Juicing Fast Results

Well, I'm not gonna lie. It was tough. We started off really good but by about 3 o'clock I was tired, hungry, cranky and had a headache. We drank juice every 1 1/2 to 2 hours, with TONS of water in between. I used a combo of knowledge from my favorite juicing book Juicing For Life by Cherie Calbom and Maureen Keane, past experience from working in juice bars and help from the Internet.
We were hungry all day, but in a weird way. I didn't feel anxious about not eating and at some points throughout the day, I felt down right wonderful. My stomach did growl a lot though. To supplement the fasting, I put psyllium husks in a smoothie made with fresh apple juice, fresh blueberries and a couple frozen bananas. We also munched on a couple of raw carrots when we were feeling really bad. Believe it or not, drinking mashed up fruits (like I did in smoothie form) and eating a few raw veggies is perfectly acceptable to some schools of juicing fast thought . . . mine included. I think the most important part is listening to your own body. If you can't do a full day, oh well. It's not the end of the world. Going one day was a great accomplishment to Jared and I and will be something we will do again.
Since it is Super Bowl Sunday, we did make a traditional feast of vegan burgers on homemade rolls, oven fries, sliced tomatoes, sweet pickle chips and a dill spear.

Juice Fast/Detox

Jared and I are getting into better shape and wanted to give our bodies a day off from having to break down food. So, for the past week we have been prepping our fridge/kitchen to do a one day juice fast today. It doesn't sound very ambitious but juice fasts are tough if you are use to eating whenever and whatever you like.
I've posted about juicing before, so today I'm just sharing what I call my Juice Feast Buffet. The easiest way to be a juicer is to be prepared by washing and cutting the fruits and veggies (that won't turn brown) a head of time. To make juicing a breeze, I prepared two over flowing plates of prepared or nearly prepared fruits and veggies to have ready all day. You should really drink homemade juices at room temperature since you get the full flavor and usage of nutrients at this stage, so I am keeping everything out on the counter top.
Plate #1 is my Greener On the Other Side plate. It has parsley, green onions, cabbage, cucumber, broccoli stems, romaine lettuce, celery, garlic, ginger and green bell pepper.

Plate #2 is my Sweeter Than Pie plate. It has beets, beet greens, carrots, granny smith apple, red apple (not sure the kind), tomatoes and lemon.

Since you should never eat OR drink something too sweet on an empty stomach (screws up your blood sugar/insulin levels), Jared and I made up our own versions of V8s for breakfast. Mine had tomato, celery, cabbage, carrots, beets and their greens, cucumber, green bell pepper and parsley. Jared's had broccoli stems, parsley, carrots, beets with their greens, celery, ginger, cabbage and cucumber.

juicing my way through the rainbow

I have been juicing up a storm here to get me through the elimination diet. The cool thing about juicing is that it actually fills you up. I have worked at several juice bars in the past and I still juice a lot at home. My favorite juicing book is called Juicing For Life by Cherie Calbom and Maureen Keane. This book breaks down juice recipes based on health issues (acne, insomnia, etc) and also has different weight loss and fasting juice plans. I use this book primarily for recipe ideas, but I have fun making up my own. Here are some helpful juicing tips:

* Buy organic fruits and veggies as much as you can for juicing.
* No matter if your produce is organic or not, WASH everything really, really well. Cut off severely bruised parts of the produce since they can make the juice taste funky.
* If citrus is going to be juiced, Oranges and Grapefruit should be peeled (white part left on) since they contain toxic substances that should not be consumed in large quantities. Kiwi and Papaya skins should also be removed.
* ANY and ALL produce grown in other countries should be washed and peeled since there is no way of knowing what has been sprayed on them.
* Waxed produce should also be peeled.
* Unless otherwise noted above, organic, un-sprayed and un-waxed produce should never be peeled since most nutrients in fruits and veggies are in the skins.
* Pits should be removed (peach, plum, cherry, etc.) but seeds can be juiced (lemon, limes, grapes, melon, etc.) with the EXCEPTION being apple seeds, which contain small amounts of cyanide.
* It is okay to leave stems or leaves of fruits and veggies (I like beet greens) on when juicing EXCEPT carrot and rhubarb tops/greens. They are very toxic!!!
* Of course the fruits and veggies must have high water content to work. You won't be able to juice bananas or avocados but these can be combined in a blender with your fresh juice to make awesome smoothies! I like to freeze bananas for this very purpose!
* If you are watching your weight, be sure to cut high sugar juices (fruit juices and/or carrot, beet juices) with filtered water. They will still taste good but cut the calories.
* DRINK YOUR JUICE ASAP. DO NOT STORE IT FOR LATER USE. The enzymes start to die when it is juiced, so drink up!
* SWISH THE JUICE IN YOUR MOUTH SO THE BODY ABSORBS IT BETTER.
* NEVER STRAIN the juices, since that would remove a ton of much needed fiber!!!

My favorite fruits to juice are apples, pears, peaches, lemons, grapes, pineapple, watermelon and cantaloupe (with the rinds on). Vegetable juices are really great on their own or mixed with fruit juices. My favorite veggies to juice are carrots, celery, beets, beet greens, cucumber, bell pepper, broccoli, tomatoes and greens like spinach and lettuces. Other unlikely things to juice are herbs including parsley (SO GOOD and GREAT FOR YOU) basil and mint. I also love garlic, green onions and ginger in my juices. Really, you can juice anything, with the exceptions I made above. It is best to change things up and not drink the same things everyday. Limit the amount of high sugar juices such as carrot, beets and high sugar fruits. To make juicing easy, prep things such as carrots, celery and beets by washing and cutting them to fit in your juicer. I keep produce that will turn brown whole until I am ready for juicing (such as apples, pears, etc.) Lastly, don't forget that you should still EAT plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, in addition to the juices.

1 large granny smith apple, 2 celery stalks and 1/4 of a large English cucumber:


5 medium carrots, 3 celery stalks, 1/4 of a large English cucumber, 1 large granny smith apple and a handful of parsley:


2 beet green tops, 1 medium beet, 5 medium carrots: