STEP UP TO THE JUICE BAR, BOOMER

Have One On The House.

via enegadehealth.com

Doing a juice fast usually means one thing: lots of juice.

Finishing a juice fast usually means one thing, too: no more juice.

Neither is true.

I just finished eight days of adapted juice fasting.

Instead of going hardcore juicer, I adapted to a restricted calorie, limited choice diet, to go along with the juice.

It turned out to be the best fast yet, which is what I say after each one.

The big part of the adapted fast is re-learning food choice.

The old way: eat everything and lots of it.

The new way: avoid dairy products and wheat and aim for vegetables and fruit. Add a little chicken and you’ve had a good day.

Going this way means you’ll miss some of the strict fast discipline. What you get instead is a new look at food. A little bit can make a big difference when that’s all you get.

Once you’re used to small portions, really small since it is a fast, you get a carry over, a take away.

Small portions work in normal times, too.

Experts warn against fasting, but they’re usually focused on those deciding to go it alone. The medically supervised fast makes all the difference. You feel good, you feel bad, but at least you know it’s not an emergency.

You can call it a fast, or not, but call it what it is, a chance to take control of your food.

A week of passing up chocolates, beer, pizza, seconds, packaged food, fast food, junk food, deli food, shows you control what goes in, not the other way around. Food does not control you and you have the proof.

The best part of the adapted juice fast? You can stretch it out way past the last day and call it a diet change.

Mark the calendar for the next fast.