Weight Loss and Healthy Living

Juice fasting refers to consuming nothing but juices over a period of time. There is much controversy and confusion surrounding why, what, and how one should juice fast. While I personally believe that fasting should never, ever be done for weight loss reasons, there are physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. This is not meant to be a scientific article that delves into the physiological impact of juice fasting, but rather an anecdotal study of my experience with juice fasting and how I feel it can benefit others in pursuit of Weight Loss and Healthy Living.

What is Juice Fasting?

The term "fasting" refers to abstaining from food. In strict terms, the only "true fast" is often referred to as a water fast. Water fasts require that you drink nothing but water for the period of time you are fasting. This can be a very dangerous type of fast to follow because you are truly starving your body of the nutrients it needs.



A juice fast is a modified water fast. Instead of only drinking water, you drink exclusively juices. Most of these juices will be fresh juices that are juiced "on the spot" from fruit and vegetables. Some people (myself included) may mix some "commercial" juices. Understand these juices are pasteurized and modified and do not provide the same benefits as fresh juices. More importantly, many commercial products add sugars such as high fructose corn syrup.

How Dangerous is Fasting?

Fasting for short periods of time is perfectly safe. In fact, ALL people fast, albeit for short periods of time. The first meal of the day is used to "break the fast" you endured for however many hours you were asleep. So fasting, by itself, is not dangerous. What can become a factor is how long you fast.

As I mentioned, water fasts or more restrictive fasts can be far more dangerous than juice fasts. Juice fasts, when done correctly, do provide calories (so you are not starving yourself) along with vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients. While carbohydrates and moderate protein is available during a juice fast, you will receive virtually no fats from most fruits and vegetables.

Because a juice fast IS a major, restrictive change to your normal nutrition, you should always consult with a physician before starting a juice fast. It is important to understand how the fast may impact your health. If you are diabetic or hypoglycemic, for example, you should learn whether or not you need to make any special arrangements for your condition while on a juice fast.

Unlike water fasts, juice fasts typically do not cause physical impairment. However, dizziness and weakness can result, so timing of the juice fast is important. I always recommend that your first juice fast be done during a vacation so that you know how your body handles it and your work performance is not negatively impacted. It's also good to let others know you are juice fasting so they can monitor your condition and provide subjective feedback about your progress during the fast.

What Types of Juices are Allowed?

Juice fasting traditionally involves anything that can be juiced. This is mainly fresh fruits and vegetables. I've juiced everything from apples, oranges, grapes, strawberries, raspberries, grapefruit, and pears to celery, carrots, beet greens and beets, broccoli, spinach, and even jalapeño peppers (keeps it interesting).

This is one case where opinions abound. Some people say you should have a certain amount of certain types of juices while others are more flexible. I've found that for me, it works best to juice the sweetest fruits in the morning (i.e. apples, pears, grapes, and berries), to drink citrus during the day (i.e. grapefruit and oranges) and then to finish in the evening with vegetables. If I am fasting for longer than a week, I do make a point to include celery so that I can get sodium (electrolytes) in my nutrition.

What are the Benefits of a Juice Fast?

This is where the controversy comes into play. I've heard promises of everything from curing cancer to magic, accelerated weight loss and anything in between.

I personally believe that a juice fast is more of a mental and spiritual tool than a physical one.

Physically, one thing a juice fast does to is extremely lower your calorie intake, so the result will be weight loss. Don't be fooled, however, by the rapid weight loss you experience (I typically drop about 0.5% of my weight every day, or a pound per day at 200 pounds), because some of that will be water weight as well as lean mass. Some of that will bounce back when you conclude your juice fast.

Juice fasting forces your liver to work hard to make up for the drastic change in blood sugar levels. Keep in mind the majority of sugars you take in during a juice fast are fructose, which must be converted by the liver before they are used by the body. This causes your blood sugar levels to stabilize at lower levels and also may level insulin levels. The result is that you are able to recover from the roller-coaster ride of spikes and valleys caused by eating different meals. For this reason, I believe juice fasts can help break food addictions simply because your body is given a break from the "glycemic shock" of loading it with sugars and processed foods.

I also think the juice fast, by cutting out the chemicals and heavy salts from the diet, also help you fine tune your sense of smell and taste. If I've been eating badly for a long period of time, fruit or vegetables suddenly seem bland. After a juice fast, my senses are very much alive and suddenly I find myself craving raw foods and marveling at the complex tastes and smells that occur naturally in foods, without having to drown them in oils, salts, and chemicals.

A tremendous benefit of juice fasting is removing foods from your diet that you are allergic to. Most people don't realize that food allergies sometimes only manifest as slight symptoms, such as a puffy face or simply a stuffy nose. People will often brush it off as "pollen" or airborne allergies. The first few days of a juice fast often involve a "detox" where you have symptoms similar to a flu (feeling feverish, stuffy nose, etc). After that, however, your mind will clear and in many cases, your sinuses too. If this happens, it is a sign something in your diet is causing an allergic reaction. The key to discover this is when you come off the fast: add foods slowly, one major food type per day, and keep a journal. You may be surprised to discover you are allergic to gluten, dairy, peanuts, or other items that you ate because introducing them after a fast causes your stuffy nose or other symptoms to return.

Finally, juice fasting breaks your hunger cycle. After a few days, the hunger signals simply shut down and turn off. This gives you the remarkable ability to analyze your true thoughts about food. You see, this is part of the mental benefit: as you begin to think about foods, you will quickly recognize what is a "craving." When I'm in the zone of a juice fast, I have no problem sitting from someone with a delicious meal full of smells and aromas. It doesn't trigger my hunger mechanisms, so I can analyze my emotional response and realize, "Yes, I just appreciate that food," versus, "Wow, I'm really thinking about it nonstop so it truly ISN'T something I need, but something I've trained myself to want."

It's about unplugging from the emotional response. You'll find you have way more time on a juice fast. Not because you save in food preparation - sometimes the cutting and peeling of fruits and vegetables to juice them can seem to take forever - but because you are no longer drowning your thoughts with worrying about the next meal.

Many of us are guilty of segmenting our day from one food to the next. After lunch, we are really just counting down the time until our next snack. It's a similar addictive cycle to smoking and living from one cigarette to the next. Juice fasting can help break that cycle. Then, when you have the impulse to "feel better" you'll be forced to do it by finding something to do, rather than getting something to eat.

The spiritual benefits of juice fasting are also important. I can say that prolonged juice fasts (my longest one was a month) lead to a period of clarity that will enable you to explore your spiritual side without the hindrances of food addictions or blood sugar and insulin fogging your thoughts. It is strange, but I always seem to have more time when I am fasting, so I take that time to meditate and pray and reconnect with God.

How Long Should I Juice Fast For?

This is a matter of personal preference. I suggest most people start with just a day of juice fasting so that they know it can be done. The first day or two are usually rough, so if you start out planning to fast for more than a few days, you could easily get frustrated. So prove to yourself you have the will power to make it through a day.

The next cycle should be 3 - 5 days. I say this because it's long enough to move through the negative symptoms that are usually present at the start of a fast, and receive the benefit of the clarity and peace you achieve during the fast. This is long enough to break addictions to smoking and coffee, to reprogram your sense of smell and appreciation of taste, and to have some quiet time to reaffirm your commitment to living healthy and controlling foods instead of letting foods control you.

The only reason I ever see for continuing a juice fast beyond a week is spiritual. After several weeks, you undergo changes that can only be explained as mental and spiritual. It requires a lot of dedication and determination to reach that point, but the freedom it creates is also very powerful. I would never fast for more than a week for physical reasons such as weight loss, and don't recommend setting a longer term goal unless you've already fasted for several days and know what to expect.

What about Exercise?

I recommend using a juice fast as an opportunity to truly rest. Your body is getting a break, especially through digestion. I've heard people say that slowing your metabolism is a negative "side effect" of fasting. I disagree. Your digestion plays a major role in your overall metabolism, and juice fasting gives your digestion system rest because the juice is far easier to absorb. Your digestion will pick back up (along with your metabolism) after the juice fast is over.

I don't ever try to jog or weight train while juice fasting. Lighter cardio such as bike rides and long walks are fine and in fact often make me enjoy my juice fast much more. I typically do a routine I refer to as "The Jangle" in the morning to wake up and get my blood flowing during a juice fast, and often end the evening with a nice walk around the neighborhood.

Won't I Lose Muscle?

Perhaps ... but enough to matter? I've fasted for up to a month and can say from personal experience that your muscle doesn't magically melt away. You will be weakened and your muscles will go flat, but a few months of training after a prolonged fast is all that is needed to correct this. Shorter fasts probably have no major impact because I'm back to 100% within days after coming off the fast.

How Should I End My Juice Fast?

Ending juice fasts is probably more difficult than starting one or even staying on one. It's very easy to open the floodgates and start gorging when the fast concludes. Your digestive system isn't ready for pizza the moment you stop fasting, so hitting the nearest fast food joint is a recipe for feeling very ill.

I typically "wind down" a juice fast by switching to solid, raw foods on the first day. This includes fruit, vegetables, and raw nuts.

The second day I'll start adding cooked foods but try to keep the majority of my intake raw. I save the third day for introducing proteins and starting to get back on my regular nutrition regimen.

Juicers

Choosing the correct juicer is important. Poor quality juicers don't last very long, take much longer to prepare the fruit (they have smaller chutes so you have to cut the fruit into smaller pieces) and often mix more pulp with the juice than you like. I've used several different styles of juicers, and by far have been most happy with the Breville Juice Fountain Plus. It has a strong engine, a large shoot so that I can juice large quantities in a short period of time, and is very easy to clean up when through.

Further Suggested Reading

If you are interested in learning more about juice fasts, I recommend the following books:

• Juice Fasting and Detoxification
• Power Juices, Super Drinks

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