Juice Fasting

Juice Fasting

Part of detox diet, fasting with vegetable juices can be another excellent way to develop good health and cleanse the body of toxins. Juices, minus their pulp (fiber), contain an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and enzymes. When the pulp is not added, one is able to drink more juice than they are able to eat. For example, one can easily consume the juice of several heads of lettuce in one sitting, but may not be able to eat the lettuce whole. This allows the body to get an abundance of nutrients with minimal processing (digestion). Fasting on mono-juices also allows the body proper time to process these juices and helps to preserve our valuable digestive enzymes.

Juice fasting has helped many people over come serious diseases like cancer, because it gave them optimal nutrition and allowed the body to cleanse itself of toxins. [According to many nutritionists, cancer is merely a toxic condition.] With some juicers, the pulp is discarded, but it may be saved and added back for fiber (not too much). Juices contain good sources of antioxidants and enzymes, both of which are needed for cleansing and eliminating toxins. Juices are also easy to digest and help those with digestive problems....a recommended detox diet method.

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Time for Rapid Detox ! Fasting

Spring Cleaning! Time for Rapid Detox!

by Beverly B. Ferguson


Fasting is a wondrous journey of discovery. To me, it feels like finding the hidden SECRET to health and healing. The best part is that fasting is always available to everyone, everywhere, and it is free!

I started learning about fasting back in the late 70's from books about fasting and juicing written by Walker, Bragg, Ehret, Christopher, Burroughs and many others*. The best way that I have found to begin fasting is Dr. Christopher's book the "Three Day Cleanse." It contains all the basic information as well as allowing you to eat each evening if you feel the need to do so. This is a good way to begin to actually fast. Nothing too drastic.

Even before this Three Day Cleanse, however, you may wish to start with skipping a meal, then two, then three, etc. Before any kind of fasting be sure to eat a meal or two of raw salad, vegetables or fruits -- no meat eggs or dairy products.

When you fast, you can use either juices, lemonade made with maple syrup, broths, or water. It is also possible to fast eating one kind of food exclusively for a period of time. For example, Macrobiotics often fast by eating just brown rice, others fast on bread and water.

Try to get organic produce and pure water for your fast. It will also be necessary to either use herbal laxatives, enemas, or salt water flushes when you fast for a longer period of time in order to remove toxins in the intestines and colon. A juicer is very helpful equipment for fasting but not absolutely necessary.

Once you do a few of the three-day cleanses over a period of several months, then you may wish to try a longer fast. If you have never fasted before I highly recommend that you stay connected to a friend who knows about fasting from experience or at the very least have several of the books mentioned above on hand*.

These days we all have many poisons in our bodies from our food, drugs, and environment and caution must be observed when these toxins are being released. This takes some experience, but it can be done gradually and safely. It is better to do many short fasts than to persevere in a long one if you are feeling too toxic.

Why fast?

To learn that it is okay and even BENEFICIAL to miss a meal or several meals. Nothing terrible happens if you don't eat when you are hungry. Quite the contrary, you discover, as I did, that you have found the most natural and easy way to heal and rejuvenate your body.

The body has a whole "mode of operation" we know very little about: fasting. Animals do it all the time, and children, if they don't feel well, also know enough not to eat. As adults we have been told so many times that we must eat that we have lost touch with this ancient technique of healing. Last night I was wondering if the recent epidemics of bulimia and anorexia are distortions of the natural instinct to fast -- gone awry.

To discover that we have all we need right within us to heal and renew ourselves on every level is a very freeing and welcome discovery. It frees us from what is often one of our greatest attachments: food. Fasting works on every level of our being: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. The first day or two can be rough and uncomfortable due to the intense detoxification that happens when many of the toxins in each cell and organ of our body are dumped into the bloodstream. After that, however, it is incredible the clarity, energy, and bliss one feels as the body continues to do what it is meant to do from time to time. One comes to understand why fasting has been a part of religious and spiritual practices world-wide for eons of time.

Herbal Cleanse

Rising

Drink a glass of lemon water or drink a glass of water with added: one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon of blackstrap molasses

Morning

Drink a glass of water with psyllium husk powder (follow with another glass of water).
Meals

Take 2-3 multi-digestive enzymes
Take liver herbs

In Between Meals

Drink herbals teas which support the liver, including Dandelion/licorice/ginger/fennel

Note: Following a good diet is mandatory for herbs to work optimally.

Herxheimer Reaction

The Herxheimer Reaction occurs when the body is detoxifying too rapidly and toxins are being released faster than the body can eliminate them.[v] When this occurs, one will suffer from headaches, nausea, vomiting, and malaise. Even though this is but a short period of the health program, it can be severe and deter one from reaching their intended goals. Also, the person may not know what they are experiencing and think that they are regressing.

* To minimize the Herxheimer Reaction:
* Drinks lots of pure water
* Get minimal exercise daily
* Lots of sunshine
* Take detoxification slowly... one step at a time
* Don't increase the dose of herbals
* Keep the organs of elimination (bowels, lungs, skin, kidneys) open
* Take detox baths
* Use aromatherapy oils for aches -like peppermint, birch, and wintergreen
* Sweat by using exercise, saunas, baths, and herbs
* Avoid foreign chemicals and refined processed foods

If the Herxheimer reaction occurs, cut back on your health detoxification program. Reduce the dose of herbs and follow the above outline to reduce the symptoms of toxin elimination. The more toxins there are to eliminate, the sicker one is when they come out. Generally, one will feel better when all is over and health is restored again. Just remember, don't give up.

Expert Warns on Detox Diet

Popular detox diets promise to flush poisons from your body, purge pounds of excess fat, clear your complexion and bolster your immune system.

But experts say there's little evidence that extreme regimens such as the Master Cleanse or Fruit Flush do anything more than lead to unpleasant, unhealthy side effects.
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Still, these super-restrictive eating plans/detox diets are hotter than ever, thanks to being linked to lanky celebrities including Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie. Beyonce Knowles attributed her 20-pound weight loss for the movie "Dreamgirls" to the Master Cleanse — a starvation diet whose adherents swallow nothing but a concoction of lemon juice mixed with maple syrup, water and cayenne pepper, as well as salt water and a laxative tea for 10 days.

The idea of detoxifying or purifying the body of harmful substances has been around for centuries and cycles back into popularity now and again. There are no hard numbers on how many people have tried the latest fashionable plans, much less stuck with them, but dozens of new do-it-yourself fasting books are glutting bookstore shelves.

That's what has nutrition experts sounding the alarm over possible risks from lengthy or repeated fasts. Vitamin deficiencies, muscle breakdown and blood-sugar problems — not to mention frequent liquid bowel movements — are some of the seriously unpleasant drawbacks to these plans, which are skimpy on solid foods and often call for laxatives.

“Long-term fasts lead to muscle breakdown and a shortage of many needed nutrients,” says Lona Sandon, a Dallas dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. Depriving the body of the vitamins and minerals we get from food can "actually weaken the body’s ability to fight infections and inflammation,” she says.

Because the crash diets can upset blood sugar, potassium and sodium levels in the body, people with diabetes, heart or kidney disease or women who are pregnant or nursing shouldn't try them, experts say. Children, teens, older adults or people with certain digestive conditions should also steer clear.

The scores of detox diet books and kits out there each have their own take on how to cleanse the body — one calls for spices and fruit juices, another for only vegetable purees — but most of them boil down to extremely low-calorie, primarily liquid diets.

The idea behind these plans, which can last anywhere from three days to about a month, is to rid the body of toxins absorbed from the environment and the less-than-healthy foods we eat. This cleansing is supposed to leave you feeling energized.

Some plans restrict all solid foods and instruct dieters to survive on only low-calorie beverages for days at a time. The Joshi holistic diet involves an elaborate list of so-called acid-forming foods to avoid for three weeks, including seemingly healthy veggies and grains.

“Your body does a perfectly good job of getting rid of toxins on its own,” says Dr. Nasir Moloo, a gastroenterologist with Capitol Gastroenterology Consultants Medical Group in Sacramento, Calif. “There’s no evidence that these types of diets are necessary or helpful.”

While there are medical conditions that interfere with organ function and prevent the body from clearing toxins, healthy people already have a built-in detoxification system — the liver, kidneys, lungs and skin, says Moloo.

And by attempting to flush out the “bad stuff” from our intestines, Sandon warns, you're also "flushing out the good bacteria that keep the intestines healthy.”

Lots of bathroom time
The side effects from prolonged, severe calorie restriction can include headache, fatigue, irritability, aches and pains. Because many rely on aggressive laxatives, these diets can also get pretty messy. Frequent bathroom visits can lead to irritation and breakdown of skin on your bottom, as well as dehydration.

While believers claim they feel lighter and more energetic, studies on starvation show the longer you fast, the more lethargic and less focused you become. Because most of these diets contain very little protein, it can be difficult for the body to rebuild lost muscle tissue.

Although people can quickly drop pounds on these diets, the majority of people regain all the weight they lose on any diet, especially the highly restrictive varieties, according to recent research published in American Psychologist, the journal of the American Psychological Association. While people can lose 5 to 10 percent of their weight in the first few months of a diet, up to two-thirds of people regain even more weight than they lost within four or five years, the researchers found.

Cutting back on high-fat foods, eating in moderation and consuming more vegetables and fruits may not seem as glamorous as starving yourself like a celebrity for days, but it's healthier for you in the long run and certainly sexier than rushing to the bathroom all day.
detox diets

Antioxidants

Antioxidants

The use of antioxidants, like vitamins A, E, and especially C, are very essential for detoxification since they are involved with the detoxification of toxins. Antioxidants are involved with helping cells to neutralize free radicals that can cause mutations and cellular damage. As these free radicals are neutralized, the antioxidant vitamins will be used and exhibit low levels. Vitamin A and E are fat soluble and will be found in our fat tissues/stores, but vitamin C is water soluble and will be found mainly in our skin (between the cells according to Reams). Vitamin C is also involved with many other important bodily functions, like collagen formation, wound healing, energy production and fighting off colds (viruses).

The function of antioxidants is so important that any deficiency of them will be seen as catastrophic to one's health. When our antioxidants are low, energy is not available and detoxification cannot take place in a normal fashion. Therefore, toxins accumulate or are stored until they can be processed. The liver and many other organs are compromised in their functions when antioxidants are low. Just the lack of energy is enough to cause the body to have compromised or poor health, because it is energy that is required for the removal of toxins and wastes.

Vitamin C should be taken with bioflavinoids to ensure that all the components of the vitamin C complex are taken together, since they work together. Pure ascorbic acid is called vitamin C, but does little by itself. We tend to think that ascorbic acid as vitamin C, but it is only part of the vitamin C complex. Vitamin C is very essential to any detoxification program, because that is what the body uses for energy to process and eliminate these toxic wast Vitamin C can be taken in very high doses until the bowel tolerance level [BTL] is achieved. This BTL is different for different people. Some persons reach tolerance at 4-5 grams (4,000-5,000 mg), while others may not reach tolerance until 10-15 grams (10,000-15,000 mg). Cancer patients notorously can take 20-30 grams (20,000-30,000 mg) of vitamin C before tolerance is reached ... meaning that they needed more vitamin C than most people.

By taking vitamin C to its tolerance level we find out 1) what our BTL is and 2) how saturated our body is with Vitamin C. Vitamin C was found by Linus Pauling and Ewan Cameron to be very effective in helping many patients to over come that killer disease, called cancer. Perhaps, this was because vitamin C was needed for detoxification of toxins, which "caused" the cancer in the first place. Although Pauling and Cameron were greatly criticized for their work with vitamin C, they were able to help many people overcome cancer and without compromising their health.