Health Revealed 3

The best and only real way to live for optimal health is focus on what we eat and drink, not on water fasting alone.  Water fasting is a jump start into better eating and healthier living.  It isn’t the answer, it is just a clean-up tool and jump start into a much better and enjoyable lifestyle.

If you would rather enjoy the true taste of foods with their delicate tantalizing flavors, then you would also enjoy such things as true hunger  versus the toxic hunger our world’s SAD foods.  This hunger is more like being thirsty than like the discomforting growls, pains, headaches and weaknesses from our SAD’s toxic hunger.  You are definitely free when no longer addicted to the SAD foods.  You also don’t have the vengeful weight gains accustomed to our many popular low-nutrition diets out there, which only helps to reinstate the SAD foods.  To be a true Christian means to take knowledge directly from Jesus Christ, by listening to what he had said and to believe & follow him.

Health Revealed 2

My father didn’t like doctors and never really trusted them.  I agree, but understand things differently.  A doctor’s education is complicated and more modernly designed for treatment of symptoms, knowing that cures aren’t really possible when our chronic diseases are diet related.  They admit that their patients won’t likely come off of their SAD foods.  By this, they are admitting that their patients are hooked on the Standard American Diet.  They prescribe pills for the symptoms that come from SAD foods and pills for the pills’ side effects, knowing all along from their training that all medicines are toxic.  Are they not poisoning us to cover-up these symptoms, however un-intentionally?  Doctors are given very little nutritional education during their training, according to Dr. Joel Fuhrman.  So, they may not even realize that there is a remedy & pathway for their patients to take to improve their health.

Health Revealed 1

Having come off the fast for about a week now, my weight has stayed about 10 lbs. lighter than before.  I feel much better with a more normal blood pressure.  I have done some moderate exercises and worked several days at the farm this past week.  I also did some light weight lifting.

I don’t view this shorter water fast as a failure.  Modest improvements have been accomplished by my weight loss and improved blood pressure.  Small gains are what is required to improve yourself.  Dr. Joel Fuhrman put it in this way, that he would rather have people improve their quality of life in small ways rather than avoid his teachings altogether because of his idealistic optimal lifestyle.  He is realistic and knows that everyone is not going to join his band wagon for excellent health, but at least they could make small changes to get some benefits.  They will feel & live better, that in itself is great.

Water Fast Day 6

This was a rough day again.  My stomach has now become upset with some pounding or faster & louder than normal heart beats.  I had diarrhea at night.  I was considering to stop the fast.  I woke up around 4:00 A.M. on Day 7 with the same feelings.  The very successful 11 day water fast that I had about 10 months ago was uneventful and actually comfortable.  This one has shown a lot of problems.  Water fasting has nothing to do with will power.  This entire fast and my diet is about common sense and doing the right thing.  The troubles within this fast shows that I am not to trust going any further with it.  It is now considered perhaps dangerous and just wrong.  I should be feeling as comfortable as my successful one last year.  I am sure there has been some good done fasting this fime.  I will wait a long time before trying again.  My weight, strength and overall health will have to be dealt with the more old fashion way, with care and effort according to the knowledge that I have acquired through Dr. Joel Fuhrman and much reading and personal experiences.

Water Fast Day 5

Here are some fact and figures so far with this fast:


Water Fast start:

my weight: 214 lb
my blood pressure: 132 over 88 at 76 heart beats per minute.
how I felt at the start: little weak, fat, low morale and tired

 Day #     Weight        Blood pressure      Activity                           Felt _________              

214 lb. 132/88:76      walked 3 miles fine, a little weak.
209.5 lb. 123/72:71  rested the day weak.
207 lb. 132/781:86 walked 3 miles ok
203 lb. 123/68:83      walked 1 mile weak.
202 lb. 122/68:92   moderate work at farm weak, but fine.

Water Fast Day 4

Again I walked some, not as far (1 mile).  The temperature was about the same as yesterday with moderate sun.  I walked mostly through the fields and woods near our home.  The woods were beautiful with high extremely tall pines and large hardwoods.  Strolling through the trees with rays of sun bringing freshness to the moist forest below made the walk light heart as compared to yesterday on the city sidewalks.  I was weak today, but kept up a slow pace enjoying periods of meditation and breathing in the fresh moist cool air.

Water Fast Day 3

I walked a long ways, too long, perhaps, +3 miles. I felt a little tired. I just wanted to walk on such a beautiful day. It was sunny and warm, 72*F. During a water fast, one isn't suppose to work (at least not hard work), but a moderate pace walk is ok.

 My stomach is flating, yet my lack of energy reminds me to be careful for I am on a fast. I don't want to do another water fast for years, so this one has to count. I will come off of it by the book, as to not start indulging and overeating. I want to stay fairly close to the Eat to Live diet after the fast until I reach my goal of 170 lb (supposed ideal weight), then I may do the 90% on and 10% off diet.

Water Fast Day 2 - Monday

Somehow societies all around the world have managed to find themselves in a destructive lifestyle with poor nutrition. It has been ingraining itself over hundreds of years through such dearly held traditions as grandma’s hot brown sugar cinnamon apple pie blanketed with old fashion vanilla ice cream. The problem is that we had invented this poor diet through our own weakness. We have steadily dulled our sensitive taste buds with the potent sugar-salt-fat flavor combinations from the world’s recognized and accepted SAD (Standard American Diet). Our senses can be overwhelmed through most any drug of our choosing, be they sugar or cocaine.

 Any refined plant based substance can be changed into potent compounds which are our modern day sugars or cocaines of the world. If you eat plant based foods in their more natural state (whole or unprocessed), they are mostly harmless and healthy for us Modern societies are submersed in refined plant food products that affect our senses and thus our minds as well. We also live in a world overwhelmed with information. Can we get the vital and beneficial info that we really need? Dr. Joel Fuhrman is one of those few people out there devoted towards healthy living and sharing what he has found. He has followed research papers for years and drawn important conclusions from them to help us.

Water Fast Day 1

I am starting a “water fast” today to last a minimum of 14 days. The purpose of this “Water Fast” is to improve my overall health. Though I am not obese at 214 lbs and 6 foot high, my health isn’t ideal. I have been staying within 80% of my “Eat to Live” diet, yet my blood pressure readings are entering the 135 over 85 range. This commitment of staying on the “Eat to Live” diet 80% of the time isn’t enough. I want to reach my ideal health goal of 170 lb, blood pressure at 100 over 65 and better physical strength. Now is a good time to fast and start an even better year. Everything that I have done to try to improve my health has been building up in the right direction. One should not stop building. There are blessings for reaching your ideal health goal. I have already tasted some and wish to have the rest. Praise God. I should add that this knowledge about the “Eat to Live” diet came through a Christian health organization, Medishare, back in 2005. I didn’t take it too seriously then, but I do now. It does work. The blessings will come. Medishare gave me a book called “Eat to Live” by Dr. Joel Fuhrman to study and read. It helped me down the right pathway. I appreciate Medishare’s help and guidance. In a “Water Fast”, it is critical to know what you are doing. It can be dangerous, especially if you are on medications.

Health Tips

How many people out there really want to make the best shot towards healthy living and, might I add, an enjoyable one at that?  It is hard to convey information in this age where there is too much abundance of everything, except the right answers.  Let us start with the answers that have proven to be on the mark.  Let us walk through portions of Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book, “Eat to Live.”

While I read his book, I highlighted sections throughout to reflect on.  These are the things that I found very interesting.  One of my first highlights were the words true hunger.  Later in chapter six, I found the words toxic hunger.  So this is a good place to start a journey into his writings.

Health Tips - Anti-oxidants

Being a blueberry farmer for most of my life and finding out about the antioxidant qualities of the fruit, I thought that better health was assured through constant consumption of the berries.  After reading the “Eat to Live” book by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, I better understood healthy eating and health in general.  I didn’t have to worry about consuming lots blueberries for good health, with the knowledge from the book, I realized that almost all plant based whole foods were very beneficial.  For the Eat to Live diet, I am required to keep 90% of my food's calories within the diet‘s recommendations.  However, I try to eat almost all my foods within it.  This picking season start May 2013, I want to get back into eating more blueberries, but for now, I enjoy all things, creating a healthy habit for all fruits and veggies.  I take them in their whole food forms as best as that can be done (lightly cooked or raw, seasoned with no salt, but loads of all the good spices of life).  My calorie intake is minimal coming only through the whole foods that I eat.  Refined sugars & salt (sodium) are kept to a minimum.  I don’t miss the sugars of the American diet.  It is a good trade off to have an abundance in the flavors of whole foods over what I view now as bland sweets, salts and fats of the Standard American Diet (the SAD).

Eat To Live Diet Part 2

This is the second part of the last post that you can read HERE.

After the eleven day water fast, my blood pressure was normal  at around 122/73, and now 8 months and counting, it is still there.  I want to do a much longer water fast in the future (2013 or 2014), 15 to 25 days water fast.  It would be nice to be able to afford a doctor this time.  Before starting on the “Eat to Live” diet, my weight was climbing pounds each week with a very high blood pressure of 165 to 200 over 90 to 100, this was with my high blood pressure medicine.  I had chest pains and a lack of energy.  My weight was around 245 to 250 lbs.  Now, my weight is stable even with my huge appetite at around 213.5 pounds  for my six foot height.  I want to make it down to 175 pounds, if possible.  One important thing about this diet is that your taste buds live and thrive in it.  I have never tasted so many flavors from the simplest things.  I can get hooked on whole foods like carrots and almonds.  I have to fine tune my food intake to avoid allowing too much of even these tasty and nutritious foods.

Eat To Live Diet

I thought that the Eat to Live Diet (Dr. Joel Fuhrman) would be sort of tasteless.  I was determined to improve my health, so I believe that I needed his delicious 4 and 5 star recipes to assure my success.  I had read his earlier edition of this book years before, but I was not committed to join his diet at the time.  However, with my high blood pressure, chest pains, obesity, lack of energy, aches and pains and huge sudden weight gains, not to mention a probable coming bout with diabetes, I was desperate to save my health.  I joined his website to get his daily emails of new and tasty recipes, so I could enjoy what I thought would be bland tasting foods: veggies, beans, fruits, plain old water and uncooked nuts.  Surely, I would need a whole arsenal of tasty ideas to survive with this diet.