Many benefits you can gain when going on a juice cleanse are:
🥬 Decreased inflammation 🥬 Stronger immune system
🥬 Healthy weight loss 🥬 Better hydration
🥬 Increased vitamin and mineral intake 🥬 Better digestion
]]>By: Juneile Maxi
Juice cleanses are a wonderful way of giving your body and digestive system a well deserved break.
I had the pleasure of completing fruit de la vie’s two-day juice cleanse! Which was perfect timing since lately I have had no qualms about satisfying my cravings however, my body was definitely feeling it, and hated me for it. So, I prepped for a couple days before going on the cleanse so my body wouldn’t go through too much shock with the sudden removal of food.
If you intend on starting a juice cleanse, and going through it with no food at all, it is so important to prepare your body. Slowly cutting down on your calorie, sugar and fat intake a couple days before starting is a great way to ease yourself into a cleanse. Cleanses are an awesome way to reset your gut and give your digestive system a rest so that your body can properly break down and effectively distribute necessary nutrients.
On day one, I began the day with a bit of a headache and feeling lethargic but decided to push through anyway. With a little will power and a couple gallons of water in between juices, I completed the day feeling much lighter than I did in the morning. I spaced out my juices, taking them 2-3 hours apart. The timing worked out great and didn’t give me the chance to feel too hungry. It is a a bit of a mental challenge because you have to discipline yourself but I’ve found that keeping busy was the best way to take my mind off wanting to eat.
Now you may be thinking: “Do I absolutely need to forgo food on a cleanse?”. I would simply suggest listening to your body. Of course, if you want to eat while on a cleanse keep your foods simple and primarily plant based. Remember, the point of a cleanse is to give your digestive system and body a break. You don’t want to be intaking anything that requires too much energy for the body to break down such as meats, dairy or processed foods, which can cause inflammation.
Many benefits you can gain when going on a juice cleanse are:
🥬 Decreased inflammation 🥬 Stronger immune system
🥬 Healthy weight loss 🥬 Better hydration
🥬 Increased vitamin and mineral intake 🥬 Better digestion
By day two, I felt pretty good. I decided to be a little less strict with myself and allow myself to snack in between juices. My snacks consisted of berries, and popcorn that I made with olive oil and pink Himalayan salt to curb cravings. By the end of the day, I really couldn’t wait till the next day to get some actual food into my system! I managed to power through both days, and the days that followed never felt better. I didn’t feel bloated after eating, my skin appearance had improved, and working out felt like a breeze. Personally, I felt much better after the cleanse, than during.
Post cleanse, it’s important not go back to old eating habits, but gradually reintroduce food back into your body. This most definitely isn’t the time to reward yourself with a heavy meal. Not yet at least. Start off with some soup or salad, and later begin adding proteins and other complex carbs. Proceed as you would if you were breaking a fast. Always listen to your body, and simply give it what it needs.
If you plan on trying a cleanse anytime soon here are my four personal tips that got me through mine.
🍎 Drink lots and lots of water 🍎 Don’t think about it too much
🍎 Be kind to yourself, and listen to your body 🍎 Cleanse with a friend
Happy cleansing! 🥰
]]>Your body will actually go through a couple phases when you begin water fasting. In the first couple days you may notice fluctuations in your energy levels as you body begins to adapt and transition into a state of ketosis. The best part of fasting in my opinion is the autophagy phase, which typically begins between the first and third day of fasting. Autophagy is when the body is able to do a “spring cleaning” of old cells in order to produce new ones, breaking down damaged cells, viruses, and bacteria. During this phase, you may notice clearer skin, a stronger immune system, and less brain fog.
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By: Juneile R. Maxi
Fasting is a great way to reset and cleanse the body. Now, I am not a licensed physician by any means, however through many hours of research and having completed a couple extended fasts of my own, it is not surprising why people gravitate towards the studied benefits. There are two main types of fasting; water fasting and intermittent fasting. When preparing for a water fast or intermittent fast remember to ease your body into it, by slowly cutting out processed foods, limiting your calorie intake, and drinking lots of water a couple days before you begin.
Essentially water fasting is exactly what the name states, you forgo everything but water. However, a word of precaution, it is important that your are drinking a little more than your recommended daily water intake, since the water you once were also getting from food has now been removed as a source.
Water fasting has many benefits beyond simply losing weight. It can promote blood sugar control by reducing insulin resistance, fights inflammation, can enhance your overall heart health by improving your blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol levels, boost brain function, increase HGH levels which is essential to boosting metabolism and promoting muscle strength, and it can also delay aging. Water fasting can also help with overall mental clarity and focus.
A water fast can range anywhere from a day to 40+ days depending on your choice. Fasting between 1-3 days is great if you need a break from food and want to press the reset button in order to cleanse the body. Within the first three days of a water fast, you may notice a change in your weight. It should be noted that this is simply water weight as your body is still metabolizing carbs and other nutrients from your last meal. After about three days of fasting, the body then goes into a state of ketosis. Ketosis is when the body begins to use fat for energy rather than carbs and glucose.
Your body will actually go through a couple phases when you begin water fasting. In the first couple days you may notice fluctuations in your energy levels as you body begins to adapt and transition into a state of ketosis. The best part of fasting in my opinion is the autophagy phase, which typically begins between the first and third day of fasting. Autophagy is when the body is able to do a “spring cleaning” of old cells in order to produce new ones, breaking down damaged cells, viruses, and bacteria. During this phase, you may notice clearer skin, a stronger immune system, and less brain fog.
A good recommendation for anyone wanting to start a water fast would be to start with shorter fasts. If you feel good, you can extend to however long you want. However, it’s always best to check in with your medical specialist before starting a prolonged fast, especially if you have preexisting medical conditions, are taking medication, or have/had any form of eating disorders.
A great alternative to water fasting is intermittent fasting. Your body will go through very similar phases as it would on a water fast. Intermittent fasting is fasting for a certain number of hours before eating. There are a few different ways to intermittent fast:
⏱16:8 (the most common): fasting for 16 hours and an eating window of 8 hours.
⏱18:6: slightly more restrictive where you fast for 18 hours and open a six hour eating window. At this point, your body will begin to use ketones for energy and the autophagy stage kicks in to rid the body of old and damaged cells.
⏱20:4: challenging, yet doable especially since sleeping hours count as fasting as well! So 20 hours of fasting with a 4 hour eating window, which sort of boils down to the one meal a day fast if you thing about it.
⏱36 hour fast aka the “Monk Fast”: 36 hours of fasting and healthy eating for the other days not fasting. This fast helps reset your metabolism and promote incredible amount of cell regeneration.
⏱Alternate Day Fasting (ADF): 24 hours of fasting alternatively for however long you like!
Fasting, whether it is water fasting or intermittent fasting, is an amazing way to kickstart your healthy lifestyle change. When you begin to reintroduce food to your body after a fast, always start with very simple and light foods. If you are coming off a longer fasting period try beginning with a bone broth (or vegetable broth if you are vegetarian/vegan), freshly made juices or smoothies to reintroduce nutrients into the body. Then you can move on to solids such as fruits and vegetables before then introducing more complete cards into your diet such as whole grains, brown rice, oats, etc. It is so important to try and limit processed foods after your fast to avoid the yo-yo effect. Remember fasting is not a fad diet, it is a lifestyle change.
During your fast you may have some metal blocks, but once you push through those first couple days your body will most definitely reward you. Always make sure you are drinking more than your required amount of water, eat as healthy as you can during your eating windows and after completing a fast, and most importantly listen to your body! Your body will love, and thank you! ☺️
If you want to learn more on the benefits of fasting you can use these relevant and recent links for more detailed information on what your body goes through!
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Celery, on its own, packs a lot of vitamins and nutrients that promote gut health and anti-inflammatory properties. However, in order to benefit fully from these nutrients you would probably need to eat the whole head or two of celery, which is why it’s just best to juice the vegetable.
Celery is an amazing source for:
]]>By: Juneile R. Maxi
As we come closer to flu season, and with everything going on with Covid-19, there has been a huge surge in people drinking celery juice for it’s claimed benefits. With all of the nutrients packed into one head of celery, you can already guess why people are starting to integrate it into their daily routines.
Celery, on its own, packs a lot of vitamins and nutrients that promote gut health and anti-inflammatory properties. However, in order to benefit fully from these nutrients you would probably need to eat the whole head of celery, which is why it’s just best to juice the vegetable.
Celery is an amazing source for:
🌱 Vitamins K, A, B2, B6, and C
🌱 Folate
🌱 Potassium
🌱 Manganese
🌱 Pantothenic acid
Though there are few clinical studies on the benefits of drinking the juice there are many studies that have been done to examine the benefit of consuming the nutrients that can be found in celery. Two notable antioxidants that celery contain are apigenin and luteolin, which have been shown to significantly reduce inflammation in the body and aid with a number inflammatory related diseases such as asthma and arthritis. Studies, although still based on animal lab studies, have also shown that luteolin could prevent the spread of cancer cells and enhance the effectiveness of medical drugs used during chemotherapy while counteracting the negative side effects those drugs may have.
One of my favourite bloggers Sylvia Fountaine drank celery juice for 14 days, to see if the benefits were really worth it and within two weeks she felt noticeable changes in terms of her sugar and salt cravings, and digestive system. She also mentions her skin feeling more hydrated, feeling much less bloated, more energy and her joints feeling a lot less stiff and achy.
Celery juice activates your gut by restoring hydrochloric acid which aids in faster and more efficient digestion. This allows the stomach to break down foods that require a little more stomach acid such as protein. The celery juice will increase gastric mucus in the lining of the stomach which in turn allows for the healing and prevention of stomach ulcers and acid reflux.
A few more listed benefits are:
🌱 Lower cholesterol levels
🌱 Strengthens the immune system and helps fight infection, which is especially beneficial given the times, and flu season approaching so quickly. Celery juice contains strong antimicrobial properties that naturally boosting the immune system for optimal performance.
🌱Lower blood pressure
🌱 Anti-inflammatory as previously stated thanks to luteolin, apigenin, and polyacetalyne which are not only great anti-inflammatory agents but can also be great for soothing the nerves, providing calming and relaxing properties
🌱 Aids in liver function by reducing fat build-up which then allows the liver to better flush out toxins. So, you might want to try some celery juice in the morning after a big night out, no matter how much it makes you gag! 😂
🌱 Aids with overall skin health. Many people who swear by celery juice have claimed that their skin appearance improved significantly, clearing acne and other skin conditions. This is in part due to the high amounts of vitamins such as folate, potassium, vitamin B6, K, and C which help heal the skin from the inside out.
When drinking celery juice the best time to have it is in the morning before you anything else. It’s advised to wait about 20-30 minutes before drinking your first cup of coffee. However, if you have busy mornings try to have it 30 minutes before a meal. A fair warning, celery does have a high amount of sodium so be mindful of your daily sodium intake so as not to have any adverse effects on the body.
If you simply can’t find the time to juice one head of celery every morning, don’t worry, you can always make a large batch, enough to last you a couple days, and store what you don’t need in the fridge. If not, you can always just pop by Fruit de la Vie where they offer freshly made non-pasteurized celery juice!
Even if circumstances are against you, simply incorporating the juice into your diet a few times a week will still be beneficial to your over all health!
Happy juicing! 😄
If you would like to learn more about the benefit or juicing you can check out these articles !
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Two to three days prior to your juice cleanse...
]]>A few days prior to your juice cleanse...
Stay away from processed foods like fast food, pop, energy drinks, coffee, caffeinated teas, refined sugar (white sugar), artificial sweeteners.
Animal Products like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, milk, yoghurt & cheese
Eliminate fried foods, grease, excess salt, gluten including wheat, flour, bread and pasta.
✅ WHAT TO EAT
First thing in the morning, hydrate yourself by drinking a tall glass or two of water (preferably alkaline water or lemon water). Drink plenty of water throughout your day especially before and after your meals. This will hydrate your body and get things moving for you! If you have a tough time drinking plain water, try infusing fresh citrus, mint, cucumber or simply add fresh fruits in your water overnight to give it some flavour!
Second, eat a large bowl of fruits or overnight oats with chia seeds topped with fruits or plant based smoothie for breakfast and lunch. Snack on fruits, nuts and seeds if you feel hungry. Try opting for raw, fresh fruits for breakfast and lunch - fruits is packed with good carbohydrates that fuels the body with energy. For dinner opt for plant based salads, leafy greens with steamed or roasted veggies, rice, quinoa or gluten-free pasta and try to keep it low fat.
The key is to eat until you are full! There's no restrictions here on portions, when eating whole foods. Whole, plant based foods are generally low in calories, but jam packed with in nutrients, vitamins, antioxidants and naturally occurring prebiotic good for your gut (especially when eating raw).
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