My trip to banana island…
Howdy!
7km hilly jog this morning, 20kms on the bike.
About 4kg’s oranges, 600gms of dates and a kilo of tomatoes
Today I’m going to talk about my trip to banana island…
My trip to banana island actually started off with 7 days of only melons then I switched to bananas for another 10days or so. Followed by melon and banana mono meals for another 5days and finally adding in lettuce and celery for the remaining days. In all it was a 30day adventure.
Ahh sweet juicy goodness!
What on earth motivated me to eat only bananas for several days?!?!
The idea slapped me in the face at my first rawfood picnic in Nov 06….
There was a beauty-full glowing lady at the raw picnic who was only eating mangoes and as I stuffed in my raw samosa’s and chocolate balls I quizzed her on what I thought was an unusual mango obsession. She explained that she was having a consult with Dr Doug Graham, author of the revolutionary health book ‘The 80-10-10 Diet’ and that she was only eating mangoes for two weeks! Well this just blew me away, I had never heard of such a thing!.. but this lady was obviously doing something right because she was glowing!
After the picnic I was feeling mega-inspired but I must say pain was my biggest motivator... I was suffering from bad candida outbreaks in the form of acne, also blurred vision, UTI’s, cracked mouth corners and severe digestive distress. I had already received minor improvements in these areas due to recently cutting out all animal products and grains but still I was suffering. Just the week before I had visited a Gastroenterologist regarding my digestive ‘condition’, he charged me about $250 for 15mins and after an endoscopy told me I had ‘inflamation of the gut’ but not to worry because there was a new drug hitting the market soon from the US that would ‘fix it up’…you can imagine my disappointment at this ‘diagnosis’.
4kg orange lunch
As soon as I could I booked a consult with Dr Doug and got started. I had access to a lot of rockmelons/cantaloupes so I decided to start on them. Within a couple of days I was feeling great, within a week I was feeling amazing! I was finding it challenging to get enough calories from just melons so I switched to bananas and then the magic really began…
My mild but persistent acne (that I had for years) started to dissolve back into my skin, within the month my was skin cleared up completely (except a little scarring on my shoulders). Within the first week my digestion was perfect and odourless. I could finally focus on my tasks clearly for hours on end and my urinary tract infections and cracked mouth corners miraculously went! But was it that miraculous?
Not really, it’s just the body doing its thing. When we finally get out of the bodies way by eating our biologically designed diet then our true healthy self begins to emerge. Our bodies are self-healing organisms that are constantly cleaning up after us. When in a state of dis-ease, most people do not realize they have brought it upon themselves by their poor diet and lifestyle.
Why eat only one fruit for several days?
It is a very ‘freeing’ experience for the bodymind. The energy that would’ve once gone to digesting heavy foods and complicated combinations or even some fruit meals can now head towards the appropriate areas of need within the body, healing them at rapid speed. Digestion is the most energy-demanding task the body has to perform, ofcourse how much energy goes to your digestive system depends on many factors, the biggest being what you eat. Fruit is the ideal food, you can read all about the goodness of fruit here.
My Results…
This is part of an email I sent to Dr Doug at the end of our consult in Feb 07
* I have experienced more energy than ever in my life this past month
* My skin hasn’t been this clear since I was 10
* The whites of my eyes are actually white!
* My skin is sooo smooth!
* My body looks better than it ever has
* My digestion has improved out of site
* Stomach is almost washboard!!
* I’m more drawn to the sun these days and I love it!
* My nails are stronger
Things to consider before visiting mono-fruit island (MFI) paradise:
* How you are going to eat after MFI? – if you go back to unhealthy eating habits, all your old symptoms will return.
* Being stable on a high carb raw vegan lifestyle before going on mono-fruit island will increase your chances of long term raw success because generally what peeps eat before the island will be what they eat after the island.
* I don’t advise you visit MFI just for weightloss reasons because if you go back to your old way of living that caused the weightgain then the fat will return, a sustainable HCRV plan is needed.
* Make sure you always have ripe fruit or else you will get ravenous and eat whatever is closest.
* Ensure you go to cronometer.com and work out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight and aim for this with your favourite fruit.
* Keep your water intake up, make sure your pee is always clear, this will ensure optimal results from your trip to the island.
* Start a challenge with your raw friends, get a group together and support eachother throughout your stay.
* During your trip away educate yourself on basic physiology and make sure you are reading ‘ The 80-10-10 Diet’ because this lifestyle should be the goal for when you come off the island (that’s if you want to continue feeling vital)
* Avoid telling mainstream peeps about your holiday to the island until it’s over, others opinions may affect your determination
* Plan your trip in detail before starting, write a list of your goals for going to MFI, this will give your subconscious mind a clear objective goal to work towards, visualise how amazing you are going to feel, see yourself all happy and healthy in your mind’s eye.
* Factor in daily exercise, earn your meal but listen to your body if you need rest, take time out whenever needed.
* Prioritise nude sunbaking, this will speed up elimination and also sooth your soul 
Typical ‘conditions’ that the body is able to overcome (or BEGIN to) on fruit island..
* Chronic fatigue/Adrenal fatigue
* Acne/skin problems
* Blood sugar conditions such as diabetes and candida
* Depression/mental disharmony
* Hormonal disturbances
* Weight problems (although focusing on this is not recommended)
* Digestive conditions
* Sinus and mucus problems
* Eating Disorders
& many more…
More about banana island here…
My personal mono-island adventures…
* 12 days on mangoes
* 10 days on bananas
* 30 days on mono meals of mango and watermelon only
* 8days on melons
* 5 or more days on banana smoothies (banana, celery and water)
I now mentor people on Mono-fruit island so if you are struggling to find the motivation or are confused about how to go about it then feel free to contact me on gimmefruit@gmail.com
Have a fruity day X
Celery-lova
Hi Freelee,
Thanks for posting your experiences eating mono meals! Today I’m starting on tangerines!
They’re so tasty now (so tasty that no other fruit interests me right now).
Love,
Karmyn
thanks Karmyn
Mmmm tangerines are yummy! Are you only eating Tangerines? For how long?
Great post freelee!
What was your favourite Island?
xxx
hey girl! Wow that’s a tough question…favourite is a toss up between mango and banana smoothie island
Thank you So much for this perfect blogg today.
Beautiful!
Love n light your way
Ahh my pleasure lovely lady! Glad you enjoyed
Hey, so glad I found your great blog….only just getting my way around 30Baday….I am day 2 on banana Island and feeling a mix of things. I think I would love some support going through this, (I have been around 2 weeks on 811 before BI and about 11/2 year on hifat raw prior to that. Thanks SO MUCH for your presence, be in touch x
I am down in Lismore, and I think I remember you being at a raw picnic that my family and I were also at, in Brunswick Heads about a year or so ago.
cool I’m so glad my blog is helping you on your journey! how is your banana islanding going? Cool yes I think i was at that picnic, geez i’ve really
Nice to have you pop in x
come a long way since then
I saw this site of you, and me been a runner from way back and now starting to get back in to it again, at the age of 45 with a little bit of meat on me i still run a 10 k 45min and seen what you look like you do makes me want to keep running more and more i love what you eat and you look fantastic. keep the spirt girl. Carmelo
wow thats awesome!! I hope to be doing 45mins soon
Thanks for the inspiration
I love the info on your mono island adventures. I am trying very hard to start up and see it through – I really want to see myself living a completely different life in a new healthy body a year from now! Will be turning 25 this fall – starting to focus more on visualization and getting myself mentally prepared. Sometimes I wonder if I’m afraid to succeed? I have a hard time sticking onto LFRV…right about the time I start to make progress I somehow find a way to sabotage myself! ugh! Anyway, working on making a stronger mental plan and surrounding myself with positive people and helpful info – Thank you for this blog! Cheers!
Amanda xx (:
Im so glad my blog is assisting you! The biggest thing is getting the calories in, I find this lifestyle easy when im eating enough sweet fruits like banana and dates otherwise its a daily challenge. You must be prepared with ripe fruit on hand always. You should join us on banana island on 30BaD, Im on day 5, its awesome
Hey nice to have you with us on banana island! I would love it if you could repost these questions on that thread and then I can answer in detail, not really enough room here
See you there X
Hi there,
I’m curious how many nanners you eat a day when on banana island? I’m up to 10 a day now but I’m also eating other fruits.
hey babe
) I would eat generally between 25-40 at the time, 25 was NOT enough though and I ended up being ravenous.
Wow : D
So at least 3500 calories. Good to know. For a few days I did mainly bananas, oranges, and pineapple. My skin cleared up even more than it was. Fruit is so powerful~
is there calorie restrictions been enjoying like tons fruit without calorie watching, did before butnow just enjoying alot. i want to also try the banana island would having alot be bad for me i want t keep my weight same and enjoy 30 banans or more if hungry a day but i do work out like not alot like 12 minutes but not like too hard will it still be ok for me?
hey!
Thanks for an inspiring blog post. Been trying to go with 80/10/10 for 1.5 months, and my skin haven’t been as bad as this in a looong time.. I don’t know what I might be doing wrong with 80/10/10, might be that I’m not monomealing, or certain kind of fruits make me allergic? After getting “off the wagon” during a 2-day binge in heavy food and alcohol, now, I’m going to do this bananathing you’re talking about. I love bananas, and I can easily live on bananas.. Long before reading about mono dieting I heard about a man they called “banana man” in his home town, who lived for years on bananas, and he was really strong and healthy.. I think this is what I’ve been looking for when it comes to food.. Going back to standard food is not an option, it feels meaningless every time I take a plunge back into those habits..
It’s all about getting sufficient calories from fruit, exercising, enjoying the sunshine, staying hydrated and being patient with your skin. It will get better trust me, I used to have acne.
Come onto 30bananasaday.com and we will help you out!
To understand why I want to go on the island, I should first tell you that my situation is probably very close to yours, as I have a Candida overgrowth that my doctor can’t seem to handle. My dermatologist (I have had severe acne problems for 4 or 5 years now, with cysts and scars) prescribed accutane to me for 7 months. Of course he didn’t tell me I had the choice of going on a diet and improve my skin. Not only did this destroy my health, but I still have problems with my cystic acne.
My Candida is either bad or worse and it’s taken hold of me! I cannot focus more than 2 minutes on a task, my mind wonders off into wherever, sometimes I realize I don’t even think of something in particular. It’s like my mind STOPS working! I don’t even want to think about the leaky gut syndrome and of course I have vaginal itchiness. My boyfriend is a saint for having put up with me all this time.
On to the point: I REALLY want to go on the islaaaaand, but I’m not sure if I should start off with bananas, given the high sugar content. If you think it’s not a problem, then I will be off on the trip. If you had started off with bananas on your first mono week too, I wouldn’t have written to you right now.
My question is: is there any reason why you started off with cantaloupe? I would do this too, but they aren’t in season here where I live, nothing is much, we just have some apples grown in solars but that’s about it concerning fruit, until next month or so. I can start off eating apples if why you started off with cantaloupes was because of the high sugar content of bananas. If not, I’d go straight to bananas!
THANK YOU for being here and supporting all of us newbies. THANK YOU for taking the time to read this comment, and THANK YOU for taking the time to answer it, as well. Thank you.
PS: I’m sorry for the length of this comment. Also, I’m sorry for any writing mistakes that might have occurred, as English is not my primary language.
HUGS!
Hi Marla,
Banana Island is excellent for beginners. You don’t really need to be worried about sugar content, just calorie content.
To succeed you need to be getting enough calories (think 2500-3000 a day). Bananas are pretty much the cheapest and easiest way to get those calories in! One banana is worth about 100 calories so aim for 30 a day. If you don’t, you will want to eat all sorts of junk foods to make up for the difference between what you’re getting and what the body needs.
If you find yourself craving other foods, you need to eat more. Simple. Take care and enjoy your mono island!
Awesome! I would totally do this but I do not have enough of one fruit at any given moment to do so, and my mom would worry too much (she is already freaked out about vegan, let alone raw, let along LFRV, let *alone* doing one fruit or a fast)…but in the future I am so doing a MAMEY ISLAND FEAST! Or orange juice. Seems like people do that one for a bit always, like in the summer. Or grapes, grapes would be good. Anyway, love ya Freelee!
Ooh just saw this sorry Brian! Mamey island feast eh? Sounds yummo! Grapes are good but bananas truly are queen for mono island. By the way my confidence video
was not made because of what you said to me! I’ve been wanting to make it for ages x
Freelee, I’m inspired by your transformation and by this more simple, natural way of eating. I’ve joined 30BaD (VeganPhoenix) and hope to be friends. You’re 100% rawsome. Thanks for what you do.