The Final Analysis of Living Foods Institute and plans going forward

I didn’t post about the last two days of the trip to LivingFoods Institute mainly because I haven’t had time and I’m trying to listen to my body.  I find that I can tend to use this blog as validation that people like me (which when I say it out loud sounds crazy) but it can fill my need for acceptance.  We all have that need so I’m not apologizing for it, I’m just recognizing that my strategy for filling that need can get overwhelming if I don’t have time to post.  It’s not more important than my need for family time, rest or being present in the moment.  Yes, this is stuff I learned this week that I will share in another post.

How it feels

So how do I feel?  Off the charts amazing.  My energy level is at an all-time high.  My joint pain and aches are gone.  My back can still hurt if I’m on my feet all day but my shoulders and neck don’t tense up like they used to (took care of that with my holistic chiropractor).  I didn’t think I had a brain fog until it lifted.  One of the girls in class has leukemia.  This was her last ditch effort to heal herself before succumbing to chemo.  She mentioned on day 8 that the lymph nodes in her groin area were substantially smaller.  When she said that I remembered the lymph node that was bugging me for years on the side of my neck.  It wasn’t huge but it bugged me – it was gone!  I also lost 7 pounds and I’m never hangry.  When I get hungry I don’t feel faint or dizzy, just empty.  I eat slower and in turn I fill up on less.  We had to do that every day at LFI.  Sit in silence for the first 20 minutes of lunch.  Harder than it sounds!  At least at first.  Then lunch started to be a time to stop and relax.  I know, I sound so hippie J

Others in class had phenomenal stories.  They recorded the testimonies and as soon as I get the YouTube link I will share it.  Across the board, everyone was in less pain, sleeping better, better focused and more energy.  One 82 year old grandma was hobbling in on a cane and by the end of the second day she left it at the clinic by accident.  By the end of the week she was walking stairs without assistance.  Everyone’s tastes had changed and carrots were sweeter, their bodies craved energy soup and they were excited about their new lease on life.

What are we eating daily?  I know I have posted pics but I’m not sure I’ve been clear on what a day looks like. 

1.  First thing, Wheat grass shot – an effective healer because it contains all minerals known to man, vitamins A, B-complex, C, E, I and K.  It is extremely rich in protein and contains 17 amino acids, the building blocks of protein.  It also contains up to 70% chlorophyll, which is an important blood builder.
2. I added in a shot of E3 Live Blue Green Algae (just a TB) which contains high concentrations of protein, vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids, boosts and balances immune system and fights inflammation.
3. Energy soup for breakfast and throughout the day whenever I’m hungry.  It’s a blend of 5 c water, ½ green apple, handful of sprouts, ½ avocado, 1 TB dulse flakes and as many greens as can fit in the blender (4 cups at least).  If you are trying to make your own ask me about the sprouts first.  It all depends on what is in your stores.  The first 2 days are the hardest. 
4.  Lunch and dinner is something raw with living foods (sprouts) added.  Yesterday I made the spicy kale salad I posted a few days ago and dinner was salad with zucchini noodles and spicy spaghetti sauce.  Cliff was pleasantly surprised at how good everything was.
5.  I’m avoiding all sugar including honey, agave, etc.  I’m trying to lower the candida so no sweet fruits which limit me to green apples and berries.  After the first two days my body calmed down on the sweet fruits.  Now the ones I can eat are plenty sweet. 
6. What about grains?  There are some grains you can eat raw like oats (soaked in nut milk – which I learned how to make!) and wild rice which you can soak overnight and eat.  I’m sure there are others I’ll discover.

How long do I have to do this?  Rule of thumb:

• If you are healing from a major disease – minimum of 6 months (I’m not in this category)
•  If you are doing it for better health – 90 days
• After 90 days you go 80/20 – 80% raw/living and 20% cooked vegan which essentially is the Whole Food Plant Based lifestyle.  What’s the deal with cooked?  Depending on how you cook the food you can cook out all the good nutrients. 
•  Bear in mind there is more to healing than the food – there is the importance of a clean, healthy colon which needs to be addressed especially if you are fighting any disease.  Grab Brenda Cobb’s book The Living FoodsLifestyle for more details on her protocol.  There’s also the emotional work that may need to be done if you have layers of baggage.  There’s spiritual work that may need to be done if you do not have an experience with God.  Connecting with your community is a huge benefit.  All of this works together to bring about healing and what I call incredible health. 

So what happens when you get home?  What does the day to day look like?  I wanted to wait to write this until a few days after returning home so I could be realistic.  As most of you know, we went raw in April of 2016 for 21 days because I blogged about it.  The juicing and smoothies were incredibly time consuming.  This go around we are not juicing.  The “energy soup” is essentially a smoothie and what we make lasts all day.  The only prep work is the two other raw meals.  Because I came home on a Sunday night, breezed through Whole Foods, came home unpacked and cleaned up – this is not your typical week.  We are also heading to Huntsville as I write for an all-day field trip.  Luckily I made salads yesterday that we could take and I’ve packed fruits and cut veggies.  I’m sure we will grab a salad on the way home.  Doable.  A little time consuming yesterday but typically I would have more time to prepare for the week.  I’ll be posting how to manage it all as I go forward.  I may do some challenges on my facebook page so keep watch for that if you want to try this for yourself. 

I’ll continue to post about our progress.  Cliff is going to be joining me at his convenience.  One of the things I learned was “I release everyone else to their own journey” which surprisingly gives me much relief.  I can't change anybody.  Who knew?  So my brothers can find comfort in knowing I’m not coming after you!  Not yet anyway!

 This pic was significant because the first day I could barely choke down a mug of energy soup by lunch.  Here I'm downing a quart before 9 while juicing wheat grass for the class.  I got this!

 Pretty medicine from planet Earth!

 Vege Kraut.  Yea it takes a special love but it's doable.

 Sweet Julie who helped me in so many ways!

 The many beautiful people I met in this leg of my journey . Holds a special place in my ❤

And I can't forget Lacey!  She was my walking companion each night .I rented a room from her owner and she expected me to grab the leash as soon as I got home!