Very tight budget - please help :)

[fast3r14]

Hello all!

I have been reading a lot about "juice feasting" in the threads and also on other online sites and it struck me as something that I would really like to do. But here is my issue: verrrrry tight budget.

I would love to juice feast, but I don't have and don't think I could afford a juicer...Would you recommend doing a green smoothie fast instead? (I DO have a blender) I would really like to cleanse my body but one of my main focuses is weight loss...would a green smoothie fast bring about similar results?

ps. you all are so motivating - I'm so glad I stumbled across this site! :)

[joyfulGIRL]

No problem! You can use a blender and a nut milk bag to make juice! I have a juicer and a blender and end up using my blender for juicemaking 98% of the time. You can get a nut milk bag for something like $7-8, or improvise with something else, like paint strainer bags.

good luck!

[fast3r14]

Thank you SO much, Joygirl! I actually just ran out and got a paint strip bag as soon as I saw your response (it was cheaper and I'm eager to start so I didn't want to wait for shipping :)

So I just put all the ingredients into the pain strip bag and put the whole thing in the blender? Do I add the water directly to the blender? Or do I blend everything as though I were making a smoothie and THEN pour everything through the nut milk bag? (sorry if these are kind of dumb questions - I'm just really new to the whole process)

Thanks for all your help :)

[raw_danceruk]

Blend ingredients with as little water as needed, then strain through the bag

you should get a very good yeild!

Melons are abundant right now and give lots of juice, enjoy the seasonal juicy produce. Feasting is fabulous and doable on a tight budget :o

[JEN]

You can also pick up paint strainer bags instead of nut milk bags. They are much cheaper and available at lowes or home depot for about 2$. I get the ones with the elastic top and they fit perfectly around the top of a blender. Lots of things are cheap right now if you have a farmers market. Ive been getting melons, blueberries, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, etc. Good luck!!!

[Hygeia]

I'm so glad you posted this question. I had just tried the MC and failed, I can't stomach the taste of the lemonaid.......it makes me gag. :(

So I was thinking of trying a juice fast but am also on a tight budget. I do have a juicer, it's not a fancy expensive one but it juices.

I was worried that buying enough produce to fast would get pricey as well.

I definately think a juice fast would work best for me.

[gingincal]

Fast, if you must strain, do it AFTER you've blended your ingredients. Otherwise, you'll have a mesh bag smoothie :eek:

[Aleesha Sattva]

you can do whichever you prefer.

a green smoothie feast will assist you to digest easier and release weight. this is very cleansing.

a juice f(e)ast will allow your digestion to shut down and your body will use the energy it would use for digestion to heal. this is very healing.

do you want to cleanse or heal?
release weight? - green smoothie feast may give you better results. although different people have varied results from both. only your body can choose while will release weight for you.

[michigan roman]

i buy the 5 gallon size paint bags at home depot for about 2.50 per two .
then i drape one over a big around 3 gallon soup type pot with the elastic edge stretched over the outside perimeter of pot nice and snuggly .

then i fill my cheap blender half full with water - add produce - blend on high - pour in pot - lift out bag and squeeze all the juice out .
and many times i'll reblend the pulp with some water and strain again to get every bit of value out of the plants . much more thrifty than a juicer . plus ide bet plants ' juiced ' in this manner dont get heated up and thusly less nutricious as they would in many type juicers .

the people at the juicefeasting site are totally onto the blender / strainer method . plus i many times use a metal fine mesh handled rigid kitchen strainer instead of the paint bag because of easier clean up . yes now that i think of it my last fast i went to the fine mesh kitchen strainer full time because of ease of clean up .

[michigan roman]

hi aleesha :)

[fast3r14]

Thank you all so much for all of your help! :)

Aleesha - a green smoothie fast would let me lose more weight than a juicing feast? I guess ultimately, weight loss is my main goal for right now..

[michigan roman]

link to globaljuicefeasting site =

http://www.globaljuicefeast.com/ ..

[Aleesha Sattva]

hi aleesha :)

hi honey!!!!!! *waves madly*


Thank you all so much for all of your help! :)

Aleesha - a green smoothie fast would let me lose more weight than a juicing feast? I guess ultimately, weight loss is my main goal for right now..

I really don't recommend you feast on either for weight release... that will come in time with eating raw... focus on what you can achieve instead... :)

But it's really up to you. If you've fasted before... then go for the fast. If you haven't... the green smoothie feast may be easier for you to do for a longer amount of time.

Are you comfy with being hungry? Then juice feast.
If you need to feel full... do the green smoothie feast instead.

Does that make sense?

I want to say again though... I really don't recommend you fast or feast for weight release cause honestly, sometimes you release weight and other times you don't. So doing it for that reason... umm well... I don't believe that is a good focus to have. But again... it's your choice and merely my opinion. ;)

in light,
Aleesha

[Hygeia]

Aleesha...........that makes perfect sense to me.

As much as I want/need to lose weight, my sole purpose for wanting to fast is to heal my body. I definately need to heal and cleanse my body and the weight loss will be an added benefit if it happens.

But then again, once I heal my body then I'm hoping that tosses me right into 100% raw instead of struggling like I have been. And once THAT happens then the weight loss is inevitable.

So it all will fall together.

:D

[lizzyrose]

I'm soooo excited! After my back and forth trying to decide what juicer to buy and scared to commit (yes, I have a major commitment phobia -- even when it comes to buying a juicer!! imagine how horrible that is for my boyfriend! ;) ))
Anyway, I went out last night and bought a few paint strainers... this morning I blended the rest of my watermelon, a couple of strawberries and a piece of lime then strained it through the strainer... oh, my goodness!! Despite my hand freezing from straining... my juice is sooo yummy I can't stand it!! It gave me a pretty good yield too!

(thanks for that combo suggestion, Aleesha!)

[Aleesha Sattva]

mmm you are welcome. makes me think i should make that for myself today LOL

personally i dislike using the blender for juicing. takes waaaaaaay too much of my time. my champion works like it's name and does such a quick job and the clean up is so fast... but hey... you work with what you have!!!

perhaps letting your produce get to room temp and then adding ice afterwards would be easier on your hands? cause if you are going to be juicing a lot... you don't want to freeze your hands a few times a day LOL

[Hygeia]

Do you all put everything (peel and all) in your juicer? Or does it depend on what you're juicing?

Is there any sort of guidline to know what to peel and what not to?

[Eva]

I've got to point out that -- (just for those who have not yet switched to 100% raw for a good length of time) the raw food lifestyle is already very cleansing and healing! Including green smoothies daily is even more healing, cleansing, beneficial, etc... For many people, they are able to accomplish all of the cleansing and healing they are looking for without doing anything but going and staying close to 100% raw.

A green smoothie feast would keep your bowels moving like crazy so that as you are healing and cleansing, your bowels are also moving full throttle and thus very few headaches and external detoxing takes place as a result.

In many cases, a juice feast is most beneficial after having been raw for awhile.

This is just my two cents based on my personal experience. I have had emotional and physical cleanouts (big time) without any f(e)asting and have ALSO enjoyed short feasts that have pushed it just another notch AFTER cleaning out in other ways.

[Aleesha Sattva]

eva is totally right. it depends on who you are as to what your experience needs to be. i can to raw foods throught juice feasting... everyone's experience will be different ;)

as for peeling... i only peel what i have to. which at this point is pineapple. can't think of anything else i peel before i juice it.

[SweetTangerine]

I am so glad I found this post! I have a really expensive blender (almost vitamix quality) that my mom got me for my birthday and cant afford to buy a juicer at the moment. The ideas here are great for creating a makeshift juice. Thanks!