Drinking enough water througout a fast is very important.
You may believe that because you are ingesting all of the juice, you are getting more than enough fluids and therefore do not need to drink more water, or you may be drinking so much juice that you simply do not seem to have the time to drink lots of water as well. Whatever the case you must drink enough clean pure water.
Why you should drink lots of water
About 14 hours into a fast your body runs out of glucose gained from your liver and brain, and goes to your fat reserves in order to release energy. At this stage your body goes into a state of ketosis, where toxins are released into the blood stream as the fat is metabolised. These toxins, in the abscence of enough clean water, can build up and ensure you expeience some pretty nasty detox symtoms.
Saturday 16 October 2010
Organic or Non Organic
Well if you can afford organic; buy organic. When Im juice fasting, the way I see it, is that I am relinquishing the joy of food in order that my body may detox, so whats the point of injesting pesticides and all manner of chemical sprays? Unless it's unavailable or just too expensive, I opt to juice organic fruit and veg.
However, a juice fast with the juice of non-organic fruit and veg is always better than no juice fast at all.
However, a juice fast with the juice of non-organic fruit and veg is always better than no juice fast at all.
Which fruit and veg should I juice?
Never mix the juice of melons with the juice of other fruit and veg. A cucumber is in the melon family.
As a very vague rule do not mix fruit and vegetable juices. Ones that do mix well though are, celery, strawberry, apple, carrot and spinich, blueberry, you can mix any quantities of these juices with another of these juices. Excercise caution when trying to mix outside of this range.
You can juice most fresh fruit or veg but the ones that are most suited to having regularly over a juice fast are as follows;
beetroot
carrot
apple
any berries
celery
spinach
broccoli
As a very vague rule do not mix fruit and vegetable juices. Ones that do mix well though are, celery, strawberry, apple, carrot and spinich, blueberry, you can mix any quantities of these juices with another of these juices. Excercise caution when trying to mix outside of this range.
You can juice most fresh fruit or veg but the ones that are most suited to having regularly over a juice fast are as follows;
beetroot
carrot
apple
any berries
celery
spinach
broccoli
The Juices - What you can have on a juice fast
On a juice fast you should drink freshly made fruit and vegetable juices. For this you will need to invest in a juicer. It is pointless to drink store bought juices as these have been pasteurised and are lacking in enzymes, vitamins, minerals etc. They are often made from concentrate and are not fresh fruit juice at all. It would be really inadvisable to do a juice fast unless you are going to juice fresh fruit and veggies as otherwise you will be doing your body a massive dis-service by just drinking a load of sugar every day.
Know these facts ...
Fruit juice is seen as cleansing and vegetable juice is seen as nourishing. Many people decide to have their fruit juice in the morning and vegetable juices in the evening. You should do whats right for you.
Fruit juice is seen as cooling and vegetable juice is seen as warming. So if you are feeling a little cold with the fast, stay away from fruit juices for the next couple of juices.
Also drink herbal or fruit teas, there are a wide range of warming teas out there, look out for those containing cinammon or vanilla. I found a chocolate one once!
Also when you feel colder, have hot vegetable broth. Simply cut up carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, leeks etc and place in large pan full of water, add herbs for flavour DO NOT add salt or pepper. Simmer for an hour, strain, and drink the both. One lot of veg should last several broths. This broth is packed with electolytes and is incredibly nourishing and balancing.
Know these facts ...
Fruit juice is seen as cleansing and vegetable juice is seen as nourishing. Many people decide to have their fruit juice in the morning and vegetable juices in the evening. You should do whats right for you.
Fruit juice is seen as cooling and vegetable juice is seen as warming. So if you are feeling a little cold with the fast, stay away from fruit juices for the next couple of juices.
Also drink herbal or fruit teas, there are a wide range of warming teas out there, look out for those containing cinammon or vanilla. I found a chocolate one once!
Also when you feel colder, have hot vegetable broth. Simply cut up carrots, celery, potatoes, garlic, leeks etc and place in large pan full of water, add herbs for flavour DO NOT add salt or pepper. Simmer for an hour, strain, and drink the both. One lot of veg should last several broths. This broth is packed with electolytes and is incredibly nourishing and balancing.
Colonic Cleansing
Not the nicest of topics but an important one when fasting
Ok I admit; not the most savory of topics, but one you will do well to bear in mind when partaking in a juice fast lasting more than a couple of days.
The fact of the matter is ...
The plain fact is, that one of your bodies largest and most obvious elimination systems, is the colon. Now when your body - as it does during fasting - gets the chance to clean up the system, and it begins to release these toxins into the blood stream to be removed, the first place your body dumps (excuse the pun) this waste in is in the colon.
The need for colonics during a fast
Now the action of 'passing ones food' is triggered by a full stomach. The weight on the muscles below, trigger the body to constrict said muscles, resulting the waste being eliminated. During a fast, due to a lack of food, the necessary weight is never exerted, so one must use other methods to ensure one cleans the colon.
Methods
There are three main methods for colon cleansing which will facilitate a successful fast.
1. colonics
2. colon cleansing tablets
3. home - enemas
Ok I admit; not the most savory of topics, but one you will do well to bear in mind when partaking in a juice fast lasting more than a couple of days.
The fact of the matter is ...
The plain fact is, that one of your bodies largest and most obvious elimination systems, is the colon. Now when your body - as it does during fasting - gets the chance to clean up the system, and it begins to release these toxins into the blood stream to be removed, the first place your body dumps (excuse the pun) this waste in is in the colon.
The need for colonics during a fast
Now the action of 'passing ones food' is triggered by a full stomach. The weight on the muscles below, trigger the body to constrict said muscles, resulting the waste being eliminated. During a fast, due to a lack of food, the necessary weight is never exerted, so one must use other methods to ensure one cleans the colon.
Methods
There are three main methods for colon cleansing which will facilitate a successful fast.
1. colonics
2. colon cleansing tablets
3. home - enemas
The pre-fast detox
The pre-fast detox
The pre-fast detox is a very impotant part of the process of carrying out a juice fast. For at least 5 days before the fast - especially so if it is your first fast - you should cut dairy, meat, refined carbohydrates, animal fats alcohol and all other recreational drugs from your diet.
This may sound harsh, but if you decide to skip the pre-detox, and go from your normal diet into one consisting of purely juice, you will run into some problems. The detox you will experience and the symtpoms of it, could be at best hard to bear and at worse very bad for your health.
Why you need to do one ...
Your liver and kidneys, which cleanse your blood and fluids, and indeed all of your eliminatory organs, would be put under too much pessure if you did not stagger the detoxification system slightly. Cutting out the worst culprits from your diet for a period before you start juice fasting will make your fasting experience a far happier and less painfull one.
My first 16 day juice fast
I did my first planned two week juice fast in the summer and dedicated myself to the 7 day pe-detox and the experience of actually juice fasting gave me everything a fast should; mental clarity, greatly enhanced energy levels, and yes, I achieved that holy grail; a heightened spiritual experience. Even though the juice fast was planned for two weeks, I enjoyed it so much I carried on for 16 days, and only stopped then, because I was going on abroad on holiday.
My second 14 day juice fast
A couple months later I went into another mid length juice fast - this time, bolstered by teh success of my last juice fast, I aimed for 3 weeks - but this time ditched the pre-detox. I can only say that what ensued was the most miserable, cold, uninspired two weeks of my life. Feeling hungry most of the time, and so grouchy that even Isaac kept out of my way. The day he came home and found me eating a bowl of peas and humous on the sofa he seemed relieved to find I had ended my juice fast a week early!
The pre-fast detox is a very impotant part of the process of carrying out a juice fast. For at least 5 days before the fast - especially so if it is your first fast - you should cut dairy, meat, refined carbohydrates, animal fats alcohol and all other recreational drugs from your diet.
This may sound harsh, but if you decide to skip the pre-detox, and go from your normal diet into one consisting of purely juice, you will run into some problems. The detox you will experience and the symtpoms of it, could be at best hard to bear and at worse very bad for your health.
Why you need to do one ...
Your liver and kidneys, which cleanse your blood and fluids, and indeed all of your eliminatory organs, would be put under too much pessure if you did not stagger the detoxification system slightly. Cutting out the worst culprits from your diet for a period before you start juice fasting will make your fasting experience a far happier and less painfull one.
My first 16 day juice fast
I did my first planned two week juice fast in the summer and dedicated myself to the 7 day pe-detox and the experience of actually juice fasting gave me everything a fast should; mental clarity, greatly enhanced energy levels, and yes, I achieved that holy grail; a heightened spiritual experience. Even though the juice fast was planned for two weeks, I enjoyed it so much I carried on for 16 days, and only stopped then, because I was going on abroad on holiday.
My second 14 day juice fast
A couple months later I went into another mid length juice fast - this time, bolstered by teh success of my last juice fast, I aimed for 3 weeks - but this time ditched the pre-detox. I can only say that what ensued was the most miserable, cold, uninspired two weeks of my life. Feeling hungry most of the time, and so grouchy that even Isaac kept out of my way. The day he came home and found me eating a bowl of peas and humous on the sofa he seemed relieved to find I had ended my juice fast a week early!
About juice fasting support
The body is infinatley wise. Left to its own devices it can repair and regenerate to leave you in a state of perfect health. Fasting gives your body time to perform its miracles.
A fast can last between 1 and 60 days and on this blog I will be supporting those who take up a type of fasting called juice fasting. Here the participant injests only the juice freshly pressed from fruit and vegetables for a pre-determined period of time.
A fast can last between 1 and 60 days and on this blog I will be supporting those who take up a type of fasting called juice fasting. Here the participant injests only the juice freshly pressed from fruit and vegetables for a pre-determined period of time.
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