My husband & I completed our 7 food fast about 3 weeks ago now. If you happened on to the blog & started reading my daily posts, I apologize for suddenly ending them. It just got to be too much to blog every day with the kids around. Try writing deep thoughts & more profound truths when the 4 littles are in the background or you're just simply exhausted.
So, how did it go?
Not as bad as I thought. The first 2 weeks were the most difficult - coming down off sugar & caffeine along with some pre-menstrual hormone garbage - I would just be plain mad that I couldn't have chocolate. Mainly chocolate.
The last 2 weeks + odd days weren't so bad. After 'cleansing' the system, I was doing well sticking to our list of 7 foods/categories. We went to a handful of other gatherings & ate what was there. J & I felt very strongly that we shouldn't be placing our burden of 7 on other people. It was between us & God, not our hosts & God.
And then we were especially careful when his mom & stepfather visited. I ate sweet rolls because we didn't want to deal with the questions & doubt & criticism. It would have taken away from their time with the kids (& driven me crazy) b/c it's all she would have focused on.
What did I take away?
After 4 weeks of almost no sugar, complete absence of caffeine & little variety, I felt more energetic & healthier.
Meal planning & grocery shopping were easier & faster! You may not have heard this before, but I "shopped the edges." It refers to just shopping the edges of the grocery store - produce, dairy, meat & bakery departments that are always on the edges. The only exception is running to the interior to pick up dried or canned beans and the occasional snack for the kids (like goldfish).
Meal planning was a snap. I didn't have to think about seasonings. It was always salt & pepper. Our protein was always chicken or beans or both. We ate whatever veggies came in our box & truly did enjoy them! We feasted on fresh berries & cherries . . . oh & when the fresh fruit truck came to our area with boxes of ripe-picked peaches . . . OH!! There were days when I ate 4-5 delicious Georgia peaches!!
I felt good about what I was eating.
But what I didn't expect was this enormous weight off my shoulders. I didn't realize the guilt that I carried around all the time because I would be eating . . . 'garbage' - sweets, fat-laden deliciousness or processed goodness filled with preservative. It must have been so consistently there for so long that I just didn't notice the weight. My body & brain slowly changed it's homeostasis to include this burden as normal.
The aftermath?
I'm purchasing more produce & whole foods. I'm cooking with more whole foods. I'm eating less (close to zero) processed (though the leader VBS snacks are going send me into a 7 tailspin!). I'm sticking with baking my own fresh ground, whole wheat bread. I'm eating less sugar, drinking less caffeine. Right now I'm having a cup of half-caff, determined that I will not go back to full caff. Unfortunately, I see it a necessary evil to combat the drowsiness from my allergy medicine since Ragweed season is just beginning.
But I'm going to be praying about all of this.
In hindsight, I'm so thankful for my fast. I hope that I always remember what the Lord taught me. I don't want to be filling my temple with junk. I don't want to be carrying around guilt. And I don't think He wants me to either.
Just thinking about how my kids will be eating & living . . . making better choices & in greater freedom.
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