Undertaking a short to medium length juice or water fast is one of the fastest and most powerful ways to heal the body of illness, lay a foundation for lifelong health, and literally, regenerate the body from the inside out.
A great many amazing things happen in the body during fasting. The body, as I have said, has its own wisdom—and it knows a lot about fasting. We are evolutionarily designed to fast, and the body knows how to do it very well.
Fasting allows the body to rest, to detoxify, and to heal.
During this time, the body moves into the same kind of detoxification cycle that it normally enters during sleep.
It uses its energy during a fast not for digesting food but for cleansing the body of accumulated toxins and healing any parts of it that are ill.
As a juice or water fast progresses, the body consumes everything it can that is not essential to bodily functioning. This includes bacteria, viruses, fibroid tumors, waste products in the blood, any buildup around the joints, and stored fat.
The result is that the body eliminates its toxin accumulation, just as during a fast the emotional and spiritual bodies eliminate theirs. And although water fasting has always been concerned with both spiritual and emotional healing, it has, as well, been recognized for millennia as one of the most powerful forms of healing for the body.
The physical dynamics that occur during juice and water fasting are complex, and to understand them it helps to understand the process that your body goes through while fasting. The information on physiological changes that are discussed in this article, however, primarily pertains to water fasts. Juice fasting initiates similar but milder changes; the movement into ketosis, for example, is only partial during a juice fast.
Detoxification of the Body
All of us are historically unique in that most of us have developed in a constant bath of synthetic chemicals.
This is a unique evolutionary event— we are, in fact, guinea pigs in a vast uncontrolled experiment. This puts unusual strains on us and our bodies that are unique in evolutionary history.
All of our bodies must somehow find a way to detoxify not only the toxins that humans have encountered throughout their evolutionary development but also these historically unique synthetic chemicals.
In general, juice and water fasting enhances the body’s ability to detoxify.
Timing and Length Guidelines
Recommended Schedule for Water Fasting Diet
Phase 0: Regular Diet
Phase 1: 2 weeks (minimum) low-fat cleansing diet
Phase 2: 3 days fresh juices and herbal teas only
Phase 3: 4–10 days water only
Phase 4: 1–3 days fresh fruit juices; miso soup; mild, heavily steamed vegetables
Phase 5: 4–14 days low-fat cleansing diet
Return to Normal: Regular diet
Recommended Schedule for Juice Fasting Diet
Phase 0: Regular Diet
Phase 1: 2 weeks (minimum) low-fat cleansing diet
Phase 2: 4–30 days fresh juices and herbal teas only
Phase 3: 1-day miso soup and mild, heavily steamed vegetables
Phase 4: 4–14 days low-fat cleansing diet
Return to Normal: Regular diet
The length of time spent on each of these sections preparing and recovering from water fasting depends on a person’s physical, emotional, and spiritual condition and needs. Important Note: For every day of a water fast, there should be one day of recovery. If you spend 10 days on a water fast, you should spend at least 10 days recovering before engaging in an intensive activity.
What to Drink During Your Juice Or Water Fast
Important: If you are conducting your own fast, it is extremely important to obtain good water and foods to juice and drink during your fast.
Again, if you are juicing on this fast, obtain only organic vegetables and fruits. Pick them out yourself from a market that feels good and nurturing to you, and choose the ones that seem most alive and healthy to you to the consumer during the cleanse.
Remember: your entire digestive system has stopped its normal functioning during a water or juice fast. It is in a state of hibernation; it is turned off. It needs mild foods at first so that it can slowly come back on-line again. As you take in miso soup or freshly squeezed orange juice, the body and the digestive system begin to wake up again. Digestive enzymes once again start to be produced, and the whole physiology of the body begins to shift from ketosis back to glucose metabolism. Your brain begins to use a different food once more. All your body systems begin to shift in their orientation and performance. Allow them, and you, to take all the time necessary to make this change. Break the fast with very good food. Slowly.
This article has been re-posted with permission from Conscious Lifestyle Magazine. You can read the original article here:
THE REJUVENATIVE POWER OF FASTING: A COMPLETE GUIDE TO JUICE AND WATER FASTING FOR BETTER HEALTH
