In my opinion there are two things in life that are killing us.
1. Sin.
2. The food we eat.
The truth is, number two can actually fall under the first one.
WHY?
Gluttony.
October of 2011 I went in for surgery to remove my gallbladder. It contained one very large gallstone, one inch to be exact, that was causing me many health issues. Before the surgery could take place I had to wait a couple of weeks and fully recover from the shingles. I also went to work and dropped about 15 lbs in order to not make the surgery more complicated.
During the surgery I had a allergic reaction to the anesthesia and the doctors had to shoot me with some kind of retract medication. Doing so, left me in great pain. Lying in bed trying to heal I had the time to begin really thinking about taking my health more serious. During this time, I swore I was going to begin eating right and living a healthier life style. The pain I endured during this procedure and the awful feeling of being cut on was really sickening to me.
My gallbladder was not the only thing wrong with me. Having a heart problem and a weak valve cause my body to retain more fluid than it can pump off. Medication is needed to help remove the fluid and keep my body from swelling. All the warning signs of an unhealthy person are present.
Creating my garden was one of the ways I decided to change my life. Growing my own food and living as close to good health as I could get was something I would stick to.
Yeah right. I did change many things but over time little by little I allowed bad food and lack of exercise creep back into my daily life. How? My work life is that of a web developer and I spend hours sitting in front of a monitor. My legs swell, the circulation in my ankles and feet are getting worse and my posture to say the least is horrible. During the course of the day I am slumping so far over the keyboard I don’t even notice.
I find myself feeling sluggish, tired and have gained back the weight I lost. It is so easy to allow bad habits to emerge again, especially when every place we go billboards are decorated with food teasers, and every other building is a fast food joint. TV commercials are loaded with temptations to make the mouth water and forget going to the grocery store. As soon as you walk in, the worst foods are greeting you at the door.
How many warning signs do I need before getting this right??
Saturday morning I decided I would begin a juice fasting for 30 days. Detox my body and begin again. Since the few cold days we had here in Central Florida played a bit of havoc on my garden, I had to visit my nearby favorite organic store and buy the foods necessary to help me with this fast.
Green, apples, pineapple, strawberries, pears, spinach, carrots and of course the most important thing, kale.
Sunday morning I began. Sunday evening I was done.
The reason, I love the taste of kale and spinach as a whole food. I couldn’t do it.
So here is my revised solution. I have cut out the coffee and replaced with fresh fruit juiced in my juicer. For lunch, a carrot, apple, celery and kale drink. And for supper, something solid. Probably more kale soup or some type of beans so I can get enough protein. And lots of water. All the food is organic.
A healthy day and oh yes, I have added the exercise into my daily activity. Now to work on my stress and the job I have. It might be time for a change.