Global Juice Feast 2009

What the heck is a Juice Feast? Well it's not a diet, although you tend to lose most of your excess weight. It's not a juice fast because you'll be getting your recommended 1500-2000 calories. It's not a lifestyle although many feel so good that they continue it for 92 days or even more. It's not a cleanse although you will be purging your body of the same kinds of toxins that cleansing formulas deal with. In addition you'll be alkalizing, re hydrating and building up your mineral reserves.

I started mine March 7th, the beginning of this year's Global Juice Feast in which people from all over the world are taking control of their bodies and their health by consuming mass quantities of fresh organic juice in lieu of their normal diets (junk food, standard american, vegetarian/vegan, or raw). Without the solid food the organs are able to focus their full attention on removing all of the toxic sludge we accumulate over years of eating at the corporate trough. I'm not sure what his source is, but noted raw food proponent Juliano claims that the average american ingests the equivalent of 17 cell phones in plastics and metals over the course of an average lifespan.

For me this is a great chance to correct some of the damage soy has done to my digestive system.

i can has foodz?

So what kind things am I eating during this 92 days of liquid lunches? The bare bones of it are

• 2 lbs (about 1 kg) of green leafy vegetables (kale, spinach, chard, collards, turnip etc.)
• 1 lbs (.5 kg) celery
• 1 cucumber with skin
• 1 quart of fruit juice (grapefruit, pomelo, berries, pears, apples)

Now of course if I juice a pound of kale and try to drink it I'll probably blow chunks... err... green juice all over my kitchen. The secret is how you mix it. Cucumber and celery are a big help in watering it down. Next I throw in some carrots, fennel, zucchini, and/or beets to make it slightly sweet. In addition peppers, garlic, ginger, parsley and such can give it a little flavor so I'm not drinking the same glass of juice over and over again. A little variety, I've found is the key to staying on this diet.

Supplements? Why yes, please!

You can get a surprising amount of protein out of your greens and even some from other veggies. But if you really want to make sure you're losing fat and not muscle adding some protein into the diet isn't a bad idea. I use the tag team of spirulina and kelp in my green juices. In addition and mostly at the suggestion of juicefeasting.com I'm taking

• MSM - aka the "beauty mineral". repairs scar tissue in the body and makes your hair, nails, skin etc infinitely more healthy.
• Chlorella - itsy bitsy little single cell algae. great source of protein and more!
• Fo-ti/He Shou Wu - Mr Wu was an old man in China a long time ago. he starting eating this stuff and his hair turned black again and suddenly he was the stud of the village. he shou wu translates into "the black haired Mr. Wu". Also known as Fo-ti.
• Digestive Enzymes - many different products exist usually with names like "Ultra-zyme". Look for ones with bromelien and papayein and herbs like marshmallow root.
• Cell Salts - your cells like salt too! dissolves under the tongue
  
• Turmeric - i take it in capsule form. has antiseptic/antibiotic qualities, great for the digestion.
• Triphala - for keeping things regular!
• Psylium Seed Husk - fiber!
  

The Juices

Although juicefeasting.com has some different suggestions, I basically drink 2 green juices a day. Each is about a quart and they look something like

my beet, chard, green pepper, zucchini, and parsley juice from this morning.


I mix in a little hemp or coconut oil to give me some good-for-you fat and to make them a little more filling.


My fruit juices are generally smaller, often mixed with water and some cayenne pepper to give it a spicy kick.

pretty pretty cantaloupe-
grapefruit juice.

Results

More info will be forthcoming, but at the end of week one i was down 5.1 pounds. My skin is softer, my eyes are brighter. I'm not hungry much but I do crave weird things. Even seafood/meat which i haven't had in at least 12 years! Supposedly cravings come from toxins so we'll see how long this lasts. Realistically what I'm craving most right now is Cyber Dogs. :3

Damn you soy!!!