A juicy painting!
For those of you that have recently found out about this concept of juice feasting, I know it can be really difficult to understand the whole process. There is a lot of information to take in!
That is why instead of answering questions a little by little, every day, would just make it difficult to find the times when I do answer questions. Here are questions that were sent in to me via email.
Juice Feasting: Questions and AnswersWhat is Juice Feasting? Juice Feasting is a concept where you consume all of your daily calories through fresh fruit and vegetable juices. That means raw, unpasturized fruit and vegetable juices, with an emphasis on leafy greens. The maximum amount of days to juice feast that is considered healthy is 92 days, but many people have chosen to make a juice feast last less than that.
Why Juice Feast? I believe this is a personal question for everyone. I believe David and Katrina Rainoshek have said it best when they have laid out 12 Juice Feasting Accomplishments that usually happen during a juice feast.
12 Juice Feasting Accomplishments1. Ending the addition of toxic/foreign/depleted foods into our bodies.
2. Drinking Nutrient Dense Living Juices with Superfoods/Supplements
3. Physiological Rest
4. Removing Uneliminated Waste Matter in Small Intestine and Colon
5. Hydration
6. Removing Uneliminated Toxins in the Blood, Lymph, and at the Cellular Level throughout the body
7. Alkalinization
8. Reduction/Eradication of Inflammation/Chronic Pain
9. Oxygenation
10. Rejuvenation of Metabolism and Digestive System
11. Restoration of Nutrients
12. Rebuilding To read more about what is Juice Feasting, check out the
"What is Juice Feasting" page on Juice Feasting.com
Heidi, Why are you juice feasting? There are many, many reasons why I am juice feasting. So many...that it would probably turn into 10,000 words why I have decided to do it. In the end, I just knew it was time for me to take care of myself, and do a little "detox".
I have been on the raw journey for almost 4 years, and
I have never done an official "detox" of any kind, until now. I never found a detox or cleansing program that felt right for me...until I found juice feasting. Yes, I have done some 24 hour water fasts, and I have actually had multiple weekends where I would drink nothing but water and watermelon juice for 36- 72 hours, but other than that, I didn't do any official or unofficial detox program.
When I made the choice to start juice feasting, I knew it was time for me to clean my body, and most importantly, to give myself the most nutrition possible, and rebuild myself into a new and better me.
Yes, I plan to lose some weight, and I have a few other personal goals that I will share with you when I have more time...but basically, I was ready for this.
And after I decided to do a full on 92 day juice feast, I decided that I would blog about it, so that I could share a juice feast experience with others in the hopes that they could learn more about juice feasting and decide if it was right for them.
Do you get hungry? In the first few days, I had what I like to call "false hunger". I drank a lot of juice and a lot of water on the first few days, but my body wanted what it usually gets...salads, flax crackers, cashew cheese...heavy foods. I had these tummy grumblings for many days, off and on. By the third day I felt better, and it still happened a few times, but by day 10 I was feeling fine. Now, I know when my body is hungry. It sends me direct signals. I feel almost like a robot - my body will say I am hungry, and a voice inside my head seems to say - "You are hungry. Drink juice now." And I do, and it is great. No problems.
How much juice do you drink in a day of juice feasting? The goal is to get a minimum of 128 ounces of fresh raw juice in you per day. Some days I get that amount, some days I get less. But I always try to drink a gallon of juice. And then, I drink lots of water on top of that gallon amount. Sometimes I drink half a gallon or more of just water!
What juicer do you use? Do you use a Vita-Mix? Great question! This is one of the most popular questions I received, and rightly so! What is my setup? I have recently been rearranging my kitchen into a more juicer-friendly setup, and I'll be taking pictures to give you a glimpse into my kitchen.
My setup is using two machines - The Vita-Mix, and the
Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. I juice all my greens in the Vita-Mix, and most of the other fruits and root vegetables get juiced in the Jack Lalanne juicer. I could use just the Vita-Mix, but I have found that the Jack Lalanne does such a good job on apples, oranges, carrots, pineapple, etc. that I have found that this two part system is working for me.
We actually have a Green Star juicer, but one of the blades broke one week before I decided to juice feast - so that's why I haven't been using the Green Star.
How often are you jucing per day? I usually juice either once, or twice per day. Ideally, I like to juice first thing in the morning, so I know I don't have to juice again later in the day.
Are you loosing weight? Can you lose weight on a juice feast? Great question! Yes, I am loosing weight. It was a bit slow at first, but I feel things starting to happen. So far I have lost at least 5 pounds, and I have many more days to go! Losing weight on a juice feast is very common. To look at some examples of people transforming after a juice feast, check out the official
Juice Feasting.com Before and After page! There are some really amazing transformations there!
How much produce are you using per day? I am not being overly scientific on how much I use in a day...because keeping exact amounts would drive me loony. Instead, I can say that I am averaging somewhere around 10-15 pounds of produce per day.
How much do your groceries cost? Once again, Justin and I are not keeping scientific amounts. But today we bought groceries intended to last me about 2 days, and it was 19 dollars. I would say that on average, I am spending approximately 20 dollars per day on groceries.
- Keep in mind that I was wild and crazy enough to juice feast in the middle of winter! I believe that I will probably have one of the more expensive juice feasts because I am not able to take advantage of any farmer's markets, home grown food, or the usual fruit as gifts that we seem to get in the summertime.
How much do you think your juice feast is costing you total? I am sorry, but right now I can't give you a very good estimate. Right now Justin has been making some calculations on what it costs with produce plus supplements and other supplies like nut milk bags. I have no idea, but if you wanted to take just the groceries at 20 dollars a day times 92 days...that equals $1840 US dollars.
Supplements? Do you really need to take supplements? Ah, this is another question that I could write 10,000 words about. It is such an important question. Until this year, Justin and I did not take any supplements...besides raw chocolate powder! (**grin**) Then before we started the juice feast, after years of debating about it, we started taking MSM powder. And it started to change our lives. Both Justin and I did extensive research on all of these supplements recommended in the Juice Feasting program. We both have been doing Vitamineral Green powder, and once again, our lives have been changed.
It is up to you to choose what is right for you and your body. I will say that our experience with these supplements have been very, very, very positive. You choose what is right for you.
It is our philosophy that supplements that are created from food can be a good thing.
Remember: These supplements ain't your mama's Centrum!
You dig?
Please, if you are curious in any way about the supplements, please read the very informational page on
supplements and superfoods at the Juice Feasting.com program.
Can you drink alcohol during a juice feast? In a very short answer -
NO. I have no issue with a small glass of wine in your everyday life, if that is your desire, but during a juice feast you are taking time off to do some deep cleansing. Alcohol is not cleansing in this regard. In fact, you would be toxifying your precious body if you were to drink any amount of alcohol during your juice feast.
To those of you who said you couldn't juice because of social situations...If you are in a social situation where you would usually consume alcohol, then you would need to find an alternative beverage - pure water with lemon would be the best choice. And if this situation is a place where you would feel pressure to drink, then either you need to avoid this place during a juice feast, or you need to not juice feast at this time until you are ready to make changes in your personal life that would allow taking time for yourself.
Can you drink Kombucha during a juice feast? Similar to alcohol, kombucha can be a beneficial beverage. Personally, before I was juice feasting it was quite an energy drink for myself. I enjoy a little Kombucha now and then, but I am
NOT drinking Kombucha during this juice feast. It is meant to be consumed when you are eating food...not when you are undergoing deep cellular cleansing. Wait until after your feast to do the Kombucha!
Wow- you have so much fruit! Fruit is dangerous! You should just have pure greens - no fruit!
There are multiple people who all had similar statements, so I want to say thank you to all of you who wrote in. I really appreciate your concern. I was actually surprised by your emails because I think I am not having very much fruit. Yes, I have had some all fruit juices on some days, especially the recent grapefruit/orange juice combo. But if you look at the amount I am drinking, 10 oz is not a lot compared to all the other juice I drink in a day. And when it comes to green juices, I mix some fruit in, but I am still juicing over one pound of greens per day. That is more than people usually have when they're not juicing! Besides, if I were to do just greens, there are not enough calories in purely greens for me to get my daily caloric intake.
So far I feel very good with my juices, but it is something I am monitoring constantly. And as the days progress, I plan to increase the amount of greens in my diet.
That's it for this round of questions! For more information on Juice Feasting, please check out the following resources:
Juice Feasting.com - the Official Juice Feasting website
www.globaljuicefeast.com - The World Wide Juice Feasting Event starting March 1st 2008
If you still have a question that is not on this list, simply email me, and I will continue to answer questions throughout the juice feast!
Email me your question right now!Always with juicy love,- HeidiImportant: Read Heidi's Disclaimer!
For those of you that have recently found out about this concept of juice feasting, I know it can be really difficult to understand the whole process. There is a lot of information to take in!
That is why instead of answering questions a little by little, every day, would just make it difficult to find the times when I do answer questions. Here are questions that were sent in to me via email.
Juice Feasting: Questions and Answers
What is Juice Feasting? Juice Feasting is a concept where you consume all of your daily calories through fresh fruit and vegetable juices. That means raw, unpasturized fruit and vegetable juices, with an emphasis on leafy greens. The maximum amount of days to juice feast that is considered healthy is 92 days, but many people have chosen to make a juice feast last less than that.
Why Juice Feast? I believe this is a personal question for everyone. I believe David and Katrina Rainoshek have said it best when they have laid out 12 Juice Feasting Accomplishments that usually happen during a juice feast.
12 Juice Feasting Accomplishments
1. Ending the addition of toxic/foreign/depleted foods into our bodies.
2. Drinking Nutrient Dense Living Juices with Superfoods/Supplements
3. Physiological Rest
4. Removing Uneliminated Waste Matter in Small Intestine and Colon
5. Hydration
6. Removing Uneliminated Toxins in the Blood, Lymph, and at the Cellular Level throughout the body
7. Alkalinization
8. Reduction/Eradication of Inflammation/Chronic Pain
9. Oxygenation
10. Rejuvenation of Metabolism and Digestive System
11. Restoration of Nutrients
12. Rebuilding
To read more about what is Juice Feasting, check out the "What is Juice Feasting" page on Juice Feasting.com
Heidi, Why are you juice feasting? There are many, many reasons why I am juice feasting. So many...that it would probably turn into 10,000 words why I have decided to do it. In the end, I just knew it was time for me to take care of myself, and do a little "detox".
I have been on the raw journey for almost 4 years, and I have never done an official "detox" of any kind, until now. I never found a detox or cleansing program that felt right for me...until I found juice feasting. Yes, I have done some 24 hour water fasts, and I have actually had multiple weekends where I would drink nothing but water and watermelon juice for 36- 72 hours, but other than that, I didn't do any official or unofficial detox program.
When I made the choice to start juice feasting, I knew it was time for me to clean my body, and most importantly, to give myself the most nutrition possible, and rebuild myself into a new and better me.
Yes, I plan to lose some weight, and I have a few other personal goals that I will share with you when I have more time...but basically, I was ready for this.
And after I decided to do a full on 92 day juice feast, I decided that I would blog about it, so that I could share a juice feast experience with others in the hopes that they could learn more about juice feasting and decide if it was right for them.
Do you get hungry? In the first few days, I had what I like to call "false hunger". I drank a lot of juice and a lot of water on the first few days, but my body wanted what it usually gets...salads, flax crackers, cashew cheese...heavy foods. I had these tummy grumblings for many days, off and on. By the third day I felt better, and it still happened a few times, but by day 10 I was feeling fine. Now, I know when my body is hungry. It sends me direct signals. I feel almost like a robot - my body will say I am hungry, and a voice inside my head seems to say - "You are hungry. Drink juice now." And I do, and it is great. No problems.
How much juice do you drink in a day of juice feasting? The goal is to get a minimum of 128 ounces of fresh raw juice in you per day. Some days I get that amount, some days I get less. But I always try to drink a gallon of juice. And then, I drink lots of water on top of that gallon amount. Sometimes I drink half a gallon or more of just water!
What juicer do you use? Do you use a Vita-Mix?
Great question! This is one of the most popular questions I received, and rightly so! What is my setup? I have recently been rearranging my kitchen into a more juicer-friendly setup, and I'll be taking pictures to give you a glimpse into my kitchen.
My setup is using two machines - The Vita-Mix, and the Jack LaLanne Power Juicer. I juice all my greens in the Vita-Mix, and most of the other fruits and root vegetables get juiced in the Jack Lalanne juicer. I could use just the Vita-Mix, but I have found that the Jack Lalanne does such a good job on apples, oranges, carrots, pineapple, etc. that I have found that this two part system is working for me.
We actually have a Green Star juicer, but one of the blades broke one week before I decided to juice feast - so that's why I haven't been using the Green Star.
How often are you jucing per day? I usually juice either once, or twice per day. Ideally, I like to juice first thing in the morning, so I know I don't have to juice again later in the day.
Are you loosing weight? Can you lose weight on a juice feast? Great question! Yes, I am loosing weight. It was a bit slow at first, but I feel things starting to happen. So far I have lost at least 5 pounds, and I have many more days to go! Losing weight on a juice feast is very common. To look at some examples of people transforming after a juice feast, check out the official Juice Feasting.com Before and After page! There are some really amazing transformations there!
How much produce are you using per day? I am not being overly scientific on how much I use in a day...because keeping exact amounts would drive me loony. Instead, I can say that I am averaging somewhere around 10-15 pounds of produce per day.
How much do your groceries cost? Once again, Justin and I are not keeping scientific amounts. But today we bought groceries intended to last me about 2 days, and it was 19 dollars. I would say that on average, I am spending approximately 20 dollars per day on groceries.
How much do you think your juice feast is costing you total? I am sorry, but right now I can't give you a very good estimate. Right now Justin has been making some calculations on what it costs with produce plus supplements and other supplies like nut milk bags. I have no idea, but if you wanted to take just the groceries at 20 dollars a day times 92 days...that equals $1840 US dollars.
Supplements? Do you really need to take supplements? Ah, this is another question that I could write 10,000 words about. It is such an important question. Until this year, Justin and I did not take any supplements...besides raw chocolate powder! (**grin**) Then before we started the juice feast, after years of debating about it, we started taking MSM powder. And it started to change our lives. Both Justin and I did extensive research on all of these supplements recommended in the Juice Feasting program. We both have been doing Vitamineral Green powder, and once again, our lives have been changed.
It is up to you to choose what is right for you and your body. I will say that our experience with these supplements have been very, very, very positive. You choose what is right for you.
It is our philosophy that supplements that are created from food can be a good thing.
You dig?
Please, if you are curious in any way about the supplements, please read the very informational page on supplements and superfoods at the Juice Feasting.com program.
Can you drink alcohol during a juice feast? In a very short answer - NO. I have no issue with a small glass of wine in your everyday life, if that is your desire, but during a juice feast you are taking time off to do some deep cleansing. Alcohol is not cleansing in this regard. In fact, you would be toxifying your precious body if you were to drink any amount of alcohol during your juice feast.
To those of you who said you couldn't juice because of social situations...If you are in a social situation where you would usually consume alcohol, then you would need to find an alternative beverage - pure water with lemon would be the best choice. And if this situation is a place where you would feel pressure to drink, then either you need to avoid this place during a juice feast, or you need to not juice feast at this time until you are ready to make changes in your personal life that would allow taking time for yourself.
Can you drink Kombucha during a juice feast? Similar to alcohol, kombucha can be a beneficial beverage. Personally, before I was juice feasting it was quite an energy drink for myself. I enjoy a little Kombucha now and then, but I am NOT drinking Kombucha during this juice feast. It is meant to be consumed when you are eating food...not when you are undergoing deep cellular cleansing. Wait until after your feast to do the Kombucha!
Wow- you have so much fruit! Fruit is dangerous! You should just have pure greens - no fruit!
There are multiple people who all had similar statements, so I want to say thank you to all of you who wrote in. I really appreciate your concern. I was actually surprised by your emails because I think I am not having very much fruit. Yes, I have had some all fruit juices on some days, especially the recent grapefruit/orange juice combo. But if you look at the amount I am drinking, 10 oz is not a lot compared to all the other juice I drink in a day. And when it comes to green juices, I mix some fruit in, but I am still juicing over one pound of greens per day. That is more than people usually have when they're not juicing! Besides, if I were to do just greens, there are not enough calories in purely greens for me to get my daily caloric intake.
So far I feel very good with my juices, but it is something I am monitoring constantly. And as the days progress, I plan to increase the amount of greens in my diet.
That's it for this round of questions!
For more information on Juice Feasting, please check out the following resources:
Juice Feasting.com - the Official Juice Feasting website
www.globaljuicefeast.com - The World Wide Juice Feasting Event starting March 1st 2008
If you still have a question that is not on this list, simply email me, and I will continue to answer questions throughout the juice feast!
Email me your question right now!
Always with juicy love,- Heidi
Important: Read Heidi's Disclaimer!