A CLEANSING FAST

We all know that the engine that runs well for years is the one that has undergone regular maintenance, and this is why I recommend a gentle cleansing fast, repeated once or twice a year. I suggest combining the fast with the use of herbal detoxifiers, and following it by a week of supportive digestive enzymes while gently reintroducing your regular diet, using that period to emphasize raw foods and eliminate animal products.

I believe that fasting and detoxification go together hand in hand.

They will all be glad of an opportunity to cleanse and rest, and nearly always (particularly if this is a process you repeat at regular intervals) benefit considerably from the break, and function at increased efficiency thereafter.

During the Muslim fast of Ramadan, this period of time, nothing is eaten or drunk between sunrise and sunset, to honor a religious commitment. The interesting thing to me is that until modern times, fasting was part of all religious life. Even more interesting is the extent to which many religious precepts were actually based on maintaining the health of the believer.

The Old Testament frequently mentions fasting, and  in the New Testament we have the 40 day  fast in the Wilderness. The Lenten Fast followed Fat Tuesday in Christian history: I often wonder caustically as I watch Mardi Gras excesses, how many of those who take part honor the SECOND part of the ritual.

Prior to this age of easy access to rich, but not necessarily nutritious, food it was common to go through cycles of plain fare interspersed with feasts: nowadays, we feast every day, in the sense that whatever we want is easily available to us . Imagine then, how overloaded the systems of the body become, when the organs involved in processing our nourishment are expected to operate at peak capacity all the time. It is no wonder that they become so overworked that at times they can no longer function properly. They need a rest! Modern Americans NEED to fast occasionally.

For many others, however, who wish to return their digestive and eliminative system to proper order, I recommend a three day cleansing fast. Personally, I try to schedule a one day fast once a month, and a 3 day fast every 3 months or so.

•  The morning of the first day, I eat a light breakfast, and for the rest of the day, I drink only water. I have some herbal compounds I use to stimulate cleansing, and some bulking agents to keep things moving through. See the "Recommended products", below at right,  for suggestions.

•  The second day, I use single juices, spring water, and if I'm desperate, vegetable bouillon. 

•  The third day, I break my fast in the evening with some nourishing soup, and then gradually return to my normal diet over the next two or three days. What I gain from this is energy, relief from minor digestive problems, and a feeling of satisfaction from the discipline I have imposed on myself: what I lose is usually between 5 and 7 pounds of weight, some of it water weight, some accumulated debris .

Most holistic health practitioners who are dealing with clients suffering from chronic health problems, will recommend at least a short fast at the beginning of treatment: I had one Naturopathic doctor whom I greatly admire tell me that you cannot expect to erect a new home on the same site as the old, without tearing the old structure down first!

During your Fast

Breakfast: 1 cup apple juice. If you have access to the less sweet varieties, so much the better.

Mid-morning: 1 cup carrot juice

Lunch: vegetable soup made from a blend of carrots, zucchini, pumpkin, celery, parsley & garlic.

Mid-afternoon: 1 cup of 1/2 and 1/2 mix of carrot and apple juice .

Dinner: 1 cup apple juice.

Keep some bouillon and almonds handy for moments of desperation. As much pure water as you like may be taken. It helps control hunger pangs, too!

Come off the fast gradually and carefully for the first 4 days:

I usually add a cleansing program to my fast, consisting of a gentle herbal cleanse, and a fiber combination.  I recommend RenewLife's CleanseSmart.

 It is also a natural method of healing, originally prescribed by Doctor Nature: our friends the animals are still familiar with this treatment, and will naturally fast when they are out of sorts. When your body begins to slow down, fast! It is a simple first step towards restoration of radiant health.