In recent years, the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (97 min, 2010) by Joe Cross has inspired people to try a Juice Fast. The title of the documentary may sound negative. But the movie is uplifting and inspiring. Watch "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" for free at RebootWithJoe. Joe Cross then set up an extensive website centered around juicing: RebootWithJoe — for somebody contemplating a Juice Fast, this website has a lot of information.

The documentary showcases the personal story of Joe Cross, a rich Australian businessman who cured himself of a rare autoimmune disorder that plagued him for nine years. The movie is down to earth, honest and inspiring. For his 60-day juice fast, Joe took a break from his business, flew to USA and drove from coast to coast in a Mercedes convertible. Along the way, he shot his own videos and interviewed random people in restaurants, bus stops, parks, and so on. The movie shows Joe's health improvements with every passing day. It also shows a sampling of American belief about food and health.

Dr Joel Fuhrman: The physician who guided Joe's 60-day fast was Dr Joel Fuhrman, a prominent advocate of Whole Food, Plant-Based (WFPB). He also wrote a New York Times bestseller called Eat To Live (400 pages, 2011). He is among the few WFPB doctors to have authored a book on fasting: Fasting and Eating for Health (255 pages, 1995).

Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead (2010) — The Joy of Juicing — Super Juice Me! (2015, see website) — Hungry for Change.

Can anybody do a Juice Fast safely? I'm not sure. My friend who visited TrueNorth Health Center was told that she would need to be in medical supervision for a 10-14 day juice fast. She has tackled a serious autoimmune condition for 15 years now. For somebody who does not have a serious medical diagnosis, maybe a juice fast is safe. When I did my juice fasts, I was generally healthy, with no known medical conditions.

I was inspired to do my first every juice fast in 2013: 10-Day Juice Fast for Calmness and Clarity (Feb 2013). Subsequently, I did juice fasts about 3-4 times: 10-day, 15-day, 17-day, 21-day. The first time I did such a fast was the toughest — it was a new experience. All other juice fasts were straightforward. Between 2012 and 2019, I did a few other fasts (water-only, for example): see Personal Experiences with Fasting.

I never had any health problems that I was attempting to cure via Juice Fast. For me, the biggest benefits were mental: a Juice Fast has always made me mentally calmer. Also, my taste buds change dramatically. Since 2012, I have tried my best to follow a Whole Food, Plant-Based (WFPB) Diet. About 5 times, I have fallen off for about 3 to 5 weeks. Each time, I was experiencing stress in personal life and low self esteem as well. 'No Animal Products' and 'No Dairy' continued to be hard lines that I never crossed. However, refined sugars, oils and processed foods crept in. The result was a 'cycle of addiction': stress → unhealthy foods → stress. Every time, I broke this cycle via a Juice Fast or a Water-Only Fast (described in a section below). After a Juice Fast, I lose cravings for unhealthy foods; my taste buds become 'clean' and it is straightforward to follow a healthy WFPB Diet without processed foods, refined sugars, oils and added salt!