Think FAST! Juice Fast!

Well, I've gone and done it! For some time I've talked about doing a juice fast. WHAT? I know, I know, but it's something I've been feeling the need to do. My background includes a once militant way of eating. I was vegan for a while, vegetarian for a long time, no processed foods, no sugar, no caffeine, and no salt. Then I got pregnant and the baby growing in my belly demanded bacon at all costs and things pretty much went downhill from there. I've been a full on meat-eater for 10 years now.


But as I've gotten older, my health has been on a steady decline and I've added 50lbs to my 5'3" frame. Not good. My joints ache all the time, my skin is a mess, digestion is not pleasant, and my migraines are a nightmare.


Time for a detox. The time is NOW.


A few months ago we watched Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead. Now, you gotta understand, this was not news to me. I spent years in the natural foods world. My favorite job ever was at Rollin' Oats Market, in St. Petersburg, FL. I was completely intolerant of people who would come in sickly and ask for health tips only to leave the store and go back to their normal lives & crappy food choices. I never could understand how one could have the knowledge of the right thing to do, yet knowingly choose the other path. 


Then it happened. I became one of them! So now I'm trying to right myself a little bit. I don't imagine going back to the extreme because (also as I've gotten older) I'm not much into extremes in any direction. I'm pretty happy hovering around the center mark seeing the good and bad in both sides of all aspects of life. 


With that in mind, I decided 2 nights ago that Friday morning was going to be the beginning of my change in myself. I'd like to drag my family along, but I'm not going to force them. They'll come along for the ride when it's their time. For now, it's about making my quality of life better so I can make their quality of life better. 


Friday morning, I woke up and made my usual latte', after all, I'm not going to extremes. I realize a real fast wouldn't include coffee - unless it was in the form of an enema - but coffee is my vice and I'm just not ready to give it up. I don't usually eat breakfast until late in the morning anyway, so I didn't wake up hungry which I found to be a huge blessing. I always start my day with water while I make my coffee. Friday was no different. Along about 10, I decided to have my first juice.


OK. Time to talk about juicers. In my former, more militant life, my juicer cost a fortune and was available for making juices, hummus and peanut butter. But when I left Florida all those years ago, I just didn't want to take that beast with me. It was just another heavy thing to pack and we already had a truckload of heavy. So now it was time to buy a new one. Would I like the Vitamix or the Jack LaLane juicers? Yes, of course! But I was just getting started on this again and if you're not ready to commit, please don't spend that kind of money. You can get a cheap version of a centrifugal juicer that will do the job for about $50. Do that. Or check Craigslist for an even cheaper one. Make sure that it does veggies though. A citrus juicer won't do the job.


I made myself a juice and was totally satisfied on the hunger front. Along about 11:00 though, I was hungry so I broke down and had a peach. Not juiced. Just a peach. I wanted something and figured even though it didn't fit into the "juice" category, it was at least a healthful snack and was a raw food, so it couldn't be all that bad.


I happened to have a houseful of my favorite children that day (I only have 1, so 5 was an enormous number of kids for me but I love them all very much.) When lunch time rolled around I made them all their sandwiches to order, but didn't really have much on hand for juice and I was starving at this point. I ended up cheating again and having a smoothie. I thought a little protein boost would get me through the afternoon. (This is why planning ahead for these things is a good idea.)


Later in the afternoon while the kids were having cheese & crackers for a snack, I broke down again and had 5 green beans (leftover, steamed & with garlic). Again, not a juice and this time not raw, but still thought it was a good idea. Turns out - not so much. Those little beans turned me into a mess! All I could think about was food and I still had hours before my next juice. (Remember, I still needed to go to the store for more veggies.)


I waited.  It wasn't until 6:45 that I got to the store, bought a pile of veggies and headed home to juice them. I was so hungry, I didn't even take the time to wash them. PLEASE WASH THEM. I read somewhere to fill your sink with water and add a little hydrogen peroxide to it to clean them of sprays and germs. I'm going to try that today. You can also buy veggie wash at the store, but I'm cheap, so I'll try the peroxide first. But please do something. There's a new strain of e.coli going around and they haven't found the source yet. Please make sure your food is clean.


I had my juice and felt great. But I also happened to have steak on the grill for my hubby. I didn't cook anything to go with it, but I had a new pile of veggies so I diced up an avocado & a tomato, sprinkled with salt and fresh cracked black pepper, drizzled on some lime juice and stirred it up. I put that on the plate with his steak as a side dish. It actually looked lovely. That was the breaking point for me. I ate the avocado/tomato mix. So. Yummy. 


So it wasn't a TOTAL juice day. Grace is the word I try to live by. As bummed as I am that I broke down and "ate" a few things, I give myself grace for it. (Thanks, Carrie.) Also, I don't have a number of days set. I'm taking it a day at a time. Sometimes, an hour at a time. Allow yourself that and focus on what you DO accomplish, NOT what you don't. 


Today is day 2. I'll keep you posted.  Here are some of my concoctions so far. Each mixture has yielded about 16 oz of juice. 


* I don't peel anything & buy organic when possible. *


My Favorite:
1. 3-4 carrots
2. thumb sized hunk of ginger (VERY spicy - you may want to start much smaller)
3. 1/2 a beet (I keep reading that you should peel them because the skin is bitter, but I've never peeled them and I love them.)
4. handful of curly parsley
5. 2" or so piece of parsnip (looks like a white carrot, if you've never had them)
6. 1 small apple (granny smith or gala, unless my favorite "pink lady" are available)
7. 2 stalks celery (including leaves)


My Version of V8:
1. 2 tomatoes
2. 1 zucchini
3. 1 bunch parsley
4. 1/2 cucumber (probably should have peeled, but I was too hungry to worry about it.)
5.  1/2 beet
6.  celery heart & leaves
7.  red bell pepper
8. 2" parsnip


Cheater's Smoothie:
1. 8 oz of almond milk (plain)
2. 2 cups frozen strawberries
3. 1 Tbsp. raw peanut butter


Blend in a blender for about 2 minutes.


*** Be sure to remember that beets are bright red. When you are suddenly frightened by severe rectal bleeding, that you are not bleeding. It's the beets. The same pigment in the beet that makes your juice a lovely ruby red makes everything ruby red. :) ***


Let me know how you do yours, if you do it. And please, go easy on yourself.  


Peace and well wishes!


Love the YOU you feed!  <3