A Fruit Feast! I consumed almost all this fruit over the 3 days. Note: the bananas were intentionally purchased unripe. They were perfectly ripe when consumed though. I also only drank 12 ounces of the 100% pure blueberry juice.

Earlier this week, as part of the 40 Days to Personal Revolution program, I did a 3-day fruit fast. As I love to eat fruits, I was really looking forward to this. I considered it more of a fruit feast than a fruit fast!

The picture above shows the entire array of fruits that I picked up for these 3 days. In fact, there was more than enough fruit here to last me over a week! I still have a few mangoes and oranges left in fact.

You might be wondering what I broke my fast with? After teaching a yoga class in the morning, I enjoyed some Idli that my mom made before going to work!

So how did I do on the fruit fast? Here is the scoop. Keep in mind that I entered this 3-day fast after having gone without caffeine or any processed sugar for over 3 weeks. I also have been practicing yoga 6-7 days a week for quite a while and have been following a 100% plant-based diet for many years. As a result of this, I think my detoxing symptoms were a little less severe than others. Your mileage will vary!

The good things I experienced:

• I felt incredibly light, inside and out
• I felt incredibly clean, inside and out
• My skin was super clear, and some scars on my face even started to heal!
• I would wake up feeling refreshed and well-rested
• I was able to think very clearly
• I was able to meditate easier and not engage with my thoughts as much
• I noticed numerous “synchronicities” or coincidences happening, too many to count
• I felt more in tune to other people, their emotions and feelings
• I lost a bunch of weight – including visible fat from areas that I tend not to lose weight from (note: I was also starting to get sick going into this…so that had something to do with it)

The not so good things:

• I was eating a lot – not always convenient to do when you have a busy work day
• I had to go to the bathroom a lot (there is a lot of water and fiber in fruit!)
• I had to carry fruit with me to work, and in my backpack and car
• I had to buy fresh-ripe fruit en mass and buying all organic can get expensive (but it is important!)
• I lost a lot of weight (6 pounds in 5 days) and I am very lean to begin with – part of this had to do with me getting sick right before starting the fast! Funny enough, I got sick before the fast – but I didn’t really feel the worst of the sickness until after I broke my fast.
• I felt mild nausea on the second day
• I was very hungry on the second day (the toughest day for me)

At the end of the day, I must say it was a fantastic experience. For me, the physical and mental benefits were profound – and even now several days after the fruit fast – I still feel clean and light! Perhaps even more important, is the feeling of accomplishment from having done something that is incredibly tough but worthwhile.

We are very connected to the food we put into our bodies, for better or worse. Changing our dietary habits and breaking long-standing addictions to food can be incredibly challenging from physical and mental perspectives. There were times during the fast that it was very tough, particularly in the evenings after a tough yoga asana practice. I would feel like some soup, rice or a curry – but those options weren’t part of the program!

Pushing through and making it through all 3 days (it was actually 3.5 days, from Sunday night through Thursday morning) really gave me a great sense of accomplishment. I feel like I now have more control over what I put into my body. I’ve also developed a greater appreciation for the nourishment that fruits and veggies can give. I can’t explain how amazing my yoga practice felt on this fast – I really felt strong and so light that it was like I was flying at times.

Thinking about doing your own fruit fast? Here are a few tips:

• Make sure you don’t have any physical issues (such as diabetic conditions) that could cause issues
• Stock up on a lot of fresh, ripe and organic fruits. Don’t eat fruit that isn’t ripe…it will just give you digestive trouble. Also, if you know all the crap that they spray on non-organic stuff, you wouldn’t buy anything else. It is worth the money (especially for berries!)
• Venture away from just apples, bananas and oranges. Indulge in tropical fruits and melons!
• Count your calories! The biggest mistake is not eating enough. Think about it, if you are an active adult male – you might need to eat the equivalent of 30 bananas a day to meet your caloric need! Of course, you should eat a wide array of fruits but you get the point.
• Your blender is your best friend. I would make 2-3 smoothies a day on the fast. Load up a blender with 2-3 bananas, 1/2lb strawberries and some papaya into a delicious fruit smoothie. Don’t chug it, just sip it. You’d be amazed at how much fruit you can eat this way.
• Don’t forget, avocados and peppers are fruits! Same with tomatoes and cucumbers! Get creative and buy all varieties of fruits. Eating less sweet fruits at night works well for me.
• Carry fruit with you everywhere…..stash it in your car, backpack, work, everywhere.

There you have it, I hope some of you give this a try. If you do – please do leave a comment and let me know when you plan to start it – and when you finish let me know how you feel!

Nowadays, I’m in the groove of doing more fruits, mostly bananas, with some maca powder and a heaping tablespoon of vitamineral green. I forgo the protein powder and other things. I find that sticking with more of a fruit base and going lighter on the protein actually feels better in the morning.

The key to making this smoothie work and taste great is to get high quality organic bananas. Most people eat bananas when they are still “raw” and green and totally spot-free. Eating bananas like this will give you problems….gas and other digestive issues. They also don’t taste as sweet!

I like my bananas nice and spotty, there might be a touch of green near the stems, but the rest is deep yellow with plenty of brown spots on the peel. The peel should also come off very easily. If you have to hack away to open your banana, it isn’t ready yet!

Note: if you need to ripen bananas, stick them in a closed bag in a warm place.

Now I am off to drink my post yoga class smoothie! (4 large organic bananas, 20 ounces water, vitamineral green powder and maca powder).

What is your favorite smoothie? Let me know in the comments!