Showing posts with label Juice Fast. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Juice Fast. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Juice fast final thoughts
Ha, sorry about that, totally missed coming back and posting day 3! Day 3 went fine. Finished up the fast feeling like I could keep going. With Thanksgiving approaching quickly, it just wasn't possible to continue. I was glad to feel well though. Day 4 I eased back into eating. I had juice for breakfast because hubby was still on day 3. I had a smoothie mid morning. I had veggie juice again for lunch. Then a salad midafternoon. Boy that salad filled me up after fasting for 3 days. I didn't feel hungry again the rest of the day. I had another small salad before bed. All and all it was a great fast. I felt well through most of it. I feel confident now to do a longer fast!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Juice Fast Day 2
Day 2 has gone well. No serious detox symptoms. Though on a recommendation, I drank a laxative tea last night and did a salt water flush (2 ts salt in a quart of water) this morning...ick, never again. I remember doing a salt water flush many many years ago...apparently I didn't remember it well enough. But anyway...as for the juice fast...going well. Having a little trouble looking at Thanksgiving recipes but atleast I have something to look forward to =) I'm feeling pretty good. My mouth is a little fuzzy, but as bad as it was last time I fasted. That's a pretty standard thing, just annoying.
After the awful salt water flush this morning, I had a large glass of fresh vegetable juice (carrot, celery, kale, spinach). Then prepared a glass of lemon water to have a little later, and a glass of detox tea. At lunch another glass of veggie juice, same as above but with some chard. Before dinnertime, more lemon water and a cup of peppermint tea. Dinner veggie juice (same as above but with beets added). If you juice beets, don't be alarmed when you go to the bathroom #2 ;) Then some more lemon water. I also decided to try something new. I was craving something with a savory taste so I had some herb broth, straining the herbs off after steeping for awhile. Now, as I'm getting ready to head to bed, I'm sipping on a cup of chamomile tea.
All in all, a good day! Good night!
After the awful salt water flush this morning, I had a large glass of fresh vegetable juice (carrot, celery, kale, spinach). Then prepared a glass of lemon water to have a little later, and a glass of detox tea. At lunch another glass of veggie juice, same as above but with some chard. Before dinnertime, more lemon water and a cup of peppermint tea. Dinner veggie juice (same as above but with beets added). If you juice beets, don't be alarmed when you go to the bathroom #2 ;) Then some more lemon water. I also decided to try something new. I was craving something with a savory taste so I had some herb broth, straining the herbs off after steeping for awhile. Now, as I'm getting ready to head to bed, I'm sipping on a cup of chamomile tea.
All in all, a good day! Good night!
Juice fasting basics
If you read my previous post, I'm currently on my third juice fast of the year. Today is day 2. I'll update on day 2 later but wanted to give some other insight into juice fasting. Prior to this year, I had only done one other juice fast. For the last 8 years I've either been pregnant or nursing and didn't find it advisable to juice fast. Between my first and second kids I did my first ever juice fast. It went ok, but I detoxed a lot and felt icky. But I was still up and around taking care of a 1 year old. One thing I still remember vividly (it was 6 years ago) is how the smell and taste of cabbage juice made me want to vomit. To this day, I still feel the same way. It turned out that I was a few weeks pregnant with #2 when I did this juice fast, which I'm guessing had something to do with that. If I had known I was pregnant I never would have fasted, but it was too early to know.
So back to my three juice fasts this year. The first one I was very motivated to start. The first day was a bit rough. The second day wasn't too bad. And the third day I felt so good I organized and cleaned out our toy/school room. The second one this year went pretty much the same way. Except on day 1 I had unexpected guests and also had two extra kids I was watching that day. Both were last minute things that I couldn't help. So the first day was very tiring with no nap and the craziness. The other days went fairly well though. I had prepared meals ahead of time for the kids and hubby. So I wasn't driving myself too crazy with food right in my face. This fast isn't too bad on the detoxing. I'm thinking maybe it's because I've done two already this year. Or maybe my pre-juicing preparation was longer this time. Though it might be a combination of both. I've been colon cleansing and drinking detox tea for about a month now.
Benefits of fasting
Fasting regularly gives all your organs a rest. It's not just good during times of poor health. Fasting will help reverse the aging process and live a healthier life. Fasting will boost your immune system, release fat stored chemicals (pesticides, anti-biotics, other drugs), lowers your body toxicity, reduces cravings, reduces dependence, heal with greater speed, cleanse your liver, kidneys, and colon, purify your blood, help lose excess weight and water, flushes out toxins. A 3 day fast helps the body rid itself of toxins and cleanse the blood. A 5 day fast begins the process of healing and rebuilding the immune system. A 10 day fast can take care of many problems before they arise and help to fight off illness, including degenerative diseases. If you have diabetes, hypoglycemia, or another chronic health problem, any fast should be supervised by a health care professional. Those without chronic health problems should check with a health care provider before doing a fast longer than 3 days. Use your best judgment in those situations.
Preparing for a juice fast
If you prepare for your juice fast you can lessen the detox effects and fast more comfortably. Colon cleansing is very important. The amount of time you colon cleanse is really going to depend on how soon you want to fast. I would recommend atleast two weeks though. A month or more would really do you more benefits. A good colon cleanse on it's own should take 3 months. If you've never done that, I recommend to each and everyone out there. Your colon health is so vitally important to every aspect of your body. Intestinal problems can cause problems throughout your entire body. Everybody should do a three month colon cleanse once a year. There are many ways to do it. Two that I highly recommend are: using psyllium husks and molasses, or purchasing Fiber Cleanse from Hallelujah Acres www.hacres.com Fiber Cleanse is self explanatory in the directions that come with it. As for the psyllium husks and molasses, here's what to do: 4 times a day, morning, lunch, dinner, and before bed. In 8 oz of water mix in 1/2 ts molasses and 1-2 TB psyllium husks. Drink. (Start with 1 TB and after a week or 2, move up to 2 TB)
Another important preparation is to drink a detox tea. I like Traditional Medicinals Lemon Everyday Detox. Drink that 2-3 times a day before and during your fast.
If you don't already juice regularly, start. There are so many health benefits to juicing. Even if you can only juice three times a week, that's better than nothing, get to it!
Eat as much raw food as you can for two days before the fast. Go all raw if you can! That would be the best option and help with the detox effects.
During the juice fast
During the juice fast you will abstain from all solid food. Start your day with a large glass of water. Continue to drink water throughout the day. A minimum of 80 oz, closer to 90 or 100 oz would be better to help flush your system and keep you hydrated as you detox.
Drink fresh juice 2-3 times a day. I do it three times a day at each regular meal time. Make sure you are getting a variety of vegetables. The only fruit you want to juice with vegetables is apples. You can juice other fruits just don't mix them with the veggies. Here's the veggies I like to get if available (all organic): carrots, celery, beets, kale, collards, spinach, apples, romaine, chard, parsley, mint. I've opted out of using cabbage anymore, just due to the reaction my body has to it, but it would be good for others that actually enjoy cabbage. It's really good for ulcers, cancer, and all colon problems.
Detox tea 2-3 times a day.
Lemon "tea" 2-3 times a day: Juice half a lemon into a cup and add warm water. For an added benefit, add a dash of cayenne.
Other herbal teas as needed. Peppermint is very cleansing. Chamomile will help to calm you for naps or bedtime.
Light exercise is highly encouraged and beneficial during a fast. Do not do anything too strenuous. Walking or riding a stationary bike a moderate speed are both good options. If you feel dizzy, stop immediately.
Shower regularly (not that it isn't a good idea on a normal day!!!). Many toxins are released through your skin. Shower once or twice a day to remove those toxins being excreted.
Make time to rest and pray!
After the fast
For two days after your fast you will want to slowly introduce solid foods back into your diet. Continue to juice and eat only raw fruits and vegetables. Introducing cooked foods to quickly can ruin the desired effects of the fast.
I hope some of you out there are ready to jump into a juice fast! Please let me know if you try it and how it goes. Come back and comment here!
So back to my three juice fasts this year. The first one I was very motivated to start. The first day was a bit rough. The second day wasn't too bad. And the third day I felt so good I organized and cleaned out our toy/school room. The second one this year went pretty much the same way. Except on day 1 I had unexpected guests and also had two extra kids I was watching that day. Both were last minute things that I couldn't help. So the first day was very tiring with no nap and the craziness. The other days went fairly well though. I had prepared meals ahead of time for the kids and hubby. So I wasn't driving myself too crazy with food right in my face. This fast isn't too bad on the detoxing. I'm thinking maybe it's because I've done two already this year. Or maybe my pre-juicing preparation was longer this time. Though it might be a combination of both. I've been colon cleansing and drinking detox tea for about a month now.
Benefits of fasting
Fasting regularly gives all your organs a rest. It's not just good during times of poor health. Fasting will help reverse the aging process and live a healthier life. Fasting will boost your immune system, release fat stored chemicals (pesticides, anti-biotics, other drugs), lowers your body toxicity, reduces cravings, reduces dependence, heal with greater speed, cleanse your liver, kidneys, and colon, purify your blood, help lose excess weight and water, flushes out toxins. A 3 day fast helps the body rid itself of toxins and cleanse the blood. A 5 day fast begins the process of healing and rebuilding the immune system. A 10 day fast can take care of many problems before they arise and help to fight off illness, including degenerative diseases. If you have diabetes, hypoglycemia, or another chronic health problem, any fast should be supervised by a health care professional. Those without chronic health problems should check with a health care provider before doing a fast longer than 3 days. Use your best judgment in those situations.
Preparing for a juice fast
If you prepare for your juice fast you can lessen the detox effects and fast more comfortably. Colon cleansing is very important. The amount of time you colon cleanse is really going to depend on how soon you want to fast. I would recommend atleast two weeks though. A month or more would really do you more benefits. A good colon cleanse on it's own should take 3 months. If you've never done that, I recommend to each and everyone out there. Your colon health is so vitally important to every aspect of your body. Intestinal problems can cause problems throughout your entire body. Everybody should do a three month colon cleanse once a year. There are many ways to do it. Two that I highly recommend are: using psyllium husks and molasses, or purchasing Fiber Cleanse from Hallelujah Acres www.hacres.com Fiber Cleanse is self explanatory in the directions that come with it. As for the psyllium husks and molasses, here's what to do: 4 times a day, morning, lunch, dinner, and before bed. In 8 oz of water mix in 1/2 ts molasses and 1-2 TB psyllium husks. Drink. (Start with 1 TB and after a week or 2, move up to 2 TB)
Another important preparation is to drink a detox tea. I like Traditional Medicinals Lemon Everyday Detox. Drink that 2-3 times a day before and during your fast.
If you don't already juice regularly, start. There are so many health benefits to juicing. Even if you can only juice three times a week, that's better than nothing, get to it!
Eat as much raw food as you can for two days before the fast. Go all raw if you can! That would be the best option and help with the detox effects.
During the juice fast
During the juice fast you will abstain from all solid food. Start your day with a large glass of water. Continue to drink water throughout the day. A minimum of 80 oz, closer to 90 or 100 oz would be better to help flush your system and keep you hydrated as you detox.
Drink fresh juice 2-3 times a day. I do it three times a day at each regular meal time. Make sure you are getting a variety of vegetables. The only fruit you want to juice with vegetables is apples. You can juice other fruits just don't mix them with the veggies. Here's the veggies I like to get if available (all organic): carrots, celery, beets, kale, collards, spinach, apples, romaine, chard, parsley, mint. I've opted out of using cabbage anymore, just due to the reaction my body has to it, but it would be good for others that actually enjoy cabbage. It's really good for ulcers, cancer, and all colon problems.
Detox tea 2-3 times a day.
Lemon "tea" 2-3 times a day: Juice half a lemon into a cup and add warm water. For an added benefit, add a dash of cayenne.
Other herbal teas as needed. Peppermint is very cleansing. Chamomile will help to calm you for naps or bedtime.
Light exercise is highly encouraged and beneficial during a fast. Do not do anything too strenuous. Walking or riding a stationary bike a moderate speed are both good options. If you feel dizzy, stop immediately.
Shower regularly (not that it isn't a good idea on a normal day!!!). Many toxins are released through your skin. Shower once or twice a day to remove those toxins being excreted.
Make time to rest and pray!
After the fast
For two days after your fast you will want to slowly introduce solid foods back into your diet. Continue to juice and eat only raw fruits and vegetables. Introducing cooked foods to quickly can ruin the desired effects of the fast.
I hope some of you out there are ready to jump into a juice fast! Please let me know if you try it and how it goes. Come back and comment here!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Juice fast day 1
This is my third juice fast this year and I thought I would blog about it. Why not share my pain...haha. It's really not that bad. From past experience, the first day is usually the worst. By the third day I feel like I can go longer. I've done 3 day juice fasts only because of the hecticness around here. Hmm, spellcheck says hecticness isn't a word, weird...though it also said "spellcheck" wasn't a word either...hahah! Spellcheck must be two works, but I really enjoy it being one word....maybe I should add it to the dictionary ;) So I always do a three day juice fast because I like to fast when we don't have too much going on so I can rest and take a nap during the day. But considering I have to make meals for the family, it's hard to not want to eat by the end of it. The last two times I fasted, I prepared meals ahead of time for the kids and hubby. That way, all I had to do was throw something in the oven and I was done. It worked out great! Well...this time, I had scheduled to start the fast next weekend, so I'm not prepared. Hubby is off for this week so I thought it would be a better idea to start his vacation with the fast (he's doing it with me this time!!!) rather than end his vacation with it. So on a whim this morning I said we should start! So no food is prepared for the kids, but we can tag team it since he'll be home. One of us can juice and one of us can make food for the kids. They'll be happy with sandwiches or pasta for a couple days =) Hubby decided to start the fast tomorrow instead of today. I really want to have a raw day after I'm done with the fast and he doesn't care. So I'll be done fasting on Tuesday, I can have a raw day onf Wednesday, and then Thursday is Turkey day! We'll go easy for Turkey day though, small portions. I'm considering starting a Lemonade cleanse next week, for ten days, but I'm not totally committed to that, we'll see. I've always wanted to try it.
So anyway, as for day 1...would have been better if we didn't have a field trip with the kids planned. But I feel good considering I didn't get to rest or nap all day. No headache. I think that's the first time I've juice fasted and not had a headache on the first day. Started the day with a smoothie, before I had decided to juice fast. So I'll probably go atleast half way through Wednesday still fasting. Then had two servings of carrot juice, spaced out. We were heading out for the day so I took a big jar of detox tea and a big jar of peppermint tea with us, and water of course. I got a little hungry but not bad. When we got home I had too much work to do to whip out the juicer and juice my dinner so I had two glasses of lemon water (half a juiced lemon, water, and cayenne). Now I'm ending my day with some laxative tea and I'll head to bed. Overall, not a bad first day. Wish we hadn't been gone all day and I could have juiced more but I still feel good. On to day 2....
So anyway, as for day 1...would have been better if we didn't have a field trip with the kids planned. But I feel good considering I didn't get to rest or nap all day. No headache. I think that's the first time I've juice fasted and not had a headache on the first day. Started the day with a smoothie, before I had decided to juice fast. So I'll probably go atleast half way through Wednesday still fasting. Then had two servings of carrot juice, spaced out. We were heading out for the day so I took a big jar of detox tea and a big jar of peppermint tea with us, and water of course. I got a little hungry but not bad. When we got home I had too much work to do to whip out the juicer and juice my dinner so I had two glasses of lemon water (half a juiced lemon, water, and cayenne). Now I'm ending my day with some laxative tea and I'll head to bed. Overall, not a bad first day. Wish we hadn't been gone all day and I could have juiced more but I still feel good. On to day 2....
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