40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 28

1Beetroot - 34 calories

I usually use 2 or 3 beetroot while juicing!

Beetroot is simply amazing for the skin. It purifies the blood from within and cleanses toxins and excess water from the body, imparting a healthy glow to the face.Beetroot juice contains carbohydrates, protein, potassium, phosphorus, calcium and Vitamin B and C. All these nutrients enable blood circulation in the scalp which promotes healthy hair growth.

It's always good to drink this juice raw as cooking beetroot loses its nutritional value. This juice is on the sweeter side, so it is delicious and palatable. Sometimes I mix carrot juice to make it better! 

Beetroot juice is a powerful detoxifying agent, It helps in lowering blood pressure, clearing the blood, intestines and kidneys. 

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 26

Cucumber – 100gm -16 calories

Lettuce – 100gm - 15 calories

2 Green apples - 52 calories

 

Green apple contains a lot of Vitamin A,B as well C, it is very good for the nourishment of skin and also has a whitening effect on it. It purifies the blood as it contains a lot of minerals.

Lettuce is bulky, low in calories but high in nutrient value. Consumption of lettuce stimulates appetite and removes toxins from the body. Furthermore, it can also cure deficiency of hemoglobin and mineral salts resulting in clear and radiant skin.

Cucumber contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber contains 95% water which hydrates and replenishes the body by eliminating the toxins. The high water content in cucumber acts as a system cleanser and sweeps the waste products out of the system.

There are so many benefits that these veggies encompass. This juice is easy to drink as it tastes very good too. Adding a lemon or ginger only enhances the flavor.

I love juices. Especially green ones!

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 25

Spinach – 100gm - 23 calories

Stink Beans – 100gm – 2 calories

Ginger - 1 inch - 2 calories

2 Lemons - 17 claories(each)

Why would anyone want to eat something often referred to as "stinky bean"? Well, the beans themselves are not particularly stinky at all. But once you eat them, you will begin to notice things. The effect on your breath will be more worrying.

Petai/ Stink beans are a powerhouse of healthy nutrients. Like other beans it is a useful source of protein. In comparison apples, petai has got protein Four times more, carbohydrates over double the amount, 3 times the phosphorus, 5 times the vitamin A and also iron, and two times as many vitamins along with other minerals.

Leafy greens are very light in calories. And that’s is why I love Spinach! Spinach is also important due to its chlorophyll content, and also supplies an abundance of nutrients such as oxalic acid, which is beneficial in the cleansing and healing of the intestinal tract.

All said and done, I wouldn’t recommend this combination for juicing… I hated it! I can tolerate anything that is least tasteful as long as it is healthy. But I guess I did finally find something I truly cannot tolerate. STINK BEANS! I sure won’t be trying it again.Even after adding lemon I could smell and taste the stink beans. The smell is just overpowering. 

Drinking juice on an empty stomach allows the vitamins and minerals in the juice to go straight to your bloodstream. Having fiber or a meal already in your stomach prevents your body from quickly absorbing the nutrients from the juice. Especially weird tasting veggies have more nutrients! And that is why I drank it without any qualms. But never again!

Yet, am satisfied. Because juicing is MY vitamin pill!

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 24

4 large 12" (30cm) stalks of celery - 40 calories.

Carrot - 100 gm - 42 calories

Celery is a good source of Folic Acid and Vitamin A with smaller amounts of Vitamin C and the B complex vitamins.Particularly high in Potassium and Sodium celery juice also contains calcium, carotene, magnesium, phosphorus and silicon.  Celery juice is
delicious on it's own, and it is easily combined with other fruits and vegetables to produce tasty and nutritious juice mixtures.

Carrot juice is a lovely fresh juice that is naturally sweet and so smooth it's almost creamy. Very high in Vitamin A - this comes in the safe form of beta-carotene which the body is able to convert to Vitamin A as required. Also contains Vitamin K and Vitamin C, plus smaller amounts of the B complex vitamins and Vitamin E.

I did break my fast today by having a few veggies and a fish. Due to health reasons and also due to no weight loss in the past week. Body gets so used to fasting that weight loss reaches a plateau. To break the cycle I had a meal today and continued juice fasting again. 

Hopefully this week I should see some weight loss.

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 23

Pomegranate – 100gm - 83 calories

Strawberries - 100gm - 33 calories

This juice so far, was the best tasting! The combination of pomegranate and strawberry is sweet tasting and sweet smelling. I suspect must be a little higher on the sugar side though. The rich beautiful colour and the flavour is just blissful.

According to my research on the internet, It seems to cleanse the circulatory system by helping to unclog the arteries, prevent blood clotting, increase oxygen flow to the heart and lower blood pressure. The benefits of pomegranate juice are many. Pomegranate juice is packed with antioxidants, which help rid the body of free radicals

Strawberries have immense benefits to your health when juiced. Strawberries are rich in many minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, all of which are easily absorbed by your body when juiced.

This combination of juice is incredibly beneficial to heart health, skin, immune system and weight loss.

 So bottoms up! Enjoy Juicing!

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 22

Brussel sprouts - 100gm - 58 calories

1 cucumber - 45 calories

Parsley - 100gm - 36 calories

1 lemon - 17 calories

Today I juiced Brussel Sprouts, 1 cucumber, lot of parsley and lemon together. I filled 3 bottles with the concentrate and filled it up with water to dilute. This way I make sure I drink enough water too. 

It was so refreshing! 

Cucumber is good for the skin while brussel sprouts contains more iron than spinach! Parsley is rich in many vital vitamins, including Vitamin C,  B 12, K and A. This means parsley keeps your immune system strong, tones your bones and heals the nervous system, too. It also adds flavour to the juice. Lemon assists in weight loss. Lemon makes the tasteless juice tangy. What a combo!

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 21

I am half way there!

Yesterday was the 20^th day of my juice fasting. I celebrated by buying myself a JUICER! I was using a blender for juicing all these days. A blender is useful but I have to separate pulp from the juice that gets a little tedious. A juicer separates pulp from the juice by default.

I used the juicer today and found that it was so easy. Yet again I used the pulp in water and sieved more juice from it. I feel the pulp still contains some amount of juice in it, which goes wasted if thrown straight away! And I for one would not waste the nutritious juice by throwing it away!

I juiced 2 beetroots first. Then I juiced an inch of ginger and 2 Zucchinis with a cup of Kale and Mint leaves. I realized that juicing green leaves doesnot extract much juice. Hence, I extract juice again by sieving the pulp.

You can see the juice extracted out in the image. I squeezed out more juice out of the pulp and filled half a bottle with the juice. I am satisfied with the results! A great investment indeed! It cost me only $69 and I know I won’t regret!

And so, I have decided that even when the fast ends I shall use the juicer everyday and juicing will be a routine no matter what. 

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 19

Today marks, officially, 19 days since I decided to go on a juice fast. I’d like to say it’s been a wild ride, but honestly? This was one of the easiest and most successful diets I’ve ever done. It’s a perfect way to cleanse, something to “reboot” my system.

I am 5'4 and weighed 130 pounds. I love food so much. It's an addiction. I might not be obese, but I am not slim either. I looked fat although the weighing scale didn’t think so. It was all water weight which made me look pudgier. As of today, I have lost 3.5 kgs(7.7 lbs). My clothes fit better, I’m wearing my black outfit, I haven’t worn in years. My weight loss is not that significant, as I don’t have much to lose. Yet, the overall appearance has certainly changed. My face is glowing, my eyes gleam and the double chin has just disappeared.

Day time at work, I drink at least 2 liters of Honey dew, Papaya, Soursop etc juices. After I come back home, I make 2 litres of mixed-green juice( only green veggies like lettuce, spinach, celery, mint leaves, watercress, parsley etc with 1 inch ginger and 2 spoonful of apple cider vinegar and sometimes lemon) and drink it all before I fall asleep.

Do I crave for food? Sometimes I do. But a glass of juice is so filling. Yet, the taste buds crave for something spicy or salty. At times like that, I lick off a spoon of tomato ketchup or chilli sauce. And oh boy! Do I feel better!

My friends are quite surprised that they have not seen my energy levels go down. I am still a hyperactive person not showing even a sign of fatigue. Where I get the energy from, I may never know. Sometimes, I feel it is about having the right attitude. As long as you stay positive, nothing can stop us from achieving the goal!

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 15

Call me a "food hippie." I am so into natural foods, Chinese herbs and a plant-passionate lifestyle! However, I didn't choose the healthy approach until a year ago. And I am so glad that I turned totally natural and herbal. Now I am a food weirdo and have bizarre taste buds. As long as it's healthy, I can tolerate it.

Today, I stocked up the kitchen with some new veggies along with the regular ones. The new ones to experiment with are:

Brussel Sprouts: They are jam packed with numerous vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals which are known to support a properly functioning body.

Water Cress: Watercress is extremely high in chlorophyll which helps to build healthy red blood cells. It is packed with minerals so is great for mineral deficiencies. Good for any detox program.

Baby Kale: Kale has nutrients that make people feel healthier, lose weight, and just kick more ass! But go easy with Kale. Twice a week is advisable.

Kelp buds: Juicing seaweeds results in a highly concentrated concoction of vitamins and minerals, that can also assist in weight loss.

I am so in love with green veggie juicing! I’ve been drinking it every day for the past 15 days and have noticed a visible improvement in my skin, mood, and energy levels.

Crisp, refreshing and oh-so-good-for-you, this super-green juicing might just be the best thing you can put in your body. Replace your coffee each morning with a green drink! Trust me, you wont regret!

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 14

ONION JUICE 

A proper and well balanced diet is an important part of staying healthy. Raw vegetable juices, fruits and fruit juices are extremely beneficial to health and should form a large part of a diet. I find adding strong raw flavors like onion to veggie juices takes a bit of getting used to. So it’s best to start off with just a little. You might think this type of juice would make your breath smell, but the savory-sweet juice has many medicinal effects.

Onion juice can help remove toxins from the body and stimulate blood circulation which is essential for strong and healthy hair roots. Onion juice is a natural Ayurvedic healer. Health benefits of onion include anti-inflammatory properties that helps to soothe aches and pains in the body. Onions are also anti-fungal and anti-bacterial; thus they can heal infections.

I intend to introduce garlic into my veggie juicing routine soon. Not only am I losing weight, I am also gaining nourishment and warding off all illnesses by making my diet complete. My friends think if I am starving myself I would eventually become weak or faint. But the truth of the matter is that I am consuming more veggies than I usually do. Maybe in liquid form, but  especially green veggies are more nutritional after juicing. Cooking veggies loses most of it's nutritional value. So I am basically not starving myself but providing my body more nutrition, minus the fat and carbohydrates! 

I have not felt weak in anyway so far. On the contrary, I only see a glow in my skin, loss of weight and more energy!

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 13

I hardly have the time to update nowadays. So sometimes have to make do with a picture :)

Anyway, Its my 12th day now and I have learnt a few things! Practice makes a man perfect, they say. I know for sure that it's true. I have been juicing for the past 12 days and now I have a perfect juicing recipe to make this fasting effective!

The secret? Ingredients! I used to combine 4-5 veggies and blend my juice. Now I have found a way to make juicing healthier.

Recipe = 1 or 2 varieties of veggies + 2 tbsp onion juice + 2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar+ lemon juice(for taste and vitamin C)

Onion juice is very healthy and keeps us away from diseases. ACV of course helps in weight loss and more!

So I get all the nutrients from 3 different ways in 1 glass of juice. How cool is that? Am glad I have been experimenting to make my life healthier and happier. 

And the experimenting continues...

40 Days Juice Fasting- Day 11

Need motivation? Look at the numbers below! Feeling hungry anytime? Just drink up the juice and feel healthy and stay slim!

Calories for every 100gm !

Spinach- 23 calories

Celery – 16 calories

Parsley - 36 calories

Cabbage – 25 calories

Alfalfa sprouts – 23 calories

Basil - 22 calories

Cucumber - 16 calories

Avocado - 160 calories

Lettuce – 15 calories

Broccoli - 34 calories

Asparagus - 20 calories

Mint leaves - 70 calories

Beetroot – 95 calories

Carrots – 41 calories

Bell Peppers - 20 calories

Apples - 52 calories

Pineapples – 50 calories

Lemons - 29 calories

Oranges - 47 calories

I always combine 4-5 veggies for juicing. That means my calorie intake cannot exceed more than max 300 a day! I must confess that everyone has noticed the slimmer me! Especially the radiant skin. There is no craving for food whatsoever but I do feel the need to taste something spicy. At times like that I suck on chilli flakes or add Himalayan sea salts to my juice which adds 80 more abundant trace elements to my diet.

More to come in the next few days!

40 Days Juice Fasting - Day 9

An uneventful day. 

Today I tried the Cabbage juice for the first time. It does taste raw and weird, especially without sugar or salt. But I improvised it by squeezing one whole lemon. It tasted better and more importantly was filling and healthy!

I stocked up my kitchen with fresh batch of greens and veggies today. Come to think of it, my expenses are way low now compared to a non-fasting day. No lavish meals, no outing. A week of juicing cost me only 30$ a week! Cheap and healthy. 

I still have a long way to go. Another 31 days. On the bright side, I have not felt fatigue, weakness of any kind yet. I must give credit to a year and a half detox bathing routine. I have the same energy(or more) I would have on any normal day. I did get a zit on my face which is unusual. My skin though feels supple and nice. More importantly I feel good about myself. I feel good about my will power, my determination.

Long day tomorrow. More to come.

40 Days Juice Fasting- Day 8

It's a RAW RAW Life! And am loving it!

40 Days Juice Fasting- Day 7

It's my 7th day of Juice Fasting! I feel a sense of accomplishment and euphoria. For 2 reasons! Read on and you'll know why!

Reason 1: I hate to LOSE things. But am glad I lost something today. I LOST 2 kgs(4.40 pounds) !! I know, I know. I said I won't be checking my weight until the last day. I just couldn't help myself. It came as a surprise when the weighing scale showed the weight loss. Kinda unusual for me, as I lose weight slowly. Especially because I am not getting enough exercise now during fasting.

Reason 2: Today, I consumed at least 4 litres of juice since I was home. A mix of all kinds of veggies. I also incorporated Apple Cider Vinegar in my juicing routine! Am glad I did. I have tried taking ACV many times before but I just hate the taste of it with plain water. I regularly use the miracle water in my detox baths and hair though. Today I added 2 tbsp of ACV to my juice jars and sipped it all day long. ACV has way too many benefits including detox, weight loss and health benefits. The idea came out of nowhere. The best part is the taste and smell of ACV was disguised by the mixed juices and it was so much easier to drink! There was not even a hint of smell and taste and I loved it! What better way to make my juicing healthier? Remember though, ACV has to be the organic unfiltered raw(mother of vinegar) with all the living enzymes for more benefits!

Overall it was a perfect day at home with my juicer, my new found love.