When I say juice, I mean something like Juicy Juice. Not a smoothie. Smoothies are more sustaining because they have pulp and flesh in them. There is nothing wrong with doing smoothie fasts. They are actually a good way to ease yourself into water fasting if you need a bit of a confidence booster before giving up food entirely. Anyways, juice fasting can also be a less harsh way to detox the body as juice is still filled with plenty of nutrients for the body to digest, so you won’t feel the “toxins dump” as much as you would during a water fast (if you’re new to fasting).

I’d say about noon, most people are obsessively thinking about food, since you’ve already skipped breakfast and/or brunch (let’s face it, sometimes we have those days where we want to eat 300 times in one day). But the good thing about juice fasting is that, for most people, your body still will be unaware that you’ve done anything different, especially if you already drink a lot of juice and water. I generally coast through this part of the day without issue.

About 4 o’clock p.m. I feel my stomach bottom out and the headache began, small and niggling at the sides of my head. At this point, I knew that the fast had truly begun. Now, the juice is starting to taste like the ambrosia of heaven and I’m at least half-way through a gallon (I’m a big fan of apple, grape, and cranberry juices).

You’ll probably feel the need to pee often during the day. Since you’re flushing your system with a lot of liquid, this is pretty common. You must also remember that a lot of juices are high in fiber…so… at some point, expect another call from the toilet. Despite not having eaten all day, most people will still have a bowel movement at some point during their time of fasting. This is proof that your body was still digesting food from the day before that it had to get rid of.

Around dinner time, I sometimes dilute my juice with water. The proportions are totally left to taste, but after ingesting so much sweetness all day, my body begins to crave something else. Some people also drink juice and water throughout the day. This is an excellent idea as you’ll still be getting nutrients and have better control over the detox process because of the juice, but you’ll be doubly flushing your system with water.

It is still very possible to get light-headed during a juice fast, but I tend to alternate between periods of hyperactivity and intense calm. Of course, this is an excellent day to consider meditating and doing self-reflection, as I firmly believe that fasting is good for emotional detoxing too.

You’ll want to break your juice fast with something light, like soup and crackers. Having a heavy meal after being on a liquid diet all day can leave you feeling bloated, tired, and uncomfortable. Lots of new fasters have the tendency to overeat when breaking a fast. It may seem like a good idea to order a stuffed crust pizza with extra cheese and brownies to celebrate your survival, but, trust me, you will regret it very quickly. One of the side-effects of doing any liquid fast is that it allows your stomach to shrink back down to its natural size. In most people’s cases, this won’t allow you to scarf down your usual four slices of pizza, three brownies, and half a liter of soda.

I believe that juice fasting is one of the better ways to help nix sugar cravings since juice has a natural sweetness to give you a sweet fix. As someone who loves sugary desserts, juice fasting has helped me reduce my desire for high calorie desserts while also allowing me to have something sweet.

Juice fasting is designed to be a lot less harsh, but for anybody who is new to fasting and is going cold turkey from a hardcore diet of junk food, it can still be a challenge. But the feeling of lightness you will experience as you practice fasting regularly will soon break your addiction to the junk, allowing you to have a healthier and more beneficial relationship with food.