How To Break Your Fast Safely
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Breaking fast is an important part of your entire juice fast journey. Breaking fast safely and responsibly will ensure the end-results of your juice fast go a long way. When your fast comes to an end, let it also be the beginning of a new lifestyle of eating healthy.
Breaking Fast Safely And Responsibly
Listen To Your Body
Follow your instinct as you would know your own body best. Should you feel severe discomfort while juice fasting and feel that your body cannot take it, break your fast slowly using the guidelines below. Act responsibly regarding your health when juice fasting.
After a fast, don’t be tempted to go all out and eat everything you’ve been craving when fasting. This is dangerous as your stomach had shrunk considerably during fasting.
Gradually Reintroduce Food Back To Your System
You will have to take more precaution if you had done an extended fast, to prevent a shock to your system. It is very important to reintroduce food to your body in small amounts and very gradually. Gorging on food after a fast can be fatal.
How Long It Takes To Break Your Fast
Remember, the longer you fast, the more days you will have to take to break your fast. As a general rule, for every four days you fast, you’ll take one day to break fast. For example, if you had juice fasted for 40 days, you will need about 10 days to gradually break your fast. But … always listen to how your body responds with the food and the amount of food you consume.
Foods To Avoid When Breaking Fast
Coconut oil, flaxseed oil, fish oil etc. are fine to be taken as supplements while you’re juice fasting/feasting. However, avoid oily deep-fried foods when breaking fast. Rich foods with fats, starch, processed sugar and salt can cause nausea and headaches too soon after you break fast.
See below for some suggestions on what you can eat during this period. The first few “solid” meals will just move through your digestive system and sweep out the old encrustation wastes that have loosen from the juice fast/feast. It may cause some discomfort but will pass in a few hours.
Wait till you are hungry before you take your next meal. Resist the temptation to eat just because it’s “lunch time”. Continue to take fresh fruits and vegetables, including juices, gradually increasing the amount over the duration of your breaking fast period.<
Some Suggestions On What To Eat
Introduce soft and light foods in small amounts, gradually increasing the amount. Here are some suggestions on what you may eat:
Clear broths—whether vegetable broth, mushroom broth, or bone broth—gradually moving to thicker soups like home-made pumpkin, broccoli, tomato, or mushroom soups made with unflavored yogurt. Avoid canned soups as they are too high in sodium.
Any soft fruits but avoid fibrous fruits like pineapple, and acidic citrus fruits. Suggestion: apple, avocado, banana, berries, honey melon, mango, papaya, pear, peach, watermelon, etc.
Any leafy vegetables like lettuce, endive, purple cabbage, rocket leaves, spinach, gradually moving to “harder” vegetables like bell peppers, cucumber, celery, jicama, etc. You may also lightly steam asparagus, beetroot, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, sweet potato, fresh peas, etc. I like to lightly sprinkle my steamed vegetables with a little sea salt for taste.
You can make fresh salads from the fruits and vegetables but never use those store-bought dressings as they have very high content of sodium, sugar and artificial food additives. Make your own dressings from olive, flaxseed or balsamic oil, apple cider vinegar, raw honey, etc. You can find many home-made dressing recipes online.
Cook beans in pressure cooker or slow cooker till beans are soft, make bean paste mixed with yogurt flavored with a little raw honey or stevia.
Grind oats till powdered form, soak in yogurt overnight in fridge and have it for breakfast. It is very rich and filling, start with a little, gradually increasing the amount by the days as you can comfortably take.
Soft boiled or poached eggs, gradually move to hard boiled eggs as hard-boiled are a little more difficult to digest.
Towards the end of breaking fast phase—congee with eggs, mushroom, fish fillets, etc. You may like to sprinkle some sesame oil on the congee.
Helpful Tips
Here are some helpful tips on eating, when breaking a fast:
- Decide ahead what permissible food you will eat when you next feel hungry—see suggestion list above. Gear up your mind for a slow break. Do not jump ahead and think of that pizza, for then you will surely pick up the phone and call pizza delivery!!
- Take time to chew your food well. The enzymes in your saliva will help with the digestion, putting less stress on your digestive system which is not yet fully awake.
- Eat only when you’re hungry and not by the clock or because it’s “meal time”. Eat because you’re hungry, not because of cravings. Listen to your body and be mindful of what you eat and what it does to your body.
- Continue to drink fresh juices at least twice a day until you’re back to eating normally.
- Keep yourself occupied so that you do not think too much about food. Have something to look forward to, like a good book, a handicraft project, etc., so that you can get up and leave the table without hesitation.
- Once you are back on track with eating normally, give yourself a small treat at your favorite restaurant. Celebrate and share with a loved one on your little success.
- Endeavor to continue to eat healthy after the fast. Let this be the beginning of your journey towards a healthy lifelong lifestyle.
Enjoy … the miracle healing of juice fasting …
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