Fasting

There are gentle ways to begin fasting for those who have never tried it before or who have problems of weight and congestion.  One suggestion is to do a "mono-fruit" fast, where you eat only one fruit, such as watermelon or grapes for no more than four days.  The great news about a "mono-fruit" fast is that you can eat as much as you want.  In summer, during watermelon season, this can be rather fun.  We recommend tapering off caffeine, meat, dairy, alcohol and recreational drugs before beginning any of these, otherwise your "withdrawal" symptoms will be extremely unpleasant.

Another excellent introduction to fasting, from Eldon Haas, M.D.'s book called Detox Diet, is to eat only one meal a day, in the mid-afternoon.  It should be a meal of either vegetables and fish or chicken breast or vegetables and rice.  Water, juices, teas and some fresh fruit or vegetable snacks can be eaten at other times.  According to Dr. Haas, "people on this plan start to detoxify slowly, lose some weight, and after a few days feel pretty sound.  The chance of any strong symptoms developing during this transition time or during a subsequent fast is greatly minimized."

 If you're not healthy, which is to say if you're one of what Jeffrey Bland Ph.D. refers to as the "walking wounded," it would really help to first read some books on detox to understand the process.  Dr. Bland's book, The 20-Day Rejuvenation Diet Program, presents an excellent example of a scientifically based program by which a person can begin the detoxification process and understand what's happening.  The book is also an excellent reference for skeptics.  Dr. Bland's credentials are first-rate.  He is CEO of the largest privately funded biochemical research lab in the country devoted to nutritional research.    

Toxins will be reentering the bloodstream in a hurry when you fast, and there are a lot of steps that you can take to control the rate at which they enter the bloodstream.  We especially recommend C.J. Puotinen's Herbs for Detoxification, a very short, inexpensive and highly readible book with a great section on how to control what are referred to as cleansing reactions.  

Here's one easy rule to remember.  Fruit juices speed cleansing reactions.  Vegetable juices slow them.  So if you decide to fast and you're feeling more headachy, jittery and spacey from the effect of the toxins, drink vegetable juices rather than fruit juices.  Adding "green" supplements, that is, powders containing chlorophyll, such as barley grass and spirulina, can also help a lot by giving your body some real green protein that won't interfere with the fast, but will help you maintain energy.

If you're pregnant or lactating, fasting is not recommended.  Other conditions for which fasting is not recommended are if you're underweight, generally fatigued, have low immunity, a weak heart, low blood pressure, cardiac arrythmias, are in a pre- or postsurgery period, have cancer, peptic ulcers or if you have nutritional deficiencies.

You're going to absolutely need two things:  Time to rest while you're fasting.  Don't plan a lot of activities for the time when you're fasting.  You're missing the point.   The idea is to give your ENTIRE body time to catch up on its housecleaning activities.  If you're running around, or under pressure to perform in any way, you're creating extra stress on your self.  You're better off choosing or staying with a transitional diet, such as the one-meal-a-day diet mentioned above, the gentle detox or the transitional diet of grains (not wheat) and vegetables.  

The other thing you're going to need for fasting, and detox in general, is either a juicer (preferred), a good blender, or convenient access to a health food store that has fresh juices made daily.  Bottled or canned juices aren't going to work.  They don't provide the nutrients you need.  Also, when you've made the decision to so something so great and powerful for your health, you deserve the treat that great fresh juices are to your palate as well as your system.  We also recommend organic fruits and vegetables, all the time if you have access and can possibly afford them, but definitely while fasting.  The idea is to get the toxins out of your body, not add more.

Fasting is a subject on which a lot has been written, but after reading all the words, if you don't try it yourself, you've again missed the point.  It's experiential.  It's also different for everyone, so there's no way to really know how it will be for you without trying.  It does, however, have the potential to change your life.  It is a spiritual as well as a physical experience.  

Given what's been said above, if you're not quite ready to fast, you can begin the detoxification process by a GRADUAL improvement in your diet.  See Pre-Detox - Critical Early Steps toward Successful Detox.
 

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