Several Breville employees recently went on a 10-day juice fast as an experiment in raw juice health and as a challenge to themselves. Luis Sanchez captures his personal experience. Days 1-3. Days 4-7.

The home stretch

With seven days of nothing but fresh juice and water behind me, the next couple of days were a breeze. I had already become accustomed to the routine of juicing, so the food cravings had diminished. Don’t get me wrong, I still had cravings for actual food, but they were less frequent and easier to manage.

I started to think about what types of food I would eat once it was all over. Had someone asked me on day four or five what my first real meal would be, I probably would have said a big plate of hot wings. Now I found myself craving a green salad with lots of fresh vegetables.

Healthier cravings

I’m not sure exactly why I had stronger cravings to eat vegetables, but I wasn’t complaining. After all, I approached this fast as the beginning to a healthier lifestyle.

Two of the biggest surprises were how much energy I had and how I was able to function for 10 days without consuming any solid food. These were real eye-openers, because they showed me that I was really over-eating in the past.

I will certainly be cutting back on my portions and evaluating what I consume. I may not become a vegetarian, but I plan to cut back on the amount of meat, poultry, dairy, and processed foods I consume.

My new juicing lifestyle

Once day 10 arrived, I felt accomplished and proud. I had learned a lot about myself and my body. At the same time, I was happy to find I had inspired others to try out juicing. The journey wasn’t easy, but it was well worth it in the end.

Going forward, I will continue to incorporate juicing into my daily life and to be more conscious of the food choices I make. Come six months from now, the next juicing fast should be a whole lot easier.

No doubt, I’ve become a juicer for life.

The Veggie Vamp

Makes approximately 3 cups.

Ingredients

• 2 small red peppers
• 3 medium tomatoes
• 3 carrots, trimmed
• 4 sprigs parsley

Instructions

1. Trim base of red peppers and remove seeds.
2. Process tomatoes, carrots, parsley, and red peppers through the juicer.

Serve immediately.