Juice Fast - Day 7

I must remember this saying.  It's a good philosophy to work into my now-changed lifestyle.

Today is Butterfly's first day of volunteer service.  I'll hike down there with her and make sure she's situated before walking home.  Then I'll hike down there again to walk home with her when she's done.

BREAKFAST
Family: Sourdough Pancakes and honeydew melon cubes
My drink: 1 Granny Smith apple, 1 orange, 1 banana, 1 Bartlett pear, 1 cup of honeydew melon cubes.

I didn't blend this as much as I have in the past.  That made is much easier to strain out most of the pulp.  I'd have to filter the rest of the juice through a coffee filter in order to get the remaining pulp out, but this was pretty good stuff.  Sweet and comforting.

Butterfly was very nervous about today.  She was afraid that people wouldn't like her. That's a common fear of high school girls.  I reassured her that almost everyone likes her and that she'll be fine. I don't think she believed me. I was afraid that she would refuse to go but she ate breakfast, dressed and walked with me to her very first experience working with people she didn't know ahead of time. I left her in the capable hands of the other volunteers.

I stopped at Foodland after leaving the hospital.  I wandered through the deli and gourmet cheese sections.  I'd never really looked at what was in those areas because I normally go into a grocery with a shopping list and leave right after picking up my supplies.  Today I just browsed and was delighted to find food in the deli that I want to reproduce at home and cheeses that I want to taste when I'm done with this fast.

I went expressly to purchase oranges and apples but found a lovely cabbage that I wanted to use for both juicing and making dinner for the family.  I picked up 5 oranges, 5 Fuji apples, and the head of cabbage.  It wasn't until I'd left the store that I realized just how much weight I was going to have to cart home - 12 pounds of produce to sling over my shoulder and walk 3 miles uphill back home.  What was I thinking?

There are nine bus stops between Foodland and my house.  I rested at six of them.  I needed an hour nap before I had the energy to make lunch.

LUNCH
Butterfly is eating at the hospital cafeteria. As a volunteer who puts in more than 5 hours during a shift she is given a lunch voucher.  I found out later that she had chicken and rice, curly fries, onion rings, and root beer. It's a good thing I try to provide a healthier meal at home...
I drank: a wedge of cabbage, 1 wedge onion, 1 chayote, 1 stalk celery.  It was okay.  A heavy sprinkle of pepper made it better.

I started back down the hill at 2:30 to pick up Butterfly.  I walked briskly and had 20 minutes in the air conditioned waiting room before she was finished.  I luxuriated in reading food magazines while I waited.

Butterfly had a good experience.  She confessed that she had been afraid that she would be bullied while working.  I was a little shocked to hear that; maybe it's a holdover from being bullied in middle school (I took care of that problem as soon as I found out). Today there were other high school volunteers that she was able to make friends with.  She's still nervous about going back tomorrow but she's not afraid of this new experience anymore.  I'm very glad.

DINNER
Family had Chicken Stir-fry, brown rice, green salad.
I looked up a juice fast recipe that had 1 beet, 4 carrots, 1 knob ginger, and 1/2 lemon.  I added a few sprigs of leftover cilantro from the family dinner.  IT WAS AWFUL!  I choked it down but the 2 tablespoons of vinegar that I drink after dinner was far more palatable than the drink.

Lunch and dinner were dismal.  I've decided that I can only do this for the original 10 days.  I'd much rather eat beets, carrots, and other vegetables separately so I can taste each item. I miss being able to taste the different parts of a meal.  Right now everything is blended together, strained and then I drink it. My tongue tastes "green" all the time now.

Tonight's family dinner

I've learned how important it is for my health to eat more vegetables and fruits.  This is an important lesson but I'll certainly be glad when this experiment is over.