After 4 1/2 years of a 100% Raw Food Lifestyle and losing 160 pounds, I was introduced to Juice Feasting. On the 20th of February 2007 I completed a 92 Day Juice Feast. It was my next big step for healing and an incredible experience.
The whole adventure was blogged daily at http://rawreform.blogspot.com and below is a list of answers to FAQs abt Juice Feasting, to help newcomers understand this incredible cleansing programme…
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For COMPREHENSIVE info all about how to Juice Feast successfully and happily, see the RawReform e-book: ‘A Juice Feaster’s Handbook’ – indispensable and only $19.95 ;) |
Check out the ‘Juice Feaster’s Epicenter‘ in The Raw Food World Store. We have all the individual items you might want for a Feast in one place – juicers, supplements, enema bags, books, cleansing equipment… So, now you can get all the products you want for a Juice Feast, all in one place AND at a discounted rate… Hurray :)
What is Juice Feasting?
Juice FEASTING involves consuming just fresh raw vegetable and fruit juices for 92 days, to cleanse the body of old toxins. This is termed a ‘FEAST’ rather than ‘FAST’ because one gets ALL the calories one would normally get in a day (i.e. 1500 for an average woman) – from at least 4 litres/1 gallon of fresh juice, daily (green vegetable juices, fruit juices and coconut water all included). Often when people fast they take in very small amounts of liquid/calories, the metabolism slows, their energy slumps, and they may feel quite ‘dysfunctional’. Juice Feasting works differently, supporting the feaster to be very functional in daily life and meeting all calorie needs, while experiencing massive cleansing on a cellular level.
The aims of Juice Feasting are to: Cleanse, Rebuild, Rehydrate and Alkalise.
What are ‘the rules’?
It is important to make sure you drink the juice of one head of celery and 2lbs (1kg) of green leafy vegetables a day (Celery is one of the most hydrating things we can get into our bodies – said to be 4 times as hydrating as water. It is also very mineral rich and ‘grounding’ and an incredible source of organic sodium. So, all round a great ingredient to be using. The greens are for balancing, re-mineralizing and alkalising). Other than that, all and any fresh raw juices of your choice – at least 4 litres/day – are on the menu. Also on the menu are nutrient dense green powders (e.g. spirulina or barley grass powder), bee pollen granules, digestive enzymes and hemp oil. Feasting is all about enjoying getting maximum nutrition into our bodies, with little energy expenditure by the body to assimilate it.
Why Juice Feast?
By consuming only liquids, which are absorbed directly into our system, we give the body a huge energy break from digesting foods. It can then use that saved energy to clean out old matter, especially from the small intestine. The average person holds 5-10lbs of toxic old matter in their intestines, and Feasting is an ideal way to release it, giving the body a phenomenal chance to rejuvenate and restore. Far from being a time of ‘deprivation’, this extraordinary healing programme is an experience of abundance and massive nutritional intake…we lose weight, skin becomes radiantly healthy, illnesses are healed, scar tissue rejuvenates, and we detox our whole system on a massive scale.
Why 92 days?
There are 92 elements the body needs to function optimally (that are known) – so the programme is based around that concept. David Rain, the creator of this programme, also explains that many of us need 92 Days to fully Cleanse, Rebuild, Rehydrate, and Alkalize, to resolve decades-old health challenges. We go back in time about 120 days for each day of Juice Feasting. Extended Feasts take a person into levels of cleansing and being that are not often reached on shorter fasts.
How much does Juice Feasting cost?
David Rain’s estimates are that a Juice Feast costs $10-15 a day in the USA, or £5-£7.50. Actual cost will obviously depend on where you are Feasting, access to good organic produce, and the kinds of foods you are choosing to juice. The main thing to realise is just how affordable this is for most people. Many people spend around £5/$5 a day just on lunch, so this really is a remarkable way to deeply cleanse your system without busting your budget. My experience so far in Costa Rica is that it is costing me LESS than £5 a day here – on average around £3.85 a day…wow…
You can register on the Juice Feast website – www.juicefeasting.com – for $30/month (£15). It is a treasure-trove of nutritional information and support. Every day has highlighted files of inspiring things to read and listen to, on themes like ‘the principle of life transformation’, ‘greens, chlorophyll and health’ and ‘obesity and weight loss’. Humour, graphics, and a musical soundtrack are used throughout. Registration is well worth the investment, to help keep yourself motivated and tapped in with others on this journey.
Who designed the Juice Feast programme?
David Rain of www.juicefeasting.com put together this juicing programme. David holds an M.A. in Vegan/Live Food Nutrition, and is Research Assistant to raw food leader Gabriel Cousens, M.D. at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Centre, in Arizona. David has personally undertaken three such extended juice feasts in the last four years, as well as coaching scores of other students. He sees remarkable transformation occur in every case. He is very pleased to be offering this incredible transformational tool to the world online.
Why am I doing this?
When I was first introduced to the Juice Feast, I was not very enamoured with the idea. I have undertaken many short-term fasts during my 4.5 years raw, but the thought of 92 days sounded too extreme. However, as I got more into the details, the concept resonated with me more and more until I reached the point where I could no longer resist it. I began to see clearly that this is the next big step on my personal healing journey. Undoubtedly I have been through HUGE physical transformation in the last years, losing around 11.5 stone/160lbs of excess fat in total, and compared to ‘the average woman on the street’ I am indeed very ‘cleansed’ and healthy. Yet I feel I still have detoxing to do to clean this body out thoroughly. It is not surprising that 20-something years of very toxic eating and drinking creates a lot of un-eliminated waste matter. Juice Feasting seemed to me like the optimal solution – no hunger, optimal nutrition, possible to do while working, and just three months down the line it will be virtually like having a new body :)
What has been my experience of Juice Feasting so far?
In a word: AMAZING. I am LOVING it. I feel so much more capable Feasting than I ever have before on a fast. My skin is vibrant, I’m losing weight again and my body is throwing out masses of old toxins. I feel so much energy – doing yoga and jogging almost every day and getting through just as much work as usual. I tend to drink around 5-6 litres (around 1.5 gallons) of fruit/green juice a day on the Feast, and feel so blessed to be doing this in Costa Rica, surrounded by incredible exotic fruits and coconuts…
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Buy ‘A Juice Feaster’s Handbook‘ here.
To read more of Angela's thoughts on how to go raw successfully, happily and for the long-term, see her books HERE.