I made it through eight days of juice fasting recently. I was aiming for ten, but MyBoy got the best of me during our outing in which he was rewarded for his amazing grades. We putt putt golfed together and then went out to lunch.
My breaking point was somewhere between his sweet face wanting to share lunch with me, and my favorite dish at McMennamin's; their West African Peanut Soup. Eating is awesome.
Juicing has been a part of my life for many years. I go through phases of juicing every day for months and then a dry spell, but I always come back to it because I love fresh juice!
During my fast, I experienced a beautiful clear sense of body and mind. There were more days where I was extremely productive, and a few where I was dragging. Every day I was challenged with the temptation to break the fast, and I enjoyed enforcing my will to keep with it.
To stay focussed, I photographed many of my juice concoctions because the ingredients are so beautiful, but I also found that when I engaged in the act of photographing the food, it helped my mind and body to appreciate the sustenance it was getting....almost like giving thanks.
I also mixed my recipes up a lot to keep my body interested. I generally had success juicing almost everything, even bell peppers! I especially enjoyed juice with papaya and pineapple added to some veggies. Juicing beets is my favorite. Most of my juice recipes are at least half vegetable (or green juices).
One day ended up to be a particularly bad juice recipe day. I tried using collard greens and they are oh way too bitter (kale and spinach are much better)! Later on the same day, I made a juice with too much lemon and too much ginger. I think that was on one of my tired days....plus two very bitter faces! Another challenge for me was cooking meals for the kids that I couldn't eat...almost too tempting!
It has been a few weeks now since being off my juice fast. I have found myself not wanting dairy or meat and have changed my eating habits to accomodate. I crave juice still every morning, sometimes a make a smoothie, but every morning since the fast I have started my day with raw fruits and veggies.
Fasting can be an incredible exercise in re-evaluating habits. I noticed how much better I felt drinking most likely three times as much water as I normally do in a day. I also kicked coffee during my fast (wow, do I appreciate that cuppa now!).
Which brings me to gratitude.
Fasting brings that emotion to the front of everything. When your body is hungry, it is also that much more grateful for any sustenance it is given. It feels good to have taken a step back, appreciated the abundant availability of food which I experience every day for myself and my family, and to have made a conscious choice to go without for a while.
