Day 1 of Mini-Juice Feast...!

Yes, so I was feeling it....
feeling like I needed a little digestive re-charge...
a little re-connection with what I'm putting in my body....

I had fallen into a bit of a rut...where I was getting little to no variety in my diet. Every morning was a warm (bordering on hot) smoothie of raw cacao, raw mesquite, 1 - 2 bananas, cayenne, sometimes cardammom, and then a spoon of tahini or honey or something to sweeten it.

I was doing a lot of smoothies -- or more like it, a lot of bananas -- I started worrying about getting too much sugar. I was having salads - but more occasionally - there was no juice to be seen in my diet -- and no green smoothies. I was snacking a lot -- namely ample amounts of heaping spoonfulls of nut and seed butters.....I was craving nuts...and couldn't really control my intake...I downed a small jar of raw cashew butter for dinner last week...and had even eaten a jar of peanut butter (organic, but not raw) over the course of a day-and-a-half. I wasn't feeling very on it. And I was putting on weight...albeit, everyone around me was saying things like 'you look really vibrant, Bronwyn' and 'you look so healthy'. I felt healthy...except I knew I could feel healthier...I had before. I recognized the pattern and rut. And so I am now addressing it!

We spent the weekend on Lasqueti...where I was able to re-connect with the sensation of having dirt under my fingernails. First stop: we went to a friend's yard and gathered a big bag of King apples, and before leaving, I picked a big bag of kale and greens that were getting tough (yet perfect for juicing) and brought them home --

Yay! Juice --

So today was DAY 1 of an impromptu juice feast...plus got a B12 shot today!
Feeling good -

How long will I go? Not sure....at least today....likely a few!

Keep me posted on how you all are doing out there!

Cheers,
Bronwyn

(The photo was taken on Lasqueti at the end of August!)

Happy Hallowe'en -- and the joys of B12!

A Happy Hallowe'en to all you out there -- even though the acutely politically and socially aware side of me has some reservations about the appropriated holiday and the associated connotations that come with that (and the fact that Witches were most usually just powerful healers....I could go on...strong women!) AND how now the holiday has turned into a Nestle-sugar fest. I find I'm pining for the days when people, not Walmart made their costumes......
so I am happy to report that my wee girl is out trick-or-treating in my old grade 3, hand-made costume! And....I'm not handing out raw treats...but they are Organic!

So, my big news being that I discovered the miraculous and utterly fabulous effects of receiving a B12 injection!

My levels had fallen low - super low to the point where my mental and rational stability was being affected! I went to my doctor, got a jab and literally within 30 seconds (i kid you not!) - felt the effects! - anxiety lifted...!!!

I had a follow-up a month later...and will now return for one every 2 weeks to month!

As I've been asking around, I've come across many meat eaters I know who get routine shots too! SO IT COMES WELL RECOMMENDED BY ME --

I recommended to a friend to get one...he came up and kissed me with thanks -- it changed his life...and that is how I feel!

DO IT UP!

Island hopping - raw style!

It's been awhile! Yes, it has...so, I figured it best to touch base with an update....

I'm back from our summer on the wee dot of off-the-grid land of Lasqueti Island, where we are building a larger home to return to full time in a few years. But while we returned to the roughing-it lifestyle, we were able to live in our cabin, while Paddy (partner extraordinaire) worked at building our future new home, overlooking the ocean, and brought it to lock-up!
It was a summer of collecting our drinking water from a hole in the ground...a natural spring...as in the photo above, where I am pouring the water into a large jug!

(The house to lock-up! -- with the back tower of studios!)
I gardenned - making fresh salads of kale and lettuce, sorrel and chives, parsley and basil...generally topped with an oil and apple cider vinegar and raw tahini and Braggs dressing...and sunflower seeds. Mornings was a raw cacao smoothie - with bananas, agave, cayenne, cardammon and warm/hot water...delicious! Had only a couple green smoothies -- would have done me good to have a few more...but I got addicted to the cacao! I found out that my B12 levels are really low...and so I am planning on getting a B12 injection to bring it up, and then support it staying up with sublingual B12 supplements.

Summer was glorious...and I've landed back here in Victoria somewhat abruptly...landing hard and with resistance...i loved having dirt under my fingernails while on Lasqueti....but now am back to school in one week...but that should be good hopefully too.

Came back to Victoria and headed straight to Café Bliss...I went to a raw food café called Rawthentic in Qualicum Beach a couple times too...quite nice.....

My wee daughter broke her wrist this summer....but all in all the summer was tremendous and we have a house to lock-up to show for it...and holes for fruit trees to be planted in -- just need the fencing!

Keep in contact -- I so appreciate and love receiving updates from you all!

Rawkin' rawsome,
Bronwyn

(our cabin -- in which I birthed my daughter - and where we stay while on Lasqueti...right near where we're building the house!)

PROTEIN LEVELS -- can't believe I forgot to mention this!

Oh! my -- can't believe I forgot to mention this amazing happening ---

when in Michigan, they took my blood, and I got the results. I asked for my blood results from when I was first admitted ---

and one must remember that when I was first admitted, I was eating a lot of meant (because people were preparing it for me...and I could eat it!) --

but interestingly enough....my protein levels now, after one year of being raw, are higher than they've ever been!

Proof is the diet! Proof is in the Greens!

Oh! and last night I had the pleasure to go hear Victoria and Valya Boutenko speak -- and yes, right now I am sipping on a green smoothie...complete with freshly wildcrafted nettles!

Homeward bound flight saga...and finding raw in the airport!

Yesterday I left Ann Arbor, Michigan and took a shuttle to Detroit. I had my liquids packed in a bag that would get checked: my apple cider vinegar, oil, etc. --

no problem.

got on my plane in detroit. it left late. and there were storms in denver, where i was to go, and then vancouver, then finally victoria.

but i missed my connection to vancouver from denver, due to our lateness and a snow storm. so they put me up in the marriott hotel with a meal voucher. I was able to get a salad which was a welcome change from the bananas i'd been eating all day and other fruit...

so this morning, up at the crack of dawn, with the intention to board a redirected flight to san franciso then direct back to victoria. sounded good. and the king size bed was fabulous. i thought that i'd have a soaker bath, but i was given a disabled room (coincidentally), so no bath, a big wheelchair accessible hospital-like shower...so no luck...

but up at 5:00 am and shuttle back to the denver airport...and then onto the plane bound for san fran...here's how it went:

this morning was hilarious -- all we could all do on board was laugh -

they rushed us all on board so we could get off in time...we're about to be pushed off, and the push-tug broke -- so they needed to bring in another one -- so off we go -- then we need de-icing -- oh! and then they realize that none of the essential air conditioning systems within the cabin are working -- so finally back to the gate -- huge plane -- the flight attendants weren't sure of anything - they gave out the number if you wanted to de-plane and re-book...so I deplaned, just to see if they could re-route me -- so a big run down to customer service, because by this time i'd be too late for the sf connection to vic -- they said to get back on and wait and see....so back i go..to the back of the plane, get settled back in, and then they announce for everyone to get off cause they couldn't use this plane...but they didn't know what to do with...and then because of the baggage they weren't actually letting some people re-route even if they had re-routed them with a new official ticket...so we hang...then they found another plane..so we all rushed down to another gate...got on...by this time three of us in the back were the best of buds...and hanging with the flight attendants...one of them even got me an organic herbal tea from his own private stash...we were having a ball, because what else could we do...so sf finally...and a flight direct to vic tonight, arriving 9:17...hopefully my bag does too...because apparently denver only routed it to vancouver...but apparently it did make it to sf.

So my joke right now is that I could poop pout potassium pills from the amount of bananas i've consumed -- found a couple green salads and chose the balsamic vinagrettes ---

so a couple more hours to go before this next planned flight --

all i want is a smoothie!

Ciao!
Bronwyn

Greetings from U of M hospital (not a bad thing!!!)

Hello, hello!

Well, yes...here I am, writing from my hospital room at the University of Michigan...where I am year for my two-year follow-up visit for my Wilson's Disease protocol I was/am a part of.

When I was here last, I was on my 2008 Global Juice Feast -- as many of you read, if you've been following, this was met with surprise, disbelief, questions and support from my medical team at that point.

When I came in yesterday (I leave tomorrow), some people were absolutely shocked by my weight loss -- I was 30 pounds less than my last visit, but about 50 pounds lighter than when I started the juice feast. People said I looked great...but some, especially the dietitians were highly concerned, and I spent my morning essentially defending my weight (I weighed in at 102.5 pounds -- less than normal as I hadn't eaten much while in transit) --

Technically I am considered underweight -- I find this designation hard to believe since I feel very healthy, and I carry my weight around my mid section. The main dietitian was so concerned that she managed to get me a $500 DEXA bone density scan for free -- this machine measures your soft tissue masses, your bone density, your % of body fat, etc. and prints out a full body skeletal image of your body -- so, so, so very trippy.

It alieved some of the dietitians fears...but needless to say she thinks I'm a wing-nut.

On the other hand, the nurses are a different story. My night nurse just told me that after I left last year, she did smoothies for two weeks -- a heavy-set woman with IBS (Irritable Bowel syndrome) -- she was not doing enemas, got seriously constipated and was in so much pain. But she was so supportive of me eating raw, and said she would like to too. She had injured her knee and was eager to try my suggestions of MSM. Lovely, open woman. The head admitting secretary is also going to borrow a book from me tonight, eager to get tips...anticipating this, and requiring back up supporting material, I brought Victoria Boutenko's "Green for Life" and Gabriel Cousen's "Conscious Eating".

But the ultimate word came from my overseeing doctor who said "I'm not concerned about your weight." He went on to say that as long as I wasn't fluctuating all over the place, possibly releasing copper while doing so, I was fine.

Thank you.

Have received great feedback neurologically, from speech pathology...my lab numbers look great...just waiting for my copper specific results to come back

One Year Reunion Video!