My 5 Day Juice Fast
Parsley, Cilantro, Kale, Lemon, Ginger, Apple
So I finally decided to do my first juice cleanse, and I’m happy to say the hubby is joining in on the fun! After 9 months of eating 90-100% raw, I feel like I’ve done enough prep work to take the detox process to the next level. By prep work I mean that I am not going straight from the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) to a juice cleanse, because the effect this may have on someone who does this might not be too comfortable (to say the least). Going from a highly toxic diet directly to a juice fast may have ill effects known as a ‘healing crisis’, because the body cannot rid itself quickly enough of all of the decades worth of toxins the juice cleanse is yanking off the body. For some, the stress of these heavy detox symptoms could actually do more harm than good! Therefore, I’ve chosen to first clean out slowly and progressively with a raw vegan diet, high in fruits and vegetables. Once I feel the worst detox symptoms of that have subdued (which is where I feel I am now), I shall move on to the more extreme methods of cleansing like these short, “reboot” juice fasts. I’ll continue building on this, and eventually I want to do a 30-60 day juice FEAST to really get deep into my glands and cells.
Why Juice Fast?
Fasting for health has been around for thousands of years as a method to detox the body, weightloss, heal and prevent disease. Many have also used fasting to achieve a higher spiritual connection.
There are many benefits that can be achieved through a 5-day fast, including:
- balanced pH and blood sugar levels,
- a cleansed and regulated colon,
- weight loss (fat, not water),
- diminished toxin load,
- strengthened immune system,
- increased mental clarity,
- heavy metals cleansing,
- increased liver function capacity,
- loss of cravings for sugar and other stimulants,
- cellular cleansing and rebuilding,
- radiant, glowing complexion,
- diminished pains and allergies (some disappear completely),
- blood, tissue and organ cleansing,
- restored liver function capacity,
- increased energy levels,
- emotional cleansing and release,
- and an enhanced sense of joy and lightness is usually experienced.
Drinking fresh-made organic juices can help rebalance your body’s pH levels, and that in turn can help strengthen your immune system which then will be better able to keep you well.
Fresh Organic Vegetable Juices Provide Everything Your Body Needs
Think of it this way: our body is a juicer. When we eat solid foods, our bodies work to extract the nutrients from the juices of these foods. Fresh organic juices provide plenty of fresh natural sugars, salts, enzymes, electrolytes, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and probiotics, all in their appropriate proportions, for the rebuilding your body will be doing during a fast. Because juices require minimal digestion and are readily absorbed into the system, they do not interfere with the need for the digestive system to be almost completely shut down, which leaves the body’s energy available for the deep cleansing and rebuilding activities of a fast.
Juices also provide enough fluids to ensure the colon becomes thoroughly washed, while simultaneously allowing one to feel satisfied and not hungry.
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Day 1
I woke up, had my 32 oz. warm lemon water, then started making 3 juices in one take so I don’t have to keep cleaning up after each time. The ones I will consume later I poured into air tight mason jars. If you will be trying this, and storing your juices, READ THIS FIRST!
The first two I made is the Lemon Ginger Blast. Using a masticating juicer (I use the Omega J8005), greens are juiced beautifully and efficiently! For each 32 oz jar, I juiced handful of parsley, a bunch of cilantro, 5-6 large kale leaves, 1 peeled lemon, 1 quarter sized ginger and 1 small apple.
The third juice I made is a simple Carrot Juice, in which I juiced about 8-10 large carrots.
Once the hubby gets home, I will make my next batch of two, for dinner and desert.
In between each juice I am drinking 32 oz. of water, or some tea. Ideally one must have 1200-2000 calories worth of juice per day. It takes me about 3 hours to get hungry for my next juice.
How am I feeling?
I’m feeling very good so far, surprisingly, the juice I had this morning has filled me up for a good 4 hours. I’m about to have my next one now, at 2pm, but I’m actually not feeling super hungry. I feel neutral. Like I can maybe go an hour or two more before feeling my stomach growl. I’m really excited to see and feel how my body reacts to the rest of the days. I’m going to try jumping on my mini trampoline for a half hour and some stretching. I’m keeping my workouts light to conserve my energy.
*UPDATE: AT 8pm I had my last 32oz juice. I had a total of 4 juices today (32oz.) and I feel completely nourished and satisfied. Not hungry, not stuffed. I feel perfectly satiated and ready to relax and go to sleep soon.
Tips:
-Carrots, apples, celery, beets and cucumber juice the most. Make sure to stock up on a lot of these for your juice cleanse.
– If you will be storing your juices, read this article first.
I will continue to update this post as the days go by.
~Namaste~
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**UPDATE: Day 2
I woke up this morning just as the Sun started rising (and to my surprise, without an alarm clock) with great energy and eagerness to start my day! Might I add, this is not the usual scenario at all, I’m a snoozin’ sleepyhead. After my 32 oz. warm lemon water, stepping out for 10 minutes to greet the beautiful Sun and thanking the Universe for another day, I went on to make the first juice of the morning which resulted in very happy taste buds!
Breakfast Juice Ingredients: Dandelion Greens, Kale, Pineapple, Celery, Parsley, Coconut Water.
I had this juice around 8:20am and then practiced about an hour of Kundalini Yoga. After my yoga practice I wasn’t quite hungry yet so I had another large jar of water.
For midday lunch I had this amazing concoction I improvised!
Recipe:
1 Head of Romaine Lettuce, 1 bunch of Cilantro, 1 bunch of Green Grapes, 1 quarter-sized pc. of Ginger, 1 Apple, 1/2 cup of Coconut Water.
It was so deliciously YUM! I had another juice after similar to this one around 3:30pm. It is now 6:30pm and in about 30 minutes I will have my last juice of the day.
How am I feeling?
Great so far. I’ve been really productive and energetic today, yet super calm, peaceful and even though I didn’t receive the greatest news today, I’ve been able to keep my cool and trust that everything will be ok. Meditation seemed to be a little easier today than it normally is.
Tip:
I feel that some tea between juices helps hold off the hunger even longer. I had 1 cup of organic lavender & chamomile tea today.
I will continue to update this post as the days go by.
~Namaste~
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**UPDATE: Day 3
Cleaning out my lymphatic system with this yellow # beauty! Check out my article about juice recipe here and why it’s good for your lymphatic system.
Recipe
1 grapefruit, 5 oranges, 1 lemon, ginger, 5 stalks of celery. So yummy!
I feel great! Been more productive and focused throughout the day.
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**UPDATE: Day 4!
Feeling as vibrant as this green! Green juices have been the common choice for me for this fast because of the abundance of nutrition and life they nourish our cells with. Today I feel tighter around my midsection and I also feel balanced and energized. But its incredible how juice fasting goes well beyond physical therapy. Two things that have really stood out to me these last few days: Meditation has been phenomenally easier and I feel that doing this with my other half has deepened our connection and love. But more than anything I feel such a blissful sense of peace and serenity. Its amazing and I’m curious to know what longer fasts can bring, but that’s another chapter of course.
Recipe:
I made this juice with parsley, spinach, pineapple, celery, cucumber and ginger. I think Parsley has just become my favorite herb!
Until next time 🙂 ~Namaste~
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**UPDATE: Day 5!
It’s Sunday and I woke up feeling so very well rested. It appears that when you’re juice fasting, your body gets more tired at night before bed. And because of this, I’ve been sleeping like a baby. I’ve seen people on YouTube report they’ve gotten rid of their insomnia with a juice fast. I can see why! Today’s the last day and I want to share a little revelation I had during this juice fast.
So, last night it got pretty rough. And I think it’s because it was Saturday and I have a habit of watching movies or videos while I chow down. Tonight, I sort of confronted this “addiction”. I realized that food is company, a ‘friend’ to be there with you while you’re doing things. Well that friend wasn’t there for me last night, and thoughts of just quitting the fast and going to get food kept coming up. Not because I was hungry, no, not at all. I had just finished my 32 oz. juice not more than an hour before. It was as if my body was saying, hey wait, we’re watching a movie without something for me to munch on!? It was almost awkward. Not having “something to do” while doing something else. And what’s funny is how that reminded me of this strange hollow feeling of going to bars or shows right after I quit drinking alcohol.
I know the problem at the time was not that I didn’t drink, but how these places don’t always entirely fulfill me without that ‘company‘ or ‘enhancer’ that gives you comfort. And recently I’ve also been really trying to increase my productivity for things that I love doing on my free time. The things that fulfill me the most. I’ve been giving entertainment more time and energy than I’d like to because of the connection it has with my food. My process of simply eating everyday is much longer because of this. And I feel that the juice fast has helped me really open my eyes to this and has inspired growth for me. I want to constantly improve this relationship I have with food so I will try now to give it it’s own exclusive time and space. This I’ve learned is much better for digestion as well, and did not really appreciate and understand this knowledge until now.
Will I do it again?
Yes! From the beginning to the very end of the fast I felt really good, energized, balanced, stable and peaceful. I felt lighter and am inspired to continue feeling this way. I will definitely fast again.
How I ended the Juice Fast
To end the juice fast, it is recommended to do so gently with fruits and vegetables, mono-meals, smoothies and other foods that most resemble what you’ve been juicing in its raw state. I will start eating solids again by eating a watermelon, then a mono meal of oranges, and then a salad or raw soup. That is the ideal for the first few days (typically as long as your juice fast was), and then slowly progress back to eating your normal diet, which is healthy I hope! Unless you ate the Standard American Diet before your fast (which is not recommended), I don’t really understand why anyone would want to go back to an unhealthy diet after juicing and detoxing.
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Results! I wanted to do this juice fast with the intention to improve my digestion, mental clarity, and to clean out my organs and glands. I’m not really in this for appearance as I was when I started my raw vegan journey, but I know many of you out there are looking to lose weight and look more chiseled. I took pictures just so I can get an idea of what it does aesthetically, but I had no intention of sharing them which is why you see some covering graphics over my private parts, lol. I just took a few quick pictures before getting dressed not expecting the difference to be visible after only 5 days. But I can tell the most in my midsection, I see more definition, specially in my obliques and generally less fat. I also see a little bit of reduction in my thigh area. I would say the results are pretty good for only 5 days!
Love your body and it will love you back!
I hope my experience has been helpful to anyone interested in this method of detox 🙂
~Namaste~<3
Conscious Nourishment 
5 Responses to “My 5 Day Juice Fast”
Reblogged this on eugenejferguson.
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Stomach growl is just because you’re used to eating at those times. It subsides over about three days’ time. Enjoy your cleanse, and try this simple one if you like — 2 granny smith apples to one stalk organically grown celery. : ) Thanks for the reminder — I ought to do a three day cleanse pretty soon; it’s been a while. (Every year at New Year’s).
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Thank you darling! I will try your simple juice recipe. Sounds yummy and those are two ingredients that I bought a lot of for this cleanse 🙂
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I look similarly to your before photo and am trying to lose some weight so I look like your after photo. I am not sure how much weight I need to lose! I was just curious, how many pounds did you lose? Thanks!
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Hi! I lost about 3 lbs I believe, but more than anything I noticed more tightness around my belly and thighs.
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