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Juice fasting is not new but it’s definitely trendy with the health conscious.  I wanted to give it a try, but making juice and only drinking juice seemed like too big of a commitment. As a beginner, I decided I’d go the store-bought juice fasting route for beginners.

So, I’m on day 4 of a 5 day juice fast and the few times I’ve shared that I’m doing this, I’ve consistently gotten the following comments/questions:

•  “Wow!”
•  “that seems hard.”
•  “don’t you get hungry?”
•  “why?”
• “what kind of juice? where do you get it?”

Juice Fast Answers & Reflections

So, I thought maybe this journey may be interesting to others and while my journey isn’t perfect, hopefully this helps one of you.

Yes, “wow!” is right.

This has been a challenge. It’s a pretty substantial commitment to do a juice fast, but I believe people only do things for a reason, even if the reason is just because, “I wanna do it.”

I chose to do this because I realized I have an unhealthy addiction to sugar in all of her toxic (but so delicious) forms and I want to reprogram myself to avoid sugars and eventually, I also want to go vegan.

So, taking a break from mindless consumption, through juicing, was how I chose to take the first step.

“That seems hard. Don’t you get hungry?”

So, this has been more of a mental exercise than a physical one. Yes, I get hungry but then I drink water, tea, or one of my juices. I can also eat any of the raw fruits of veggies in the juices. However, I find that more and more often, I just miss chewing or I’m thirsty.

So many times I’ve wanted to go “grab a snack” and instead I grabbed a glass of water or had a cup of tea and I felt better.

It makes me wonder how often I used to eat when I really just needed hydration.

“Why a juice fast?”

Well, I kind of discussed that earlier but less sugar consumption and going vegan were two main drivers. I’m also getting older and I want to maximize my health and losing a couple of pounds in the process would be nice. 😉

On a more serious note, my big why is intentionality. I want to be more intentional about how I eat and how I buy and prepare foods for my family. That doesn’t mean buying vegan stuff at the store (although I will) but I want to also have less processed store brought things in the house. It’s a huge HUGE life change but it’s in alignment with also stopping our consumption of plastic (which is a whole different convo).

Side note: I currently have a taste for a juicy hamburger, and I’m in the process of finding a healthy (non-processed) vegan alternative that I can prepare this weekend.

Will I fall off the wagon? Most likely… but knowing makes it easier to choose to get back on, when (not if) I fall off. 

“Why kind of juices?” “Where do you buy juices for your fast?”

So, here in good o’l Liberia there is a lovely African American yogi and massage therapist who prepares delicious locally sourced fruit and veggie juices. She seals them and delivers them to your door! ❤️❤️❤️ There are similar services in the US. This article on the 9 best juice cleanses to do in 2019 will give you plenty of options to choose from.

As for me, I drink six, 16-oz juices a day. This week they are a combination of the following blends:

Hibiscus and baobab — 𝐲𝐮𝐦
Coconut and sour sop — 𝐬𝐨 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝
Collard, fever leaf, lime, ginger, parsley — 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐝
Collard, fever leaf, lime, ginger, parsley, tomatoes, peppers and garlic —𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐧𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐲, 𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐡!
Coconut water –𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝
Pineapple, cucumber and basil –>𝐟𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞!
Collard greens, lime, fever leaf, cucumber, ginger 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐲!
Tamarind, ginger, lime, honey and orange 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐝

Store-bought juice fasting vs. make-your-own juice fasting

Now, you can definitely make your own juices. We actually OWN a juicer. We have an older version of a Jack Lalannes. The thing is, as a juice fast beginner, it’s easy (really easy) to fall off the wagon, and having your juices waiting for me has been a huge blessing. I can just focus on not falling off the wagon (which can be a challenge). I don’t have to worry about buying all of the produce, washing, cutting, and juicing it and let’s not even talk about the clean up.

This is my first REAL juicing adventure. I’m a juice fast beginner and I know that removing as much of the complicating elements is the key to my success.   So, for beginners, I recommend you buy the juices. Once you’re a pro at juice fasting, THEN up the challenge and make your own.

A quick glance at just Amazon and I found a number of amazing healthy juices that can be delivered to your door (if you’re living in the US). I also know in the US at Harris Teeter and Whole Foods, they sell individual sized bottled juices. If you’re not sure juicing is for you, try one of them. And if you’re outside of the US, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE leave a comment below if there are similar services in your country.  Help a nomad out. Who knows, I may be in your country at some point and want to do a juice cleanse and detox.

Juice Fasting, Blood Sugar, and Health Considerations

One of the things that’s been really important to me over this journey has been keeping track of my blood sugar. Diabetes/hypoglycemia are dangerous, and I want to make sure I don’t jeopardize my health trying to be healthy.

So, every evening and every morning (and occasionally throughout the day) I check my blood sugar to make sure everything is normal.

If my numbers are ever wonky (and they haven’t been so far: knock on wood), I’d eat something. I’ve also minimized my exercise routine this week because exercise (even my 3-day yoga routine) requires energy.

So, this week has been (generally) a rest week, if you don’t count all of the normal non-exercise running around I do on a daily basis.

Biggest Lesson 

My biggest Ah ha is that we need to eat for fuel not (always) for taste.

While I didn’t like the collard green, fever leaf, lime, ginger, parsley, tomato, pepper, and garlic juice, I drank it. It was so gross (like really), but it filled me up and allowed me to have the energy I needed for my day while maintaining my juice fast.

If you’re interested in making a change to your diet or just want to reset your digestive system, juice fasting (even for one day) is worth trying.