7-DAY JUICE FASTING

Juicing offers plenty of benefits, so does fasting. The benefits of fasting can be so broad that it affects the physical, mental, and spiritual aspect of an individual. It works by redirecting the body’s energy from constantly digesting food to detoxifying and repairing and healing the body tissues and organs. When you combine these two, juicing and fasting, then the result is amazing.

Fasting has the following benefits:

·         Puts the digestive system to rest

·         Cleanses and detoxifying the body

·         Improves physical conditions such as allergies, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, asthma and fatigue

·         Increases the energy level

·         Aligns emotional patterns

·         Improves mental clarity and focus

·         Enhances intuitiveness and spiritual connection

When internal organs and tissues are cleansed, the body is purified and the psychological and spiritual aspects become well. When fasting is combined with yoga and meditation, you get the maximum benefits.

Types of fasting

·         Partial fasting – includes some amount of solids such as bread or rice but not hard-to-digest animal meats

·         Dry fasting – no food or water for a limited period.

·         Water fasting – can be quite severe for a beginner because the body is completely deprived of nutrients but it delivers quick detox results;

·         Fruit & vegetable juice fasting – a gentle and popular way of fasting because the digestive organs are rested yet the body receives some amount of beneficial nutrients.

Juicing

Juicing is an easy way to get the important phytochemicals, electrolytes, antioxidants and enzymes to provide energy and cleanse the body. Fruits and vegetables can be combined and more colors you have, the more varied the nutrients you get, according to dieticians. . For a better taste, use more fruits than vegetables. It will have more calories than if you use more vegetables than fruits. However, plants have both antioxidant and digestive enzymes needed by the body. Our bodies have a limited ability to produce enzymes and juicing is effective in providing enzymes and minerals such as iron, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and folic acid.  

If you don’t have a juicer, a blender will do. Yet the more expensive juicers are powerful enough to break down even the core and rind so you can still have the fiber in your diet. The skin and pulp of fruits and vegetables contain more vitamins and minerals than the fleshy parts. Don’t discard these parts; just wash your produce and your hands very well. Wash the juicer well after each use. A juicer has an advantage in providing a more concentrated juice that can be quickly absorbed by the body without requiring energy for digestion. The rind and pulp parts will provide the fiber that your body needs. Fiber gives a feeling of fullness and prevents overeating.  As the body also needs protein, add a little protein to your juice by throwing in flaxseed, almond milk, Greek yogurt, or peanut butter. Protein is necessary for building and repairing tissues, for producing hormones, enzymes, and other body chemicals. Proteins are macronutrients needed by the bones, muscles, cartilages, skin, and blood but unfortunately, the body does not store enough protein, so it must be added to the diet on a daily basis. The body can quickly absorb the nutrients from juices than from solid foods. Juicing provides the most concentrated solution of nutrients from vegetables and fruits. Recovery from illness is therefore quicker.

 Juice fasting

Fasting is certainly a part of a juice diet. Fasting with juicing is one of the best ways to fast. This method of fasting helps in weight loss, detoxification, healing, and improving spiritual acuity and connection. This may last from 3 days or up to 2-3 weeks depending on your preference and experience. Juice fasting ensures that the body gets nutrients even during the fast.  

Consult a doctor before starting juicing or juice fasting to prevent any nutrient interactions. Leafy greens such as spinach and kale have high Vitamin K content. Vitamin K is an important nutrient but it promotes blood clotting to prevent bleeding. Other plant sources may have more of a certain nutrient that creates an imbalance. Your doctor

may interview you to find out what will work best for you. If you are new to juicing or juice fasting, start with a shorter and more manageable program such as three days. It is better to get used to shorter juice fasting and succeed than to fail and abandon a longer program. Once you’ve succeeded in a 3-day juice fast, then you can move to a 7-day more intensive juice fasting.

Side Effects of Juicing or Juice Fasting

This health regimen may have certain disadvantages. These are:

·         If you take only pure fruits and vegetables without blending in fiber and protein, your energy levels could fluctuate because your body is adjusting to the lesser calories you are consuming. The sugars in the fruits will cause a sudden burst of energy but you may also feel fatigued after a short period. Be sure to add sources of protein such as nuts.

·         The lack of protein may prompt the body to draw from the reserved body protein such as muscle mass. This will lead to weakness;

·         The body may use stored fats to produce energy and this will result in a by-product called ketones. This by-product produces the distinct smell in perspiration.

·         Some fruits or the raw veggies can cause either diarrhea or constipation depending on the amounts and combinations included in the juice.  

·         Organic vegetables are usually grown from soil with horse and chicken manure and could contain harmful organisms if not washed well. So clean your fruits and vegetables very well.

·         Non-organic fruits and vegetables could contain harmful pesticides and insecticides that are also harmful to humans. Better get your produce from a small-scale farmer/grower who do not use chemicals.  

During the first couple of days of your juicing, you may experience lightheadedness, nausea, headaches, muscle weakness, diarrhea, constipation, lethargy, or general body aches. Your body will adjust accordingly.

Juice Fasting and Exercise

Supplement your juice fasting with simple aerobic exercises in the morning. This will help your body to adjust to your dietary change faster.  The energy produced during the exercise will sustain you throughout the day. According to Dr. Mercola’s study, fasting before aerobic training leads to reduction in both body weight and body fat. The combination of fasting and exercising maximizes the impact of cellular factors that break down fat and glycogen for energy and it counteracts muscle aging, recycles and rejuvenates the brain and muscle tissues. This means that juicing or juice fasting combined with exercise may actually help to keep the brain, neuro-motors, and muscle fibers young. Exercise will also help you sleep better at night. Morning exercise increases mental acuity and helps you to stay focused on positive choices and decisions throughout the day.

Juice Fasting, Meditation, and Yoga

Fasting is for the body as meditation is to the soul. This combination is highly beneficial for balancing the mind, body, and soul. The right fasting and meditation can increase awareness. Deep relaxation changes our bodies on a genetic level, according to a comprehensive study at Harvard Medical School. They found that long-term practitioners of relaxation methods such as meditation, deep breathing, and yoga have more “disease-fighting genes” than those who do not practice such. In two months, the relaxation effect helped fight inflammation, kill diseased cells, and protect the body from cancer. While fasting, the desired effects of meditation are achieved quicker and better. The more people practice meditation, the healthier they become.
Yoga, which includes breathing and stretching exercises, helps to remove body wastes such as carbon dioxide, lactic acid, and lymphatic fluid from the deep tissues and extremities of the body that other exercises don’t achieve. Yoga, meditation and fasting go hand in hand.  Yoga helps in achieving a new level of physical, mental, and spiritual awareness.  

Juice Fasting when you have Diabetes

Pure fruit juice is harmful to diabetics because it causes a sharp spike in blood sugar.  Medical advice is important before starting any juicing program. Fiber-rich vegetables and whole fruit counterpart is recommended instead. The guide for diabetics recommends 80% veggies and 20% whole fruit with ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon. This juice should be taken in small amounts throughout the day.  There are vegetables that have some protein in them and these include legume sprouts, beetroot, turnip greens, kale, silver beet, broccoli, celery, fresh corn, peas, and asparagus.  For the 20% fruit part, apples, banana, and avocado can be used. Exercise is highly recommended.

Recipes for the diabetic: (Each recipe is good for 2 servings)

1.   Day 1 – 1 apple, 1 cup blueberries, 2 lemons, min, 1 cucumber, 1-2 cups of spinach

2.   Day 2 – 5 kale leaves, 1 cup spinach, fresh ginger, 2 lemons, 1 green apple, 2 seeded tomatoes

3.   Day 3 -  1 cup broccoli, 1 cup spinach, 1 cup avocado, ½ cup asparagus, 1 small banana

4.   Day 4 - ½ almond milk, 7 pcs. Grapes, 1 cup corn, 1 cup spinach

5.   Day 5 – ½ head of green cabbage, 1 carrot, 2 tomatoes, 2 pcs. Celery, 1 lemon, 1 bell pepper

6.   Day 6 – 1 cup cauliflower, 1 cup spinach, 1 green apple, 1 carrot, 1 banana, ½ orange

7.   Day 7 - 2 pcs. carrots, 5 pcs. asparagus, 1 cup fresh pineapple, ½ cup sprouts, 1 pc. celery

Detox juice recipes for everyone

1.   Day 1 – Lemon, ginger, 1 carrot, 1 banana, basil leaves, and 1 cup fresh pineapple with core

2.   Day 2 – 2 apples, 2 carrots, 5 silverbeet leaves, 1 cup avocado, grapefruit,

3.   Day 3 – 1 cup broccoli, 1 cup spinach, 2 apples, 1 cup strawberry, 1 cup fresh pineapple with core,

4.   Day 4 – 2 cucumbers, ½ cup kale, ½ cup spinach, 2 tablespoon parsley, 1 lemon

5.   Day 5 – 2 carrots, 2 apples, 2 cucumbers, 1 cup avocado, 1 banana, 1 orange

6.   Day 6 – 2 cucumbers, 1 cup strawberries, 2 apples, 1 cup grapes

7.   Day 7 – 1 cup asparagus, 2 cucumbers, 2 apples, 2 bananas, nuts/almonds,

Coconut water is good for everyone. It can be taken at anytime during the day, but not on an empty stomach. Lemon water can be taken at anytime during the day.   

Colon Cleansing and Juice Fasting  

The maximum effects of detoxification can be achieved by going through a colon cleansing procedure during the juice fasting. It helps to remove undigested waste as well as the hardened fecal matter inside the colon.  

Herbal Teas 

Drinking purified water and herbal teas simultaneously with fruit and vegetable juicing can further help achieve the best results, usually, detoxification, weight loss, wellness, and awareness. An example of herbal tea is chamomile tea which treats skin rashes and insomnia.  Herbal infusions or tisane may contain select leaves, ripe fruits, flowers, grasses, nuts, barks, or seeds. These teas can help in digestion and relief of inflammation. Other types of detox teas are lemon tea, ginger tea, green tea, or the combinations of these teas.

Combining two or more of these methods of body cleansing will definitely help you achieve results that are better and quicker than if you are using only one method of body cleansing. Copyright 2014, Maria Francia Bengco