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Juice Fasting - Juice Fasting for Weight Loss, Healing & Detoxification- The Amazing Power of Fruits & Vegetables
Fasting with fruits and vegetables can help you lose weight fast, as well as cleanse your body/digestive system
of damaging toxins that curtail physical and mental health. It is an extremely powerful practice
that can transform your life. Millions can attest to this... and the numbers
are growing every day. With the increasing cost of healthcare and medications - and with the
surge in air, water and food-based toxins -, more and more
people are looking for natural ways to prevent and treat disease. Juice fasting is, by far,
one of the best ways to get started.
We hope you are motivated to try it and thus reap the
benefits of "The Amazing Power of Fruits and Vegetables".
For a step-by-step juice fasting/water fasting and detoxificatioin system,
don't forget to check out our 9-month life-transforming fasting
course
Fastingology!
Juice fasting, in a nutshell, is the substitution of solid food in
favor of raw fruits and/or vegetables liquefied by hand or in a juicer. It is basically a liquid
diet carried out for as little as 24 hours to as long as 100 days and beyond, depending on
the purpose for which it is being done. I have heard of juice fasts going on for as long as a
year for the healing of chronic ilness, although the people DID also supplement with various
types of protein and liquid vitamins.
OR, juice fasting can also be done on a "per meal" basis.
In other words, instead of having lunch a certain day, you prepare a glass of juice and
substitute it for the meal. Whatever one is able to start with is fine. Even ONE meal a week
is good to start.
During a juice fast, a person consumes the juice from the fruits and/or vegetables
AND at least half-a-gallon of water daily. In this reduced capacity,
the digestive system slows-down and is able to divert its resources (from constant
digestion) to deep cleansing and tissue repair. It is rare for the body to have this "time-off" to
heal and rejuvenate, especially in the Western "three-square-meals-a-day-plus-snacks" world.
The whole point of the
"juicing" process is to extract the juice from fruits and vegetables so that one can drink it pure
and in its most nutritional state. A typical "juicer" also has a compartment for pulp, which can
be added to the juice and is an excellent source of fiber to aid in digestive-system cleansing. I
like to add the pulp to the juice and chew on it. Apart from the fiber benefits, adding pulp
to the juice reduces the sense of deprivation because one is actually chewing and eating it. That
sense of "chewing" tends to reduce hunger pains and gratify the "mental" need for food.
In this fast-paced world in which we live, it is increasingly difficult to decelerate in
order to learn, practice and carry out new ways to improve our lives. Fasting has been
overlooked in the past even though it has
the seed-promise of physical, mental and emotional health. In recent years, however,
studies have emerged which give it increased credibility. It has been found that
abstaining from food for a given amount of time can actually improve overall health
and wellbeing.
The ancients knew this ... and the modern world is catching on! I have
a feeling that juice fasting and water fasting will continue to increase in popularity
as we go further into the 21st century.
Considering the billions of dollars that are spent annually in skin care,
anti-aging and weight loss, it is no surprise that more people are seeking
for natural ways to attain these benefits.
In my opinion, fasting is one of the cheapest and most
powerful ways to get there. So, whatever is your reason for being here -
Welcome! Even if you are a skeptic; stick around! You may, after some further reading,
become a fan of what we believe can be a life-saving and life-extending practice.
As we have mentioned in other sections of this site, almost all
disease originates in the digestive tract. There are many holistic medicine
enthusiasts and practitioners
who would easily say the correct word is ALL... period. The danger is
especially acute for persons who are more than twenty pounds
overweight and have spent countless years eating destructively or are caught in
the heartbreaking cycle of binging and compulsive overeating. Juice fasting, whether
with fruits, vegetables or a combination of both, is a powerhouse of healing and can
notably improve these life-crippling conditions.
When I say that juice fasting fosters "healing", I refer
to the entire being: body, mind and spirit. Juicing helps the body for the the
reasons we already mentioned - mainly the elimination of toxins that accumulate
in the blood and digestive tract from the foods we eat, air we breathe and water
we drink. When the body is detoxified, the mind becomes sharper. It is not uncommon
for persons that juice regularly to report that they function
better, think more clearly and no longer are pressed-down by ongoing depression
and anxiety.
When the mind is clearer, a person is able to focus his or
her physical and mental resources to spiritual matters with much more intensity.
The result, we have found, is deeper wisdom and discernment. A person can often
come to live in a "higher plane" of existence. When toxins are eliminated from
the body through juice fasting or water fasting, the entire being finds healing
and can function as it was designed.
One of the biggest lessons in juice fasting I received was from a friend who was
diagnosed with cancer and was fighting for her life. This amazing lady was the
first to ever tell me that, "Fasting gives your digestive system the opportunity of a
lifetime - to rest and flourish again."
Later I realized that juice fasting is also an
amazing way in which to lose large amounts of weight in a short period of time.
Based on personal
experience and that of others, it is possible to lose one-to-two pounds per day during a
juice fast. These numbers fluctuate according to each person's makeup, but the loss of weight is
quite quick and drastic.
She immediately began
a weekly program of 24-hour juice fasting for several months. She would return to normal eating the following
day, and fast again for one-day the same day the following week. Being very wise, she added more days
later under her doctor's
supervision until she actually carried an uninterrupted juice fast for 60 days. During the process,
I could see her health and wellness coming back. She literally went from a bedridden dying person
to one who could get up,
cook and even walk her dog.
As the months went by, the color started coming back to her face until,
two years later, she beat cancer altogether. She did this with both juice fasting AND chemotherapy.
Still, towards the end of her treatment, the chemotherapy sessions were reduced because she was doing
so much better. It was truly a miracle. What is the moral of this story? Simply this: Juice fasting
has the power to heal disease; there is no doubt about it. But please, let me emphasize that
by no means are we saying you should abandon medical treatment.
Use juice fasting
in addition to whatever else has been prescribed for your particular condition. You may find,
eventually, that the medical treatment can be reduced or eliminated. But even that decision should be
made by a physician in the light of test results. What I want to convey to you is a
message of hope. Whether you are ill, or simply wish to lose weight
and get healthier, juice fasting is a powerful way to do it.
I recall that during this time I was physically and emotionally drained. My body was beat-up
pretty bad because of poor eating habits, a hormonal imbalance, lots of stress and difficult
family and financial situations. I am sure that to some extent you can relate to what I am
talking about. It was bad. I had a hard time concentrating and started to have periods of insomnia.
I was in deep emotional turmoil and my joints were stiff and achy. All told, I was exhausted and sick.
I went to the supermarket and bought my favorite fruits and vegetables, including apples, pears,
cantaloupe, grapes, grapefruit, oranges and cabbage, collards, lettuce, wheat grass and watercress.
Mixing them in different combinations taught me how they reacted with my body. I learned that
the body needs one pound of uncooked vegetables per 50 pounds of weight.
Juicing makes this
possible to achieve, and assimilation is faster since the body does not have to separate the fiber.
And above all, juice fasting gives the body very important nutrients called enzymes.
Enzymes are essential for digestion and food absorption. They protect your cells from
being damaged and destroyed by the many toxins in food, air and water. Enzymes also produce
energy and body tissue. In our opinion, however, juice fasting is a raw food diet at its very
finest. For a discussion on raw food diets, visit
Fruit Fasting
when you have a chance. Fruit fasting is another type of system that I used where one goes for 7-to-21
days eating only apples, pears and bananas - mostly.
Depending on how overweight and toxic you are, fasting side effects may include skin eruptions and
boils, dizziness and headaches. You may have bad breath, a metallic taste in your mouth and
very strong body odor. Consult your physician before you start, even if you plan to only practice
juice fasting once a week. People with serious health conditions, ulcers, diabetes hypoglycemia,
liver and kidney diseases must not fast without direct and constant supervision by a qualified health
care professional. Make sure your doctor is aware of what you are planning to do.
If you have not had a physical
in some time, this is the time to do so, along with basic panel blood work. Those taking prescription
medication, as well as pregnant and women nursing newborn babies, also are strongly encouraged to let
their doctors know of the interest in a fasting BEFORE starting any type of program. This
is not a race nor are we trying to break any world records. So DO IT, but take it easy and
do not be hard on yourself
If You Stumble.
The best way to launch a period of juice fasting, I have found, is to actually start to
taper-off heavy and greasy foods at least one week before starting. Eat less. Don't overstuff yourself
with food thinking that you are storing up to feel less hungry. You are not a bear going into hibernation.
That is a no, no. It will not work. It will make you miserable later. I did it and it did not feel good
at all.
Try to drink at the very least a half-a-gallon of water daily during this pre-fast period. Stay close to
a toilet - especially if you NEVER have been much of a water drinker. Moreover, cut
out steaks, pastries and anything with a high sugar or fat content. If you can eat mostly salads, steamed
vegetables and lean poultry/fish for 7 days prior to fasting- then I can tell you that the fast will be
much less painful.
This is a golden nugget that I strongly advice you to follow BEFORE the juice fast.
During the fast, I advice you to prepare juices made up of a combination of raw vegetables
and uncooked fruits, organic if your budget permits. If not, don't worry about it. Regular supermarket
fruits and vegetables will do just fine. Make sure you remove pits, tough fruit skins and,
of course, citrus peels. I would be careful with grapefruit and citrus foods, unless you are specifically doing
The Master Cleanser Lemonade Diet.
You may include
wheat grass. Wheat grass is part of the cereal family which includes barley, oat and rye grass. It
neutralizes acid production and contains large amounts of chlorophyll, very similar to the hemoglobin
in your blood. Wheat grass may reduce food cravings. The grass can be bought fresh or in powder form.
I recommend you take 2 Oz. a day of wheat grass mixed with your juice.
As far as the actual portions of juice, I normally drink anywhere between 32 to 64 oz daily divided
in 8 and 9-ounce portions. I normally drink five times a day, but you can drink more if you still
feel hungry. I will go out on a limb and actually tell you to go ahead and drink
as much as you want. If the hunger gets overwhelming, take a large swig of water.
While I am fasting I normally drink up to one gallon of water per day - in addition to the actual juice.
Bad nutrition, pollution, free radicals, stress, difficult life situations, etc - all produce toxic
deposits in your blood stream. Eating poorly increases fat storage and, all elements combined
and left unchecked, the body gets sick. Nevertheless:There is hope. Move forward.
Believe you can cleanse your body and add many healthy years to your life. And do not forget to breathe,
as breathing calms down emotions that will surely surface as you enter a new way of life. Check out some
books about Breathing.
Breathing while fasting is highly important because it helps one to process hunger pains as well
as intense emotions that start to come up. I recommend you learn and adopt the discipline of
breathing as a direct enhancement of fasting for weight loss and fitness. Also, come join us in
Fasting & The Mind
and Fasting
Motivation for some tips on how to overcome the humps that stand between you and your fasting for
weight loss and fitness goals.
Ok: Let's go to
Fruit-Vegetable
Detoxification and continue our juice fast discussion.
Return from Juice Fasting to Fitness Through Fasting HOME.
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