Juice Fasting: An Experiment

Last week I embarked on another bodily experiment: juice fasting.

During my hospital shift on Wednesday, my runny nose and sneezing got so bothersome that I had begun carrying tissues with me everywhere I went. Then Thursday morning, after gulping down a daily juiced lemonade for breakfast and some green tea, I decided to keep rolling with it.

I stopped by the store and picked up oranges, apples, grapefruit, and romaine lettuce (all organic); I headed home and began juicing. Mind you, I did have some guidance along the way. I had just completed Steve Meyerowitz's "Juice Fasting and Detoxification" and was feeling inspired. I also recalled the words of Dr. Andrew Saul in his book "Doctor Yourself"--that putting his kids on a mini juice fast got rid of the cold quickly. So, I figured, it was a good time to plunge in!

I am proud of myself, I must say! I followed carefully the wisdom of Meyerowitz--to strain out juice pulp as to not stimulate hunger and create my own decongestant of ginger tea with honey. I juiced and brewed for a whole day and continued the process until Friday evening, when I broke the fast by nibbling on some grapefruit. Later, I ate an apple then some hot chocolate with nut milk. By Saturday evening, I was able to enjoy a full meal (steamed veggies and mahi mahi) when I went out to dinner without any cramping or tummy rumbling.

Side effects: It is hard to attest to any major effects because of the brevity of this fast. I did have some abdominal cramping on Thursday, but it wasn't until Friday that I started getting really hungry.

Benefits: I'm cold-free! On Saturday, I had a little sniffling, but by late Sunday the bug had been completely eradicated.

Inquiries: Supposedly the first day is the hardest, but I thought the second day was! Perhaps my motivation drove me the majority of the time. Plus, I spent more time at home the second day which lends to more temptation.

Conclusion: I will definitely do another juice fast! It was delicious, inexpensive, and very cleansing.