Green Juice Fast.  Want to do a reboot fast like Joe Cross from 'Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead?'

One of the most popular types of fasts- and for good reason- is the green juice fast. Green fasts allow your body to detoxify while also giving your body some really great nutrition.

Have you seen the movie “Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”? This is a great movie of a man named Joe Cross that fasted for 60 days on mostly green juices. Joe Cross has inspired many to do a green juice fast with his movie. If you haven’t seen it, consider getting it as you will understand what it’s like. It will also give you a kick in your pants to get started.

Click here to purchase Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead

The benefits of a green juice fast

A green fast tends to clean your body quicker than other types of juice fasts. Greens and green drinks build up the red blood cells in your body, essentially cleaning the blood. It builds iron and helps your body get rid of toxins and trash. Blood is the red river in our bodies. When your blood is clean, then your body is clean.

Some other benefits of a green juice fast include weight loss, clearer skin, improved vision, memory and energy. Because your body uses juice fasts to clean itself out, the positive side effects are endless.

I receive testimonials of so many great ways fasting has helped their health. It’s different for everyone, based on their past history and current health status. Almost everyone I know that has done a green fast has lost at least few pounds. The longer you do the fast, the more you’ll lose. This is because your body normalizes weight when it gets proper nutrition and less calories. Results can be amazing if you’re willing to perservere.

How to do a green juice fast

A green fast is the same as other juice fasts or a juice cleanse. Specifically, a green juice fast is when you abstain from solid food and just consume green juices and water throughout the course of your day.

If you are on several medications, have ill health or just aren’t sure if you should do a green juice fast, then definitely consult your doctor first. Most people like to go to a doctor pre-fast so that they can run a battery of tests to see where your health is at now. After the test, they take the tests again to see how much their health has improved. Not only can this be fun to do, it’s super encouraging to see what a difference you’ve made in your healthy in such a short period of time.

Step 1: Decide how long you want to fast

Talk to your doctor about the length of your fast. Consider your lifestyle and allow the first 3-5 days as being days that could potentially make you feel weak as your body cleans out the trash. After day 5 most people see a spike in their energy.

Plan to start your fast over a holiday or a weekend. You don’t want to start a fast during the busiest time of your month or year. Be sure that you will be able to allow your body to heal during the first few days.

Fasts can be done safely for many days. To make a real difference in your health, one to two weeks are needed to fully clean out your body and begin to allow it to heal. 30 to 60 day fasts are safe for most people and are done quite often by people who want to get off of medications, heal ailments and clean out their body to start a new healthy chapter in their life.

If you are just looking to reboot your health and are fairly healthy, a few days will do you good. It takes less time for a healthier person to clean out the trash then someone who has consumed a bad diet for a lifetime.

Step 2: Preparing and starting a fast

Preparing for and starting the fast need not be difficult. Here are some tips to mark off your checklist to get your going.

• You’ll want to make sure that your cabinets are cleaned out of any junk foods or snacks that could be tempting. If you are able to not have that to entice you, you’ll find the first few days easier.
• Tell your family or those living with that you are starting a fast and would appreciate support. Nothing is worse than a friend bringing over a pizza or baking you cookies during your fast. Just let the people closest to you know so that they can respect your lifestyle. Don’t expect everyone to be pro-fasting. Most people will not understand and will think it’s unhealthy or dangerous. I have found that it’s best to not try to convince people of what you are doing, but instead, ask for respect for what you’ve decided to do.
• Plan your favorite recipes and get to the market. Buy enough produce to make enough juice for at least 2-3 days. You don’t want to have to run out each day. This is where coops come in handy. You can usually buy produce in bulk to reduce your cost (and time shopping for produce!).
• Clear your schedule as much as you can. It’s best to not have too much to do for the first few days. If you’ve never done a green juice fast before, you might not know how your body reacts. Don’t schedule a lot of appointments and activities until you know how your body is responding.
• For one to two days before the fast, try eating a lighter diet consisting of mostly raw fruits, vegetables and smoothies. This will allow your body to transition into the fast easier.

Step 3: The green juice fast

It’s best to start your green juice fast in the morning. Go to bed having eaten light in the evening, and preferably the whole day. Do not have a heavy meal late in the evening then start your fast the next day. It’s just not wise.

Drink at least 3-4 glasses of green juice during your day. If you feel hungry, drink more. Stick to mostly vegetable juices with greens in them.

Some people hit a plateau from losing weight after a week, you might feel like you get less hungry so start juicing less. Don’t juice less, juice more.

A green juice typically contains 3 parts vegetable/fruit juice to one part green juice. This is to prevent your body from detoxifying your body too rapidly. Making the juice with this ratio also hides the “green” taste, making the drink more pleasant.

The mean green juice recipe

• 1 cucumber
• 1 good bunch of Kale
• 4 celery stalks
• 1/2 lemon (rind on ok)
• one small knob (about ½ inch or less) of ginger root
• 2 granny smith apples (gala is good too)

This will make about 2 glasses of mean green juice. I believe this recipe is what Joe Cross used in his movie and called "mean green juice", if you are looking to be like him :) The lemon and ginger make the kale undetectable. It also adds a good amount of punch to the drink.

This combination is excellent for providing your body all the nutrients it needs, as well as stimulating circulation and fat loss.

If you need more recipes:

Green Juice Recipes
Carrot Juice Recipes
Vegetable Juice Recipes

A fruit juice recipe every now and then during your fast will not make it less effective. If your body is telling you to have a fruit juice, have a fruit juice! Just don’t have more than 1 a day.

Drink water and tea throughout the day if you’d like. Teas to calm the stomach and mind are chamomile and peppermint.

What to expect during a green juice fast

Common detox symptoms include headaches, dizziness, lightheadedness and weakness. Some people experience loose bowels, although it is more common to experience several and soft bowel movements. Either way, this is a good sign. These symptoms usually mean that your body is cleaning itself out (exactly what the fast is meant to do). Do not get discouraged. Detoxing usually will only occur for the first few days. After it passes, you will have a heightened energy and feel very alive. Your mind will be clear, your vision might improve and you might feel like you’ve never felt before. Focus on positive thoughts, drink tea, take a nap if your body is telling you to, and persevere.

Remember that many people have been juice fasting for centuries with great success. Getting through any adverse symptoms will take you to a new level of health.

If your main goal is to lose weight through the fast, know that you will lose weight, but might hit a plateau.  This is normal and could be for many reasons. I think that many people just focus on the weight and get discouraged if they pass a few days without losing, wondering what’s wrong. The thing is, the real reason for a fast is to detox. Weight loss is a positive side effect from it, as your body restores it’s health. If you aren’t losing, just be patient.

Here is a question that I received about a woman who was fasting and hit a plateau. Read my response to her here.

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One to Three Day Juice Fast

Return from Green Juice Fast to Juice Fasting