Day 3
I was so exhausted yesterday I slept for 10 straight hours! Woke up feeling slightly more refreshed and lighter! My body took a while to ‘wake up’, was feeling tired and weak as I made my way to work but once I drank my first juice it perked me up and I had this amazing rush of adrenaline the whole day. Didn’t realise I was so active until a coworker commented that I was so full of energy. She was really nice and kept asking me if I wanted to take breaks because I wasn’t eating, but honestly, I really didn’t need to sit down!
Out of the 5 of us at work that started the fast, 3 dropped out of the fast today leaving me and just one more co-worker still in the race. I don’t blame them, it’s actually quite hard to stay on a fast if its your first time and you still have to go about your daily life. Even harder when you’re working in the kitchen! Though we work at one of Singapore’s healthiest kitchens, our staff lunch is quite the opposite haha. Our menu includes things like potato wedges, chicken wings, fried noodles etc….and with food like that at arm’s length, most people caved. Which also brings me back to how I gained so much weight since I started work! I would sneak in a sweet potato wedge here or there (because we have the best wedges ever!)…before i knew it, one piece led to 10 pieces. I was also consuming ALOT of raw desserts – at work and at home. The main ingredient for most raw desserts include high calorie food like nuts, dates and coconut; and a slice of raw cake, though healthier than a normal cake, can contain just as many calories…sometimes even more! SO moral of the story – Don’t eat too much of anything, even the seemingly healthy stuff!
Anyway, back to the fast, there were a few moments today where I caught myself thinking “Can I do this”, “Why am I doing this” etc;…but to motivate myself, I try not to think about what I’m giving up, instead I try to think about what I’ll gain from this. Plus blogging about the fast also helps because I feel accountable to you guys reading this =)
Today’s juices
Juice 1- Ruby Red (see day 1) but i only made 3/4 pitcher
Juice 2- Dirty Green : 3/4 pitcher = 1 green apple, 20g parsley, small piece of beet root, 1 carrot, 450g kailan, 15g ginger, 1/3 green capsicum, 1 1/2 cucumber, 1/2 lemon
Juice 3- One glass of carrot + orange
Juice 4- One glass of celery + starfruit
Others – TWG Japanese Sencha Herbal Green Tea & 2 glasses of coconut water
As promised, here’s the JUICE FAST FAQ PART II
1) How much juice should I drink a day?
It depends on you, but you should minimally consume 1 Gallon (3.7L) of juice a day. Do make sure 80% of it is green juice, not simply fruit juices though! Oh and do drink as much water as juice.
2) Do I need to buy organic produce?
Its recommended to do so since you’re consuming it raw. Plus, your body is detoxifying itself, so why add additional pesticides for it to rid off? But when $$ is a factor, you might not be able to buy everything organic as its quite a strain on the wallet. I make it compulsory to buy my vegetables organic but am abit more lax when it comes to fruits. Check out this chart below on the best and worse food to buy organic and non-organic.
3) Do I need to peel the skin off all the fruits and vegetables before I juice? Can I juice the skins of citrus fruits?
I tend to peel off the skin for most of my fruits and vegetables especially if they are non organic so that i reduce my consumption of toxic chemicals. And also to get rid of wax! Esp so for cucumbers (urgh bitter taste!), carrots, celery and apples.
4) Will I get sufficient nutrients when I’m fasting?
I’m not a doctor in this field so its a little hard to advice, but personally, i still take my supplements when I’m fasting to make sure I’m not lacking in any nutrients or vitamins. I take Spirulina tablets every morning (B12 !!) and a multivitamin.
5) Can I exercise during the fast?
You can do light exercise during the fast. The definition of light exercise is probably different for everyone based on their active level, so the most important thing is to listen to your body and don’t overexert yourself. in Don’t try to be hero and train for a marathon during your fast!
6) I have no time to fast! Any tips on fasting when you’re super busy??
You can pack your ingredients the night before (wash, sliced, chopped) so all you need to do is juice when you wake up! Wake up slightly earlier the day you’re juicing and juice produce of high water content to get more liquid.
Fellow instagrammer and blogger Lynsey (@Freakyfreaky) asked if we can freeze the juice. I did some research and some people do that but the tricky part is freezing it immediately after juicing without letting any oxygen get in. Would still recommend that if you’re freezing the juice, just keep the frozen juice for not more than a day – say juice at night and defrost it the next morning. After all, no use drinking juice if the nutrients have been oxidised right!
7) Who should not be fasting?
If you’re pregnant, nursing or have a serious health condition, its advisable not to fast. Or at least check with your doctor before you do.
8) What can I do with my excess juice pulp?
Don’t throw your pulp away! There’s so much you can do with it! I normally freeze my pulp so that I can make raw bread or crackers. If you’re not into such things, you can do your part for the earth by reusing them as compost or give them to your pets.
9) I don’t think I can do a full juice fast, can I do something easier?
If you’re not ready to jump head first into a juice fast, you can always start by replacing one meal with a large green juice. Would definitely recommend breakfast as it’s always good to have juice on an empty stomach. For the rest of the day, you can opt to eat more fruits and lots of greens whilst staying away from anything processed, fried or with too much salt.
Read Part 1 of my Juice Fast FAQs here . And tomorrow (oops, i mean later,…gasp!) I’ll be writing on how to juice on a budget! Stay tuned =)
Eat Green Cake 