Good morning! Today is day 5 of my cleanse and the end of my water fast. I haven’t eaten solid food since Wednesday lunch time and nothing since 8pm Thursday eve, that’s a 36 hour water fast. I feel slightly sick this morning and a bit light headed, was very hot in the night and woke a few times for a wee. I am looking forward to a smoothie this morning and a warm nut milk maybe, see how I feel. Today I will ease myself back in gently with only liquids until tonight when I will have a lovely salad with some avocado and a few nuts. Going to eat light and raw at the weekend and then back onto another cleanse on Monday morning for week two. Next weeks cleanse focuses on cleansing out the colon, I will increase my exercise next week to at least an hour a day of high intensity exercise. Next week I will really start to feel the benefits π A cleanse brings up emotional stuff we push down with food, I did have a few tears last night and a few moments of panic about certain areas of my life! This is quite normal when we are clearly out our shit (literally) I recognise these feelings from many cleanses before so I just went with it and allowed those feelings to surface, recognised them and allowed them to move on. The only constant in life is change! Go with the flow of life, the ups and the downs! I realised yesterday how we do not always appreciate our food as we should, I was watching people down the seafront gobble up food without enjoyment or gratitude! I would have savoured a grape yesterday! I do take time to enjoy my food mostly but I had fallen back into the trap of addiction. Food is more addictive than most drugs, food is a drug! We use it to cover up feelings, comfort us, make us fat so know one will notice us, make us thin so people will admire us, make us ill to sabotage ourselves. It really is so powerful. Unlike drugs and alcohol, if food is your drug you cannot avoid it! If your an alcoholic you can avoid the pub or the alcohol section of the supermarket. Food is essential to life, we have to eat so you cannot avoid it, food is shoved in our faces wherever we go. The mind is what we need to master not the food! Love yourself enough to nourish your temple not punish it! I’m off to make my smoothie now π have a good day x
Please connect with me on twitter @Edesias-Banquet or Facebook: Edseias Banquet-Stella Phillips Raw Food Goddess <3
Edesias Spring Cleanse Day Two and Three!
Day Three of my spring cleanse.
It’s been a good few days to be honest, I felt like I was overdue for a cleanse, my body is enjoying the feeling of lightness!
This cleanse is one of my own programme’s I’ve devised. This particular one ive used a few times before now and it works well. This time my eldest Daughter whom is 22 and my Partner Jamie have joined me.
I will give a quick rundown of the format of this cleanse.
This is a raw vegan cleanse, I will not eat cooked foods during this time. This cleanse is gentle yet very effective at cleansing the digestive tract and rejuvenating your cells with living foods containing live enzymes.
It’s a gentle start on Day One ease in with two smoothies, raw lunch, herbal tea, lemon water and various Qi gong exercises to stimulate the lymph system.
Day two Two juices, raw lunch, herbal tea (my own blend), minimum of 20 mins exercise enough to raise core temperature.
Day Three liquid only day, warm nut milk with carob, juices, smoothies, water. No tea, no solid food.
Day four 24 hour water fast
Day five ease out of water fast with juices, smoothie and a few herbal teas and two pieces of fruit.
This is a five day cleanse, however I may carry on for longer see how I feel Friday.
Enjoy π
Edesias Spring Cleanse! Day One!
Today is Day One of my spring cleanse. This is my own programme I’ve created that I’ve used many times and it works a treat. I will be offering this programme and a few others once my website is up and running π
It was my Vegan/Began/Vulcan or whatever label it is Birthday on the 1st April! Two years! It’s been a journey, a great journey, a tough journey, an enlightening one for sure!
Will be writing in more detail tomorrow. Wanted to let you know I’ve completed day one of my cleanse.
Feeling ok so far π
Here is a some pics from today.
The broccoli was grown at our allotment.
Night night x
Feeling bloated! Christmas aftermath of too much cooked food! Miss Farty Pants!
Happy New Year π I hope 2014 brings you all you wish for and more!
Christmas was fantastic, spent lots of time with my family. We had lots of laughter, too much food and not enough salad!
I’m feeling rather yucky!
It has been a great experience….. Why ? Because without the Yin we do not appreciate the Yang. Check out this video explanation http://youtu.be/0BgThtHsakU
We have to have the opposite to appreciate things.
Without darkness, how would we appreciate the light ?
Without sadness, how would we appreciate happiness ?
Without feeling unwell how would we appreciate feeling well ?
You get the idea π
Its approaching nine years now since I gradually integrated more raw foods, juices and fermented drinks/foods. I have been eating predominantly Raw food living foods for near on two years now! My 2nd Vegan Birthday is coming up on 1st April π
I do not see this bloated, aching body as a negative, I’m not beating myself up! I realise its all part of my journey.
It’s come to show me the polarity of cooked versus raw food diet!
How do I feel ?
I feel bloated, heavy, lethargic, my knees hurt, my ankles ache, I smell different! Yes I smell musty again! When you consume mostly living raw foods you smell fresher! The worst side effect has been constant wind, yes I’ve turned into farty pants. Not attractive really π I’ve not been sleeping as well and my connection to Spirit is not as strong.
I will not do this again next Christmas, why did I do it this Christmas ? To fit in, laziness, greed, self sabotage to name a few.
Next Christmas I will plan at least a month in advance like I did last year, last Christmas I lost weight.
During Christmas I have remained on a Vulcan, dairy free, egg free, vegetarian diet, I’ve eaten far too many Yin foods(acid forming) such as roast potatoes, nuts and some crisps.
What I’ve realised though is its not what I’ve eaten! Its what I’ve not eaten! I’ve not had enough Yang foods (alkaline forming) such as juices, salads, sprouts or fermented foods/drink.
I didn’t practice my Tai Chi and Qi Qong enough either, Tai Chi oxygenates the blood and is a Yang (alkalising) activity.
I am getting back on track now and feeling better already. I am looking forward to the aching in my knees and ankles to disappear.
I felt 10 years older and that’s not where I want to be.
I will continue to keep you posted on how I’m feeling, will be interesting to see how long it takes for my body to recuperate.
I have some great new Healthy Raw recipes to share, watch this space!
Be In Spirit
Stella x
My Dairy free/ Vegan. One year Birthday!
Happy birthday to me π today is my Dairy Free Birthday!
1 year today since I made the best decision of my life!
The best decision for my Mental, Emotional, Physical and Spiritual Self.
Never underestimate the power you have within, you can surprise yourself! believe me I have!
It all started with a post it note, yep that’s right a post it note π its amazing the power a post it note holds! An affirmation, a statement to your subconscious mind.
In this last year of becoming vegan I have experienced massive shifts and changes in my self and my life!
I have more energy than ever before, I have discovered you do not need to eat no where as much as we fool ourselves we need to.
I find the lighter more nutritious I eat the better I feel. The old Stella wouldn’t leave the house without a veggie snack, for fear of going hungry π
The old Stella wouldn’t be able to have no solid food for a few days. I have been vegetarian for a large part of my life. This last phase which is here to stay has been 7 years. I struggled to eat meat as a youngster and to be honest it gave me some OCD type behaviours. I would struggle to swallow whilst eating which was really awful and embarrassing especially when at a friends house etc I used to start to think of the little lamb or the cow I had in my mouth and I couldn’t swallow, I also didn’t like the texture of meat. If I see a vein or bone I would make excuses not to eat the meal, I didn’t like the smell of meat either. Unfortunately for me and all children who are natural vegetarians I didn’t have a choice. My Parents didn’t have much money for food. My Dad grew his own vegetables in the garden which was a blessing. I learnt to enjoy homegrown vegetables and through helping my Mum and Dad in the garden I’ve grown up loving gardening and growing vegetables. I have and allotment, a poly tunnel and raised beds in the garden. I Love producing my own food from quality heritage seeds. I love nothing more than getting my hands in the soil and working with the seeds, witnessing new life emerging. It always brings me back to my roots of being human, it also symbolises changes in my own life. Growing your own food experiencing the cycles of nature, the cycle of birth and death.
I started experimenting with Raw Food 7 years ago after going on a Raw Food Tai Chi retreat in Assissi. I had never experienced eating purely fruit for a whole day then exercising and walking up mountains. It was pure bliss! I felt amazing π I underestimated the power of myself!
I have discovered how powerful our subconscious mind is! The little demon that sits on our shoulder nagging in our ear, the scared demon acting from fear. Whispering that your a failure, you cannot achieve, you should go back to your old ways. The key is manifesting a little Angel who sits in pure joy and comes from a place of love. She whispers to your subconscious mind how wonderful you are, she whispers to you, yes you can! she brings you back to a place of love <3
A year ago today I made the decision to go 100% Dairy free/ egg free/ vegan (whatever label you want to stick on it) alongside my Vegetarian diet.
I wrote a post it note with 1st April no dairy or eggs. That was it simple, I had slowly been transitioning over a couple of years to less and less dairy. I had become more and more uncomfortable about the way the animals are treated and the quality of what I was consuming. Realising that some animals never see daylight, that baby male chicks are thrown in bin bags live! Just so I can feed my desire for cheese, eggs, milk etc. I started to become more and more conscious of this, I researched information to clarify how animals were treated. I was quite angry at myself at one stage for not becoming Vegan years ago. I do appreciate some dairy farmers treat the animals with care and respect. Even so I now would not eat or drink dairy produce as I know it’s not good for my health.
Since becoming dairy/egg free and introducing a high raw diet my health and vitality has improved immensely. I have been healthy for 15 years since I moved away from the pharmecutical drugs but that’s another story for another day. Its amazing how you think your healthy, then you make changes and you realise you was not as healthy as you thought.
I have lost two stone in weight with no effort at all, it was a great side effect.
Below is a before and after picture.
Men you can switch off for the next bit if you like π
My periods are now not a problem at all π after suffering for 28 years and I mean suffering! Sometimes having days off school/work, dreading my period arriving each month. Sleepless nights in agony, days spent with hot water bottles, taking pills from the doctor (when I was younger) oh I’ve tried it all. I actually hated my period it was not unusual to hear me say ” I wish I was a Man”
Since going dairy/egg free and high raw foods they have been virtually pain free. This happened within a month, I now occasionally get a small griping pain and that’s it! I now embrace my periods, I no longer dread them arriving each month. I forget I’m on my period. I am thankful for having them and being a woman. For those of you that suffer every month I know you will understand exactly where I’m coming from and I’m sure that includes men who suffer π
I have since had emails from people sharing that their periods became pain free after going vegan so I know I’m not alone.
I have so much more energy now than ever before, my skin is clearer, my eyes brighter and my waist 4inches smaller which is a bonus.
My girls who are 21 and 18 have been a great support to me especially now I no longer buy or have any meat foods in the house. My Grandson who is 2 particularly love fruits dried in the dehydrator. Everyone supported me at christmas joining in on a nut roast Christmas Day which everyone loved. My sister Heidi made me a lovely vegan pizza recently. My friends are all very supportive meeting me in coffee shops or at the Railway Hotel Pub that serve vegetarian/vegan options I feel blessed to have the backing and support of my family and friends.
Bring on the next year
Stella xx