By Jill Schneider Director of Circle of Life Holistic Programs, Delray Beach, Florida.
I have been juice fasting for preventive health reasons over the past 25 years. After reading books by Dr. Norman Walker, N.D., who lived past 100 and the great Professor Arnold Ehret, author of the Mucusless Diet Healing System, I embarked on a bi-yearly program of cleansing my body, mind and spirit with a week or two of fresh fruit and vegetable juices, along with distilled or purified water, herbal tea and broth made from vegetables. The purpose of any kind of fasting is to cleanse and detox the body from the inside out. The colon, which is the most toxic organ of the body, affecting so many of the other organs, gets the most benefit from a fast. I believe that you can trace most physical disease back to the colon and digestive/eliminative tract. If you have ever been a meat, sugar, alcohol drinker, white flour, greasy fast food or even a cooked food eater, you need to fast. Even vegetarians, who tend to still eat plenty of cooked and devitalized foods, need to fast. We all need to fast if we want any measure of decent health and, certainly, to prevent the possibility of disease.
In 1975, at the age of 29, I was given the diagnosis of having malignant cervical cancer. At the time, I didn’t know about fasting, but I did make some very serious changes in my life, eating very simple light vegetarian food, learning yoga, breathing very deeply, meditating and having acupuncture and herbal remedies with a Chinese Acupuncturist. I also quit my stressful job and went hiking and traveling in Peru. I used absolutely no medicine, surgery or any allopathic procedures. Four months later, the malignant cancer went into remission. I had a perfectly healthy child two and a half years later. You can read about my healing at HYPERLINK "http://www.circle-of-life.net/NaturalHealth.html " www.circle-of-life.net/NaturalHealth.html, in an article published in Natural Health Magazine. Had I known about juice fasting at that time, I would definitely have incorporated it into my healing plan. Because of the cancer, I have been guided to learn as much as possible about healing.
Fasting is one of the oldest forms of healing known to man. How often have we watched our own bodies refrain from eating while we are not feeling well with a cold or flu? Small children and even our pets refrain from taking food and allow their bodies to rest while in a toxic condition. Liquids, such as water, juice, broth and herbal teas are always recommended by all medical professionals to make sure the body is getting vitamins, minerals and staying hydrated, while the body works on fighting off viruses and bacteria.
Fasting and prayer have been linked for thousands of years by people who want to feel a greater closeness to the Creator. Focusing on the body as the temple of God, meditation may come more easily when the body is quiet and still. The Essene Gospel of Peace, a great classic Third Century Aramaic Manuscript, was translated into English by Edmond Bordeaux Szekely. In this book, Jesus describes in complete detail how to heal oneself of all disease using fasting. I use this book as my own personal guide and I recommend it highly.
Water fasting can be very extreme and difficult on the individual, too much weight loss too quickly along with detoxification being much more uncomfortable and even dangerous. Dr. Paavo Airola, in his book, How to Keep Slim Healthy and Young with Juice Fasting (Health Plus Publishers, 1971) confirms this when he mentions that, “The vital elements of the raw juices do not disrupt the healing and rejuvenating process of autolysis, or self-digestion, as suggested by some water fast proponents.”
For most people, who are basically healthy, it is possible to take on a short (3-5 days) fresh organic juice fast on their own. However, for anyone with any serious medical issues, they should fast under a doctor’s supervision and care.
Juice Fasting will enable and give you hope and inspiration to keep on the road to a more harmonious and simpler life. A well architected juice fasting program can re-educate your mind, your body and your spirit, while helping you re-evaluate your past and create a better future. It’s an opportunity to make time for you!
There are some contraindications. If you are suffering from any serious condition or disease requiring the monitoring of a physician, juice fasting is not advised. Pregnant or nursing mothers may not fast, nor may the extremely malnourished children under 18. If you have more than 40 lbs of excess weight, whether you are on any medication or not, you will need to speak with your MD to confirm that a short juice fast will be safe for you.
Ideally, to have the most success, I recommend a pre-fast preparation of just eating light soups, raw foods and drinking fresh organic juices for two weeks before the actual fasting week, and then a return to that program after the fast. A program such as this can be done safely a few times per year. Expect to lose about a lb per day.
There are many types of fasts and different lengths. Choosing the right type will come about from your own research and/or the advice of a professional. Some fasts are easier than others. I personally find that shorter fasts (1-3 days) are more difficult, since once you get past the third day, the process gets easier, so why stop there. You have momentum on your side.
If you are going to juice fast, the first thing you need is a juicer. I recommend the Champion juicer, which runs about $200-250. For a higher end juicer that will also juice wheat grass, then you need The Green Star which is in the $450 range. If you absolutely can’t afford either of these, then I recommend The Breville Juice Fountain Plus for $150, which you can buy at Bed Bath and Beyond. (use your 20% discount card and pay $130) This may seem like a lot of money, but it will pay for itself in thousands of dollars in saved medical bills over the years.
Now you will need to locate a source of organically grown fruits and vegetables. Choose a variety of fruits and veggies. See some recipes on my website HYPERLINK "http://www.circle-of-life.net ." No vitamin supplements will be necessary during your fast as you will be ingesting a wide variety of fresh natural vitamins in the juices. You should dilute your juices with steam distilled water. Drink 8-12 oz of the juice and water every two or three hours. Drink water, tea and homemade broth in between the juices. Do not drink bottled juices. Juices need to be prepared fresh if at all possible. If you must go to work, and can’t do that, then prepare the juice in the morning and refrigerate.
An important part of your fast is HYPERLINK "http://www.medical-library.net/sites/_colon_cleansing.html
Between the second to fifth day of your fast, you will encounter a number of disagreeable symptoms such as headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, coated tongue, etc. This represents the release of stored toxins from their intracellular storage space. This is a good, although unpleasant, sign. When it passes, cleansing is almost complete.
The largest problem you will encounter during your fast will be your addictions to chewing, tasting and the experience of being full of solid food. You will miss these items as an alcoholic misses the bottle. The best way to handle this situation is to have cleared your living space of solid food and always have on hand a plentiful supply of fresh fruits and vegetables from which to make juice. Fasting is confrontational from all directions - your mind will rebel. Just keep going, drink more and focus on yourself. This rebellion allows you to find out what you must do to face these thoughts and work through them.
If you have other major addictions, give them up during the fast; certainly give up tobacco, alcohol and drugs if any of these are in your life. You will be amazed at how high you can get without chemicals — much higher than with.
Juice Fasting is a start and must go hand in hand with a natural lifestyle. Enjoy your shift to caring more and more about yourself. You deserve it!
" colon cleansing. When you stop taking in solid food there is nothing to push out the food which is already in your colon. It therefore putrefies and adds even more toxicity to your system. The best way to accomplish this is to make an appointment with a colon therapist for the second day of your fast and have a thorough cleansing. As an alternative, you would need to do enemas every day along with a Smooth Move tea in the evening.
