Asked by
exclusivelyvivi

Hi Vivi!

Thank you for reaching out! Juice fasts are quite tricky. I do not recommend doing one if you are new to juicing, and are used to the stimulation of heavy foods throughout your day. I am not saying this is your case, but in order for me to give you a solid recommendation I would need to get familiar with your diet and lifestyle. I am currently giving free initial health consultations, as part of my nutritionist certification program. If you are interested we can schedule a 50 minute skype, phone or in-person consultation and then go from there! Otherwise, I have a previous post about juice fasts you can check out for some basic information. The general guidelines for juice fasts are:

1. Decide how long your fast will be ahead of time and make a commitment to yourself to follow through. For beginners I recommend no more than 3 days. Acknowledge that food will always be there when you are done with your fast. Mentally prepare yourself and know that the first day is always the hardest! 

2. Make sure you are consuming 60- 90 ounces of fresh (mostly veggetable) juice thoughout the day. If you do not have time or a juicer, there are delivery services you can sign up for that will deliver fresh juicer to your door as needed. Some good ones are www.liquiteria.com that delivers nationwide and www.livinggreenssf.com which is local to San Francisco. 

3. Always be prepared! Have your juice with you wherever you go in a sealed container, preferably in a small portable cooler bag. Herbal tea, fresh young thai coconut water and vegetable broth are also safe to consume durring your fast.

4. Prepare distractions for yourself and keep bussy. Do things for yourself to enhance your detox like getting a massage, going to an infrared sauna or take a yoga class. Take relaxing baths at the end of each day to ease the stress of the day which typically triggers emotional eating for most. Watching movies, reading and shopping can also be helpful fill activities to get your mind off food for the short durration of the fast. 

5. When you are ready to break the fast, do not do so with a heavy meal because you will shock your digestive system! The perfect break-fast meal is a simple avocado salad, followed by some cooked veggies. You can find simple recipes for both on my blog. Your taste buds become sensitive to subtle tastes durring the fast so take advantage of this by not overloading your meal with too much salt, oil, or sauce. Plan to do something right after your meal so that you are not tempted to sit and eat more! You can eat again in 3-4 hours, so don’t be greedy or else your colon will freeze up!

I hope you find this helpful! Hope to hear from you soon!

Love,

Ana