The juice fast – day 7

Can’t think of another suitable name yet, so it’s still the juice fast. Which includes smoothies.

I used to eat very little when I was a teenager. I weighed 50kg. I also used to fast, and I’d find it very easy and I always felt brilliant after a little fast. I think the longest was 3 days – and, heaven forbid there were no juicers or fancy equipment then – I think I did it on cartons of “Just Juice” (ie crap full of sugar). My mantra was, “Hunger is my friend”.

Back then, some days I’d have a carrot for lunch. I’d bring it to school, peeled and wrapped in tin foil. Other days I’d have peanut butter sandwiches – always with Vogel’s bread and wrapped in greaseproof paper. Folded corners facing down. The same as mum would make when I was three. Mum would always cut on the diagonal. And she’d use white bread. Once I was old enough to sort myself out I was a Vogel’s girl. And I’d cut at ninety degrees. No 45 degree angles for me.

So it was the other day I stumbled across and article, on Oprah, that said – “Don’t be afraid of hunger”. And the penny dropped. I remembered the old mantra. The past ten years I’ve been worried about my blood sugar and if I don’t eat I’ll get all faint. And I read that article and thought to myself, “Bloody hell lady, you are right.”

So the next day I began the juice fast, which became the juice and smoothie fast, which has now become juice, smoothies and vegetable soup. And I didn’t get hungry. It wasn’t until day 4 that I became hungry. I started on Tuesday and I became hungry on Saturday.

Wednesday I got abcesses on my chest. The sign of detoxification beginning. Saturday was the killer hunger (which I have now read was a burst of toxins on their way out). The day I thought I’d actively defrost the freezer because I was fine. The day I threw beetroot juice up all over myself even though I was very strategically knelt by the loo. The afternoon I lay on the sofa with Edith and fully, deeply relaxed. The evening I eat a bowl of soup and fell into heavenly bliss on the sofa before an incredible walk at Dusk on the Heath.

This afternoon I was beginning to feel weak in a client meeting. But it was because I was thirsty and as soon as I had water I was fine.

Today I’ve had:

Breakfast
Nectarine smoothie – 6 nectarines blended in the food processor

Mid morning
Nosh Raw smoothie – banana, almond, cacao, date, chia and cardamom – from Planet Organic

Mid morning
Another Nosh Raw smoothie

Supper
Met a client at Pan de Quotidien and had freshly squeezed fruit juice and a small bowl of carrot soup

Dinner
Chocolate banana almond smoothie – In a food processor blend 1tbsp cacao powder with a banana and a dash of Almond milk to form a paste. Add another 400ml of almond and blend for 3 minutes to make a lovely creamy smoothie.

Day Seven!
One third of the way…