I watch a lot of documentaries and I always try to take them with a grain of salt, but this one really struck a chord with me.Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead is a film about Joe Cross (who also happens to be the director) and his journey to better health. At the beginning of the film he is overweight, tired, on multiple medications and basically feels fat, sick and nearly dead! Since he is so drastically overweight (about 100 lbs) he decides to attempt a 60 day juice fast. The requirements on the juice fast are that he cannot consume any solid food, only fruits and vegetables in juice form. We're not talking about store bought juice either. We're talking about freshly juiced fruits and veggies for maximum nutrient intake.
During the 60 day juice fast he travels across the United States to talk to people about their thoughts on their eating habits, their health and his juice fast. Most people that he ran into thought he was crazy for only consuming juice for 60 days. By the end of the 60 days he had lost about 72 lbs! He tried to sum it up by imagining his body as eating all of the stored fat and excess that he had been carrying around and clearing out his body of toxins. He still does a 10 day juice fast every 3 months to detox his body.
Joe did meet a woman who wanted to attempt a fast of her own to detox her body and embarked on her own 10 day juice fast. He also met a man, Phil, who weighed 420 lbs and had the same autoimmune disease as Joe along with various other health problems. At the time they first met, Joe told Phil that if he decided to do a fast that he would help him do it. They went their separate ways and Joe returned to Australia only to receive a call from Phil not long after that he wanted his help.
Phil was morbidly obese, depressed about his weight, tired, sick and said he couldn't stand to look at himself anymore. Joe took Phil to the doctor to make sure that there wouldn't be any health risks involved if Phil started a juice fast. Phil started out only doing a couple of days, but then decided to go the full 60 days. All in all with the 60 day juice fast and changing his overall eating habits, Phil lost 220 lbs!
What this movie really highlighted for me was the fact that most people don't take a lot of time to examine their eating habits. Their mouth is just a hatch to throw stuff down and sometimes people eat just because they are bored and not necessarily hungry. I think especially in this country (The United States) where fast food is king, people want their food when they want it and don't want to think about it. We may be busy, we may have other things we'd rather be doing, but without our health we'll never get there. Eating healthy, exercising and getting sufficient sleep are the most important parts of our lives, but very often get shoved aside.
So I decided to embark on my own juice fast. I've been underweight my entire life and it wasn't at all for weight purposes. I just felt like I needed to let my body rest, detox and regenerate. I may not be overweight, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I eat right. My eating habits could use some changing also. I've very often felt tired and lethargic and I am beginning to suspect it is directly related to the foods that I am eating. I feel like I'm eating things that aren't energy packed and even though I feel full I'm not getting as much nutrition from the food as I should. Being on a 3 day juice fast really brought this to the forefront for me. Following are the juice recipes that I used throughout the 3 days and I also drank tea, water and Gatorade at times between my juices...
DAY ONE:
Morning: 4 carrots, 1 apple, 1 lemon, 1/2 inch slice of ginger
Afternoon: Fennel tea with organic honey
2 green apples, 2 pears, 1 kiwi, 1/2 inch slice of ginger
Mint-Hibiscus tea with organic honey
Evening: Vitamin C gummy
1/2 bunch of Kale, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 inch slice of ginger, 2 green apples, 4 stalks of celery, 1 cucumber (this juice is called "Mean Green" and is the main juice talked about in the documentary)
DAY TWO:
Morning: Mint-Hibiscus tea with organic honey
Afternoon: 6 tomatoes
1/4 large papaya, 3 carrots, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 lemon, 1 apple
1 small glass of aloe vera lemonade
Evening: Mint tea with organic honey
Small glass of "Mean Green"
Small glass of mango and papaya
DAY THREE:
Morning: 1 mango and 1/4 of a large papaya
Afternoon: 1/2 small watermelon
1/4 rain lime gatorade
Evening: 5 tomatoes
1/2 cucumber, 1 green apple, 1/2 lemon, 1/2 inch slice of ginger
I know it doesn't seem like a lot and I was expecting to feel hungry throughout the fast, but I didn't! I did feel a little "blah" especially during the first day. I felt a little foggy, but by the 2nd day my body adjusted and I just had to make sure I was getting my juices regularly and balancing fruit and veggies. By the 3rd day I just really wanted to chew food again. Like I said, I didn't feel hungry, but still had a desire for food. It wasn't a physical desire, but more of an ego desire.
During the fast it was interesting to see how I became more aware of food and how it seems to be everywhere! On the first day I became more aware of the food commercials on tv. It seemed like every commercial was about food or had food in it. On the second day I became super aware of food smells and everything (even things I wouldn't normally eat because I would think they are gross) smelled delicious! During the 2nd day I went to a movie and the popcorn smell was almost overwhelming! And I don't usually get popcorn at the movies. While in the movie theater I felt like all I could hear were people chewing, slurping and chomping on popcorn, candy and cola.
On the third day I went to a produce place to get some more fruit and veggies for juicing. In the produce place there is a bakery that I always walk through in order to get to the check out. The bakery normally has a sample table of crusty Italian bread and a bowl of olive oil for dipping and I always grab a piece while shopping. As I walked past I almost instinctively grabbed a piece of bread, dipped it and ate it, but I caught myself! It was this moment that really made me realize how subconsciously I eat and I will be making an effort from here on to become ever increasingly conscious of what I eat throughout the day.
It's not like my eating habits are the worst, but they sure aren't the best either. I tend to graze and snack a lot and I feel like I can change that by eating healthier, more filling, fresher and more nutrient dense meals. I fully intend on trying to fast again and I would like to make it the full 10 days. The 3 days is a good place to start if you haven't fasted before to get a good idea of what produce you'll need, how well your juicer works (I use a Jack Lalanne Power Juicer) and how your body will respond. The boyfriend also joined me in the fast and, even though my fast ended yesterday, he is still going! He wants to do the full 10 days. It also helps to have someone fasting along with you for moral support.
I'd say that more than any physical effects the juice fast allowed me to become more conscious of food and it's effect on my body. As I said above I never felt hungry throughout the fast and it sounds unbelievable, until you try it! If you have any existing health issues, check with your doctor first before starting a fast.
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