Juice fasting - I will be living on juice only for the next 5 days!

in #juice8 years ago

Hi guys,
Hello to any new readers and welcome back to people who know me form my #motocross posts :)

So unfortunately i have been off the bike for a while due to an injury... Not so bad i think how far i have come with my motocross project in such a short space of time but still very frustrating! I missed the end of the season with my club and also i miss it... My injury is healing well the type of injury means long healing times. I have tendonosis in my right elbow, basically inflammation of the tendon though over use, trauma or hyper extension. Anyway long story shot (makes a change for me haha) is that i have been unable to ride or do any exercise as it would aggravate it and extend my time out.

So... yes i have put on a few pounds and enjoyed the extra time a bit more that i should have haha. So i figured its time for a juice fast. I do these a few times a year and i feel they really help reboot your system and balance you back out. There is the plus side of dropping a few pounds on top which isn't a bad thing.

Also juicing can really help with the healing processes of the body. In fact a lot of common illnesses/ symptoms many people encounter nowadays completely disappear when juicing is introduced into their diet.

So it got me thinking i would do a 5 day juice fast and document my progress on steemit. Hopefully this will inspire a few of you to try it out. There are already some really good authors on steemit who i recommend you also check out. You should take a look at @healthyrecipes smoothies, they look amazing. This is not actually what I'm doing here though! I will be juicing mostly but also including an avocado or banana here and there.

Juicing and blending
Ok so this is a common mistake people new to juicing make. Juicing is not putting fruit/ veg into a blender and mixing it. Thats blending :)
Juicing is cold pressed fruit and vegetables which leaves the insoluble fibre behind. Its the process of extracting the soluble fibre and plant proteins as juice.

I will explain more about it as the days go on but first let me show you what three days worth of juicing ingredients looks like!!

WOW thats a lot of produce! haha don't worry though we are only extracting the juice! This is what i mean when i say your body will feel great after this. You will be having more than your five a day in one juice!

So we need a few basics
You will need a cold press masticating juicer. I have a Froothie Optimum 400 Cold Press Slow Juicer.
You can check them out here http://www.froothie.co.uk/
There are much bigger and better ones out now but this is still going strong years on. Also They have a lifetime guarantee on the motor! Amazing.

ENOUGH BABBLE!
Show me the recipes haha.. ok

Day One

8:00 - Ginger, Apple and Mint shot.

Great way to start the day!!

So start with the mint, always start with the leafy vegetables. This allows the juicer the most time to press and extract the juice which takes longer from leaves as you can imagine.

You can see here how dry the pulp is when the juice has been extracted. You don't get this from a centrifugal juicer. You will also yield a lot more juice by using a cold press masticating juicer.

As you can see there is also little separation with cold pressing. Much smoother taste as well, OK so Down the hatch!! :)

9:00 Romaine, Celery, Broccoli Stem, Cucumber, Apple, Pineapple & Avocado

This one is awesome! The additions of pineapple really balances the vegetables out and blending it with avocado adds a real smoothness.

You can see here how much juice was extracted!! crazy! So once you have all the fresh produce juiced you need to blend it with half and avocado and ice.

Voila :) one nice smooth green glass of loveliness

12:00 Pear, Kale and Carrot

This one is super easy and is nice and refreshing. If you are new to juicing you might find it needs a little more sweetness. If so just add another pear or apple to the mix. Nice and light after your last smoothie.

I must admit it doesn't look anywhere near as appetising as the first one haha but don't let that put you off :)
Looks can be deceiving.

15:30 Romaine, Celery, Broccoli Stem, Cucumber, Apple, Kale, Pineapple & Avocado

A repeat of the one from earlier but i chucked in some kale as well, this will keep you nice and full. I really don't get hungry when I'm doing juice fasts. You think how much produce you have got into your system today already! You body will be in nutrient heaven :)

19:00 Romaine, Broccoli, Cucumber, Apple, Lime, Ginger, Celery and Kale

Nice and refreshing again and also a light way to carry you into the evening.

Again always juice the leafy greens first, They need a lot longer to extract the juice.

Nice yield again!

Its a lot better to do these juices in batches to cut down on washing up. ALWAYS wash up straight away when doing juicing!! You will regret letting it dry on trust me :D haha. I use sealable jars like this as it makes storing them a lot easier.

You can store them in the fridge for up to 48 hours. I would recommend consuming them in 24 though as the nutrients will fade over time. Its best drinking them straight from the juicer but life isn't always so convenient...

Anyway this is Day One of my journey, feel free to follow it along with me or even drop some comments below :)

Cheers!

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Good luck with that, man! I've heard juicing for that long is pretty hard. I've wanted to do that as well. One of these days I'll get it done :)

Cheers @stoner19 :)
Its not so bad mate... going without nice white coffees is the worst part haha. Although i must admit i did have a vision of a big bowl of chicken pieces earlier... haha its only a few days and worth it trust me :)

We'll start testing your mental strength by posting pictures of food tomorrow :p

haha you and everyone else i know :D

You mean I really shouldn't post some bbq pictures for you here? ;D

There are some hilarious comments on here @b0y2k . I fasted for the first time last week and it was amazing. Everyone has a very programmed perspective on juicing and fasting. It was very interesting hearing everyones negative to fearful comments when I was doing it. Everything is good in balance and done right. All ancient societies and animals fast and the science behind it is so clearly evident. One awesome tip I would suggest (if you don't already know) is swishing around or just holding juice or smoothie in your mouth for a few seconds. This allows the enzymes in your saliva to do what they do, same as when you eat. "Drink your food and eat your beverages" as Ghandi said. Thanks for sharing, juices are amazing when done right... you can feel it :)

Everyone is programed to hate sugar, it is the new fat.

YES!! always swish the juice around in your mouth. It will not only allow the enzymes to help but it will also alert your brain to the fact the body is being fed. This is KEY. If your brain knows the body is being fed it will remove all alerts and hunger pangs. Im on day 3 now... i feel like i have had 20 coffees :) lol!!

For any doubters... i miss real meaty food... that is for sure. I will not give up the things i love but i do feel good :)

Yeah buddy you know what's up! Feeling like a divine space ninja haha keep it up brother you're doing it right (: I'm waiting until I buy a juicer to commit to the juice cleanse because I'm not about to buy everyone from a store, will stay in touch though happy to be following you, take care

Congrats and good luck!
I only wonder if it's not harmful for stomach?

No no no Mr @richman! its far from harmful mate. Im sure if you juiced 100 limes then maybe... The rule is to juice vegetables then add enough fruit to make it palatable. Some people can handle much less fruit.

Oh, cool!
Then stay strong ;D

Gotta take care of the body

I hope you will also be taking a multivitamin. Just to ensure you are getting a complete set of vitamins and metals.

Hi @justtryme90, you don't need to take any multivits with a juice fast. You get all the vitamins, minerals, proteins and soluble fibres needed. In fact there have been many studies that show multi vitamin tablets are not actually absorbed at all and just pass though the system.

Multivitamins cause an increase in blood concentrations of the vitamins and metals contained theirin. Their absorption has been shown to be lesser than that of the same amount of the compounds contained in actual food. That said, you have to be cognisent in your choices of specific fruits and vegetables to ensure you are obtaining the complete set of essential vitamins and metals. Multivitamin supplementation does not improve the health of those with a complete diet, it does however have positive effects when a diet is lacking in one thing or another. Why do you think people with osteopenia or osteoporosis are encouraged to supplement with vitamin D by their physicians? It's because vitamin supplements do in fact have an effect, it's just not the same as it would be with a food based source.

For some cases this is true yes but standard multivits are very expensive and nothing you cannot find yourself if you are missing certain ones. I agree if you are deficient or have certain physical or hereditary problems they can help a bit but it is very small compared to how the body takes it on from foods.

It is a good point though to make sure you get the right amount and making the plan balanced. I will be doing this and that is why i have included certain foods. Avocados and romain lettuce for example. Romaine is a complete protein, and avocado well.. its simply a complete food full stop. They are amazing.

I am glad you have a good plan :), I was just trying to be nice and make a suggestion in case there were any deficiencies in it. Best of luck and enjoy your fast.

I was trying to be nice too haha :D
Text can read many ways sometimes... but thank you for the input.
Hopefully everyone will enjoy the journey with me :)

Good luck for your Juice session...as you mentionned it can heal a lot.
You should also try WaterMelon and Basilic (leave+branches), which is a very healthy juice. If you find an organic Watermelon, you should add the the skin as it is full of minerals.
On a warm day Cucumber, Celerie and Mint is also great to stay cool.
I wish you a smooth healing process and a great fasting.

Thanks for the tip @charles-d :)
I always include the skin on non waxed or organic produce. As you say sometimes the skin contains the good stuff!
Will do another update later on, still hankering after chicken though haha...

Great! And you also look very well equiped.
Good Luck to you and keep it fun :)

:) will try, been avoiding everyones pictures of bbqs lol

@boy2k

I have a Froothie Optimum 400 Cold Press Slow Juicer.

Slow juicers are actually the best to use for juicing because unlike the blender they don't burn the enzymes of the juice. As for enzymes - it's better to drink the juice within 20 minutes because the enzymes - die within that period.
Good luck with your fasting - you're on the right track specially that you're using ginger. I'm just worried about the acidity - I hope your stomach can manage it. Some of my Korean students do this - but just in the morning then followed by golden sweet potato the whole day. In as short as 2 weeks - they lost 10 kilos.

Thanks for the input @englishchrivy :)
Yes i agree with you slow juicing is WAY better than blending or centrical juicers. I also agree and mentioned above that it is preferable to drink the juices straight away but again life isnt always this way and as long as you store it out of sunlight and refrigerated then its still ok. Always best to have the juice after juicing though.

I am a hardcore ginger fan haha, i can take massive chunks of the stuff with no problems :)
I think i have built up my tolerances :)

It is very good for weight loss but i think people benefit more from the input from the fresh produce. A little weight loss would be god though :)

@boy2k me, too - a ginger fan :D

Devils Advocate Here. Juicing is bypassing natures fibre with sugar to cut out an insulin dump. Juice literally goes right through your system and shoots your insulin through the roof. For sure way to get diabetes and put on weight

Sorry @projecthor but that is simply not true.
You do know there is such a thing as insoluble and soluble fibre?

please post a picture of someone who has juiced in this way and put on weight :)

You have all the vitamins and minerals you need.