Juice Fasts

Juice fasting is one of the more extreme forms of detoxification.  The duration of a juice fast can be anywhere from one to 30 days, and the idea is to consume only fresh, organic raw fruit and vegetable juices and water; no solid food at all.  Juice fasting is an effective way to detoxify the body because juices are extremely high in vitamins, antioxidants, and other nutrients.  Certain vegetables and fruits work to detoxify in specific ways; for example, beets specifically target the liver, while leafy greens work to have an overall alkalizing effect on the system.  Juices also only contain complex carbohydrates, which the body digests quickly, expending very little energy to do so.  When the burden of digesting is removed from other organs, especially the liver whose job it is to filter out every single toxin that enters the body, they can rest, thereby enabling a much more complete and effective detoxification.  Depending on how long the juice fast lasts and because juices typically contain very little fiber, practices such as enemas or colon hydrotherapy are often used supplementarily with juice fasts to empty the colon and keep digestion working properly.

Because juice fasts are so powerful, usually a preparation diet is implemented seven to 10 days before a juice fast begins to help reduce die-off symptoms.  Preparation diets involve eliminating foods from the diet that contain toxins or are particularly hard to digest; some examples include alcohol, coffee, refined sugar, dairy, meat and any processed foods.  When these foods are eliminated for a few days beforehand, the body can create a baseline to detoxify from.

Reasons to do a juice fast vary, but weight loss is a big one.  Others include improving overall appearance, or breaking a bad habit such as drinking too much coffee or smoking.  It’s amazing how, when a cleanse like this is over, the body really has no craving or tolerance for toxic foods and behaviors!

To do a juice fast, the only tools necessary are lots of organic fruits and vegetables and a good juicer.  As with any detox diet, knowledge and caution is key, and there are types of people who shouldn’t do a juice fast.  These types include those with low blood sugar or diabetes, pregnant or nursing women, and those who have had recent surgeries.  People who do juice fasts also have to be careful about nutrient deficiency, which is why it’s recommended to start with one that lasts only one to three days.

What To Expect When You’re Detoxing

Up until now I’ve avoided talking about detox diets and other forms of detoxing in which one must change something internally for detoxing’s sake.  External forms of detoxing, such as infrared sauna or massage, are so much easier to work with and, obviously, physically passive.  There is much more effort involved with active internal detoxification; primarily, one must follow whichever diet targets the problem, this often being a huge feat in itself (Anyone ever tried eating raw for an extended period of time?  Admirable, but not easy.).  Secondarily, however, one must be ready to deal with detoxification symptoms, which are often unpleasant and can be confusing if the person doesn’t know what’s going on.

To help explain why these symptoms ensue, I’d first like to reiterate why people choose to do detoxes in the first place.  As it happens, the standard American diet, followed by most people who live in the U.S., is full of sugar and unhealthy fats and devoid of nutrients.  I think it’s safe to argue that our bodies are not made up to work too well while inundated with these foods.  Because of the lack of nutrients assimilated, the body being fed a standard American diet has no choice but to try and (unsuccessfully) assimilate what it’s given, which results in the toxins in our food (sugar, fat, preservatives, etc.) building up inside. These toxins cause the body to not function properly.  This is why there is an alarmingly high obesity, cancer, and heart disease rate in our society.  This is also why many people feel sick and tired all the time, but can’t pinpoint why.

The human body does a lot of detoxing itself, and we feel symptoms from it all the time!  For example, sweating, coughing, runny noses, and diarrhea are all forms of detoxification in varying degrees.  So, when a detox is imposed on the body in a more aggressive way, as in the form of a diet, symptoms will logically ensue as toxins move through the bloodstream but are not out of the body yet.  Detox symptoms vary, but here are a few to expect:

-fatigue/inability to think clearly

-headache

-fever

-other cold or flu symptoms

-gas/gastrointestinal discomfort

-irritability/moodiness

-skin rash

This is not an easy process, and the severity of the symptoms depend on several factors, two of which are:

1) What the diet consists of, and how aggressive it is

2) How fast the detox is imposed on the body

Before beginning a detox it is extremely important to research it and exercise caution; in other words, don’t go from eating non-organic red meat and fast food everyday to being a vegetarian overnight.  However, it’s good to keep in mind that die-off symptoms are actually a good sign in that they show that the body is responding and toxins are getting cleared away.  The sooner this starts to happen, the sooner it’ll stop, and you will be one step closer to feeling better overall!