Fit Fare

Editor’s Note: Drinking too much water can be fatal. Too much water can lead to brain swelling, cessation of breathing and ultimately death. Always consult a physician before embarking on any sort of diet, including juice feasting.

“Even a fool can fast, but only a wise man knows how to break the fast properly and to build up properly after the fast!” - Dr. Otto F.H. Buchinger

Today, let’s celebrate my 83rd day of drinking only juices. Yeah! Okay, enough of that, let’s move on. The most common question I have been asked — after How much weight have you lost? — is What is the first thing you’re going to eat? Two words…soaked prunes. Yum. But wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.

I have around nine days left on my juice feast and it’s about the time to start asking myself a few important questions. First, how do you know when it’s time to break a juice feast? You would think that when I reach 92 days it would be easy to figure out. Not so for me. I am enjoying the process very much and I am not sure if I am ready to stop at 92 days. Of course, I don’t want to endanger my health so I was thinking about extending a day or two longer, nothing more than that.

According to Juicefeasting.com, there are a few things you should keep in my mind when deciding to break a juice feast. One, it might be a good time to end your juice feast when you’re ready to move back into eating solid foods. That’s a no-brainer. Two, you’re not drinking enough juice to provide your body with enough calories. I’m keeping the body stocked with a constant flow of juices and my caloric intake is good. How long I will juice feast is to be determined. Stay tuned.

JuiceFeasting.com provides detailed information about breaking a feast in a safe and effective way. I am using its protocol to break mine. When I do start eating solids, my first foods will be approximately eight ounces of soaked prunes. I will eat those for two days while still drinking my diet of juices, the third and fourth days will be filled with juicy fruits, such as watermelon, pineapple, tomatoes, cucumbers and the like. My final fifth and sixth transition days to solids, I will consume leafy vegetables, sprouts, microgreens, flax seed oil, avocados and Kalamata olives and lemon juice.

“Once you have completed a disciplined and successful Feast-Breaking, you may enjoy eating the wide array of nutrient dense raw and living foods available to you. Your “clock” has been reset—even at the cellular level. You have achieved a health reality that is most aptly maintained through the use of raw foods,” said David Rainoshek.

The second question I have pondered is… how am I going to eat after this is over? You would naturally think I’m shooting for a 100 percent raw foods diet all the way. But believe it or not I’m a bit more open to a vegan cooked diet. I know for sure I won’t be eating anymore animal proteins. During this feast I read The China Study and I’m scared meatless.

I have a family that I want to move into the direction of raw foods, but it’s not fair of me to place that pressure on them overnight. I’m happy to cook tasty vegan dishes for them but where does that leave me?

After this wonderful experience juice feasting, I am content with the knowledge that my diet will be mostly fresh fruits and vegetables with a rare cooked food in the mix. Does it sound impossible to think I can eat a 100 percent raw foods diet with a family of five? Maybe, but after taking a break from solid foods for three months, nothing seems impossible.

You can keep track of my daily progress during this juice feast at Inspiration:Life.