Green Lemonade

Drinking more fresh pressed juice and enjoying green smoothies in the morning is a great way to boost your energy and achieve glowing skin, but you don’t have to drink only juice to experience these wonderful feel-good mental and physical benefits.

If you get a chance, check out the April issue of Vogue magazine. There is a well written article on juice fasting and detox diets. The article gave tribute to the benefits of juice fasting while also recognizing the limitations of “getting on the juice”. It’s a good read for everyone.

Below I outline the 5 key bullet points from the article and share some additional thoughts as well, including an introduction to the “daily detox cocktail” from environmental wellness doctor, Sherry Rogers.

To check out the full article, log onto Vogue.

These juice fasting and raw food resources may also be helpful to you. They are some of my favorite books on the topic of juice fasting and real foods for health.

I include some helpful tips on juice fasting and the benefits of eating more real foods here as well.

Vogue Juice Fasting Article Highlights

1. Toxic chemicals are not fully eliminated in a 3 day juice fast



Yes. This is true. There is no quick “detox fix” unfortunately. You will not rid your body of a lifetime of toxic chemicals in a short 3 day or 7 day juice fast. But eating a consistent diet of nutrient rich, plant based foods and fresh pressed juices does help in this process. Uncooked fruits, vegetables and leafy greens are by nature cleansing foods.

A dose of environmental wellness Doctor Sherry Rogers’ “daily detox cocktail” is also helpful in purging heavy metals and PCBs from our bodies which tend to get stuck in our cells and tissues gunking up the inner workings of our systems. Heavy metals work their way into our systems from pesticides in our food and water, and from industrial and manufacturing smokestacks. PCBs seep into our foods from the plastic which wraps up our food and from use of plastic water bottles.



2. Weight loss does come in a juice fast, but the real key is a sustainable clean, natural diet



While you may experience weight loss with a short juice fast, sustainable weight loss may only be maintained with a clean diet upon exiting the fast.

During a juice fast expect to lose a lot of water weight first; Work to keep it off by eating a clean diet. If you go back to your normal diet of white breads, sweets, sodas, and other processed foods after the juice fast, expect to regain any weight lost. Keep these tips in mind before embarking on a juice fast.

For best natural body detoxification and natural weight loss results, enjoy lots of raw fruits and vegetables, a healthy amount of cooked veggies, and a lesser amount of more calorie dense cooked starchy veggies (such as beans, sweet potatoes and squash) and grains and nuts. Meats, fish and dairy are compliments in a cleansing, detox diet lifestyle rather than the main feature.

If you do decide that you would like to do a short juice fast to “reset” after a period of overindulgence, juicing until lunch or dinner is a great way to prepare.



3. Fresh, whole foods complimented with fresh pressed juices and smoothies helps promote beautiful skin



Rich, alkaline rich vegetable juices and uncooked vegetables, leafy greens and fruits will help your energy and your natural glow. You can achieve a wonderful energy and glow with fresh juices, and some good, natural foods.

What you eat has tremendous power over how you feel both mentally and physically. Eating a fresh, whole foods diet can even help in the fight against aging and free radical damage. Whole, living, uncooked vegetables and especially leafy greens are packed with chlorophyll (which is “sunshine” in a green form that is purifying and healing to our bodies), antioxidants, and good-for-your-blood nutrients for superior health and energy.



4. Juicing “euphoria” can also be felt by eating more fresh fruit, vegetables and leafy greens



You don’t need to rush into a juice fast to experience the light, energetic euphoria that many veteran juice fasters experience on longer juice fasts – a rich, voluminous diet of plant foods will have similar results and be less painful for some. Not all of us are ready for a short juice fast at once. Our diet histories have a big effect. And bingeing is not uncommon after a juice fast for many people including me. The first time I tried it was so painful!

If you are coming from a history of heavy eating and processed foods, for instance, a 5 day juice fast could actually be more of a setback than a boost to you by awakening sleeping toxins and poisons too quickly.

Do this: Consider a modified juice fast or a series of “mini fasts”. Even one day on ‘just juice’ can be a lot if you’re not ready. Be patient with yourself and the detoxification process. A modified or mini juice fast would involve juicing until lunch or juicing until dinner. It could even involve cutting out a late night snack and/ or incorporating a green smoothie or fresh pressed juice for breakfast.



5. Deep cellular cleansing and healing of chronic diseases (if any) takes years, not days.



As with all good things, things take time. Deep cellular cleansing and healing of chronic diseases (if any) takes years, not days. After all, it took us many years to come to where we are today!

For more on the benefits of fresh pressed vegetable juices complimented by uncooked vegetables, leafy greens and fruits to detoxify naturally check out these resources.

1. More About The Real Foods Movement and Green Lemonade
2. Eat More Real Foods, Feel Better
3. Today’s Raw Food Diet – 6 Things You Should Know
4. The Benefits of Green Smoothies and Juices for Breakfast
5. Juice Fasting 101
6. Prepare For A 3 Day Juice Fast – Juice Until Dinner
7. First Time Faster? Try The Blueprint Cleanse