Jim:
I recently completed my third 10 water only fast. The previous one I did was 13 years ago. Here are some observations.
1) While the first two times I did a 10 day water fast the hunger disappeared in 3 days, this time, it took 8 days for the hunger pangs to stop.
2) I was much more sensitive to cold temperatures. Bear that in mind and take appropriate measures.
3) Adding a little salt to the water I was drinking helped significantly with the lightheadedness and tendency to get faint when rising.
4) A colonic cleansing on day 3 (you could simply do a few enemas) helped a great deal as I was no longer walking around with 4 pounds of fecal matter in my large intestine, held there due to lack off peristalsis for 10 days.
4) Unlike the first two water fasts I have done, this time, instead of breaking my fast eating either fruit or yogurt for my first meal, I had homemade chicken broth. Later the same day I had slow cooked chicken. I had no stomach aches and I think it was the optimal meal to restart my digestive tract. After meat, I went to cooked vegetables, then to fruits and finally to grains three days later.
As a side benefit, now that I am in the habit of making stocks my family and I find that meals cooked with stock not only have much more flavor, but also greater satiability. A grain cooked with stock instead of water gives me a much greater sense of being well fed and it lets me go a few more hours before I feel the need to eat than otherwise.
Simple stock making instructions
Chicken stock- Take a whole butchered chicken and put the breast in one container with brine and refrigerate, put the wings, legs, thighs, fat and skin in another container with brine and refrigerate and put the remaining carcass into a crock pot with cold water and apple cider vinegar. The breasts, legs, thighs and wings can be cooked in any manner within 1-6 days of being in the brine.
(I prefer to stir fry or sauté the breasts and slow cook the legs, wings and thighs so as to get the nutrition from the bones.)
The cold water and vinegar will begin to draw out the albumin and dissolve the bones and cartilage increasing the nutritive value.
Next, put in mirepoix (2 chopped carrots, 3 stalks chopped celery and 1 large chopped onion).
Add enough water to covert the meat.
Slow cook at around 190 F for 6 to 24 hours. You will need at least 159F to get the gelatin out of the bones.
After 1st hour you can skim off the material that floats to the top.
When done, strain and put the stock (the liquid) into the fridge. It may or may not turn to a Jello-like consistency depending on the health of the animal and number of bones you use.
Use this stock in the place of water when you are cooking grains or making soups.
For Beef Stock-
Put chopped bones into the stock. You can pre brown them in the oven if you prefer that flavor Look up Brown Stock…
Repeat with the same directions )temperature, cooking time, mirepoix and skimming) as the chicken stock.
When complete, the strained liquid will be very heavy and oily and when refrigerated will turn to gelatin. You will find a yellow layer that solidifies on the top. This is the beef fat or tallow. You can use this for cooking and frying or just add it in with the stock when you use the stock.
Stocks that won’t be used in 3-5 days should be put in the freezer.
Advantages of making stocks and brines:
Meat kept in brine will last far longer in the fridge than otherwise and will be far more tender when cooked.
Food cooked with stocks will be both tastier and more nutritious. – SF in Hawaii