I am not a big fan of meat so when my husband asked me to join him in this fast, I was excited. For a while now I have been trying to win my family over to the vegetable world so to have him invite me to eat vegetables was an answer to prayer. That Sunday, I planned our dinner around the fast, or so I thought. I’ve always known that my husband was a man of very few words but I guess I underestimated just how few his words really were. When I announced that dinner was ready, he announced that we couldn’t have cooked foods, this was when I realized what I had gotten myself into. I am naturally a fruit and vegetable lover; however, I prefer to eat my vegetables cooked as opposed to raw. I also love breads and not to have any for that number of days was a big sacrifice for me. To make a long story short, this was why I started the fast later than he did.

I believe I experienced some tremendous results and this fast has altered the way I eat from now on. After the fast was official over, I still maintained the raw fruits and vegetables for a few more days. I guess I was too afraid to go back to eating the foods I did since my body felt so good.

One of the first things I observed while on the fast was that my energy level was very high. I normally go to bed between 11 and 12 at night and awake at 5AM. While on the fast, I went to bed my usual time but I found that I was getting up much earlier, more like 3:30 to 4AM and I was not tired. I later realized that it was because I was sleeping through the night and by 3:30 my body had sufficient sleep.

I suffer from arthritis and usually have to wake up several times during the night because of pain in my limbs or because of poor circulation in my arms. After a couple of days on the fast, I realized that I was not having any pains in my joints. This was amazing, we were experiencing some of the coldest days this winter and for once, my biological thermostat was broken. If nothing else came out of this fast, the fact that I was not having pains was good enough. I was sold!

Another huge benefit I experienced while on the fast had to do with my emotions. I am a family child care provider and a mother of three children. Although I count it a blessing to be doing a job that I absolutely enjoy, I cannot deny the emotional stress that comes with it. Usually by evening I am emotionally drained and physically tired and it is easy to snap for the littlest things, quite unintentionally if I may add.

Well, about the second day into the fast I noticed that I wasn’t as irritable. By the third to fourth day it was evident that my spirit was calmer and gentler and I was getting more out of my quiet time than I had in a while. There was an atmosphere of peace all around me and I was just more in tune with the Lord.

After the fast was over, I began reintroducing my regular diet very reluctantly. The first day we added canned chicken to our salad, both my husband and I realized that some thing was definitely wrong. We got up that morning very tired and with aches and pains. We believe now that it was the chemicals or preservatives that our bodies reacted to.

In addition to the benefits I’ve already mentioned, this fast has made me aware of some of the food allergies I have. My skin is very sensitive and all my life I have battle eczema. If you are familiar with this skin disorder you probably know how troubling it can be. There is no medical cure for eczema, basically you take anti-inflammatory medications to minimize or control the outbreaks. Because of this fast, I have discovered some of the foods that cause inflammation. As you know the fast purged our systems of a lot of toxins and as I began to reintroduce certain foods to my diet, I realized that I had allergic reactions to them. To date I know for certain that I am allergic to tomatoes, wheat, and eggs.