117 hours. Drinking a glass of grapefruit juice.

Let me tell you. This is the best glass of juice I’ve ever enjoyed. I previously didn’t even like grapefruit juice. Obviously hunger tends to make everything taste better, but there’s something more at work here. A fast rids the body of entrenched toxins, as you already know, and some of those toxins dull your senses. The reason people crave unhealthy food is because they are addicted to it physically. Yep. The same way they are addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, and whatever other drugs they consume.

In a sense I’m breaking the fast as I’m diverting from my water-only regimen that I’ve been undertaking for the past week. This is an important first step as the body’s digestive system needs a jolt to get it started, but nothing solid or heavy that would bog it down. Think of it as a sink drain. If you throw watermelon seeds down it, one by one with the tap on, they will pass into the sewer easily. If you drop a whole clump of them in there, it will clog the drain and even your disposal will have a hard time chewing them up. In fact, an inactive digestive system is analogous to a sink drain without a disposal. You need to power the thing back up again before you can process these solids. The introduction of nutrients without solid mass into the body will prime the digestive process, and the follow-up of simple, fibrous foods will get it going in earnest.

One thing that is a fact about fasting is that your body is cleaner afterward. Because of this, all of its pores, nooks, and crannies are empty and more accepting of whatever is introduced to them. For this reason, the utmost caution is required in re-filling those spaces. Before you even think of taking on rich foods (as I am longing for right now), you must first re-introduce good healthy foods. One thing I have read is that the digestive system best handles a single type of food at a time. In everyday life this is impractical but for the first day (or more, depending on how long you went) it is absolutely essential. The body has a different way of processing each food that comes into it. If you put two types of food in at once, it must work harder to produce two separate digestive solutions. For a digestive system that has been in hibernation for several days, that will prove an untenable situation.

My regimen for breaking the fast is as follows. At around 5:30, I drank a glass of peppermint teasan (tea without tea). At 6:45 or so, I began drinking the first glass of grapefruit juice slowly. I drank a second several minutes later. Some might advise that this is too much, but since I’ve only gone 5 days, it’s not too much. I wanted more, but I knew it was a bad idea, so I waited an hour, and am now drinking another glass. Within two hours I will move on to an apple. My hope is by the time I go to sleep I can have some yogurt, but if I can’t, well then so be it.

Tomorrow, I would have loved to gorge myself, but for the reasons I mentioned above, that isn’t going to happen. I’ll be sure to eat yogurt, maybe a small amount of granola, more fruit, and maybe a salad, but since dressing contains fermented, glutinous, acidic vinegar, I need to see if that’s cool to do so early on.

Besides the cleansing, detoxification, and healing the body does during fasting, there is another benefit of reduced dependency on fats, salts, and sugar. As I mentioned before, those things should most certainly be enjoyed, however in moderation. Most of us do not enjoy them in moderation, though, but feast on them whenever possible. Therein lies the difference between simple enjoyment and addiction. When you are wolfing down a bacon cheeseburger with fries, ranch dressing, and onion rings, are you doing it because you want to enjoy the variety of rich, vibrant flavors present, or because you feel a physical craving? Fulfill your physical desire for sustenance with healthy, nutritious, and wholesome foods, and fulfill your mental desire for sumptuous taste with occasional treats.

If you know you love good food, but also feel that your love may be turning into an infatuation, consider a fast to simply break that infatuation. Of course, it’s also good to evaluate your diet and see where you can make it healthier without sacrifices in enjoyment. The crazies will have you believe the only acceptable way to make your diet healthier is to go raw, go vegan, or even only eat things that fall from trees. Fuck them. Fuck them hard. I said before you should seek to add rather than subtract from your diet. How many healthy foods out there do you not eat simply because you haven’t taken the time to enjoy them? Some of us, myself included, have very sensitive tastebuds and are pickier than others in what we will eat (and fasting definitely won’t help that!). In such cases it’s a matter of continuing the search until you do find healthier things. As opposed to eating meat every day, try alternatives such as seitan, which when seasoned and sauced right, is a dead-ringer for chicken, or even fried or grilled eggplant. The best foods are those that offer heartiness, nutrition, and taste all at once. And for the love of God, swap out as many foods as possible for organic. Other than cost, you make no sacrifices.

In short, I am happy to be the guinea pig for all your benefit, provided at least some of you will listen to me. I damn well better not be preaching to an empty house.