The Veggie Shelf

When I went to bed on the first night of my fast, I felt hopeful, that this time would be different, that I could fast for four or five days without issue. And I didn’t have any anxiety, which I often experience late at night. I slept well. At least I did until 6 a.m., when a wave of nausea woke me from a sound sleep. I knew immediately it was from the water fast. The same thing happened to me the three times I tried fasting at TrueNorth Health Center. I’d make it through the first 30-36 hours with no problem and then, WHAM, everything would fall apart. I felt weak, too, so much so that I couldn’t walk downstairs to the living room.  I decided to wait it out and try to go back to sleep. By noon, the queasiness had subsided to the point where I could watch a video on my tablet. But I was still very weak and stayed on the couch (finally, I could walk downstairs) most of the afternoon, sipping as much water as possible.  By 6 p.m. -- 45 hours into my fast -- the nausea returned s...

This morning, I woke up, went downstairs, and poured myself a glass of water, not unlike most mornings. But unlike most days, I won't be drinking -- or eating -- anything else. And tomorrow, I'll do the same thing, and the day after that, possibly five days in a row if I can stand it. Do I like torture? I must, right? But no, I'm not doing this to torture myself or to trigger some kind of spiritual experience, or to enact penance, or for any religious reason. No, I'm doing this to improve my health.  In 2016, my husband and I traveled to Santa Rosa, California, to stay at the world-famous TrueNorth Health Center and participate in a water fast. I first read about TrueNorth in Dr. Joel Fuhrman's book Fasting and Eating for Health . I have a history of migraine headaches and IBS and thought a short water fast might help me get rid of those troubling problems. The benefits of water fasting are many. They include lowering blood pressure, reversing many other diseases, a...