Can a Grape Fast Regenerate Your Mind and Body in Just 40 Days?
- Verity Anderson
- Feb 18, 2024
- 5 min read
My experience...
STROPPING out of the supermarket, HANGRY, uncharacteristically irritated – appalled even, animatedly w h i n g i n g on the phone like a brat because....wait for it...
‘They substituted my order with unseeeeeeeded grapes, and THEY'RE NOT EVEN ORGANIC!’
PAUSE.
Erm…I do not recognise this person….We could never be friends….When did this happen to you gurl?! And, what in the world led ME to this point…
Cue Leon Marshall’s '40-day Fruit Regeneration Program', with introductions to Johanna Brandt’s The Grape Cure and the research of renowned herbalist Dr. Sebi and ethical raw food, health and wellness educator Dr. Aris LaTham.
SO…
Bougie-bitch mode activated….
WHY and was it worth it?
Read on my friends…
There comes a moment, particularly between Christmas festivities and the New Year, when we tend to take stock of life…
Am I where I should be right now?
What did I actually achieve last year?
Where do I want to be?
Will 2024 be MY year….?
I was looking and feeling rather bleurghhhh and was ready for something new. All or nothing, pretty much sums me up, so I was perfectly poised to embark on Leon’s program. The next forty days would be spent eating red/black seeded grapes, preferably organic, every two hours from 8am to 8pm in an effort to 'regenerate every cell in my body'.
I now truly appreciate the difference between simple and easy.
Cue the oxymorons: Simple but hard, hard but easy, exciting but boring, agitating but relaxing - all whilst feeling balanced with erm... zero balance...
As you may already have figured, for me, this program was a lot of things; 10% physical endurance, 30% mental agility and 60% good ol' fashioned grit!
I started the grape feast on 1st of January 2024, good health thankfully, however a little fluffy…cuddly… OK fat.
My weakness, food. I am not a particularly emotional eater, I eat because…Heck, I like the taste.
I’m pretty happy whatever size I am, however, I LOVE walking and exploring the great outdoors, and figured I would enjoy these walks EVEN more if I wasn’t carrying an excess 30lb. ‘bodyweight rucksack’ with me EVERYWHERE…
No brainer right?
Leon corralled a group of around one hundred likeminded people, eager to refresh and rejuvenate their cells. I usually avoid large WhatsApp group chats, due to the dreaded dramas, inevitable egos, suspicious spam and nonsensical nonsense. I hovered over the ‘mute notifications’ button, then realised, message by message, that I should perhaps be less hasty... The clincher was some timely wisdom, care and support sent to a flagging fellow ‘Grape-Feaster’ which concluded:
‘We run tings, tings nuh run we’
Or to paraphrase…‘TAKE CHARGE Sweetie’ Yup. Perhaps I was indeed in the right place; the sentiment of love and appreciation for this EXCEPTIONAL group of individuals endured; in fact I could not have made it through without Leon and the group's support and supplementary information, not to mention my personal cheerleader (AKA mum).
A few snapshot moments taken from my diary:
Day 2: Treated myself to some fancy-dancy glass containers today…Disappointed - gorgeous but TOO HEAVY; decided to invest in a rucksack and lightweight, BPA free plastic straining containers (solid bases = soggy swollen grapes which continue to absorb bland standing water...)
Day 3: Trudged the streets looking for the right type of organic seeded grapes (more difficult to find than I realised), dull headache, mouth tasted like a weirdo's, cold, FED UP – epiphany moment ‘keep looking missy, make the effort for yourself, THIS is a true act of love and self-care’
Day 5: Barely any period pains! We’ve gone from a solid nine to a one on the pain scale – shock and elation – spurred on!
Day 7: Aforementioned supermarket meltdown. Let’s not talk about it...
Day 12: Clicking joints silenced, vivid dreams, d e e p restful sleep
My perceptions began to alter….
Day 15: McDonalds Uber Eats notification pinged up stating ‘I deserve it’…. why does this now look more like a threat… NOPE…. I deserve BETTER actually
Day 19: Dry, hyper-pigmented patch on right hand and wrist...invest in shea butter...and gloves
Day 20: Sense of smell wickedly good.. exhaust fumes, perfumes, cigarettes, bad breath, particularly offensive. Cooking smells particularly enticing. Great....
Day 21: Resisting the urge to weigh myself…However, I FEEL the difference; energy levels - unbelievable!
Days 22-39: WHIZZED BY...this lifestyle is now a habit, or better put, I'm on AUTOPILOT - dare I say finding it... easy?!
I shared everything with the group except my secret little crutch, I was unsure whether my freakish foible would be a help, or a hindrance to others? I was also a little embarrassed to be completely honest. I had been watching YouTube Mukbangs back-to-back like it was Luther, Scandal or Game of Thrones… To the normal folk reading this who don’t already know…Mukbangs are basically channels where youtubers eat a meal on camera. I was watching the fattiest fast food meals being devoured on screen and it was somehow HELPING me... Vicariously eating via someone else I guess? The weird thing was, these people were eating sloppy burgers and meat covered pizzas etc. though I have been veggie for over ten years and have absolutely no intention of eating meat. I do not know or understand the psychology, all I know is it worked for me, and that was enough.
Zoom meetings came at timely intervals, Leon’s advice was comprehensive, educative and accessible, and I feel everyone was made to feel welcome, supported and at ease. Leon would keep reminding the group that:
'Science is simple'
and...
‘It’s about evidence, with [our] RESULTS being the evidence'
With naysayers in one ear saying ‘you can’t possibly survive on grapes for forty days’, group testimonials of: lowered blood pressure, extraordinary brain power, reduced gym recovery time, increased energy and vitality, improved vision, weight (waste) loss, etc. paired with Zoom meetings led by Leon (who was doing the program again with us, has an academic background in the sciences AND also looks like ‘glowing health’ personified), I never doubted the process.
Day 40:
I survived! HAH ✅
Weight (waste) loss: 29lbs and 2 dress sizes down ✅
Memory: revitalised ✅
Thought processes: supercharged ✅
Mood: A1✅
Energy: through the roof! ✅
Sleep: deep and restful ✅
Gym performance: personal bests all round ✅
DREADED period pains: negligible, no need for painkillers! ✅
Skin: glowing (so I was told), zero stretch marks, or loose skin ✅
Boobs: no shrinkage...whoop whoop! ✅
Cravings: a huge salad with olives, cherry tomatoes and avocados…(is this really me?) ✅
New Year’s resolution: ACHIEVED! ✅
I mean WHAT?!
Just think, how many pharmaceuticals and expensive lotions and potions would have been suggested, in order to mimic these NATURALLY achieved wonders...
Placebo some may say... RESULTS...my reply.
Practical tips:
Buy more grapes than you think you’ll need
Wash produce in bicarbonate of soda and then Apple Cider vinegar to remove most/all of the nasties
Invest in cocktail sticks, useful when out and unable to wash hands thoroughly
Frequent international stores for seeded grapes
After note - I am now embarking on an additional 20 days, then a gradual transition into a wide range of raw / vegan / wholefoods under the skilful guidance of Leon; I will post an update once I have fully transitioned.
Disclaimer: I am not a health professional, please do your own research.
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