Juice fast or smoothie fast?

[Ravenna]

Me and my husband watched Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead and now want to do juice fasting, as long as it will go, to detox and think maybe it will help me to transition to raw foods better and help him to lose weight. My husband thinks that we can do smoothie fast just as well, to achieve the same result (we have Vitamix and drink green smoothies for breakfast for couple years now). I think that juicing is better but I cannot explain him why except that I think that with juicing we get nutrients right to the blood without making digestive system work, which is beneficial for detox. With smoothies stomach has to work that eliminates fasting effect. So, I do not know.

Could you help us decide which fast to do? what are the pros and cons of juice fast and smoothie fast?

Thank you!

[climbing]

In my experience a "smoothie fast" will not achieve the same results. It's probably good for you, and might be a good first step if coming away from a SAD diet. But it's not really fasting. It's a cleanse, I'd say. But all that fiber and what not is still going through your digestive track so you aren't really resting your gut or going into fasted mode.

I've done both, quite a bit. But I've never experienced anything like what juice/water fasting has done for me. It's real, noticeable healing that goes beyond the duration of the fast. I've seen real changes and it's exciting!

[Ravenna]

Thank you so much for your answer, Climbing! It really helps to know. Thanks!

[climbing]

No problem, good luck on your journey. :)

[Mary Kay]

It's ultimately your decision, but here are some ideas: Both are cleansing, but juice is moreso. Both rest your digestive tract, but juice only REALLY rests it. In fact, when you do juice only, your digestion shuts down and it is easier because you do not get hungry once it "shuts off." ....

HOWEVER

I am of the belief that you should eliminate your poop when doing an all-juice/no fiber fast. Not everyone is. Some believe to just let it be, but not I. If you don't poop, which you won't for quite some time, then that poop just sits in your intestines and extra estrogens, cholesterol, impurities etc etc are reabsorbed back into your bloodstream. You have a bunch of options when juice fasting/feasting...whatever you want to call i, as far as eliminationt: do nothing. do enemas and possibly colonics. Take some sort of laxatives every now and then, like salt water flushes, epsom salt, laxative teas (I don't particularly like this though because I feel these flush out minerals etc...) or do psyllium once every couple days to poop.....

I hated doing enemas. But that's what I've done. And the longest I've ever fasted was 11 weeks, and I'd do an enema maybe five nights a week and a colonic once-a-week. I didn't mind the colonics at all, but I HATED doing enemas.

If you won't do the enemas, then perhaps the psyllium may be a good way to go. Or you could juice fast for three or four days, then do smoothies for a few days until you poop. But this is going to start your digestive tract again. Like I said, you could mix it up.....

Like I said, it has to be your decision, but at least now you know the reasons/possibilities if you hadn't thought of them in the past. And you may not need to decide before you begin, but could try with smoothies first and gradually eliminate them and see how you feel.


Good luck, I also believe in easing into and out of fasts. Like you could start by doing incorporating more smoothies instead of meals, then get to the point where you eliminate smoothies, then begin doing more juicing instead of smoothies, then juice only..... sort of thing.

HTH, and I didn't confuse you even more!

Mary Kay

[Ravenna]

Thank you, Mary Kay, for your answer and ideas, I did not think about it. We decided we will do juice fast.

[Kiravana]

I am new to fasting so I am starting off with a long smoothie feast, and if it is successful in the future I will make my way to a Juice fast as it is more difficult..

[Ucat]

I think there are levels of purification you can go through, and you have to choose what level you are happy with, what inspires you and also keep in mind that the detox might get too difficult with too big steps from one kind of diet into another. This is how I see the levels (just an example, they are not that clear-cut in reality, especially because everyone's body is different). Each level down makes it easier for the body to digest and detoxify:

SAD Diet (processed food, meat, toxins, etc.)
* * * V * * *
Organic diet, no processed foods, includes a little meat, no sugar, no wheat, no allergens...
* * * V * * *
Organic lacto-ovo vegetarian diet
* * * V * * *
Organic vegan diet/ Nutritarians - no meat, dairy, sugar, wheat or sensitivity-causing foods
* * * V * * *
Organic raw food diet/ Fruitarians/ Chlorophyllians - no processed foods, lots high greens and high water-content foods (low or high fat diet, depending on the person)
* * * V * * *
Smoothie feast
* * * V * * *
Juice feast/ Liquidarians
* * * V * * *
Live juice feast (92-days or longer max.)
* * * V * * *
Juice fast (calories restricted) (60 days max?)
* * * V * * *
Water fast (40 days max?)
* * * V * * *
Dry fast/ Breathatarians (48 hours max?)

(Personally, I don't think I agree with water fasting or dry fasting. Maybe they are good in cases of extreme illness but for me juice feasting is an efficient enough way to clean.)

So I suggest you and your hubby both choose the level that feels right for you...

This list is just a quick list from the top of my head, it would be interesting to hear what others think of the levels....

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