The following is a guest blog post by April Fazzini who used to prepare and deliver raw food in and around St. George, Utah. ‘I had never really considered doing a juice fast. I eat a lot of raw food and I live pretty clean but the idea of a juice fast just never crossed my mind. I always figured nature provides perfectly balanced food, including the important fiber which we lose through juicing.
Then my friend Jim told me he was interested in a juice fast and wanted to know if I could conduct it. When he asked me about it, the thought of doing a juice fast suddenly sounded pretty interesting. I had been on a little vacation and had eaten and drank things that are normally forbidden for me (doughnuts and coffee of all things!! At least they were vegan!) So I said YES to Jim, I will conduct a juice fast upon my return and we will do it together.
My research proved to me that there are some big benefits to a short juice fast for an already healthy person and even greater benefits of juicing for someone who is not in great health. Here are just a few facts I found interesting about juicing:
Some of the benefits of fasting are:
- The breaking down of fats stored in the body (via a process called autolysis, which releases the fat cells through the bloodstream so that they can be utilized by the liver).
- Elimination and neutralization of stored toxins in the body from the major organs, including the skin, which is technically your largest organ.
- Cleansing and clearing the colon of undigested food, thus improving elimination and overall well-being.
- A natural healing process occurs when the attention of the body is drawn away from the digestive system. Approximately 30% of our daily energy is channeled into digesting and metabolizing the food that we eat – so when we limit our intake to water, juice, or specially combined drinks (as I will describe below) many fasters experience surges of energy and vitality.
- Weight loss is generally a by-product of fasting, but people often gain back at least half of the weight when returning to normal eating.
Drinking fresh, organic greens and certain fruits (apples play a big role in the liver/gall bladder detox) sends the nutrients DIRECTLY into the bloods stream and to the cells. The flood of beneficial vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants to the organs (especially those that are functioning below par) can cause an accelerated reaction, releasing unpleasant-feeling toxins into the bloodstream. Juice fasting is indispensable for people who are seeking to recover from acute conditions, such as diabetes, or life-threatening disease, such as cancer or auto-immune disorders.
Lunch…
It breaks some of the addictive eating patterns that evolve slowly but surely over our regular regimen.
After reading about all the benefits of fasting I was pretty excited about starting. We decided to break ourselves in we would still do a green smoothie in the morning which contained fiber and even some flax and chia seeds. For lunch we would sip on a large glass jug of very green juice which varied from day to day but was almost always all vegetable and no fruit. For supper we would have something a bit more exotic such as carrot, cabbage and ginger juice. If we were really hungry in the evening I provided some simple sunflower seed cheese which was blended to a puree and helped me to be able to sleep at night.
The first day was pretty easy. I still went to Zumba class and walked around outside carrying my toddler, getting plenty of physical activity. I was certainly ready for my evening juice by 7pm. I did need the seed cheese and I had a little avocado before bed. Well, it was the first day and I was adjusting so I forgave myself and looked forward to the next day. One thing I did wonder about is if I gave my body something more complex such as an avocado to digest, would I still get the benefit of the cleanse. I guess I will just have to stick with all juice to see what really happens…
…..Day 3 of the juice fast wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. I did cheat and have a tiny salad with a bit of avocado in the evening of Day 2, but today I have stuck to the juice with just a bit of seed cheese. I feel really good. I have more mental clarity, my normal food cravings ( almond butter on toast and dark chocolate, oh and wine… ) are going away and I am really just wanting juice.
This cleanse is teaching me the power of food in a new way. Giving more power to the mind and body by resting the digestive system is incredibly powerful and healing. I know what I will be doing if I feel a cold coming on in future….juice!’
One of the reasons I wanted to do this raw juice cleanse was to begin the process of removing the heavy metals in my body that I’ve discussed in other posts on this blog. I often don’t mention it in speaking with my customers, but it’s a great idea to do a cleanse or a heavy metals detox after purchasing one of my water purification systems. Your body will naturally begin to cleanse once you start drinking appropriately filtered water. You can help it along and move down the path to a longer and healthier life…
