by Travis Hellstrom
My wife thought it would be fun to do a one-day juice fast and on Sunday we gave it a try. I was a little nervous about it (I love to eat stuff), but I was willing to try.
We went out the night before and bought juices that we liked. We got the V8 sorts in particular since they are heavy on real fruits and vegetables. You could also use a juice blender if you wanted as well I’m sure.
Then starting in the morning we only drank juice through the whole day. We didn’t eat anything until the next morning (starting with something small, a banana, even then).
The 10 Things I Learned:
1. I could do it - I wasn’t sure I could do it. My stomach was especially nervous. It let me know throughout the day growling and complaining. But it worked out just fine.
2. I can be a whiny baby - Tunga would probably be nice and say I didn’t whine too much, but I did. I was a baby about it. Which leads me to the next lesson.
3. Food controls mood - I was surprised by how much food controls my emotions. It was really tough for me to positive and upbeat while my stomach was growling like a tiger. It settled down (and my emotions settled down) when I drank more substantial juices with lots of vegetables in them.
4. I don't know what it's really like to be hungry - I reminded myself with this experiment that I don’t really know what hunger is, to be starving like hundreds of millions of people around the world do everyday.
5. It was worth it - At the end of the day, it was worth it. Or maybe I should say, the next morning in particular it was worth it.
6. I felt great afterward - When I woke up I felt great. I felt thinner and healthier and didn’t have a strong urge to eat.
7. My stomach shrank - When I did eat, I didn’t eat very much. I was full very easily throughout the entire day.
8. It changed my habits the day after - The next day and the day after I felt great and continued to eat less than I had before. I also wanted healthier foods and unhealthy stuff didn’t attract me as much.
9. It made me more creative - For the past few days when I’ve been hungry I’ve been doing different things: drinking more water and juice, eating fruits, yogurt and little snacks. I feel more energetic and creative about what I want to eat instead of having large meals at normal breakfast, lunch and dinner times.
10 . My wife is a good sport - Biggest lesson of all, Tunga is very patient and kind. She never complained once, was very supportive and put up with me whining. I told her I’d like to try it again and I promised not to complain as much next time.
