Greeting the season with gut intentions.
It's finally spring and what I'd absolutely love to do but can't, because I'm 6 months pregnant, is fast-that's right, not eat a thing for a few days-something I've done every spring for about 5 years when I could. I first heard about fasting from a Hare Krishna guru-in-exile who lived on the side of a mountain near
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Moundsville, West Virginia. He wore a dirty white sweatsuit and was about to start on an 8-day water fast, and my reaction, of course, was "whoa." Good luck. Not for me.
Since then I've realized that fasting isn't for maniacs, for the hard core, for
religious exiles on mountains but a great thing to do for the rest of us. Fasting is not about dieting. What it does is
give your digestive system a rest so that all the energy it uses processing, say, huevos rancheros, can work to get rid of toxins that have built up. Think of it as a spring cleaning for your midsection. Those who give up food for a few days regularly swear by it; there are several books that recommend different methods and tell you more than you ever wanted to know about the author's digestive rhythms.
For me, the Master Cleanser is where it's at, which entails not eating, but drinking as much as I like of a drink made from fresh squeezed organic lemon juice, water, grade B maple syrup and a
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dash of cayenne pepper. Yeah, cayenne pepper. The drink is sweet, sour and spicy at the same time, and not half bad, even if you aren't running on empty. I don't know what the cayenne does, but the lemon juice gives vitamin C and the maple syrup, energy, so that giving up food for 3 days (my span, though many go longer) is actually pretty easy. Day One can be a bit difficult, particularly in the afternoon. Tough it out, and Day Two begins to feel good, with just a few rough patches. By Day Three, you arrive at this mellow, blissed-out state: it actually feels good not to eat. The drink gives you energy and lots of it. I've climbed Deception Peak with a CamelBak full of the Master Cleanser without bonking a bit.
During your weaker moments, there are fantastic dreams of food: sushi, ice cream, hot dogs. You'll feel lucky to get to eat three meals a day for the rest of your life. And coming off of the fast can be tricky. Don't, as I've done, give in to an impulse and gulp down a bagel with butter or you'll feel like you've swallowed a slimy boulder. Some say diluted fruit juice, then vegetable broth is best. Others swear by salad and light vinaigrette dressing. But getting back into eating is the best part of fasting. Your taste buds are reset and every meal is a feast. Avocado tastes like butter. Bananas, like crème brulee.
