October Green Smoothie Fast

[trugoddess]

I'll be welcoming in Autumn with a Green Smoothie fast. This will be my first time fasting this way and I'd love to share the experience with any of you who'd like to join in. Maybe we can check in throughout the week to share recipes, insights and the promised "spirtual awakenings" that will come with our fasting. My intention is to consume only Green Smoothies during the month. I'm gonna have to be REAL creative! Any takers?

[rawhjdmom23]

I have been pondering this exact idea. I have been consuming GS on a pretty regular basis although doing pretty poorly with raw otherwise. I have noticed though that the more I drink GS the less I enjoy SAD crap when I have it. So I am thinking a Green Smoothie fast/feast might be just what I need to jump into raw 100% . After a month on GS I am guessing any SAD will be totally unappealing (I hope.) My biggest struggle will be with my son's birthday at the beginning of the month and Halloween candy at the end. But every month there has been "something" to make me put it off another month. I have been feeling a strong pull to get back into raw completely, so I guess October will be the month!:D If you have yahoo messanger I am hjdmom23. I know with support and the knowledge someone else is doing the same I can do this. And I can support you too. Holly

[Sammarai]

I have been trying to get back into 100% raw for the last 2 weeks without much success. This week I am consuming a GS for breakfast and lunch - which is working but dinner still ends up being cooked bad food.

Do we post everyday - our GS recipes and how we are doing?

Vicky

[raw-siobhan]

Despite my more than a year of exposure to this website and lots of research, fast food addictions have gotten the worst of me...from what I have read green smoothies can be powerful healers of cravings as well as provide some serious nutrition. I want to...I am scared to fail. Does anyone else feel this way??? I want to say I will commit...help.

[Cinnamon]

I've been thinking about doing this too, so maybe October is the month for me too! I do drink 1 quart of green smoothie a day (and have for about 3 years now) but really feel like the cleansing and ease for my digestive system would be great doing this for one month.

I'll think about it too and would like the idea of posting daily what combos we've had, that might help us all be more creative!

[Nappilocs]

The one thing that I have been doing consistently is drinking my green smoothies every morning. I have been slipping on my raw foods otherwise. I want to do a fast so that I can cleanse my system in order to get back on 100% raw foods again.

Fasters, can you please share some of your green smoothie recipes with me? Thanks:)

[trugoddess]

This is great! I'm certain we'll be a great support to one another. A couple of you have asked about how frequently we should post and if we should post recipes. That's completely up to us:-). Personally, I'll post as frequently as I can though it may not be daily and I'll gladly share any recipes I have. I'm looking forward to this. Contribute to the conversation in the way that works best for you and if you run into any challenges, give us a "shout out" so we can help you press through. We'll encourage each other, learn and laugh along the way:-). That's what I'm here to give and that's what I hope to receive.

Currently, I'm having smoothies several times a day and eating one meal. I'm trying to figure out what to put in my smoothies so that they're filling enough to ward off hunger pangs. So far I've learned that the thicker the smoothie, the more satisfied I feel. So, I'm adding just enough water to blend the greens. Then I'm tossing in assorted fruits and slow blending until smooth. It ends up being a consistency very close to that of pudding, just a bit more fluid.

Also, please share what supplements you're finding useful. I may incorporate that as well :-)

See ya next week:-)

[rosebud2007]

Hi I am very new to this site and new to Raw.. I just joined a week ago and I am taking Alissa's class in November... I would love to start my Journy with a good Fast cleansing, and have been looking at all the topics on GS... Could someone please explain a grennsmoothie to me and the basics off what you put in them and a few basic recipes... I am looking forward to doing this with you guys, I will also be doing the 30 day challenge... Thnk you Rosalie

[trugoddess]

Rosalie-- Green Smoothies contain a mixture of blended green leafy vegetables and fruit. Some people at other ingredients (e.g seaweed, nuts, figs, raw Agave nectar etc...) Do a search for "Green Smoothie Recipes" and lots of posts will come up.

The blending of the greens and fruit creates an easily assimilated, highly nutritious meal for the body. Because it's all raw, you get the all of the potent nutritional benefits of the items that you include in your smoothie. It's a great way to up your intake of greens. Something about the smoothies results in diminished food cravings. I've read that it's because the body is getting proper nutrition and no longer seeks empty calories. I typically blend my smoothies in the morning. I store them in glass Mason jars. I try to keep enough for 2 days on hand. During the fast, I'll have a smoothie anytime I feel hungry.

A couple of my favorite recipes are: a hand full of spinach and a 2-3 leaves of kale mixed with a bag of mango or mixed fruit. I use the frozen Organic 365 fruit from Whole Foods (this way I can keep fruit on hand without it going bad). I thaw the fruit before blending it to get a sweeter taste. I toss it in frozen if I want more of a slush type texture. I'll be experimenting with ALL types of combos during the October fast. Please join us if this feels right for you:-)

[trugoddess]

We're at the starting gate, ready to fire off on Day 1 of our 30 day Green Smoothie fasting journey. The experience will be FABULOUS! We'll learn, grow, become healthier while getting stronger and smarter about our bodies as we move along :-):p

So, rawhjdmom23, sammarai, raw-siobhan, cinnamon, nappilocs and rosebud2007, get those greens and fruit washed (or thawed if you're using frozen fruit) and let's get to slurping:-);)

Looking forward to hearing how everyone is doing.

Be Well.

[rawhjdmom23]

Day one- I'm so excited to begin. Today will be rough because last night I decided to eat some non raw favorites as a last hurrah- I haven't been eating that much non raw and I am paying for it now- besides the fact that the food wasn't even that good. So lesson learned:o I have enough for a small smoothie of baby spinach, arugala and mango (and I think a banana) this morning but I have to head to the grocery store. I think I will by some ingredients for a savory type smoothie because I think if I only do sweet ones (which is what I have done to this point) I will get sick of them to quickly. My biggest challenge this week will be my sons birthday party tomorrow- I love cake and ice cream:rolleyes: But I want my health more then anything right now so I will be ok!

Good luck to everyone else- I can't wait to read about your journey through this and your recipes.

[Sammarai]

I got up this morning and weighed myself on the scales and was not a happy camper. I had a terrible eating weekend - last hurrah for a while. I am also in a difficult time of the month for women so I hope I don't feel too crappy this week.

Anyway. I made a large GS of spinach leaves, pineapple juice, 2 bananas, blueberries, and frozen pineapples. It is okay - not my best combination but will work for breakfast and lunch.

If you guys have a savory recipe that you like, could you post it? Hope y'all are doing great on the fast.

Vicky

[Nappilocs]

Day one, I didn't get a chance go shopping yesterday so I didn't have much veggies in the house. I had to use what I had so I made kale and cucumber smoothie with mango. I'm not really feeling hungry but I never realized how much I snack out of habit, because I keep wanting to reach for my bag of dried fruit and nuts.

[trugoddess]

I haven't really been hungry today. I've been drinking ice water with lime. I'm just starting my monthly 'blessing' (lol) so I've been drinking smoothies to fight off the cravings that usually amp up when I'm PMSing. They've been a Godsend because the cravings are minimal and I'm experiencing very little bloating. Still, I'm going to go have a pre-emtive smoothie, just in case my hormones surge and try to send me running for something I shouldn't have (lol).

I have spinach and red leaf kale left. I'll blend that with some mixed fruit or maybe an avocado for my late lunch and dinner.

[Sammarai]

Well I stayed raw yesterday but not on the smoothie part. I had a handful of nuts and a banana with my dinner. I am not taking this as failure b/c I did stay raw and figure that it might take a few days before I get to the point where smoothies will fill me up without other cravings.

Today is going to be tough cause I am working all day at one job and seeing a patient tonight to admit them to home health so that is like a 14 hour day all total. I made 2 jugs of GS this morning to get me through till 8pm. My GS consisted of spinach leaves (less than yesterday), 2 bananas, strawberries, pineapple juice and frozen pineapples. It tastes a lot better today - less green tasting.

I hope y'all are having a great GS day!
Vicky

[trugoddess]

Well, Day 2 was pretty good although I did have a banana and some sunflower seeds. I've looked up some recipes for smoothies that I'm hoping will make them more hearty & filling. I suppose I could REALLY load them with fruits but I'm concerned about the other effects that might cause. I'm thinking of taking some of the raw soup recipes and modifying them a bit. I'll let you know how it goes.

Interestingly enough, I realize that it's the sensation of eating that I'm missing. My stomach isn't actually hungry. But my head keeps saying "We haven't eaten anything today. We need to chew." It's nagging me. Fascinating, these minds of ours (lol). Hopefully, the thicker smoothies will help with the sensation piece. If you have any other ideas, please share.
This presents a wonderful opportunity for self-mastery. My mantra can be
"I control my mind, my mind doesn't control me" (lol).

Blessings!

[trugoddess]

October Green Smoothie Fasters....are you fasting? If so, how's it going for you?

[Lilly the Naiad]

I really want to do a fast but because of blood sugar problems I've been scared of doing one. At this point I'm in between a green juice fast or a green smoothie fast.

I think the smoothie fast will be much better, firstly because I want my intestines to get cleansed and things to move, without fiber I'd have to use enemas which to me is a bit intrusive on the body. Second, having the fiber might help keep my blood sugar levels stable, and third, because I can make smoothies but not juice since I don't have a juicer yet :p

On the 12th I'll stack up on greens after my paycheck comes and will give it a try and see how it goes.

[trugoddess]

That's great Lilly. Please let us know how it's going for you once you get started.

[Lilly the Naiad]

I've been considering an herbal colon cleanse. Think it's too much during a green smoothie feast (fast)?

I heard an interview Revvell did with Victoria Boutenko and she says that detox symptoms are the result of not having enough fiber to clear out toxins through the colon fast enough, so they come out through other places. I guess it's a good deal to go the green smoothie way, but want to make the best of it and some people claim not to really see benefits from raw until they do a colon cleanse.

Any feedback is welcome!

[shanek]

I've been doing a green smoothie fast this month, too, but I just found this website and this thread. So far I've been able to stick to the green smoothie fast!

Today I had for breakfast: 1 cup dandelion greens, 2 cups of kale, 1 cup of strawberries, 1/2 pint raspberries, a cup of pineapple, and an avocado.

Lunch: 2 cups of turnip greens, 4 cups of arugula, 3 cups of pineapple. (this was terrible, lol...) But I managed to get it down, then to reward myself I made something a bit better.

Reward: 1 coconut, 1 mango, 2 star fruits, 3 kiwi fruits all blended and delicious...

[lore-ah]

I'm starting late with this, but I've never done any sort of fasting so I wanted to do a few days and see how I felt. I've been trying to make different kinds of smoothies, but I'm definitely stuck on using spinach because it's so easy to clean and throw in the blender.

Wish me luck. You guys are talking about a month fast and I'm trying to get through one day!

[Lilly the Naiad]

Day 1 for me. So far so good :)

Got spinach, arugula, napa cabbage and celery. The selection of greens over here isn't that fantastic. For fruit I got apples, oranges, pears and banannas.

[CaliRaw]

I need to look through my recipe books for soup recipes for variety, then go shopping today, but I want to do this starting tomorrow. :)

How is it going so far for everyone? :)

[Aleesha Sattva]

i'm not doing a smoothie fast... mine is a juice fast but i just wanted to share with everyone. i always find it hard to fast on day 1 - it is always the hardest day to get through. every day after that is easier because you are getting used to not reaching for food.

i tell people fasting is like quitting smoking. it's the habit more than anything that makes it hard... but once you've kicked the habit, then fasting/flushing is easy. ;)


I"m here... cheering you all on! http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x87/recyclinggoddess/thcheer3.gif http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x87/recyclinggoddess/thcheer3.gif http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x87/recyclinggoddess/thcheer3.gif

[beanmonkee]

I've never fasted before, but I know the first day must be the hardest, because I've never gotten through a first day!

Every day for this past week I say I'm going to start my green smoothie fast, and then I break it with some cooked food. Ack! I'm not going to beat myself up about it, but I do want to start a GS fast.

Speaking of Green Smoothies, here is a recipe that isn't green in color, but it has greens in it, and it's fabulous!

1 beet, chopped into small pieces (esp if you have a crappy blender)
1 ripe pear
fresh raw apple juice or liquid of choice
raw coconut milk
handful (or however much you want) of whatever greens you choose. Since you're using a beet, you might as well throw its leaves in there.
Ice, if you want

It's a fantastic dark pink/red color, and very very tasty. Not your traditional greens, bananas, and fill in the blank smoothie.

I wish you all the best with your smoothie fasting/feasting, and I'll let you know how mine goes.

[Neverknow]

Seeing the recipes everyone is having is so motivating! Sometimes I get tired of the spinach+banana+fill in the blank smoothie. Gonna try the one with beets this week!