Day 20

I can't believe it's already day 20! I'm pleasantly surprised I've made it this long without solid foods. Now I'm someone who used to eat chicken tenders and french fries daily and could easily clean out any greasy buffet restaurant. The ironic thing is that I feel more satisfied on this juice feast than I ever have in my days of eating. You know how it is. You eat a big meal and an hour later you are inevitably looking for something to satisfy that inner need for something more. I'm convinced it's because we eat such devitalized and demineralized food that our body just keeps looking for what we aren't giving it... real nutrition! Although I'm not eating anything I'm giving my body nutrient dense live food juices. On top of that I'm consuming enough blue green algaes, spirulina, kelp and hemp oil to more than meet my protein and nutrient requirements. This is the most whole, natural state nutrition I have ever consumed, and I don't even have to digest it!

Now that I've established that I'm thriving on day 20, let me talk a little about my poo. That's right, my bowel movements. With the exception of a few days I've had significant bowel movements everyday. How could this possibly be?! I'm not eating anything. Here's a scientific explanation that may give you some good insights into what's actually going on with this whole juice feasting idea. So what exactly am I pooping?
Old cells: Our bodies are much like a candle flame, we are constantly cycling through new cells, replacing the old dead ones with new ones. Your skin is constantly rejenerating itself and sloughing off the old cells. In much the same way the walls of your intestines are sloughing off in an act of renewal. So are your blood cells and basically all of your other organs, although each at its own pace. This is where the saying "You are what you eat" takes on a very real meaning. In addition to dead cells, your body dumps metabolic wastes processed by your liver into your intestines.
Old, impacted fecal matter: Those of us who grew up on a typical western diet likely have lots of old fecal matter hung up in our colon and small intestines because of our lack of fiber intake. You can only get fiber from raw plant foods. I have done significant cleansing simply by transitioning to a raw diet, but even I have some old karmas (in this case poop) to release from my small intestine. The good thing is that I can feel it shifting and beginning to release. Such is the power of giving the digestive system a nice long break. Self intestinal massage helps too (see upcoming yoga video).
Gut Microbes: The gut is home to more microbes than cells in your body. They literally act as a functional organ, helping you digest food, modulating your immune system and keeping your gut healthy. Many people take probiotic supplements to make sure they have the good guys living in their belly. Equal importance should be put on the food you are putting in your body because this is what feeds and ultimately determines the ecology of this microbial ecosystem. These microbes don't live long and add a significant weight to your daily poop.
The stuff in my juice: Have you ever seen a kale leaf. With thick, deep green leaves kale cells are packed with nutrition and protein. The juices I'm drinking are thick and rich; some of it's bound to make it to the other end of my inner tube of life.

At times my poop has been normal, sometimes a bit watery and a few times old and hard (with a milky white covering). I can tell when I need to eliminate because I go from feeling light and empty to a bit bloated and gassy. If my eliminate doesn't come soon I take cascara sagrada with lots of water, do yogasanas that aid in elimination, manually massage my intestines, and if none of that works I give myself an enema. The sooner I get it out of me the better I feel really. It makes sense considering poo is old cellular waste.

We all should pay more attention to our bowel function because it's directly linked to our physical and emotional health.

Wishing your a happy poo,
Blair