Q & A

How do I prepare for a juice fast? 

Spend 7-10 days eating fruits and vegetables. This will help you clear out your system a little bit and also get your body used to so many nutrients being present at once. It also replinishes your resources-especailly if you don't eat fruits and veggies that often now! Try to cut out processed foods and make sure you up your water intake to get nice and hydrated!

When is a good time to start? 

Anytime is a good time! If you have a problem with self control, or family traditions that are set in stone and involve slolid food, try to pick a time of year that is not going to be interrupted by those events.

Are there any fruits and vegetables that are off limits? 

Other than any that you may be allergic to, no! You can use any fruit or vegetable that you could eat raw. Just run it through the juicer and drink up!

Can I eat while on the fast? 

It is important to remember while on a fast that you can eat a piece of fruit or vegetables if you feel like it is completely necessary, but it is better to just drink more juice and try to let your tummy shrink itself. The reason I say this is because part of the benefit of juicing is to let your body rid itself of toxins that have been stored over time, and give your body a break from digestion. Juice is absorbed into your body within 15 minutes and does not leave time for those toxins to reabsorb into your blood stream like solid food does. If you eat solid foods, even fruits and veggies, the toxins that have been released by your body are reabsorbed by solid foods and then reprocessed into your body again during the digestion process. I know it is odd to think of it like that, but it is unfortunately how it works, it is almost like our bodies are poisoning the good food that we put into it from all of the not so good stuff that we have put in there too.

How do I know that I am getting enough nutrients? 

I try to focus on how my body feels to tell me what it needs. If my body is not shaky, my vision is fine, I do not have a headache and I do not feel weak then I know that I am not “hungry” even though my stomach may be growling. If I feel any signs of low blood sugar, such as dizziness, blurred vision, or fatigue then I know that my body wants some nutrients. (I almost never get like that, but sometimes the day gets away from me and I forget to have my juice.) It is a common misconception that when a tummy growls that it is saying “feed me”. In reality it is usually saying “I’m thirsty” or “I’m digesting”.

How do I get protein on a juice fast? 

There are many fruits and vegetables that contain protein including broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus, strawberries, watermelon, oranges, and bananas. Use a variety of fruits and veggies to get the most nutrients in your juice! Remember it isn't always quantity, but QUALITY! 

How long will my juice stay fresh for? 

While it is suggested to make a fresh juice for every meal of the day, you can make juice for a whole day and store it in an air tight container. Use it within 72 hours for maximum nutritional benefit! 

How much juice should I consume on a juice fast?

The answer to that depends on who is asking, however it is recommended that you consume  4 to 6 glasses of juice that are 16-20 oz each day. That translates to anywhere from 1/2 gallon to roughly 1 gallon of juice a day. I personally intake 3 quarts of juice a day with about 1/2 gallon of water throughout the day as well. My goal is also to lose weight and I have been losing weight while doing this! 

Is it possible to consume too much juice? 

You can drink as much juice as your body could handle in the span of a day without causing harm to yourself. Like any other food, if you put enough of it in your belly, your body will have a reaction telling you to slow down or it will expel it's contents.

 Is there a point when I would have consumed enough juice to be considered "overeating"? 

It is virtually impossible to over eat on fruits and veggies! It is important to remember that the calorie or carb count while doing this fast does not matter because the nutritional value to carb/calorie ratio is so high. The reason that I am bringing this up is because a lot of people think that you must keep it under a certain amount of carbs or calories to lose weight on this journey like you do on other diets. You do not, and quite frankly, it is really hard to get over 2000 cal when doing this, so if that is helping you decide how much to have and when to have it, you can stop worrying! I make a gallon of high quality juice using a large variety of fruits and vegetables every day and I keep track of the calorie content of it. I have never exceeded 2000 calories and I have never had to drink more than a gallon of juice a day to be satisfied. The carb count is a little bit different, but only because fruits have a high carb content. The nutritional value of the fruit far outweighs the amount of carbs found in it and they become a non-issue.