Day 5 – hurrah!  I have really missed eating but I am feeling very pleased with myself for sticking to the fast and managing to exercise every day.

It has been challenging because I have had to prepare meals for Harvey which is difficult when you want to eat them yourself.  I have used this 5 days as an opportunity to get him more involved in the cooking which he has enjoyed so we will continue that.  I have tried to be efficient and cook one meal with some left over for the next day or one dish that can be adapted easily.  For example on Friday he had spaghetti bolognaise and I made enough bolognaise to make tacos the following night.  This morning he spotted the 3 left over taco shells and wanted them with something so I made a dip with black beans, tomatoes, lime juice, red peppers and cheese which I baked.  Harvey loved it and I was frustrated I couldn’t taste it but I will make it again when I can enjoy it as it was a healthy vegetarian meal.

Harvey has also had at least one fresh juice a day, even some of the green ones and he has enjoyed them.  My new juicer (Phillips Avance) is so easy to use and clean, we will be including juices more regularly in our diets going forwards.

I juiced again all day.  Beginning with lemon in hot water and then a ginger shot. The first and last juice of the day was a ‘Sweet Beet Smoothie’ and I enjoyed the morning one in the garden, in the late summer sunshine.  It is made by juicing 1 apple, 2 carrots and a beetroot and then blending the juice with a large handful of blackberries.  I used frozen berries which gave the smoothie a bit of a slush puppy consistency which was really pleasant.  The juice was tasty but it was a bit sweet. The second and third juices were ‘Pear n Parsnip’, made with 2 apples, 4 pears, fresh mint,  1 lime and 2 parsnips (or 3 small).  These are the ingredients for 2 juices, not one! This was unusual but delicious. Definitely one of my favourite juices of the week as it was so different.  The flavours were mellow and the consistency quite creamy. I will make this one again but if I was on a juice detox, I wouldn’t have this one on the same day as the Sweet Beet Smoothie as they were both quite sweet.   I would have this on the same day as one of the green smoothies. I am not sure whether it was due to the sweetness of today’s juices or the long walk Harvey and I did to Sissinghurst Castle and back but I was really hungry this evening so I had one of the SOS options.  Every day you are allowed an apple or a banana or an avocado if you get very hungry but I have never used the SOS before.  I have literally had only juices, herbal teas and glasses of water for 5 days until this evening when I enjoyed an avocado with lime juice and pepper.  It was fantastic and very much appreciated.  It was also perfectly ripe.  For the benefit of anyone local, I buy my avocados in Hartley Dyke Farm Shop as they are consistently good.

So the 5 day challenge is over.  Thank goodness.  I do feel better for having done it but it was hard.  I suffered from terrible headaches and felt very tired.  I do not now feel like leaping about like a gazelle and I did not sleep brilliantly as many people claim to do.  However, I think that is due to my busy life rather than a fault of the detox plan.  As juice fasts and detox plans go, I think this one is very good.  The book is very motivating, the wall chart was very handy and I also had the app which has motivating videos and is very useful when you are out so you can look up what you need to buy for the next juices.

Well done Jason Vale, this was a great juice fast.  And well done to me for sticking to it.  How early can I have my breakfast tomorrow?