Over the past few years, juicing has rapidly gained popularity as a quick and relatively easy way to drop any extra weight as well as a brilliant way to take in more than enough nutrients to support your body’s nutritional needs.  All this in a simple glass of juice. 

 Juice fasting or cleansing has a unique ability to cleanse your organs and because of this, brings a radical shift to your overall appearance.  When your organs are functioning at their peak, your hair shines, your eyes are clear, your skin looks smooth and radiant and you are bounding with energy and vitality.  But what effects does juice fasting have on your body?

What is juicing?

Juicing is the method used to extract raw juice from fruits and vegetables using a juice extractor or juicer.  Our two favourite juicers depending on your budget are the Oscar Cold Press or the Breville Cold Fountain. Depending on the type of juicer you are using, either the juicer squeezes the fruit and vegetables and thus releases the juice – this is the cold press method – or the juicer uses blades to cut the fruit and vegetables into fine particles, releasing the juice from the fiber.  Both methods separate the liquid from the fruits and vegetables.

Juicing is different from blending. When you blend fruits or vegetables, you make a smoothie, the whole fruit gets blended and the fiber from the food remains inside the smoothy mix.  You can add liquid such as plant milks, water or coconut water to your blended smoothies.  Juicing is also different from store bought juices that may have added sugars, preservatives or are homogenised.

A juice fast typically lasts for a few days and while optimally you want to fast for at least 3 days, many people will fast for one day and still receive benefits.  There are different ways to approach a juice fast, some people only drink juice, while others will drink plant milks and broths.  The idea is not to take any solid food otherwise the hunger centres are stimulated and while one can detox very well drinking juice and eating super clean plant based foods, only drinking juice has a greater impact. 

Impact of Juice Fasting on your body

It may seem as though drinking nothing but juice for a few days at a time is an extreme approach to cleansing your body, but juicing comes with many benefits.  Fruits and vegetables are laden with essential nutrients for the correct functioning of your organs and they bring your body into a state of wellbeing. 

Freshly squeezed juice can improve your health as they contain antioxidants, they have antimicrobial properties that fight germs and offer tremendous immune system support. 

You will likely lose a few kilograms on a juice fast.  It depends on how much weight you need to lose, what your general diet is like and how you continue eating once the juice fast is over.  If for example, you eat a lot of processed foods after the fast, you will likely re-gain the weight as the body can only support you with the right foods.  The right foods are plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables both in their whole form and in their juice form. 

It is important to understand that the body is designed to digest solid fruits and vegetables and so a juice cleanse is merely a cleanse.  In the old days before juice extractors were invented, people would fast with water for both physical health reasons as well as spiritual reasons.  One can juice many times in a year, we typically suggest two five day (or more) fasts a year along with two three day fasts a year and if you enjoy fasting, then one day a week will be highly beneficial

Benefits of Juice Fasting

Most of the benefits of juice fast happen at the microscopic level inside your body.  You receive a mega dose of nutrients as the juice itself carries most of the nutrients to your cells.  This helps the body repair, regenerate and protect itself and it is very easy to absorb these nutrients. 

Fresh pressed juice truly packs a nutritional punch. It contains plenty of antioxidants and immunity boosters that help your body regenerate and protect itself. Your body can also absorb vitamins and minerals better through juice. ‌

Juice fasting or juice cleansing, really improve your gut health. A proper balance of bacteria inside the gut is essential for good health and this can only be achieved when we eat foods that support this. When done well, a juice fast can leave you with more beneficial gut bacteria which ultimately allows for proper food processing internally. When your food is processed properly internally, this can lead to permanent weight loss. 

If you struggle with eating fruits and vegetables, juicing can really help you get into eating properly.  You begin to feel what a healthy body might feel like and you begin to crave that feeling.  This also helps you to make better choices.  The bottom line is that juicing helps you. 

Our Deep Cleansing Juice Detox Retreat will give you so much more than a juice cleanse. It will help you to learn how to balance yourself in an every fast moving world on the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.