Juice Feast, Days 25-28, & Breaking the Feast

I broke the feast this morning with a smoothie of mango, mixed berries, banana and kale. Papaya and spinach is what I really wanted but only had kale on hand. Even though it wasn't what I was craving it was a great way to break the feast and kept me satisfied until late afternoon. Today I also had 1 Tbsp Vitamineral Green, 1 quart of juice, some bee pollen, chlorella and an orange. I've decided to contine this way for the next two days and then resume my high-raw diet. So, my feast is officially over. 28 days was plenty for me, and towards the end I didn't think I would make it because of all the other challenges going on in my life.

Wow it's been a crazy few days. Things started getting strange last week when one of my four cats got sick. The Reader's Digest version: we took him to an after hours vet who, after 2 visits and a lot of EXPENSIVE tests and x-rays concluded that he had a very high temperature and an infection which was treated with antibiotics. We're still giving him oral antibiotics and my boy is just about 100% back to normal.

Right around that time I decided it was time to do a gentle liver cleanse which is recommended on the juice feast. The recipe calls for water, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil. Nothing much happened during the day so that evening I decided it would be a good time to also start taking probiotics. Ooops.

That was day 25 and my stomach has been wild until today. I've never experienced such constant, loud gurgling in my life. There was no cramping or discomfort but something was happening - maybe it was the colony of good bacteria multiplying, plus a delayed reaction to the liver cleanse. Elimination was little, but OFTEN. Finally today I had a very productive colonic and I feel brand new.

During all of this I had to install an exhibit at the gallery where I work, and deal with 2 home computers infected with a virus. Resolving that problem was another costly, time-consuming and stressful event, to put it mildly. The juices really kept me going, and focused on what had to get done.

Now, I'm quite happy to be finished with the cleanse. My overall observations:

PHYSICAL:
Hunger: little to none, until the last couple days when my appetite returned.
Degree of difficulty with juice feast: challenging moments, but overall not too difficult.
Eye discomfort: A noticeable improvement past 2 days!
Other pain or healing crisis: headache and sleepiness around day 26.
Elimination: inconsistent.
Energy: excellent.
Exercise: a little rebounding most days and some yoga 2-3 times/week.
Weight lost: 7 lbs.
PERSONAL:
Stress level/activities/workload: Busy!
Temperment: some irritability but mostly even, especially considering high stress level.
Other: Playing guitar, working on new art, writing project proposals.

As I ease back into my regular diet I plan to incorporate a once-a-week juice fast into my regimen. I'll also try to continue posting periodic health updates.

Juice Feast, Days 22-24

All is still well. My eyes are unchanged, and I've experienced no detox symptoms. The days are going by quickly and I don't think about food at all since I'm not the slightest bit hungry. There are days in fact when I feel as though I'm drinking too much juice - that my body doesn't require so much. Today was one of those days. I drank about 3 1/2 quarts, about one quart more than I feel is optimal for me. Every few days or so I drink this much juice just to be sure I'm getting enough variety.

Here are a couple of basic juices that have become my favorites:

1. parsley/celery/cucumber/green apple/kale
2. spinach, romaine, carrot

There are so many combinations I've tried but I always come back to these two.

I've been using a Hurom juicer since my Norwalk is on the fritz (it's impossible to destroy a Norwalk, but I found a way! It can be repaired, but I haven't gotten around to it). Anyway, the Hurom is OK, but not all that it's cracked up to be. After reading several glowing reviews and watching it demonstrated on various sites I was dissapointed in its performance.

It's fine for most fruits, carrots and simple greens, but anything stringy - like celery, or even parsley - will clog up the fiber chute. So if anyone reading this is planning on using a Hurom, make sure to add these in very small amounts, followed by carrot, or something very juicy like cucumber. If you want to juice a big bunch of celery or parsley, you have to take your time, and definitely keep your eye on the pulp chute.

You also must strain the juice through a nut milk bag. This was hard for me to get used to because I was spoiled by the Norwalk, but it's really not a big deal anymore. Even so, this step should at least be mentioned in the demos, or the instruction booklet, but it isn't. The juice is pretty good though and it takes a little less time than the Norwalk.

Just four more days of the juice feast, then it's on to smoothies and juices for...I don't know how long. I love juicing but I'll be glad to get some fiber back into my life.

Juice Feast, Days 19 - 21

Well, I've made it three weeks and still doing well. There hasn't been anything unusual or spectacular to report, although my eyes are slightly improved today. This happens every so often, and there's no rhyme or reason to it from what I can tell, so I don't want to get too excited about it. It's just a cautiously optimistic observation.

One thing I can say for sure is that I do not like cascara sagrada & have decided not to use it anymore. I'm not doing daily enemas either. My elimination has slowed considerably over the past few days and I'm thinking of starting probiotics soon. It's not recommended to start them until after the cleansing phase, at which point the rebuilding phase of the feast begins - right around day 75. I'm modifying the program and may not go that long anyway. In fact I've decided to go one more week on juices - one month in total - and then add green smoothies.

In the second month my plan is to have 1 quart of green smoothies and 2 quarts of juices per day. I'm not juicing too many fruits and I miss the variety, not to mention the fiber. So tomorrow I start my final week of juices only, and I'm already looking forward to that first smoothie next week, with papaya and spinach!

Juice Feast, Days 9 - 12

I'm wrapping up day 12 and am happy to say that I've reached a personal best. My longest cleanse prior to this juice feast was a 10 day Master Cleanse is 2008. I cannot say that this has been easy; in fact, I've almost ended or modified this several times, but continue to hang in there. One of the problems is that I get chilled to the bone after drinking a juice, even though I wear extra layers of clothing, drink hot tea & try to get more exercise. The saving grace is my infrared sauna. This is one of the best investments in my health that I've ever made. I've had it a few years now and even though it's as small as a tiny closet I use it regularly during cold months - especially now that I'm juice feasting. For info into the health benefits of infrared sauna see my report here .

One of the main reasons for embarking on this cleanse was to improve my eye health. My clogged oil glands,(which, by the way came with the cancer but did not leave with it), cause discomfort, dry eyes and sensitivity to light. These conditions have worsened with this cleanse. A few nights ago I woke to a burning sensation and tearing in my left eye. The tears kept coming for several minutes bringing some relief. It wasn't exactly painful and I somehow felt that something good was happening. Since then it's happened off and on in both eyes, to a lesser degree.

The photosensitivity seems to have progressed and feels worse now than ever before. As I write this I'm wearing sunglasses because the light of the computer is too bright. My eyelids are a little inflamed and there's an oily substance being released, which may be the cause of the burning sensation. It seems as though my body is trying to clear the blocked glands, which is great but the process is no fun. If it doesn't ease up soon I may modify the cleanse to slow down the detoxification process.

I've cut back on the number of juices to 2 1/2 - 3 quarts. I feel stuffed on more than that and I realized that my caloric needs are not the same as others who flourish on 4 qts per day. In addition to the juices I'm still taking bee pollen, chlorella, green powders, and 1 tbsp of hemp oil and/or coconut oil. I haven't felt any hunger to speak of in days.

I haven't had an enema since day 7, nor have I been taking the recommended herbal laxative. My elimination has been very efficient and I'm surprised at the return of formed, rather than loose stools. Incredible.

For the past two days I have a taste in my mouth, something like metal. I think this is a great sign that my body is ridding itself of old debris. The metalic taste affects the taste of the juices, but I can live with that.

I'm sure I can make it to the 2 week mark, which is in 2 days. At that point I will decide whether to continue the feast as is, or modify it a bit.

Juice Feast, Days 7&8

Many people say that the first 3 days of a fast or a cleanse are the hardest. For me they were the easiest. Yesterday, day 8, was the toughest yet. The hunger wasn't so bad, yet I had a strong desire to make a smoothie, and even though I was irritable off and on all day I stuck with the program. The idea of switching to a 90day smoothie/juice cleanse appealed to me, especially considering how challenging it is to keep the fridge stocked and to make time in my already-filled day to make the juices. Detroit is an organic food desert, and I have to drive 25 minutes (one way) to the closest store that has most everything I need. It's hit or miss with the local farmers market when it comes to organic. Unfortunately, they have little or nothing to offer. Yes, day 8 was somewhat bleak and I'm glad it's behind me. I'm feeling much brighter and optimistic today.

On the juice feast it's recommended to do an enema each day during the first week, then less often while taking cascara sagrada. I've read that it's common to have solid bowel movements during the first couple weeks or so during the feast. That has not been my experience (except for the first 3 days). The evening of day 7 I took cascara sagrada before bed, as advised, unaware of what was in store for me. My sleep was interrupted with trips to the rest room during the night and most of yesterday morning. I skipped taking it last night and I'm not sure about tonight.

My body is releasing toxins at an accelerated level and I do want them to find their way out of my body, but I also would love a good night's sleep and to be able to leave the house when I need to. There's a learning curve here and I may go back to read through the juicefeaster.com website and Angela Stokes' A Juice Feaster's Handbook to pick up some helpful tidbits. Meanwhile I will continue to drink my juices and envision all the wonderful cleansing and healing taking place within my body.

Juice Feast - Days 5&6

Oddly enough, yesterday & today I experienced more hunger than the previous 4 days. I also had thoughts of eating solid foods, although I wasn't tempted to do so. It was almost like nostalgia, but without the desire to go there. The hunger is always mild, it comes & goes & never stays for long, which is nice. To satisfy it I just drink more juice, but I still haven't made it to a full gallon - 3 1/2 quarts is the most I've been able to take so far. Today I had coconut oil for the first time on the feast & it seemed to be just what I needed. I mixed it with some bee pollen & was so pleased with my concoction that I plan to take it routinely - maybe every other day, alternating with hemp oil. The release of mucus has tapered off & there haven't been any other odd or interesting detox episodes to report thus far. I'll certainly document them here when they do occur.

Juice Feast Days 3&4

I'm finding that consuming 3 quarts of juice in addition to my regular 4 oz. of daily wheatgrass is a lot to ingest. I left the house today & forgot to take my juices with me. I was gone for about 3 hours & drank water only. I did get hungry but I've yet to experience a nagging hunger. When I got home I drank 12 oz & that was it for the day. I'm not the slightest bit hungry & I still have a quart of juice in the fridge.

The strangest thing I've experienced in these 4 days is the massive amounts of mucus that my body is expelling, mostly from my left nostril. (Sorry if that's too graphic, but there will undoubtedly be alot more of that as I document this cleanse). It's as if there's an endless reservoir in my ear canal trying to find its way out. Today I used the neti pot which helped things along, & just when I thought I was through blowing my nose, my right nostril started releasing. I didn't even know that my ears were blocked, but I can feel them open & then block-up again, so there's apparently more to come.

Just as the neti pot helped me eliminate, I've also been doing enemas as part of the juice feasting protocol. I can't say that they're as productive however. Daily enemas are recommended during the first week only, then less often as I start taking cascara sagrada, an herbal laxative to keep things moving out.

I'm just about out of vegetables & will have to re-stock tomorrow, less than 1 week into the cleanse. I think even more challenging than giving up solid foods for so long will be keeping enough produce on hand. I'll just have to plan well & I'm sure I'll get my groove & it'll go smoothly - at least if these first 4 days are any indication.

Juice Feasting, Days 1&2

Wow, I can't believe how long it's been since I last posted. Now is a good time to resume blogging since I started a juice feast yesterday and plan to document the experience.

I've never made more than 7 or 8 juices in one day before - and that was when I was juicing a lot. On this juice feast I'll have 3 or 4 quarts of freshly made juice everyday for as long as I can manage, up to 92 days. I plan to go the distance. This is beyond any cleanse I've ever attempted in the past and should take me through some pretty serious healing and rebuilding.

The longstanding problem with my dry, gritty, sunken eyes is a clue that something is out of balance and I believe the juice feast will help my body deal with that issue once and for all. A couple of weeks ago I started taking cod liver oil because of its Vit A content and its healthy fatty acids (DHA & EPA)- all good nourishment for my eyes. It also has Vit D and due to my past deficiency I plan to continue taking this oil while juice feasting, although it's not part of the recommended protocol.

I've thought about doing the juice feast for more than 2 years and now the timing is right and I'm inspired and motivated. So, no solid foods - except for bee pollen - for 3 months! I'll also continue with 2 teaspoons of cod liver oil, and supplement with a few other things that are detailed on the juicefeasters website. I started yesterday and had no problems whatsoever. By evening I was hungry and tired so went to bed early. Today was a breeze. I haven't had more than 3 quarts and that seems to be enough for me. As I continue, I'll have more juice if I feel weak or get too hungry. So far so good.