While fasting & juicing your digestive system is at rest. Very little work is being done by the digestive tract, hormones & muscles during a liquid fast. The duration of your fast could determine how slowly to incorporate solid foods – the longer the fast the slower to introduce solid foods. The key is to listen to your body and reintroduce solid foods very slowly.
Follow these tips to come off a juice fast:
- Plan what & where you’ll eat when you come off your juice fast. You don’t want to just decide to eat one day and have nothing to eat but whatever you can find. The type of food & amount matters when coming off a juice fast
- Eat small meals frequently – every 2 hours. This will help your digestive system start to gear up and get back into the swing of digesting like normal
- Start with foods that are easiest to digest – cooked veggies & fruits are easiest. Bake, broil, steam or stir-fry using water or splash of cooking oil. Bone broth soups and stews are also excellent. Beans, avocados & nuts are also recommended.
- Raw fruits & veggies are okay as tolerated – apples, bananas, berries, carrots, okra, Jicama, bell peppers, salads, etc
- Meat protein is recommended on day 2 or later after the digestive tract has been working for a while. Consume in small amounts, approximately 1 oz at a time to start as tolerated.
- Drink plenty of water – 64 oz minimum. Adequate water is needed to help with digestion and absorption
- Smoothies are also a great way to keep getting in adequate nutrition while easing back into eating regularly again
The key is to listen to your body and don’t try to eat too much too quick. It may be exciting to eat solid food again but diving in too quickly could cause GI discomfort.
Most importantly…
Reintroduce notorious inflammatory foods one at a time. These foods include: gluten, dairy, soy, artificial dyes or additives, or any other food you know you were intolerant to before the fast. Consume 1 at a time every 3-5 days to best detect any intolerances. For example, eating a piece of toast (gluten) for breakfast for a few days but waiting on a glass of milk (dairy) for at least 3-5 days afterward. If you experience any signs of intolerance to a food I highly recommend eliminating it from your diet completely.
Signs of intolerance can include:
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- GI discomfort
- Gas
- Bloating
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
How Not to Come off a Juice Fast
Indulging at a restaurant may sound amazing but when just coming off a juice fast is not the time to eat fast foods, fried foods, highly processed foods, refined sugars, refined oils (such as canola) etc. These foods can cause digestive discomfort and / or have you running to the restroom unexpectedly if consumed too soon after coming off a juice fast. Friends, don’t let friends eat crap after a juice fast. 😉
