Soon into 2014, my friend Lucy and I both decided to do a one day a week juice/smoothie fast.
We decided upon a Monday as the day to do the fast. Having watched recently ’Fat, sick and nearly Dead’, where an Australian man takes only Fruit/vegetable juice for two months, we were inspired.
It seemed as though an all out fast would be too intense and also came with the possible side effects of detoxification symptoms, such as headaches. It seemed taking either juice or smoothies was a half way house, beneficial but not too intense.
I had been doing regular juicing for about three months prior to the initiation phase. I had only just purchased a blender. I thoroughly recommend the ‘Nutri bullet’, it is not too pricey, easy to clean and hardy. For those who have more to spend they could purchase the ‘Vitamix’
It is advisable to use a wide range of Fruits and Vegetables, focusing more upon the vegetables and greens. Also picking a day when you will not be expending too much energy.
So basically on the fast days I would take various combinations. One of my favourite smoothie blends was; pineapple, banana, blueberries, root ginger and leafy greens, delicious.
I honestly felt great on those days. Many times I would find myself having more energy and there was a deep satisfaction and conviction in what I was doing.
Regular fasting has been shown to have many health benefits. Primarily it gives your digestion a break. Even taking smoothies, the food is mulched up, eliminating a lot of the work required by the digestive process. This then allows the body to focus energy upon repair of cells, rather than solely upon digestion.
I developed a keener appreciation of food. It felt very cathartic and healing.
For those of you thinking of taking the plunge, even doing a one day a month fast has so much effect upon the body.
It has become a habit now for me, one I have no intention of breaking.