A wise man once said, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their diets."
What a fit description of the seemingly endless battles that we fight to lose weight and to stay healthy and vital for as long as humanly possible!
Up and down, up and down, your metabolism bounces between walking pace and light speed; you have nightmares about celery sticks; you can work out the exact calorie count of every meal in 2.5 seconds; and the wheels on your exercise bike spontaneously combusted months ago.
In short, you wear yourself out and end up landing on a bottom that, despite all your best efforts, still looks like a pair of bowling balls.
Juice fasting is a great way to get off the dieting rollercoaster and see real results quickly. Safe and effective when carried out correctly, juice fasting benefits your entire being:
Your physical wellbeing increases as the body is rid of toxins and excess fat.
Your mind benefits because fasting creates a stillness that brings mental clarity and helps you to develop will power and to better control your senses.
As you lose weight and feel much better about yourself, self-esteem improves and sets you on the road to what could be a life changing experience, connecting you to your spirit and helping you to achieve balance in your life.
Juice Fasting and Weight Loss
A juice fast is a great way to shed some extra pounds, especially when you're in a hurry. During the fast the body uses its own stored substances and, at the same time, detoxifies. A healthy combination of juices squeezed from fresh fruits and vegetables adds vitamins, minerals and trace elements to the body.
Because your only source of nourishment during the fast is water and the juices that you drink, it's imperative that the juices you drink contain the maximum possible amounts of enzymes, vitamins and other nutrients in the fresh produce.
Many of the juicers on the market process the fresh fruits and veggies in a way that destroys many of the nutrients in the food. A top quality juicer such as the Oscar VitalMax juicer is an excellent tool for the job because it serves up living juices. The food is processed in such a way that it retains as many nutrients and essential enzymes as possible.
Juice fasting is a much better diet option than fad diets. Fad diets literally starve the body of nutrients. On the other hand, juice fasting provides the body with the nutrients it needs for vibrant health, helping to fix any chemical imbalances in the body - even those created by fad diets.
Juice Fasting and Detoxification
Juice fasting for detoxification is probably the most well-known usage of this particular type of fast. Juice fasting allows the organs of the body to rest, cleansing and revitalising them. The organs' functioning is much better, which in turn aids in the digestion of food and production of energy for day to day life.
Juice fasting may also be helpful for the treatment and prevention of fluid retention.
Juice Fasting: How To
Before launching into a fast, it's a good idea to begin preparing the body a week ahead. Cut out or reduce nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, sugar and wheat. Ideally the diet prior to fasting should consist mainly of fruits, vegetables and beans.
If you've never fasted before it might be a good idea to limit your first fast to three or four days. Sometimes abstaining from food entirely is a bit much, so it's ok to eat fresh fruit or veggies if your stomach is complaining.
Now its time to get juicing! If you can't make your own juices buy them from a health food shop - the fresher, the better. The GreenPower Kempo juicer is another excellent juicer that produces high quality juices to help you to get the best possible result from your fast.
Mix between one and three parts of pure water with your juice of choice. To get you started, here a few tasty recipes courtesy of Fasting to Freedom, by Tom McGregor:
Jogger's Paradise
3 oranges
2 hard pears
1 small yam
Mix and add a little crushed ice. Great for energy.
A Taste of Heaven
2 carrots
1 sweet potato
2 apples
Thin slice of Spanish onion
Pinch of Dulse powder
For energy and endurance.
Red Ice
1 beet
1 sweet potato
2 apples
1 lemon
1 tomato
Thin slice of Spanish onion
1 garlic clove
½ can of frozen apple concentrate
Sit back and relax!
With the aid of a good juicer or fresh juice from a health shop, give yourself a power up and try a juice fast. Better than any fad diet, you can stop running yourself ragged. It's a great way to remove toxins from the body, to lose weight, and to improve your health and wellbeing.
Look better, feel better, be healthier than ever before!
Please note: It's always safest to get the advice of a health care professional before making drastic changes to your diet, particularly if aren't well to start with. Even natural juices can interfere with medication and you should consult your doctor before fasting.
