Many people claim that our bodies are designed to do intermittent fasting to release toxins, be healthier, and live longer. If you want to fast, but find that fasting is too hard for you to stick with, then intermittent juice fasting may be the answer that you have been looking for.
Why Juice Fasting May Be For You
Juice fasting can be an excellent way to get all the benefits of regular fasting, yet not feel as deprived. In addition, it can offer you nutrients that you require throughout your day; in fact, according to the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, fresh juice can be a significant source of your daily vitamins. Since cooking and processing food can alter and reduce the amount of nutrients we receive, drinking fresh juice can help us absorb all the nutrients from the vegetables or fruits we are eating.
The benefits of juice fasting go beyond toxin release from your body and an abundant supply of nutrients. It can also help to boost your immune system, aid in digestion, and get rid of a few extra pounds. Perhaps the biggest benefit of juice fasting is this: it can help you become more conscious of the food you are eating.
A healthy diet does not limit us from occasionally eating fried foods or eating way too much of that yummy cheesecake. On a juice fast, it can become very apparent just how well (or bad) we have been eating, and the effect of that realization can last well after the cleanse is over.
What to Expect
It is important to note that a juice fast can be a shock to your system, especially if you are someone who is consistently eating throughout the day. Your body will go into panic mode and you will start to daydream about the food you are used to eating (and even food you are not used to eating.) This shock can send a message to your brain that you are starving – which of course is not the case.
During the fast, you may experience headaches, cramps, irritability, and mental confusion. This can happen as a result of toxins leaving your body, low blood sugar levels, and a consistent mental focus on food. They are a side effect of your body adjusting to the fast.
How to Do It
There is no set rule for how often you should fast. Some people do it once a week, and some people do it once a month. The choice is up to you and how you feel. However, if you want to experience the true benefits of a fast, try fasting on juice for 24 hours once a week. If you choose to juice fast once a month or once every few months, it should be done for at least a 72-hour period.
In order to get a wide variety of nutrients on a juice fast, ensure that you juice a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. You would be amazed at how much you like an odd taste like beets combined with apples. That is not to say that every juice you create is going to taste delicious, as some will have a very ‘green’ taste to them that most of us don’t find appealing. However, you will find that certain juices satisfy your taste buds while giving you the nutrients you need to sustain through the juice fast.
If you are going to take part in juice fasting, as in once a month or less, then you may decide that you don’t want to go out and buy an expensive juicer as you can usually just buy juices from your local grocery store. Just be sure the juice is made with organic fruits and vegetables (a health food store maybe your best option).
However, if you really want to create new and interesting tastes, instead of drinking only what is available to you, then a juicer is required. In addition, by choosing the product yourself you can ensure that only organic produce is going to be part of your juice fast whereas this may not be the case with the juice you can buy.
Moreover, it is more fun to create juice at home; it gives you the feeling as if you are cooking or creating something. I don’t know about you, but as a foodie, I am much more fascinated by the cooking process, so being able to juice my own drinks allows me to feel as though I have control over the whole process and it keeps me focused on the fast.
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Steve Prussack is the author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Juice Fasting and Founder/ Editor-in-Chief of VegWorld Magazine. Steve also hosts an award-winning radio show Raw Vegan Radio to spread the message of compassion, harmony, and vegan living.
Featured photo by Untitled Blue