Juice Fast: The Inside Scoop

I just completed my first juice fast in April 2008. I had prepped my body to detoxify slowly over a few weeks beforehand with a healthy diet, a cardiovascular exercise routine, and a stress management system. It would certainly help if you could take a few days off work if it's your first time. I did and was glad to be home.

One thing you're probably asking yourself right now is, why on earth would I stop eating? Because your digestive system will get much needed rest, your cells will shed unwanted waste, and your body will begin to clean house. Your fatty tissue will begin to cleanse itself of unmetabolized medicines and harmful chemicals from the air we breathe.

I'm not talking about doing a juice fast with store bought juice either; I'm talking about juice made fresh and drank within seconds (I used a Breville Juice Fountain Elite). Here's why: fruits and vegetables contain a plethora of vitamins and minerals such as A, C, E, and vitamin K, but that is only one half of the equation. New investigation is finding that anutrients are the frame that keeps vitamins, minerals, protein, carbohydrates, and fat balanced. Some anutrients are pigments that give the fruit or vegetable its color. Chlorophyll (green), carotenes (yellow-red), anthocyanins (blue-red), proanthocyanidins (colorless), and flavanoids (colorless or yellow) are to name a few that have been discovered.

Your body will start to replenish its enzyme stores, regenerate healthy skin, repair any damage in the digestive tract, and purify your blood. Fruits and vegetables are cleansing in the sense that they are alkalizing. On the other hand, building foods are acid forming. Too much of one leads to problems which is why we should cleanse. This short term activity will stabilize our bodys pH so it is not overly acidic.

Back to my experience...honestly, I wasn't hungry at all. I got plently of rest and enjoyed the wonderful weather we had between the 21st and 25th. All in all, I juice fasted for three and a half days and had about 10 pounds of weight loss. Some of that was obviously water weight, but I do feel much lighter on my feet and my workouts have been tremendous. I biked some difficult terrain and noticed I had plenty of energy for those long climbs uphill. Pull ups and push ups come with ease; its really amazing how 10lb's can hold you back from peak athletic shape.

My favorites turned out to be:

Ginger Hopper

• 4 carrots
• 1 apple
• 1/4 inch cut of fresh ginger

Fresh Complexion Express

• 1/4 pineapple
• 1/2 cucumber
• 1 apple

Anyway, I would recommend you pick up a book for more detail and some awesome recipes. I read Juicing For Life by Cherie Calbom. It's a great read and will go over which combinations go well.

Also, MOST importantly, break your juice fast correctly. Slowly introduce foods back into your system. I went with fresh fruit salads and steamed spinach the first day. By the end of the second day, I had a small portion of fresh poached salmon for dinner. Yum!

And definitely consult your physician. Your health is important and he/she should know about this stuff before you dive in.

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