Pre-Fast Preparation
The sooner you can begin the pre-fast preparation, the better. Start by removing most of the animal products from the diet, then move on to grains and starches. Keep your diet as vegetable centric as possible, and juice until later and later into the day, until you are comfortable juicing until dinner. If you only have a few days to prep, no stress – 1 or 2 days of juicing until dinner will get you into the fasting flow.
During the fast, your body will cleanse itself of abundant amounts of waste. The waste will “get in line” for elimination through your colon but if it does not exit quickly enough, it will re-enter the bloodstream causing very uncomfortable detox symptoms like headaches, skin eruptions, and irritability. We recommend lining up at least 2 colonics for during the fast, one of which is best administered on the last day of the fast. Ideally, you would do a colonic the day before our fast starts as well. For dinner the night before the fast start date, enjoy an avocado or goat cheese based salad with steamed vegetables and/or a sweet potato. The colonic will clear your system of some accumulated waste and this dinner will be easily digested and eliminated without further clogging your intestines.
We also encourage you to plan to nourish yourself through self care practices, such as hot baths, massage, yoga and time in nature. We will be sharing our favorites with you in the pre-fast video release!
You can also start getting into the fasting space by picking up a great juice fasting book. Some of our favorites are:
- Dining From An Empty Bowl
- Rational Fasting
- The Transformational Power of Fasting: The Way to Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional Rejuvenation
You may also want to watch the movie, Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead. It is very inspiring!
Stock Up
It is important that you have as many of the ingredients on hand that you will need throughout the fast. Or conversely, if you have access to a great juice bar and prefer the convenience of purchasing already fresh-pressed juices, plan ahead and purchase enough (6/day on average) of these for the fast and freeze all juices except the ones you will use the first day. Hunger can come on quickly and be overwhelming at times but if you have your favorite juice to make or thaw and/or a large pot of vegetable broth in the refrigerator or thermos, you are setting yourself up for success to get through these times of temporary discomfort.
Here is a list of items we suggest you have on hand for your fast:
• Favorite veggies and fruits for juicing. Quantities will vary greatly from day to day, depending on each individual and appetite. Here is what your shopping list may look like, typically, for 1 day of juicing:
3-4 cucumbers
3 heads romaine
3 heads of celery
2-3 bunches of kale
4-6 lemons
2-4 limes
2-3 apples
10-15 carrots
1-2 beets
4 tomatoes
a few knobs of ginger
• Coconut water (16-30oz. max / day)
• Pulp-free jug of organic orange juice (make sure oranges are the only ingredients on the list; 30oz. max.)
• Oranges and grapefruit (if you are making your own citrus juice – about 4 to 6 of each, per day)
• Plenty of veggies for the vegetable broth OR the Pacific brand vegetable broth/ other organic vegetable broth with no added sodium (1 box per day of fasting to be safe)
• Herbal teas (blueberry, ginger, hibiscus, tangerine, elderberries, rooibos, rooibos chai, etc. as desired
• Stevia (NuNaturals and Stevita brands are our favorite!)
Also, if you are going to be at work all day or otherwise away from home, have something to carry your juice and other liquids in. When you love what you’re drinking from it can make a big difference! Mason jars or stainless steal containers in a cooler bag or packed with an ice pack are ideal for keeping juices cold. Make sure you put your vegetable broth in a thermos that will keep it warm – the warm liquid can do wonders for keeping the hunger at bay toward the end of the day!
Lastly, for those of you making your own juice – we recommend the Breville Juice Fountain! It is easy to use, and easy to clean. Win win! For those that are concerned with oxidation, we recommend the Omega Vert juicer. The juice will keep for at least 2x as long as the juice from a centrifugal juicer, but will require a bit more preparation before feeding the vegetables through.