I am so glad you have decided to join me in this “spring cleaning” of the body. Lately I’ve been eating some things I know I shouldn’t, feeling tired, fatigued, and all around BLAH! My allergies have returned along with joint pains and occasional headaches, my sleeping patterns are off, and my food cravings are getting ridiculous. Enough is enough! I want to feel clean, energized, bright-eyed, well rested, and all around FABULOUS! The best way for me to recharge my system is to give my metabolism a boost with this 10-day fast. Some people do juice fasts for longer or shorter periods, but I feel 10 days is just right to transition back to a healthy and clean eating pattern. Feel free to choose the length of your fast for yourself, no one knows your body like you do, and what is right for me may not be right for you. Just be sure that you are truly listening to your body, not just giving in to old habits. I have found that the first 3 days of any new regimen are the most difficult, so know this and be prepared!
I’ve done smoothie fasts, raw food detoxes, and short juice fasts, but this will be the longest juice fast I have completed to date and I am very excited about it. Smoothie fasts are essentially the same concept, but will lack the micronutrients provided by fresh veggie juices. If you do not have a juicer but would like to do a smoothie fast, I would suggest including some store bought veggie juices such as Bolthouse Farms, found in the produce section, to supplement. They have carrot, 1/2 fruit 1/2 veggie, and a green juice that are as close to fresh as bottled gets. During a smoothie fast the majority of your smoothies should be green, and here is a great website with recipes and tips on green smoothies by the wonderful Victoria Boutenko.
http://www.rawfamily.com/
In the days leading up to my juice fast, I will be eliminating anything from my diet that contains animal products, salt, refined sugar, and processed foods. Dairy and meat clog your digestive system, salt causes water retention, and sugar/processed foods are highly addictive. It will benefit me to get rid of these things prior to the fast so that my cravings are eliminated and my digestive system gets a clean-out. Think about it-you can’t flush out any system without first stopping the thing that is causing the back-up! The goal from now until the fast is to focus on whole grains, raw nuts and seeds, cooked veggies, and lots of raw fruits and veggies. By the way, fruit is God’s perfect food....just FYI. If you are prepping with me, here are a few links to some great recipes and information.....
http://www.nutritionmd.org/recipes/advanced_search.html
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/search-results.php?specialDietTypeId=3
http://fatfreevegan.com/
I also highly recommend viewing this film if you need some motivation! Its free on Netflix if you have an account.
http://movies.netflix.com/movie/Fat-Sick-Nearly-Dead/70173634
Here is a link to Joe’s website that has some great juicing guidelines for those new to juicing!
http://www.jointhereboot.com/index.php?lang=en
I hope this is a good start to getting you excited about cleaning up your body just in time for summer! I am thrilled to be doing this fast just before the farmer’s market opens for the summer....it will prepare me for all the delicious organic produce I hope to be stuffing my face with for the next 5 months!!
Tomorrow I will begin posting recipes and grocery lists, until then, get excited!
No comments:
Post a Comment