Master Cleanse

I recently "master cleansed" for 9 days. For those of you who aren't familiar with the concept.. for 9 days, I didn't eat any food. I only drank mineral water and water that had been mixed with lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.

On day 9 I began incorporating vegetable juice, whatgrass shots and miso broth.

Today is day 10. I'm still juicing, I haven't eaten anything yet, and I feel amazing. I plan to continue for a few more days, then break my fast with a raw salad.

During the fast, I have managed to keep a 40hour work week, volunteer 4 mornings on a farm, and dog-sit an 80lb Weimaraner.

I've been getting 8-9hours of sleep, have only needed 1 mid-day nap and managed to keep good energy all day.

On day 9, in the afternoon, I began to get irritable, and decided to transition from the Master Cleanse to the Juice Fast.
Within an hour I felt completely euphoric. I had a ton of energy all day and even had a hard time falling asleep. In the late evening, when I began to really wind down, I was hit by an intense stream of focused and creative thoughts, which I spent hours cultivating and recording.

I often cleanse with the change of the seasons, but nothing this intense. Usually, on a cleanse I will eat very small and nutrient dense meals. I really enjoyed my experience this time and in the future I plan to do more juice and liquid fasting.
Initially, this experience was meant to make me feel better. At work, I eat a huge variety of foods.. its my job. All I do there is learn, teach and share food knowledge. I eat a lot.
And since we just got through the holiday season, Ive been a little off my healthy game, and maaaaybe drinking a little too frequently. 
This cleanse is a way to reset my body and mind to begin this new season. By only in-taking these liquids I was able to release a lot of toxins from my body and take in a ton of nutrients. Not to mention, my skin and hair look great, I'm much more energetic, happier and I've dropped at least 12lbs.

This turned out to be a very rewarding journey for me. I'm able to reflect more clearly on the role that food plays in my life. I've gained spiritual, mental, emotional and physical reward from making the effort to abstain from food for this long, and I believe, that for the long term, this will be a very impacting experience on my life.

Master Cleanse Drink
2.5 quarts water
1.5 c lemon juice
3/4 c grade B maple syrup
1t cayenne

I made this drink fresh every morning in a big glass jug and brought it to work, and to the farm, with me. This recipe should make 10 8oz servings, which was perfect for me. Some days I drank all of it, other days I had a little leftover.

The lemon juice helps release toxins. People worry about the acidity of the lemon, but in reality lemon juice becomes alkaline inside the body, which means tremendous benefits.
The calories in lemon are 95%carbs and 5% protein.
Lemon contains Vitamins C, A, E, Folate and Choline, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and other trace vitamins and minerals.

The grade B Maple syrup is where I was getting my calories. In 3/4 c maple syrup there is about 630 calories, 159 g of carbs and 159 g of sugar. Its also loaded with the minerals manganese and zinc. It contains vitamins A, B2, B5, B6, Folic acid, niacin and biotin.

Cayenne Pepper coats your throat, giving you a "just finished eating" feeling. It contains vitamins A, E, C, B6, K and manganese.