Juice Feasting

[RawHunter]

Lets talk about the pros and cons. I really want to start but am having a hard time pushing myself over the edge.

[Seedy]

I'm not a big fan of juicing myself, so I can give you some cons. You're removing the fiber from whatever fruits and greens you are juicing. Fiber slows down digestion so that you don't get blood sugar spikes, lowers cholesterol, and provides food for the bacteria that live in the large intestine. If you have a centrifugal juicer, juicing creates heat and friction that can damage the antioxidants in fruit. And because of the oxidation that occurs during juicing, juice doesn't last very long and can't be stored like a green smoothie. Depending on the formula for you juice you could be restricting yourself from important food groups like greens and beta-carotene containing vegetables. So you'll want to juice lots of carrots, greens, and melons. Teeth need to be worked like any other bone. Chewing is important to tooth strength. You'll need to keep you're teeth squeaky clean to prevent damage from the sugar in the juice. Sugar feeds the bacteria that live on the teeth and in the gums, this creates acid that will decay your teeth if you are not careful. High sugar levels can also feed yeast and cause candida blooms (although Kevin Gianni used low-fruit green juices to help cure his candida). Nuts, cold pressed oils and seeds are sources of protein and essential fatty acids which are important for overall health. Its easy to add hemp protein to a green smoothie - not so appealing in a juice. Then there is the cost. Fruit and greens aren't cheap, particularly organic. I can add a banana, an orange, some water and couple of handfuls of baby spinach to a green smoothie and get a quart of goodness. Add the same thing to a juicer and you'll get a fraction of that amount. And I can clean my blender in 15 seconds. Try that with a juicer ;)
Seedy

[DopeRawAbundance]

For anyone thats looking to juice feast, you could get your chewing fix by chewing on large clumps of grass (and of course spitting it out at some point). I for one think juice feasting sounds like a fun thing to try.

[Aleesha Sattva]

of course there is the opposite point of view as well. fasting on juice allows your digestion to rest and your body uses it's energy to heal. amazing how much healing can take place within your body during a fast.

you still get lots of protein when you juice because your juices are full of amino acids which are the building blocks for protein, so that's just bunk (what seedy shared about lackthereof). i usually add a tsp of hemp or flax oil to my evening juice so you are still getting that goodness even during a fast.

as for your teeth and jaw... sometimes during an extended fast, i'll chew on some mature fresh coconut and spit it out (kinda like chewing tobacco LOL)... gives my jaw and teeth a great workout and you teeth feel sooooooo clean afterwards.

funny i didn't experience blood sugar spiking while i fasted. over time i didn't feel major lows in blood sugar either... my body was able to even everything out on it's own for the most part. but perhaps that's just me. i can only speak for my experience afterall.

but in 262 days of juice fasting in one year... i can say that i did yoga, went for walks, rebounded... had lots of energy to homeschool my kids, publish my magazine, keep my house clean, my yard maintained and still had energy left over. of course there were days i was exhausted and needed to rest... cause resting on a fast is so important so your body can do it's healing... but it's not like every day is resting...

anyway, hope that assists you a bit.

in light,
Aleesha

[Aleesha Sattva]

and just so you know... i've also done a couple of green smoothie feasts (20 days and a 5 day feast) and it was great as well. my bowels became like eliminating machines... and i was very full all the time. your hunger doesn't go away like it does on a juice fast... but the smoothies are very filling. both ways of fasting cost me about the same $$ wise.