Saturday, March 10, 2012

My 27-day juice fast ending with the World's Longest Lunch


Last Friday 2nd March I attended the Regional World’s Longest Lunch in the buzzing metropolis of downtown Koondrook and I must say it was a brilliant way to end my 27-day juice fast… not to mention appealing to my Libran star sign style of going from one extreme to the other.
Many people have inquired after my juice fasting experience, so here’s a little update: My initial plan was to conduct a 10-day juice fast but by day ten I was feeling so good I decided to extend it till the end of February (just my luck to plan this on a leap year). Despite numerous well-meaning people expressing their concerns that I wasn’t eating meals and “Where was I getting my protein from?” As far as I’ve experienced, a short-term juice fast (two months or less), is nothing but beneficial to your health. My weight dropped from 69kg back to it’s long term average of 64-65kg; my energy levels increased, I didn’t suffer from my traditional energy slump in the afternoons and I felt noticeably more clear headed; I didn’t feel hungry; I slept well at night but by far the best effect for me was a very noticeable improvement in my legs.
For more than fifteen years I have had a condition called “Primary Lymphoedema” which sounds quite ominous but basically means the lymph nodes in my legs don’t work all that well and so the lymph pools from my knees down and by the end of the day my legs can be quite swollen and ache at night when I’m lying down. Having regular massage therapy and exercise in the form of walking, swimming and bike riding all help to minimise the effects of lymphoedema but according to the doctors I’ve consulted over the years “nothing can cure it.” Thanks to my juice fasting experiment my legs are the best they’ve been in fifteen years with minimal swelling by the end of the day and they no longer ache. All in all I have found the juice fast a most worthwhile experience.
Meanwhile back to Koondrook and the Regional World’s Longest Lunch…
The day was mild and overcast and due to the torrential rain earlier in the week, our local foodies had to initiate Plan B… moving the lunch venue from the Goble’s Walnut Grove to the verandah of the historic Mates Royal Hotel in Koondrook.
The enthusiastic and hard working Red Gum Food Group and their many volunteers on the day must be congratulated on conducting a magnificent gastronomic event showcasing some of our regions finest epicurean products.
Tragically the menu didn’t include chocolate, however it did include almost every other food group (Restdown and Morrisons wines, Mildura Brewery beer, Riverside Café Amanti coffee, Pacdon Park black pudding, River Red Gum Beef, yellow belly, yabbies, Barham Avocados, Belmont Biodynamic rice and rhubarb, Bundarra Berkshires pork, Olsen Park Dorper lamb, Aldens Olives olive oil, Barrow Olives, Golden Rivers Walnuts, Kurrnung Citrus Old Fashioned Lemon Cordial and Border Packers Orange Juice).
At the conclusion of four hours of drinking, feasting and enjoying the entertaining and excellent company of fellow diners, it was all aboard the Lake’s courtesy bus stopping all stations. Expertly piloted by Greg, our bus meandered home from Matesy’s via Murray Parade to pick up little Meg McDonald, on to the manicured lawns of Barham Caravan and Tourist Park to drop off Meg’s Granny Anne and friends, next winding it’s way along Teddy’s Lane to deliver yours truly at Willow Bend before making numerous more stops around town with Shirley of Murray Haven fame adamant that she would be last to alight.
So ended a very enjoyable day that I hope becomes an annual fixture for our district. Well done Red Gum Food Group.

5 comments:

  1. Hello,

    I am dealing with the similar lymphedema issue in my lower legs and wondering if the benefits of the juice fast lasted for you?

    I too am a healthy active person dealing with this issue and looking for ways to get it under control with less effort. I am just now starting an elimination diet. I have had this condition --not knowing exactly what it was--for over 15 years and now realize that it went dormant for years at a time. It just got activated after some long air travel and I then figured out it was lymphedema.

    Right now I am trying various things that might have been what helped this in the past. During that time I did do two major "elimination diets" and those may have been the cause of this going dormant, so trying that. But if that doesn't work I will try a juice fast next. I have to say, I greatly admire your 27 days...that's a huge, tremendous feat! Impressive. :)

    I have solved another supposedly incurable issue in the past with alternative means so I am going to try everything I can here to find some way to control this. Anyway, would love to hear more about your experience and compare notes, either on this blog or by email.

    Thanks!

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    1. Thank you for your kind words - apologies for my delay in replying! The juice fast definitely helped although I still have the lymphedema in my legs. Things I have found that help keep it under control: limiting the following: alcohol, sugar, coffee, processed foods, carbohydrates. Keeping fit, regular daily exercise, plenty of water throughout the day, juices (making your own, so they are super fresh). Using heavy duty compression stockings when flying or travelling long distance etc..

      Hope this helps. You can contact me on ac.barr@hotmail.com if you wish

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    2. Hi, I would like to know your juicing progress over the years. Thanks.

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  2. Hello,

    I just saw that you responded to my post but I never saw it. Just wanted to leave a quick note....I tried a ton more stuff since the last time I posted but I actually found something that worked!!!! My lymphedema is almost gone.

    I'm in California, USA....I see you're in Australia but maybe you can find something similar over there---I used to live on the Sunshine Coast and saw that there seemed to be alot of acupuncture or maybe they can ship the herbs, I know they do that. Anyway, the thing that has worked for me is a combo of large quantities of daily chinese herbs along with this pretty intense accupressure massage. This gentleman in Los Angeles specifically treats lymphedema. His website etc is not the best so I was skeptical but had to try it. But after several months of treatment it is WORKING. My legs do still swell but not the same as they used to, much less and its just mid day, then morning and night they go back to their original size.

    Its amazing! I no longer have to wear compression socks and I don't have to elevate legs daily, do massage, etc. etc. etc. Really I don't have to do anything, but I do wear compression socks when I fly. It required five months of this treatment to get there, and I went through all types of detox symptoms to get to it, but it has reduced it to something that is minimal. I don't have to wear compression socks every day. Anyway, happy to discuss more, let me know if you'd like me to drop you an email or check out this chinese medicine guy's website: http://www.kwangwellness.com/. He says he has treated alot of people with various types of lymphedema and says he always gets results but some people with advanced cases require a long time (like a year or more) of treatment so sometimes they drop out. It does require a very healthy diet but seems like you already do that---I'm vegan and since I've been dealing with this have just upped all the greens and whole foods, and green smoothies etc.

    The gentleman treating me says mine should resolve 100% with a month or two more of treatment, but even getting it to this point is a huge success for me. Anyway...wanted to share that....in my experience, this extremely annoying problem CAN be treated, not just managed. Just requires alot more effort, but its so worth it to get this problem out of my life!

    But maybe yours is under control enough, which is awesome, but if not wanted you to know that there are other options out there.

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    1. Hello again,

      I was delighted to read of your success! I will look into the website you mentioned. Feel free to email me at the above address.

      Kind regards
      Annie

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