Get to Know Your Juicer
The last thing you want to do is wait until the first day of your juice fast to figure out your juicer. You really don’t want to find out twenty minutes before you need to leave for work that your machine won’t juice half of the produce that you bought, even though it says that it will on the box. Start playing with it a week or so in advance so that you know it inside and out and can juice your produce and clean the machine comfortably.
Start with Good-Tasting, Familiar Juices
You’re not going to stick with your fast if you don’t like the taste of your juice. If every meal is a punishment that requires squeezing your nose and gulping, you’ll never last through the entire fast. Start playing with flavors while you’re learning how to use your machine. That will give you a chance to figure out which flavors appeal to you and which ones don’t.
The best way to get yourself used to juices is to start out with ones that you know that you like. For instance, most of us have had the most popular fruit juices. Use those as a base and try adding familiar, good-tasting vegetables to them. Here are a few that are pleasant tasting and may work well with your fruit juices:
- Beets
- Carrots
- Celery
- Cucumbers
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes
You’re probably already used to the flavor of tomato-based juices (think Bloody Mary!), and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how many great-tasting juices you can make just by building on this base. Especially if you’re willing to spice them up with herbs and seasonings, it won’t take you long to love tomato-based creations.
Get creative — throw some spinach or broccoli into your tomato cocktail, along with some garlic, horseradish, or maybe some cayenne pepper. Start backing down on the tomato and switching to just the greens. Green juice really can taste good once you get past the fact that it’s not the most appetizing color!
If you start adding juice into your regular diet as you start eliminating the bad foods, then by the time you are ready to actually start your fast, you’ll be a pro. You’ll have a good idea of what you like and what you don’t, and you’ll know how to use your machine.
Best of all, you won’t be making a sudden, huge change, either physically or mentally. By preparing your body and mind, you’re setting yourself up for a successful juice fast.
Now that you know how to get ready for your fast, let’s discuss why it’s so important that you make your own juice instead of buying it at the store.
There really is a world of difference between what you can make at home and what you get from a bottle, and those differences are magnified when it comes to juice fasting. As a matter of fact, if you’re going to use juice from a bottle, you may as well skip the fast altogether. That
may seem harsh, but let’s examine why it’s true.
