Adventures in Juice Fasting

I've always been a huge advocate of fasting.  Fasting is basically the opposite of everything society tells us to do.  Corporate media and every advertisement tells us to constantly consume.  So much so, that much of our self-worth is derived from the amount of, quality and variety of our consumption.  But who benefits?  Obesity is at an all-time high, as is depression and prescription drug dependency.  Fasting allows the body to cleanse itself of the toxins that have accumulated over the years and divert energy normally used for digestion to healing and repairing damaged organs.

While I would usually fast at least once a year for around 2 weeks, the stress of moving, pregnancy, exclusive breastfeeding and returning to work put a damper on my fasting plans.  But after we moved back to Boston I started feeling very overwhelmed with my responsibilities as a new mom, frustrated with my bad habits, and a bit depressed over my lack of freedom from my son.

I was starting to feel guilty about my state of mind, so I sought out the help of my trusted acupuncturist. I've been seeing my acupuncturist, Dan Dan, for the past 3 years and she has helped me with dance injuries, allergies, ear infections and insomnia. She agreed that all of the stress was taking its toll on my body and spirit.  Then she reminded me of the healing powers of fasting.

Fasting is NOT something to be entered into lightly, so after much research and discussion with Dan Dan, I decided it would be safe to do a short, 5 day juice fast while still exclusively breastfeeding my son.  Juice fasting gives your body all of the nutrients it needs and pure pressed juices take little to no energy for your body to process.  The detoxification is also less intense than with water fasting, so I would still have enough energy to take care of the baby.

This is my adventure....

Day 1:

10:00 am:  Carrot/Orange Juice

12:00 pm:  Taught Baby and Me Class

1:00 pm:   Apple, Carrot, Kale, Ginger Juice

3:00 pm:   Peppermint Iced Tead

5:30 pm:   Kale, Broccoli, Celery, Ginger, Garlic Juice

6:00 pm:   Nap

8:00 pm:   Kombucha (fermented tea)

8:30 pm:   Light Yoga Session (30 mins)

9:00 pm:   Peach Tea

Side Effects:  head aching, easily upset, pressure on sinuses, frequent urination, sleepy, kidney pain, back pain, groggy

Improvements:  None

Day 2

10:00 am:  Grapefruit Juice

12:45 pm:  Carrot, Kale, Collards, Garlic Juice

2:00 pm:  Nap

4:30 pm:  Kale, Broccoli, Celery, Ginger, Garlic Juice

5:30 pm:  Carrot Juice

6:00 pm:  Yoga Session (1 hr)

7:30 pm:  Ginger, Lemon, Water

9:00 pm:  Hibiscus Tea

Side Effects:  headache, sleepy, slight kidney pain, back pain, bad breath, sleepy

Improvements:  less headache and kidney pain, more mental clarity

Day 3:

10:00 am:  Apple, Carrot, Orange, Mango Juice

10:30 am:  Hibiscus/Mint Iced Tea

12:30 pm:  Apple, Celery, Beet, Garlic, Ginger, Kale Juice

3:00 pm:  Kombucha

5:30 pm:  Kale, Broccoli, Celery, Ginger, Garlic Juice

6:30 pm:  Belly Dance Class (45 mins)

7:00 pm:  Ginger, Lemon Water

9:30 pm:  Rooibus Tea

Side Effects:    headache, sleepy, slight kidney pain, back pain, bad breath

Improvements:  even less headache and kidney pain, more mental clarity, more energy

Day 4:

10:00 am:  Hibiscus Iced Tea

11:30 am:  Superfood Smoothie

2:00 pm:  Celery, Beet, Garlic, Ginger, Kale Juice

5:00 pm:  Kombucha

6:00 pm:  Belly Dance Class (45 mins)
7:30 pm:  Ginger, Lemon Water

Side Effects:  sore arms and legs, lower abdominal pain, no appitite

Improvements:  not thinking about solid food,  no headache or kidney pain, more energy


*Notes:  I hardly slept at all tonight because of labor-like pains in my uterus and ovaries.  While I've had period-like pain when fasting before, I'm guessing that I didn't give myself enough time to heal after my son's birth.


Day 5

7:30 am:  Superfood Smoothie

12:00 pm:  Carrot, Celery, Beet, Garlic, Ginger, Kale Juice

5:00 pm:  Kombucha
6:00 pm: Nap

7:00 pm:  Light Yoga Session (20 mins)
8:30 pm:  Ginger, Lemon Water

Side Effects: headache, very groggy, lower abdominal pain, pressure on sinuses, easily irritated, chills, no appetite
Improvements:  all side effects were gone by around 4:00 pm


The next day I gently broke my fast by drinking only juice and water and only eating raw salads.

Right now I'm feeling much better and enlightened by the healing I experienced on the fourth night.  I'll discuss my improvements in greater detail after my acupuncturist appointment tomorrow!