http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=573&i=78 All kinds of great info on juicing
http://curezone.com/blogs/m.asp?f=573&i=51 Breaking the fast
This will get you started... I have to take off, but will answer in full when I return.
All the best,
~ Dazzle
Yeah, isn't that energy absolutely incredible? I love how I feel on a juice fast. I just completed a 34 day juice fast about two weeks ago. The weight loss, energy, rebalancing have been tremendous.
Yes, coming off a fast effects the body significantly. If you go right back to old eating habits, then expect the old body with all it's ailments and pains and fatigues to return. If you alter your old diet and eating habits to include more whole, raw foods, then your body will continue to slowly detox and may even drop a few more pounds. This has been my experience since I came off the 34 day fast two weeks ago. I altered my diet and have not gone back to my delicious cheeseburgers and cooked foods. As such, I have not regained any weight and have actually lost a couple more pounds.
The idea behind the juice fast is not about losing weight. It's about detoxing, purifying the body, healing, rebalancing the imbalances etc., the weight loss is a by-product, albeit a sweet by-product, but a by-product of the process nonetheless.
So, if one is doing several juice fasts in a short time frame just to lose weight and then go back to the same eating habits only to regain and then go on another fast to lose the regained weight, only to regain it again when they come off the fast is really stressing out the body.
It would be a very good idea to alter the old diet somewhat... go slowly, so you don't become frustrated. Maybe take the most fattening, dead foods you eat and exchange them one at a time with something more nutritious, alive and raw. Give yourself time to adapt both in taste and texture as well as effect. I don't believe in depriving oneself of a food no matter had bad it is for you, because the deprivation can grow into a monster and that's how binging can occur. Go ahead and eat your food, but use common sense and moderation, all the while you still drinking juices and exchanging one bad processed food for a good living raw food. Sometimes, the changes we have to make to our diets can take a long time.
As I said in my blog: A prolonged juice fast, is a Journey. A Journey that teaches and instructs as you advance along the Path. It's a quest for better health and a way for you to get to know your body intimately. Your body will speak to you as you fast and you will be a marvelling witness to the spontaneous rejuvenation your body will undertake as it deliberately sheds all things toxic. Your beloved body undergoes radical changes in a short period of time. It sheds excess weight, removes stored up toxins, heals, balances and rejuvenates. It clears and clarifies the brain and mind and as such perceptions change. When I come off a fast, I have a tendency to be so much more gentle with myself. I am lighter. I am more sensitive to smells, touch, taste colors, light and energy. I find I have shed old negative perceptions of myself and this reflects on the world. The more fasts you experience the clearer the thinking, the deeper the perceptions and the kinder the world.
So enjoy the journey, listen to your body, alter your diet little by little and you can have a body that's both beautiful and healthy, which in turn will effect your life positively.
I gave you two links one that leads you to a vast amount of information on juice fasting and juicing in general, including lots of recipes. The other link takes you to an article explaining how to break the fast. I hope they will be worthwhile to you.
And, I hope this post has helped you. If you have any more questions, please ask. There is so much support on the forums and the juicing blogs.
All the very best,
~ Dazzle
P.S. As to the greens, I have never experienced anything adverse while taking the powdered green drinks. But you might want to try juicing wheatgrass, it is one of the most powerful greens on earth and can be extremely beneficial to your body, mind and spirit. But because it is so powerful, it's wise to go easy and work your way up.
Well, in my opinion it's okay to go ahead, but I would suggest that while you are on this juice fast, that you explore the world of raw foods here is a link to a fantastic blog on raw foods with so many wonderful recipes they will make your mouth water, I kid you not. It was this blog that introduced me to raw foods and inspired me so much, I have to share with you: http://curezone.com/blogs/f.asp?f=67
I would suggest that you do as much research on both juicing and raw foods as you can and then right from the beginning, map out a strategy that you will follow when you break your fast (don't wait until the day before you come off the fast) and create a strategy that you will incorporate into your regular diet, when going back to solid foods, exchanging dead foods one at a time with raw living foods, for example. And if I may also suggest, don't stop juicing, even when you're not fasting.
I suggest you begin a blog so you can record your experiences and perhaps you will begin to see a pattern, you may be able to understand what triggers your cravings, or where your weaknesses show up and how you counteracted those weaknesses. Journaling your journey really does help strengthen your resolve and it seems to make one become more aware of their body and the language it speaks. Give it a go... you've nothing to lose and so much to gain.
All the best,
~ Dazzle