Yeah, it would be so much easier to juice fast if you were a sage living in the mountains
But, if you do want to fast, and you still have a family that wants you to cook for them- it is possible. And, it gets easier every time you do it (as with anything).
It's easier if you don't start with the ten day fast. Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead makes it sound like this is an easy place to start, and I love that documentary for motivating people to try it. But, there are easier ways to adjust.
If you are already juicing every day, you are on an awesome path. Something you could consider before doing a juice fast is doing a day or two of juicing and eating only raw foods like fresh fruit (watermellon, grapes, apples, peaches, pineapple- all fresh) and salads with walnuts instead of croutons and advacado or fresh, homemade salsa in stead of dressing (chop or blend tomatoes, peppers of your choice, onions, garlic if you please and a tiny splash of apple cider vinegar, balsamic, red wine, rice, or white vinegar... you can find recipes on line or make your own). Peppers are great for your circulatory system and metabolism among the many other benefits they offer.
Doing a day or two of all raw, fresh foods helps your body adjust to living without all the processed comfort foods that it knows and has come to love (macaroni and cheese, oh how I miss you and think of you fondly. I will never forget those times we shared). No, but really, doing these sorts of raw food fasts are still pretty beneficial. They do not give your digestive system a complete break, but they give it a break from a plethora of detrimental substances (hydrogenated oils, an overdose of omega 6, the insane amounts of salt and refined sugars that are in american food, the list goes on for days). At the same time your body is getting a major influx of the essential enzymes of which all cooked food is completely void. Your body can now take a break from fighting toxins and start putting these enzymes, minerals, vitamins, silica and nutrition to whatever part of the body that would benefit from it.
That is the awesome thing about the human body. It is forever recreating and rebuilding itself based on our current thoughts and actions. I used mindfulness, yoga and nutrition to grow several inches in my mid twenties. And that is nothing compared to some studies out there.
Whenever i fast, I do two raw food days before the fast and two raw food days after the fast. This allows my digestive system to ease back into things. In my late teens, when I was still getting used to all this, I would mess up some times. That does not undo all the wonderful progress one has made. The fast was still beneficial. But, if you listen to your boyfriend and eat a burrito right after coming off a fast, it may feel like you have been punched in the gut.
I ate an apple once first thing in the morning after three days of fasting (so, four nights really). That one hurt badly, as well. Watermelon is an easier way to start. Or, a small salad has worked well for me. Fruit also is really easy/ friendly on the digestive system. From an anthropological standpoint, I believe human beings would do well to eat mostly fruits- less sweet ones like cucumbers mostly along with a bit of sweet fruit.
Oh shit, Halo! I am so excited for you that you are experiencing what optimal nutrition is doing for you. All these excellent choices you are making are so incredibly beneficial. The things you will experience on a juice fast sound crazy unless you are experiencing them first hand. It is sooooo cool.
A smoothie in the morning, a ton of juice throughout the day and homemade veggie broth in the evening is also a good way to adjust to fasting. I still noticed all the benefits when doing it this way. Just stay away from orange juice and bottled juice, if you can.
I used to work at the olive garden and hang out with a bunch of people at my house while I was fasting. If you are drinking so much pure, sustaining nourishment, it isn't bad at all. I would hang out with people while they ate decadent chocolates. When you are fasting, your sense of smell becomes very heightened. The smell of these chocolates is fantastic. But, at the same time I did not crave them.
It helped that there was a juice bar across from the olive garden. My favorite drink there was carrot, beet and pineapple. This is all sugar though, and probably not the healthiest choice. I wouldn't do that on a daily basis, but it got me through some crazy busy shifts.
Things I would juice at home were spinach, apples, carrots, beets, beet greens, celery and cucumbers. Greens are very good for you. If you can not get dandelion greens in the store, see if you can not find some growing wild. As long as they are not sprayed with chemicals, they are fine to pick, wash and juice. Parsley is an easy one to find it stores. Spinach is good.
Cucumbers (which are full of silica) are amazing for your whole body, but the results really show in your skin, hair and nails. A recipe you would love would involve one cucumber (cut off the skin if it is not organic or homegrown), 1 or 2 stalks of celery, 5 or 6 strawberries and 1 apple of your preference (i like pink ladies).
When juicing it is a really good idea to put everything through the juicer two or three times. I always do 3. I juice the stuff, open the juicer, scoop out the pulp, put it in a dish, start the juicer up again and put in balls of pulp. After doing it the third time, i have twice the juice as I did after the first time. The pulp is slimy, and my husband says it looks gross. But, I have been doing this for years with pleasure. After I'm finished juicing all that, I usually cut it with a little purified water and drink it.
Ginger can be added to that recipe if you like a little spice. A nickle sized piece of fresh ginger root would add
a lot a nutritional benefit and some flavor to the mix.
Thanks for posting this thread. You got me thinking about some wonderful stuff, and you're an inspiration. I may just have to do a juice fast some time soon.
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