Building A Gut Profile......Days 10 to 12 of Our Probiotic Fast

Day 10 to 12

We are now on day 13 of our fast and feeling pretty good. To be honest, most of the time I feel as if I could carry on indefinitely – I think this is what it feels like to make progress!

Now, to catch you up on what I have been doing….

Days 10 and 11, we just fasted on our fermented drinks, apple cider vinegar and beet root fermented juices. Oh, and I have increased my intake of herbal teas – now I am including a liver tonic along with the hormone balance herbs.

During my fasts is the only time I have experienced unprecedented healing/balancing/regulating of body systems. Therefore, it always makes sense to me to take in lots of herbal teas anytime I fast because you get results far more quickly. Even if only doing a day here and there, herbal tea is the way to go!

To be honest, I just find that all healing takes place at an unprecedented rate whenever I am fasting….healing a body ‘system’ such as immune, endocrine and especially the digestive tract, is much more straight forward when unimpeded by food, debris and by products of metabolism. 

Of course, our bodies heal from the top down, inside out, however, the largest fires will be put out first. So, healing takes time and continued effort on our parts. Deeper inflammation takes the longest. But, you will see improvements no matter how long the fast!

Then, for day 12 - we broke our fast again with lots of garlic with a plan to have some milky foods the next day. I keep craving milk (perhaps because we have so much of it right now!). Over these past couple of days I have been wondering about the best way to get it into my system – fermented milk products are awesome for gut bacteria especially homemade from raw milk.

So, I decided to include some dandelion coffee with our own raw goat’s milk in it, a couple times a week to also help build beneficial bacterial colonies. It tastes great (we gave up drugged coffee years ago) and dandelion has the added benefit of supporting our livers. 

BUT….did you know that dandelion root is also a prebiotic? This means it has components that feed and benefit gut bacteria in their struggle to survive. And roasted dandelion root or dandelion coffee tastes quite nice. It’s a bitter herb needed to keep things in a healthy balance. 

What I know about beneficial bacteria in our guts is that they need all sorts of different foods (raw, living, wild, cooked, sweet, bitter, sour, fibre) to nourish them. Because this is a probiotic fast, I can see and feel already how it is working.

Over these next few hours I plan on getting a little bit of milk into my system – raw and fermented in smoothies and with dandelion coffee as well as perhaps a little meat or fish. 

Meat sounds like a weird thing to include on a mini break from our liquid fast days, however, we also have gut microbes who are complete carnivores (just like my cat) and I want to feed them as well. 

Let’s keep everyone happy in there! 

Up to this point I am feeling very well. I always feel great when I am fasting and my energy levels are quite good – even for all of the detox, changeover and perhaps a bit of an immune boost that is taking place in our guts. There’s a lot of shifting and changing going on…..

April

Getting there!

Onwards & Upwards - Days 6 to 9 of my Fast

Day 6 – 9

Right now I am on day 9 of this spring detox and it has been quite interesting to say the least. For starters, we broke our fast on day 6 for a few hours and ate garlic, some fermented veggies and thick smoothies with fruit. 

I am still very focused on getting all those lovely probiotics into my system – with nothing at all to slow them down! Actually, I am finding this quite easy for the most part and every system in my body is thanking me for the effort.

The next day, after our little interlude of different types of fermented foods, we carried on with liquid only fasting and have been back taking in herbal teas, fermented drinks, apple cider vinegar and beet root fermented juices again. 

Of course fasting gets easier each time I do it, but only because I get smarter about it! These fermented drinks are like liquid gold – tasty, filling and doing the job as far as gut health is concerned. Far easier then the lemon and maple syrup mixture of years ago and with faster results (but, that was a different stage of healing as well).

However, I was a bit concerned that it would be difficult to stop and start fasting again; just like that – taking a few hours out to get more solid sources of fermented foods in to me …but I found, it was just the opposite. The fermented veggies and garlic blended in nicely with our goals to flood our systems with probiotics – so it was an easy transition back to liquids.

So, you remember how I mentioned over this past few months we have been fasting in so many different ways? Well, perhaps we are now forging ahead with yet another type of fast – a few days on liquids, then a few hours on solids, the liquids again – all of it including probiotic and fermented foods, BUT, also the substrates needed to grow the beneficial bacteria once they are in our systems.

Now, as for the detox process itself….

Even with the few hours in-between we are still having all the usual detox symptoms and feeling very productive and energetic as a bonus. Usually my detox symptoms range from a headache, coated tongue, tiredness which comes and goes, bursts of energy, old memories surfacing and a need to clean (everything!) LOL.

Did I mention the clear skin, bright eyes and being able to smell, taste and sense the forces of nature....hmmm sounds like a new puppy! 

Right now I am not sure how long I will keep going, it’s just nice to feel cleaned out – we are still taking this one day at a time.

April

Wild Harvest Cordial - even my cordials are medicinal.... This one is Elderberry & Elderflower - an immune boost from nature! On my stand this week in Clonakilty & Skibbereen Farmers Markets

Now on Day 6 of my Detox.....

Well now it’s day 6 already….time sure flies when you are busy doing all those little jobs that you keep putting off because you don’t have the time. Each and every time that we fast, we simply find the time - who knew cooking, eating & digesting took so much work!

How on earth do we ever get things done? LOL

So….I started this fast last week on Wednesday, thinking to myself that I would take it one day at a time and see what my body’s needs are. Of course, over the past few years (since 2001) I have done numerous fasts, but this one is going to be different (again)!

I have found my purpose/goal/aim/destination! This usually takes a few days to sort out each time I do a fast - I kind of jump into things and then let my body guide me to what needs to be accomplished. 

For this fast, I intend to change out as much of the old gut bacteria as possible and gain a new foot hold where ‘life’ is concerned. During the last year and half or so I have intensively been taking in lots of probiotic drinks, apple cider vinegar and anything else living….and to great effect.

These are all my own probiotic drinks and cider vinegar - available on my market stall as well - taste great, and really work with you to get things back up to a sustainable level. (Some recent studies have been showing how detrimental antibiotics have been; so much so, that certain beneficial strains of gut bacteria are no longer found inside or outside of our bodies!)

However, I know there are a few ‘nasty’ bugs in my gut too. They have been there seemingly forever and always throw a spanner in the works somehow. For instance, I had serious whooping cough at 6 months old (days after vaccination) and find my ribs, back and chest can get inflamed from time to time (costochondritis).

Then, the entire blended, extended family I grew up with are plagued with arthritis and joint issues. Not to mention high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease! 

As a Clinical Nutritionist I just know that quite a lot of these modern day chronic diseases are inflammation related. And, I also know that when my body is populated with beneficial bacterial colonies, many of these conditions are no longer on the radar.

So….my goal for this fast is to support my body fully (read total focus!) as it builds up necessary levels of probiotic and prebiotic gut bacteria. Thankfully, as an Intuitive, I am always in constant contact with my body and am taking cues from it day by day.

For the first 3 days of our fast we just chilled (understatement! LOL) – I mean we worked very hard night and day, did markets back to back plus all the prep while taking in lots of water, probiotic drinks and nettle juices as well as my Para Cleanse parasite remedy. 

For the last 3 days – more of the same with an emphasis on beetroot fermented juices, apple cider vinegars and herbal teas (I blend them each day as needed). 

So….now, on to the next phase! I am actually quite excited to be doing this - I feel really good, am having fabulous dreams, sleeping well and getting lots done (loads of energy now, after the first 72 hours adjusting into 'detox mode).

I’ll keep you posted,

April

Rebel Foods Market Stall - Apple Cider Vinegar & Beetroot Cleanse Juice

A Spring Cleanse!! Day 2

Today I am fasting….it’s actually now day 2 of a spring detox I want (need) to do. I haven’t been writing very much over these past few months….well, actually I have but it’s of a different sort – mostly for the market and stuff.

But, that doesn’t mean I don’t have this need to write things down. It’s more of a record actually….I have written down so much of what has been taking place in and around me as well as my dreams over the years that I could fill many books. 

And of course, I have done exactly that!

So, getting back to my fasting. The last time we did a big fast was before Christmas and it felt so good! In the meantime, since Christmas, I have done several small and different types of fasts – things I would never have thought of before.

For instance, one week I was feeling quite off – so I did a garlic fast. Basically we just ate guacamole with large amounts of garlic (8 to 12 cloves) on very thin crackers/toast for 3 days and drank lots of water. 

It felt so good that I did it for the next 3 weeks as well. And now continue to do this for a day here and there whenever I feel I need a boost. There is something special about garlic, it uplifts and heals like nothing else. I always feel as if my thinking and my head is clearer when I take enough of it in…

Then we have had a few fasts on just my Butterfly Juice (in case you have not yet experienced Rebel Foods Market Stall Butterfly Juice – you have to make a special trip to west Cork! LOL). This is nettle, dandelions, Irish apples & ginger and it is pure heaven…..

We refer to it as ‘spring in a jar’. Including this in our fasts has been very effective for boosting energy levels, clearing skin and getting sluggish digestive systems moving properly again. And, it tastes greats too! Somedays it's all I take in and I feel it really helps with general well-being, especially suited for this time of the year. 

So….for this fast – I might incorporate nearly everything or just some of these things. I plan to take it day by day and see how we get on. At this stage we are still working on our goal – or the purpose of doing the fast in the first place. 

Also, I am learning so much more about gut bacteria this time around as well. And perhaps that is one of my aims here. I have a few questions I need answered and my body is taking me on this fabulous trip to find those answers….

I’ll keep you posted…..

April

Rebel Foods Market Stall - Butterfly Juice and Rebel Juice (fermented health tonics) 

What if everything you have been told about your body is WRONG?

What if……we were able to take a few things we ‘think’ we know about our bodies, our health and living on this planet in general and look at them a little differently?

For, instance, are we really meant to age? What if we are, but not in an accelerated falling apart, memory losing, decline that we currently face…. With most of humanity sliding into home base barely holding it all together after 70 or 80 short years? 

To age might mean something altogether different if we were living in a healthy chemical free, non-gmo body.

Maybe, our bodies are perfectly designed to seal, heal and repair quickly and efficiently. So why don’t they? Just where does this leaky gut, allergy syndrome, inflammation, chronic pain, wear and tear damage come from and why doesn’t it ‘heal’?

What is the hold up inside of our bodies and why does life take us from energetic youth into breakdown mode so quickly…..what if it’s just not supposed to be this way? 

Perhaps, we are here for a long time as well as a ‘feel’ good time. Shouldn’t we feel good, maybe great, enjoy wellness – bordering on fabulous, at least some of the time….ahhh, yes, but we must be healthy first. 

Then, just like nature outside of us, it is also in us. Therefore, our bodies are self cleaning, self regulating and perfect ecosystems of balanced life – always striving to maintain and find that inner homeostasis.

We should crave balance….

What if only water, real food (as opposed to rubbish…), herbs, fresh air and nature – is the cure for all that ails us? Using anything else just shunts the symptoms around, buries us in toxins and interferes with the healing process.

Just saying….

April

Waves of Consciousness & Full Moon

I am still eating garlic! LOL

So, I finished 2 weeks of 3 days each week on several cloves of garlic and felt fantastic...almost like a big spring cleaning on the inside. Today we are still in long weekend mode, but I plan to get back to doing another garlic cleanse again this week.

It was that beneficial - almost as if this healing food went deeply into my tissues and helped me sort some things out. But, it's been that kind of month so far as well. As if I am in the middle of sorting things out.

Right now it all appears to be at the brain level - perhaps a brain detox is the best way to describe the action of garlic. I have experienced in the past how my head would immediately clear and feel free of clutter - a definite opening up in the cerebral cortex. 

It is an awesome sensation of connectedness and clarity all at the same time.....

However, this weekend we decided to go all out and relax with feast meals and lots of goodies for the kids (well, us really!). And even a ceremonial fire last night to celebrate the full moon (Worm Moon - which draws worms up to the surface to feed the birds). 

I love this time of year, spring is all about life, spontaneous regeneration of physical matter with the earth coming into it's own - doing what she knows how to do best; LIVE. I always feel such a sense of hope and promise for the rest of the year to come.

Right now the energy of the earth feels settled as if she has reached some decision about herself - change is irreversible and imminent - it seems as if a higher level of consciousness has been opened up and is spreading like a mist over the land. 

It's actually an amazing part of the process of awakening that we are all witnessing.... when the earth does this, things will shift, change and move. Positive and spiritual 'Life' only responds to waves of pure consciousness. 

This is going to be a most incredible year of healing and rapid spiritual growth. Hang on everybody!

April

Fire ceremony with the Full Moon in the sky

Healing Powers of Garlic - On A Garlic Fast

Right now I am taking raw garlic crushed in food just to generally clean up my system after a long winter. In the past I have used it many times for naturally fighting illness, infection and inflammation. And it works far better then anything else I have come across.

Garlic is an amazing herb and works on many levels within the healing processes of the body. For instance it helps with DNA repair, carcinogen metabolism, inflammatory response, hormone regulation, apoptosis, cell cycle shifts and of course detox. Each one of these are vital functions in our bodies. 

If you are ready to boost your immune response to be able to handle anything that comes your way perhaps you might consider taking a medicinal dose of raw garlic from time to time and especially whenever you have a flu or illness to deal with.

Over these past 2 days I have only taken in several cloves of raw crushed garlic in guacamole (avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley & garlic) on thinly sliced sourdough bread. I have sipped my Apple Cider Vinegar and drank my fermented juices as well while I am doing my little garlic fast.

Last week I did 3 days in a row of the same thing….5 – 6 cloves of raw garlic each day in guacamole on 3 slices of bread and then the fermented drinks. That’s all I took in for each day with plenty of water. 

I also kept up nicely with my running, weights and yoga and generally treated these days like any other fast days. I just had to get my head around ways of getting the garlic into me without a hassle, while it does have to be in food.... so the bread worked perfectly. 

I felt great afterwards and am now doing it again this week....and perhaps next week as well to keep going with this much needed spring clean!

If you wanted to give this a try yourself, I have included some of my notes from my clinic......

Healing Powers of Garlic

Garlic is medicinal when crushed, allowed to stand for 10 minutes and then eaten raw in food. 5 to 15 cloves per day over 72 hours is best when fighting acute infection or illness. 

I would recommend taking it in the same way as any other antibiotic – every 4 or 6 hours around the clock for 24 hours, then every 8 hours, then every 12 hours over the first 3 days to ensure a constant blood level of this potent herb. 

It works best to take the garlic raw for the first 72 hours in oily food, then stop for 72 hours break. Start another 72 hour cycle following the same pattern to complete the healing process. 

This allows the body time, energy and space to shift into an immune response, and use the garlic as part of its’ defences.

Have A Healthy Day!

April

Garlic ready for guacamole