Preparing for a Juice Fast (includes shopping list)

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One of the most important parts of a juice fast is the preparation beforehand, both physical and spiritual (plus there’s the shopping involved). You don’t need super long period of preparation — about a week should do it. For those of you who are planning to begin with the new year, the time to begin is now. Here are some things I do when preparing for a juice fast.

Spiritual Preparation

Whether or not you are fasting for spiritual reasons, there is a spiritual component to fasting. There will be some difficult days. There will be days when you want to give up. Prayer and time in His Word will give you strength and focus during your fast.

Begin praying daily for God to use this time of fasting to draw you closer to him. Use this time of fasting to allow God to penetrate your heart — memorize Scripture, listen more closely to the Holy Spirit, pray without ceasing. Fasting can be such a time of spiritual renewal; don’t waste this opportunity to fall in love with Jesus all over again.

I have compiled a list of some Scripture verses that I keep handy at all times — both for strength and inspiration. I pray you will find them helpful as well.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ. (Philippians 3:8)

He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:1-4)

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free. (Psalm 118:1-5)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4: 11-13)

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God,which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Philippians 4:4-8)

Physical Preparation

Approximately 5-7 days prior to your fast, eliminate (or greatly reduce) the following:

sugar, caffeine, and salt.
meat, dairy, fried foods
gluten (bread, pasta, sweets)
eggs

Some other things to consider eliminating, if you consume them, are alcohol, tobacco, artificial sweeteners, soft drinks, and over-the-counter medications.

Also, now is a great time to switch to natural products for hygiene — eliminate deodorants, toothpaste, perfumes, make-up, lotions, soaps, shampoos and other synthetic products you put on your body. Most of these can be replaced with coconut oil, essential oils, and other more natural products.

Approximately 5-7 days prior to your fast, increase the following:

salads
other fresh fruits and veggies
water and herbal teas
fresh fruit and veggie juices (I juice at least once per day during this time)

Mentally prepare now for the tougher days ahead. Detox can cause some pretty tough symptoms — headaches, fatigue, light-headedness among them. Those are the days when you will want to give up. Remind yourself that these symptoms are expected, will not last forever, and that an incredible feeling of well-being is on the other side. Expect some changes in your skin, bowel movements, increased mucus, etc. as your body works to eliminate toxins.

The Shopping List

You should plan to drink at least 2-3 quarts of juice per day. You may drink more juice than this, but 2 quarts will likely be your minimum. With my last fast, I generally had 4 juice meals, consisting of about 16-20 oz each meal.

Generally speaking, I shop about every 5 days while juicing, so that I’m feeding my body the freshest juices possible. A juice fast shopping list will look slightly different for everyone, but there are some basics that most every juicing momma will need. Here’s my basic list, though it does vary from week to week, especially as the fast moves into weeks 3-6 and I start getting bored with the weeks 1 and 2 recipes.

I try to buy as much organic as is possible. It’s not always possible to find everything organic (or to afford all organic), so I use this list to help me decide what must be purchased organic, and what I can get away with buying conventional. Any conventional fruits or vegetables get peeled to eliminate as many toxins as possible.

Veggies

Carrots 10lbs

Celery 2 heads

Cucumbers 10

Greens (kale, collards, spinach, parsley, romaine) several bunches — I buy more spinach than anything else

Peppers 2-3

Beets 3

Fruits

Green apples 3lbs

Red apples 3lbs

Lemons 10

Limes 3

Pears 5

Pineapple 2

Oranges 10

Grapefruit 3

Tomatoes 4

Roots and Herbs

Ginger and/or Turmeric one root

Parsley one bunch

Cilantro one bunch

Fennel one bulb

Bottled or Filtered Water

It will also be important to keep yourself hydrated and flush the toxins your body will be releasing by drinking plenty of water in between juices– another minimum of 2 quarts a day. Let your urine be your guide (it should be pale yellow). I like to up the nutritional value of my water by adding lemon and cucumber slices as well. A good rule of thumb is to drink 16oz of water after every juice meal.

Books and Movies

I’ve watched the movie, Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead about 10 times. I’m about to watch it again today, and will probably watch it a time or two (or 10) during my 40 days. You can watch it online here or on Netflix.

There are a couple of books I’ve found helpful as well.

The Juicing Bible

Juicing, Fasting and Detoxing for Life

Are you preparing for a juice fast? When will you begin? How long will you fast? I’d love to be able to support you through prayer during your fast. Leave a comment below to let me know how I can pray for you!