Juice Feast
I’m nearing the end of my high-raw month and I thought I’d go out with a bang and indulge in a juice feast. I have to say this is much easier than any juice “fast” I’ve ever done, probably because I’m more prepared this round and my diet this last month has been especially clean. There are lots of reasons people choose to do a juice feast, including weight loss, cancer or other serious health issues. Sometimes some people simply do the juice feast because they want a reset. I know there’s a lot of debate about smoothies vs. juicing vs. neither, but I’ve found both green smoothies and juicing both have their place in my lifestyle.
Daily Line Up: Cashew Horchata, Ultra Green Juice and Carrot-Apple-Celery Juice
Here’s some things I’ve gleaned from reading about and then doing juice feasts over the years:
1- I’m more likely to stay on track if I get my juice supply ready for the day first thing in the morning. I have a masticating juicer instead of a centrifugal juicer, so my juice stays fresh longer and has more nutrients, so even though it’s best (in any case) to drink juice fresh right when you press it, there are ways you can minimize nutrient loss: (2&3 below). I use as much organic produce as possible when juicing so I don’t overload on pesticide residue.
2- Store your freshly pressed juice in lidded glass jars (think MASON), filled as closely to the top as possible to prevent oxidation.
3- Add lemons or limes to your juice to help preserve them and keep them fresher longer. Sometimes I leave the peel on, sometimes I don’t.
My 15 year old Champion Juicer, still running like a brand new machine.
4- Drink as much juice as you’d like, I’ve found a schedule works for me, I typically consume 5-6 juices (16-18 oz each) a day and consume them 2 hours apart (9am, 11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm) so I don’t get overly hungry or have energy loss. I strain my juices through a wire mesh strainer, but that’s personal preference.
5- I include a nut milk in the above total, I’ve found it really takes the edge off and makes doing a juice feast just that much more doable, obviously nut milk isn’t juice, but it works well in conjunction with this type of reset for me. I usually drink the nut milk in the evening, when I’m craving things the most.
6- Stick with as many veggies as you can, too many fruits while juicing isn’t as beneficial and can mess with your body’s alkalinity.
Little hands love to get involved
7- Make sure to have as much purified water and unsweetened herbal tea as much as you like throughout the day.
8- Get plenty of rest during your reset, you might find you need a bit more sleep than you normally get.
9- You can do a 1 day, 3 day or 7 day reset. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you can go as long as you need. Joe Cross from Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead proved more than 60 days of juicing didn’t harm him in the least, in fact it put his autoimmune disease into remission and helped him lose all the excess weight he was carrying.
10- It’s okay if you fall off the juice wagon, you can always climb back on til you reach your desired goal. Also, if for any reason you start to feel ill (more than just mild cleanse associated headaches), stop the juice fast so you don’t make yourself sick.
Lots of veggies, minimal fruit
Now lets get to the juice. This juice recipe I’m sharing with you today is courtesy of my brother Curtis, he’s an Ultra Runner and has taught me more than a thing or two about nutrition.
Ultra Green Juice
- 4 C. spinach (I used a whole head of kale in the photographed batch, beware, it was powerful! I’ve been doing a mix of half kale, half spinach since)
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 head celery
- fist sized piece of broccoli
- 1 bunch parsley
- 3 apples
- 1 lime (peeled)
- 1/2 lemon (peeled)
- chunk of fresh ginger
Curtis said he got about 50 oz out of his juice, I got closer to 60 oz, but this could have been because of a difference in produce sizing. I’ve been using this juice as the base for my juice feast, I like it even more with a bunch of carrots thrown in, and it turns the juice an awesome army green. I typically do this juice plus a carrot, apple and celery juice or a more savory juice (coming Wednesday) plus the nut milk to round out my day.
Want more juicy goodness? Check out Shira’s Fennel Apple Juice with Greens and Fresh Lemon and Cadry’s Afternoon Pick Me Up Juice. Loads more Juice recipes can be found here.
This recipe was shared at Raw Foods Thursdays & Healthy Vegan Fridays
What are your favorite juice recipes? I’d love to try them!
