He that eats till he is sick must fast till he is well.
~ English proverb
As you may guess, juice fasting takes preparation, time and an investment. You need to be committed or it won’t work. And there is no such thing as cheating on a fast, as there is on diets. You either do it all the way or you don’t. Be sure you understand the downsides of juice fast before you sign up for it!
The Things that Really Helped my 5-Day Juice Fast
Preparation is important and anything that you can do to make your juicing process more efficient will make the juice fast a better experience. For instance, on my first juice fast, I was lucky. I had two juicers to use, an Omega juicer and a Greenstar juicer. This way, I was not constantly washing and cleaning the same juicer over and over.
I also bought several tight-lid glass containers in which to store my juicers, and the freshness lasted for up to two days. This was so much better than my plastic containers. You should really not store juices very long but for practicality sake, I always made more than I could drink right away.
And I also had the luxury of being home alone. My husband was gone, and so there was no temptation for food, there was no smell of food in my kitchen and on top of that, I cut off all social life for 5 days to go completely quiet with my mind and my stomach. These steps helped tremendously in making my fast a very successful one.
Don’t underestimate the power of planning and preparing for your juice fast. It can make or break that juice fast experience and it sets the tone for all the future fasts and detox cleanses you do. Let it be the best tone!
What is the 10 Step Process to Prepare for the Juice Fast?
1. Schedule the fast for the right time:
Do the fast when your social life is quiet, when you are staying home and not traveling and when you are not going through deadlines or a million other stresses with stuff in your life.
2. Clear out your social calendar:
Social life can be demanding and draining, while it can also be a lot of fun. There are two reasons to cut out social life during the fast: One is to not be tempted by food and queries of others and second is to let your mind to go quiet and inward.
3. Decide the length of your fast:
You can do a 48-hour, 3-day, 5-day, 7-day or 10-day fast. Or you can decide how long, those are just popular fasting schedules. As a first timer, start with a 3-day and see how you feel by day 3. But make a decision and put it on the calendar to start planning for it.
4. Simplify your diet before the fast:
Two days before your fast, cut out all junk food, fried food, and eating out. Make your diet as simple as possible, preferably lots of fruits and vegetables in raw form to get increased fiber and fresh food in your system. This will help increase juice fast benefits even further.
5. Set up your kitchen:
Clear out your fridge if possible, fill it up with lots of fruits and veggies for juices, set up your juicer and cutting board and tight-lid containers for storage on a permanent counter space with easy access to the faucet. Make the juicing process as easy as possible.
6. Decide your recipes and juicing schedule:
You don’t need to know exactly what to make when but it’s good to know when you plan to juice and approximately how much. It’s also good to rotate your greens and use a large variety of fruits and vegetables and herbs in your fast. Put all this on your journal or digital notebook on your phone.
7. Shopping plans for your produce:
Scope out the places you will be getting your produce and if possible, go to at least 2 different places, such a grocery store and a Farmer’s Market to get local. Even decide which days and times you plan to go to which and make it part of your schedule so you don’t have to think about it during the fast.
8. Test your juicer and a recipe or two beforehand:
If you are a brand new juicer, then make sure you have at least tested your juicer and are familiar with basic juice recipes before the fast.
9. Plan on additional activities to enhance the fast experience:
Fasting is a brilliant time to go inward, read, write, meditate (I love these guided meditation tracks), do yoga, and go on meditative walks. Decide which you will do in advance to maximize your fasting experience.
10. Start the fast with hope, optimism and a can-do attitude:
Before you start the fast, feed your mind positive affirmations and have complete faith in your ability to fast all the way to your desired goal. Repeat these affirmations during your fast and stay positive. Get inspired by listening to this interview I did on juicing and how it can change your life!
Ready to start your juice fast with us?
Now that you are inspired to do a juice fast and cleanse and rejuvenate from the winter slump and the holiday over-indulgence, join the newsletter below to get FREe tips on juicing and on how to stay motivated and active during the juice fast and make it one of the best experiences you’ve ever had:
