Juice Fast Day 5

Juice Fast Day 5 – The Finale

I’d be lying if I said wasn’t looking forward to a hot curry or a lasagna. I’ve really enjoying this fast but I’ll be happy when it’s over.

The Purpose

I did this fast as an experiment. I’d watched and read a lot about the benefits of juicing but had never tried it myself. In fact I was completely new to using the machine or replacing meals. I wanted to decrease the salt in my diet, have more energy, and lose some water weight. I never set out to be ‘pure’ or to follow a diet. I think when trying new things you need to be reasonable and listen to your body.

I drank smoothies in the morning, with crushed walnuts or almonds and then juice during the day. Nuts because I felt that my body needed some fat and additional protein as I continued to exercise and run.

The Results:

I should point out that I’m not unhealthy. I was, but since 2008 I’ve been vegan and I eat a pretty good diet with exercise on the side. The movies Fat Sick & Nearly Dead and Foodmatters reported on people’s dramatic results after fasting. I didn’t experience anything so dramatic, probably because I wasn’t too bad to begin with.

~ My complexion is definitely better. The semi-dark circles under my eyes have improved and the whites of my eyes are much brighter. I look younger and healthy from that alone.

~I feel really energized. I was alert from the moment I woke until I hit the pillow for a 6-7 hours sleep – even though I work a 10 hour days and exercise for an hour most days. Normally I’m exhausted by 11pm and require a full 8 hours to recharge. The fast definitely increased my energy.

~My moods were level even though I had a few stressful incidents at work. I stayed cool where I could have gotten stressed. I felt very relaxed and at ease, except once when at the gym I discovered my earphones where at home – Bummer.

~I lost 1 1/2 Kilograms (3 pounds) in 5 days. I don’t know if that was water-weight, or because of my exercise routine, but it’s gone. One thing I regret was not keeping a track of my calories.  I was more concerned with not being hungry, so I drank whenever I felt empty or like I needed a boost. As far as I can tell (from research) you absorb most of the calories from the vegetables you juice. Based on that assumption I was consuming between 1500-1900 calories daily – less than my usual 1800-2100.

~No breakouts, rash or skin irritations. I didn’t get bad breath or sweat rainbows. I only felt dizzy and faint once (Day 3). I did however, feel that I wasn’t as sharp as I usually am. It would take me that micro-second longer to recall a name and multitasking appeared trickier.

What I learned

~ Froth is fun to drink and pretend you have a mustache.

~ Juicing is messy. Be prepared to get food on the walls.

~ Cats don’t like to drink juice.

~ Peeling lemons is surprisingly similar to peeling an orange. Who knew?

~Vegetables contain so much fibre / pulp. Be sure to compost it.

~ Not everyone will want to taste your juice.

My recommendations

- Ween yourself off food. I’ve since read that you ought to introduce juice to your diet whilst slowly removing food. I didn’t. My body was still operational but I think the adjustment would’ve been easier.

- Start by juicing the fruits and vegetables you like to eat whole. Slowly introduce foreign foods and unfamiliar tastes. By day three I was drinking beets and asparagus, but day five I was into ginger and whole lemons.

- Keep busy. Definitely do not look for food porn on the internet. And avoid dinner parties until you’re sure you can restrain yourself. Do not be around freshly baked bread. It’s torture.

Listen to your body. It supposed to be fun. Create your own juices and enjoy yourself.

Juice Recipe 15 – Green Zinger (not for the faint hearted)


2  Apples

2-3 stalks of celery

1  Cucumber

1 inch cubed fresh ginger

Squeeze lemon or lime

Juice Recipes 14 - Beet Beauty

2 beets (with or without the greens)

2 carrots

1 apple

1 inch cubed ginger

 

 

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