body isn't retaining water anymore, though. That was one of the things that used to happen to me before I consumed only raw foods (I had edema). It seems strange to me that simple rice and lentils could cause me to retain water again, but that definitely seems to be the case. Perhaps it's the rice and not the lentils?

My sinuses are draining a lot, my eyes feel a bit itchy and dry, and my ears feel somewhat stuffed up. Overall, though, my energy seems to be pretty good so far.

Yesterday when I bought more bananas, I also purchased two pretty small organic pineapples. I'm thinking I'll probably blend them up today for my meals and follow them up with bananas if I'm still hungry.

8:53... I didn't feel like eating the pineapple, so I ate three bananas.

10:44... Ate three small bananas, followed by a big glass of water. That was NOT a good idea, as now I have the hiccups. I normally don't drink when I eat, but for some reason I did this time and...well, now I can't stop the hiccups.

1:03... I was shopping for groceries for KDcat/Bailey and got kind of weak, or something. When I was looking for things my body wanted, the avocados jumped out at me. So, I bought a lot of them and ate one when leaving the store. It was very filling and took away the weak feeling, but my tummy feels like it wasn't totally happy with the avocado (maybe because I ate it quickly and then rushed home with the bags). I'm home, now, and feeling okay but a bit tired.

1:46... Wow, I'm really tired. Did the avocado make me tired, or did the trip home from the grocery store do it, or something else?

2:00... Still feeling hungry, so I had another avocado. Those are really filling. If I get a wave of extreme fatigue again, I'll know it was definitely from the avocado. Jim said it could possibly be because my body was being fueled from the fruit sugar and now I switched to fruit fat for fuel. I do have to say, though, that avocados just aren't as delicious (to me) without salt (which is how I normally eat them).

2:42... I actually have more energy, now. However, the avocado feels pretty heavy in my belly. I will probably switch to either pineapple or banana if I'm hungry later.

3:05... My tummy really doesn't feel very good. I'm now eating ice, as that's what my body has been craving since I've had lyme disease. I thought it was for the iron (as many people who crave ice are actually iron deficient--and I *am* iron deficient), but now I'm wondering if part of my ice craving has been to help my tummy feel better when things are digesting very well? Hmmm....

3:43... My skin isn't as smooth on my face, now -- in fact, it has bumps on it. Seems like maybe the avocados aren't the right thing for my body right now. My tummy definitely doesn't feel well, either. I might take a nap and hope to wake up feeling better. I sure hope KDcat/Bailey will want to eat some avocados, so they don't go to waste!

6:07... I had to lie down because I was feeling queasy. That's totally not cool at all. My digestions is so messed up that eating two simple avocados makes me feel ill. In the past I could easily eat the same foods and not feel ill. This makes me a bit sad and a bit frustrated. Now I am sitting here, after napping for over an hour, wondering if this is the right time for a mono meal fast. I was thinking it was going to be good for my digestion. Maybe it is, but I'm choosing the wrong foods? There aren't enough calories in greens and veggies to mono meal on those. I need to think about this more.

During my sleep I had a sad dream and woke up crying. Jim had surprised me in the dream and showed up in Portland. He was telling a story from childhood and when I turned to talk to him, he wasn't there. I looked around and KDcat told me he wasn't there. I picked up the cell phone and tried to call him, but he wasn't answering. I realized he wasn't really there, he was still in Pittsburgh. I started to cry in the dream and woke up filled with sadness, tears coming out of my eyes, feeling even sadder upon waking because I realized it was true -- he really isn't here. I guess it's safe to say I miss Jim, right? ;-)

7:04... Well, I'm still not sure what to do. My face is flushed since I woke up, which is what usually happens when I have a reaction to a food. I don't feel all that great, so I need to go within to hear what my body wants me to do. This fasting wasn't done because I was called on some deeper level to clean up my diet, it was done as a form of celebrating the feminine energy within. I'm thinking I'll probably eliminate the mono-mealing part of the celebration.

Why, I wonder, do we use food to celebrate, anyway But, I remember that the fasting is a way of cleansing and purifying our bodies, to allow them time to relax and heal.

I'll make a decision tomorrow morning. For this evening, I am happy to have celebrated three full days of Navratri, acknowledging Goddess Durga, in all her forms, and what she represents: creative feminine energy, fearlessness, compassion, and fierceness, strongness, and self-sufficiency. I celebrate that within myself and I celebrate that aspect of all of you, too (both male and female).

*blows kisses to everyone*