Sharon in Colorado
06-08-2006, 10:37 PM
I know it is technically not a fast, but a juice diet. A friend of mine asked me to type out exactly what I've been doing so she could try it. She's going out and buying a juicer just to do it, lol. So here is what I typed out to her and I thought it may help someone else here. Please keep in mind I'm writing to someone on the SAD.
I'm on the 13th day of a 30 day juice fast and it's what is working for me.
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Liquid Diet (Fasting)
Fasting is actually refraining from eating anything but water, and those who only fast on water should really be mostly in resting mode, and ideally supervised.
For lengthy fasts I use strained fresh juices, white & herbal teas, vegetable broth, water and honey as needed for necessary energy. This may be a slower detox than water fasting but it is ideal for my own situation.
Fasting is a way of giving your body a rest from digestion. As the body rests, it heals itself of many diseases and will normalize a bodys weight.
There are some challenges when fasting weight can come back when a proper diet is not followed afterward. Usually spices, seasonings, salts, cooked grains and animal products will cause unnecessary weight gain, water retention and a return of certain aches, pains and illnesses that may have healed during the fast. That is why maintenance is important and I do a 24-hour fast weekly.
The Miracle of Fasting by Paul Bragg is a great reference and has a ton of information on how fasting works and heals a body.
This is what I do, however you may find a different way works better for you:
Before the fast only eat fresh uncooked fruits, vegetables and salads all day long. This lightens up the appetite and makes the fast a bit easier.
1) Morning - I have fresh carrot-apple juice and/or orange juice, strained
2) Afternoon Water, sun tea (recipe below), honey sticks and/or raw honey as needed (information below)
3) Evening Either vegetable broth, hot herbal tea or water
Juice - Carrot-apple juice Equal amounts of carrots and apples, juiced and then strained. You can play around with amounts. Carrots are very sweet, so you may want to juice a celery stick or two if it is too sweet for you. I like the Breville juicer because it juices whole apples but any good juicer should be fine, you may need to get a metal strainer to strain out the pulp if the juicer doesnt have a strainer.
Sun tea in a glass sun tea jar, I place 4 white tea bags, fresh mint and lemon balm leaves and water out in the sun for a few hours. I use raw agave nectar to sweeten, as honey gets too hard, but you can stir honey into a cup of hot water to liquefy it and then add it to the tea.
Honey I use Madhava flavored honey sticks. They are raw. They are located at Vitamin Cottage on Woodmen and Academy, at the front of the store where the registers are as you walk in. Also I will take a spoon of Apitherapy honey now and then, which is located in the aisle with all the honey. Raw agave nectar can also be found here. I find it important to use raw honey as the cooked kind is hard on the body and digestive system, and the sugars are not in a natural state.
Vegetable broth I use a powdered vegetable broth found in the bulk section of Vitamin Cottage, where all the bags of bulk items are. I do not strain this soup and there are some herbs floating around in it. I will add a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt for my own taste.
I try to always buy organic produce so Im not ingesting any pesticides.
Challenges:
1) The first 3 days are the hardest, and hunger pangs, headaches and lethargy are very present during this time. Drinking fluids help. After 3 days hunger dissipates, although cravings may still appear, especially when around the sight and smell of certain foods.
2) Because the body is in cleansing mode, toxins will come out of pores and bad odor, especially bad breath occurs. The tongue becomes white. I use a tongue scraper called Dr. Tungs available at Vitamin Cottage. I found it to be the best because it is metal and works better at cleaning than the plastic kind.
3) Tiredness and energy some days I feel really lethargic, tired and even weak. Other days I feel full of energy. This is detox coming in waves. Heavy detox may cause a body to need more rest. At times it even feels like I want to stop the fast. But then the next day I am so full of energy I dont know what to do with myself.
4) Coming off the fast your digestive system is asleep, especially when coming off a fast be gentle to it! Start with a single water rich fruit such as melons or any kind of juicy fruit. The problem many people have coming off fasts is that they wake up their appetites again and then want to eat everything in sight. Its like a taste fest happening, but the body will pay the price if one were to go overboard. The longer the fast, the more days one should eat fruit.
A guideline to this is take 1 day before and after the fast on fruit for every 3 days you fast. So if you are fasting for 7 days, take at least a couple of days before and after the fast to ease in and out of it. Most importantly stay away from any kind of animal protein or fat during this time, and ideally for as long as you can as it can be rough on digestion.
Also if you are taking meds or have a health condition that may pose a challenge with fasting, please consult with your health practitioner.
I'm on the 13th day of a 30 day juice fast and it's what is working for me.
---
Liquid Diet (Fasting)
Fasting is actually refraining from eating anything but water, and those who only fast on water should really be mostly in resting mode, and ideally supervised.
For lengthy fasts I use strained fresh juices, white & herbal teas, vegetable broth, water and honey as needed for necessary energy. This may be a slower detox than water fasting but it is ideal for my own situation.
Fasting is a way of giving your body a rest from digestion. As the body rests, it heals itself of many diseases and will normalize a bodys weight.
There are some challenges when fasting weight can come back when a proper diet is not followed afterward. Usually spices, seasonings, salts, cooked grains and animal products will cause unnecessary weight gain, water retention and a return of certain aches, pains and illnesses that may have healed during the fast. That is why maintenance is important and I do a 24-hour fast weekly.
The Miracle of Fasting by Paul Bragg is a great reference and has a ton of information on how fasting works and heals a body.
This is what I do, however you may find a different way works better for you:
Before the fast only eat fresh uncooked fruits, vegetables and salads all day long. This lightens up the appetite and makes the fast a bit easier.
1) Morning - I have fresh carrot-apple juice and/or orange juice, strained
2) Afternoon Water, sun tea (recipe below), honey sticks and/or raw honey as needed (information below)
3) Evening Either vegetable broth, hot herbal tea or water
Juice - Carrot-apple juice Equal amounts of carrots and apples, juiced and then strained. You can play around with amounts. Carrots are very sweet, so you may want to juice a celery stick or two if it is too sweet for you. I like the Breville juicer because it juices whole apples but any good juicer should be fine, you may need to get a metal strainer to strain out the pulp if the juicer doesnt have a strainer.
Sun tea in a glass sun tea jar, I place 4 white tea bags, fresh mint and lemon balm leaves and water out in the sun for a few hours. I use raw agave nectar to sweeten, as honey gets too hard, but you can stir honey into a cup of hot water to liquefy it and then add it to the tea.
Honey I use Madhava flavored honey sticks. They are raw. They are located at Vitamin Cottage on Woodmen and Academy, at the front of the store where the registers are as you walk in. Also I will take a spoon of Apitherapy honey now and then, which is located in the aisle with all the honey. Raw agave nectar can also be found here. I find it important to use raw honey as the cooked kind is hard on the body and digestive system, and the sugars are not in a natural state.
Vegetable broth I use a powdered vegetable broth found in the bulk section of Vitamin Cottage, where all the bags of bulk items are. I do not strain this soup and there are some herbs floating around in it. I will add a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt for my own taste.
I try to always buy organic produce so Im not ingesting any pesticides.
Challenges:
1) The first 3 days are the hardest, and hunger pangs, headaches and lethargy are very present during this time. Drinking fluids help. After 3 days hunger dissipates, although cravings may still appear, especially when around the sight and smell of certain foods.
2) Because the body is in cleansing mode, toxins will come out of pores and bad odor, especially bad breath occurs. The tongue becomes white. I use a tongue scraper called Dr. Tungs available at Vitamin Cottage. I found it to be the best because it is metal and works better at cleaning than the plastic kind.
3) Tiredness and energy some days I feel really lethargic, tired and even weak. Other days I feel full of energy. This is detox coming in waves. Heavy detox may cause a body to need more rest. At times it even feels like I want to stop the fast. But then the next day I am so full of energy I dont know what to do with myself.
4) Coming off the fast your digestive system is asleep, especially when coming off a fast be gentle to it! Start with a single water rich fruit such as melons or any kind of juicy fruit. The problem many people have coming off fasts is that they wake up their appetites again and then want to eat everything in sight. Its like a taste fest happening, but the body will pay the price if one were to go overboard. The longer the fast, the more days one should eat fruit.
A guideline to this is take 1 day before and after the fast on fruit for every 3 days you fast. So if you are fasting for 7 days, take at least a couple of days before and after the fast to ease in and out of it. Most importantly stay away from any kind of animal protein or fat during this time, and ideally for as long as you can as it can be rough on digestion.
Also if you are taking meds or have a health condition that may pose a challenge with fasting, please consult with your health practitioner.