A one week juice cleanse can be done by those who are familiar with shorter duration juice cleanses. During a juice cleanse, there is a constant supply of calories and nutrients contained in juices, partially meeting our daily needs. A One-week juice fast can be a good cleansing program giving physical, mental and spiritual benefits.
How to prepare for a One week Juice Cleanse?
A 7-day or a one week juice cleanse can be done either at home or at a retreat center under supervision of doctors. If you know the basic principles of fasting or if you already have prior experience with shorter duration cleansing program, you can easily attempt a one-week juice cleanse at home.
The first step for any fast is the mental preparation. The human body is capable of surviving on just water for many weeks. Hence a one-week juice cleanse should be easy for the body to handle. In case you have any chronic medical condition, you should to consult a doctor before attempting it.
Also, reading testimonials of other’s experiences with a long term juice fasts can give you the understanding and confidence to attempt it yourself.
You need to prepare the body too for the next 7 days. On the previous day of the fast, you should eat light and moderate food. Especially on the night of the previous day, it is good to take just fruits and boiled vegetables. The key factor is that the digestive system should not be overloaded before starting the cleanse.
Also, after the one-week juice cleanse, you need about 2 – 3 days to gradually come back to regular eating habits. Hence you should plan for a total about 9 – 10 days for the complete process.
Keep a good stock of fresh fruits and vegetables of your choice. Get organically grown fruits and vegetables, if available. Soaking the fruits and vegetables for few minutes in a 2% saline solution can effectively remove the residual pesticides and preservatives from the skin.
Get a good clean juicer, preferably a cold press or a hand press juicer. Centrifugal juicers can also be used with lesser benefits. The rotating blades of the centrifugal juicers generate heat which can destroy the vitamins and enzymes in the juice.
You will also need an enema kit which is available in any medical store.
What Fruits/Vegetables can be consumed during a juice Cleanse?
Fruit juices can be made from orange, grapes, tangerine, pomegranate, watermelon, lemon, passion fruit, apple, guava, strawberries, blueberries, etc. Coconut water may also be consumed in between.
Vegetable juices can be prepared from carrot, beetroot, cucumber, spinach, tomato, celery, parsley, kale, turnip, etc.
How to do a One week (7 Day) Juice Cleanse?
During a one week juice cleanse, you must drink only fruit and/or vegetable juices for 7 full days. No solid food or other liquids like tea, coffee, milk, etc. should be consumed. Drink water in between as per your need.
Ideally about four full glasses of juice can be taken per day at regular intervals. That would be roughly one liter of juice per day. You may consume more quantity if you feel the need or if you feel too hungry.
Some people take just one type of juice every day, while others prefer combination of different types of fruits or vegetables. Most cleansing programs prefer a cocktail of various fruits and vegetable juices, while adding lemon and small quantities of natural spices. In general, vegetables contain good amount of micro nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin B Complex, Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, iron, magnesium and calcium. On the other hand, fruit juices contain more of macro nutrients like carbohydrates, protein and fat which give you more calories. Fruits also contain more fructose than vegetables. Hence, it is good to consume a combination of fruits and vegetables to get advantage of the wider range of nutrients. You can prepare your own favorite recipes according to your taste and need.
During the fasting period, toxins in the body get removed through the skin, breath and intestines. It is good to do an enema every morning to flush out these toxins. Enema can be done every day or on alternate days.
Also, you will notice that in the morning, the tongue has an extra white or slightly yellowish coating which is sign of toxins being pushed our through the outer layers of the tongue. Use a metal tongue scrapper to clean your tongue every day.
During the week long cleanse/fast, avoid any strenuous physical activity like lifting heavy weights, running, long distance drives, excessive talking, etc. Light activities like yoga, meditation, watching television, watering the plants, cooking, shopping, slow biking, silent walk in the woods, etc. are fine.
Continue this process for 7 full days and enjoy the cleansing process.
Body reactions during a One Week Juice Cleanse
During a 7-day juice cleanse, you may experience certain reactions in the body. Most common reaction is feeling a sudden bout of hunger during day. During a juice fast, you are consuming only between 300 – 600 Calories in a day. So the blood sugar may go down and you will feel sudden hunger. Do not worry. You can just prepare another glass of juice and consume it.
Sometimes the blood pressure may go down and you may feel dizziness and weakness. This is normal. You can drink a glass of water or juice and lie down for few minutes and the symptoms should go away.
If you are new to fasting/cleansing, food craving is a common reaction in the mind. One starts thinking and imagining about eating various kinds of food. Try to witness these thoughts so that you can understand your own food compulsions better. You can also distract your mind to some recreational activities like watching television, watering the garden, going for a casual walk, slow biking in the woods, etc.
There may be times when the mind throws up suppressed emotions from the past that are stored in subconscious mind. Maintain a witness attitude and understand it to be a part of the cleansing process. You can practice slow deep breathing during this time.
The important thing to note is that these reactions are normal and will last for a short while and is a symptom of the detoxification and cleansing.
How to break a One-Week (7 Day) Juice Cleanse?
Breaking the fast is equally important as the fast itself. The digestive power reduces during the juice cleanse. So one has to gradually increase the digestive fire and bring it back to normal before getting back to normal food.
The juice cleanse can be broken by drinking lemon juice or orange juice in the morning. On the first day after breaking the juice fast you can have raw juicy fruits, honey, vegetable soups, boiled vegetables, etc. which are easy to digest. Chew your fruits thoroughly and swallow them slowly.
On the second, you can eat boiled vegetables, soups, fruits, nuts, diluted milk, rice milk, cooked starchy vegetables like potatoes and squashes, etc. along with fruit and vegetable juices.
On the third day you can have small quantity of cooked grains like rice, wheat, oats, quinoa, etc. along with cooked vegetables, salads, sprouts, fruits, milk, nuts, seeds, etc.
On the fourth day, one can get back to normal diet, but avoid meat products for few days. You may substitute fish instead of meat as it is easier to digest. At this point one has to be careful. There can be a tendency to overeat and overload the stomach. One should eat in moderation and slowly come back to the regular food habits.
Benefits of a One Week (7 Day) Juice Cleanse
- A One-week juice cleanse will give tremendous health benefits. It gives much needed rest to the entire digestive system to repair and heal itself. Toxins are removed and one feels improved energy and vigor.
- A juice cleanse can improve immunity and gives longevity.
- Juice Fasting is a good way to lose weight. One may lose about 2 – 4 kg during a One-week juice cleanse. But you will gain back most of this weight once you return to normal food. Following a controlled diet after the fast can help in maintaining the weight reduction.
- A juice cleansing program is a good time to observe our mind closely. It helps to understand our food habits and cravings. This understanding helps to control the food compulsions after the fast, thereby helping in weight loss.
- Juice fasting is a time of introspection and emotional cleansing. One has to maintain the witness attitude and watch the various thoughts and emotions thrown out from the subconscious mind. By witnessing the blocked energies are released and the negative mental impressions are brought under control.
Who should not do a One Week Juice Cleanse?
- Those who suffer from diabetes should avoid fruit juices. Instead use green vegetables during the cleanse.
- Pregnant women are not advised to fast as the growing fetus needs extra calories and nutrients for its growth.
- Those who are on any specific medication should consult their doctor before taking up a juice fast.
- Those who have underwent a recent surgery, should wait till they have recovered before doing a fast.
- Those suffering from any kidney or liver problems should not normally attempt any fast.
- Those who are under a terminal illness or have any chronic medical condition should always consult their doctor before taking up a juice cleanse
- Children should take parental consent and medical advice before attempting fasts.
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