Fasting

Fasting with Fruit and Vegetable Juices for Detox

What is Fasting?

A fast is the act of reducing or eliminating all or certain foods from your diet. Many detox diets contain a fasting component where foods high in fats, chemicals and toxins are eliminated for a specified period of time. This fasting period of a detox diet serves the purpose reducing burden to the body and allowing the body’s natural detox organs time to recover. Generally, these fasts do not require complete abstinence from food and includes recipes for fruit and vegetable juices as a supplement to the fasting.

Fasting is practiced not only by detox enthusiasts but also by numerous religions for its spiritual aspect. This is because in the early stages of a fast, the body burns off excess calories and you may feel healthier, more energized and have a clearer state of mind. It is also this reaction that lead many to think fasting is an excellent way to lose weight. As good as this may sound, it is not the case. The body burns excess stored fat when it consumes less calorie than it spends, so it is natural for weight loss to occur during the fast. However, a fast does not increase our metabolism so right after our fast ends, our body will absorb extra nutrients to make up for lost time. You can learn more about detoxand weight loss in our article How Detox Affects Weight Loss.

Does this mean there is no reason for fasting? The answer lies in the purpose of fasting during a detox. During the fast, the body burns stored body fat due to the reduced calorie consumption. It is also within these fat cells that toxins and unprocessed chemicals are stored. Therefore, it is during the fasting component of a detox that the body extracts and expels the built up toxins. This process of eliminating toxins and reducing future toxinsfrom entering our body is known as detox. By clearing our body of built up toxins, we are giving it a new start. In, this way, you can think of fasting as a spring cleaning for our body; although the direct benefits of the fast is a clean and healthy body, we still need to continue taking care of it after the fast or we will go right back to where we found it.

How Often and How Long You Should Fast

How often and how long you fast are generally dictated by your health status, age and purpose for fasting. Most detox programs calls for fasts in the following ranges. Please consult your health care provider for more details on fasting and what your specific physical limitations are.

• Once a week for 1 day (24 Hours)
• Once a month for 3 days
• Four times a year for 1 week (experienced fasters only)

Who Should Not Fast

Fasting is highly not recommended for pregnant or nursing mothers. Others individuals that should not fast or should only fast under strict monitoring by their primary health provider are: underweight, low immunity, poor heart health, low blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmias, are in a pre- or postsurgery period, cancer patients, peptic ulcers or those with nutritional deficiencies. Remember, although fasting is important, it is possible to replace the fasting component of a detox with long-term healthy eating habits. You may also refer to our guide Who Should Detox for more on information on detox limitations.

Fruit Juice Fasting

A general rule is that using fruit juices as a supplement for detoxfasting speeds up the cleaning reactions. This is especially useful if the purpose for the fast is a quick cleanse for yourdetox. The cons for using a fruit fast is that by speeding up the detoxing reactions, you are also releasing toxins at a quicker rate into your body. Therefore, we only recommend fruit juice fasting if you are already in moderate to good health. Below are some excellent fruits and their function for fasting.

Apple Juice – Good for constipation, cleansing the gall bladder and kidneys, reduces inflammation in the body, lowers cholesterol.

Cranberry Juice – Excellent for bladder infections, cleansing to the kidneys, controls diabetes by lowering blood sugar, some report that it is helpful for some cancers.

Grape Juice – Good for edema (swelling), detoxifying toxins from the body and blood, an overall blood cleanser, also helpful for cancer.

Papaya Juice – Great for digestive disorders, ulcers and heartburn; treats inflammation and may reduce back pain.

Lemon Juice – Fantastic overall body cleanser, purifies the blood, cleanses the digestive track of mucus, stimulates production of liver enzymes, supports the liver in its detoxifying functions, restores pH in the colon.

Watermelon – A natural diuretic and great blood cleanser; reduces inflammation and good for canker sores. Many nutritionists like to juice the rind as well.

Vegetable Fasting

Vegetable juices as a supplement for detox fasting slows down cleansing reactions. This is effective if your goal is a slow and long-term cleanse. You can juice your vegetables in a blender and adding water as needed. Below are some vegetables commonly used duringdetox fasts and their function.

Carrots – Carrots are, perhaps, the most valuable vegetable for juicing because of their healing properties. It is the usual base to which other juices are added. Although it has a high sugar content, the blend of ingredients in carrot juice cannot be excelled for balanced nutrition.

Celery – Celery is high in minerals and is a significant source for magnesium. It does not stand alone as a palatable juice for drinking, but it is an excellent flavor enhancer for other juices. Chopping the celery stalks into short pieces will help to prevent the long celery strings from clogging the juicer. Be sure to juice the leaves as well.

Cucumber – Cucumbers are an excellent addition to a mix of vegetables for juicing. They are high in potassium and contain other minerals as well.

Parsley – Parsley an excellent source of chlorophyll. Juice it with other vegetables in order to prevent clogging the juicer with the dense pulp that forms when it is juiced alone.

Spinach – Spinach juice is very mellowing to a strong flavored mix of vegetable juices. It is rich in minerals and vitamins.

Important Information for Your Fast

You don’t have to use just vegetable or fruit juice for fasting. In fact, it is usually beneficial to use a mix of vegetables and fruits for your fasting juice. You can refer to your specificdetox program for more information on what mix of fruits and vegetables are best for your specific needs.

One thing you will need during the fasting component of your detox is time to rest. Don’t plan a lot of activities for when you will be fasting. Doing otherwise is missing the point. The idea is to give your entire body time to catch up on its cleansing activities. If you’re running around, or under pressure, then you are creating extra stress and you are better off with a transitional diet that mixes healthy eating with reduced meals for the detox.

There are a lot of written articles and resources on fasting and fasting for a detox in particular. However, a fast is something you must experience for yourself as it is a different experience for everyone. We hope this article has provided you the resource to start a safe fast for your detox.

Juice Fasting to Lose Weight

Some Tips on Juice Fasting to Lose Weight

If you are planning on juice fasting to lose weight then reading this will benefit you. There are some things that you will need to be prepared for if you decide to go on a juice fasting diet, and the more that you know, the better your chances will be of succeeding. Follow along and write down some of these tips because I guarantee that they will help you out.

Give yourself a variety of different juices. If you are going to be using juice fasting to lose weight then it will be quite easy to get bored of using the same flavor. Give yourself some time before you set a date to start your fast, and write down and record some of your favorite flavors. Variety will make it much easier to stay on the diet, and therefore will improve your chances of success. If you are planning on making your own juices then browse and explore some recipes. There are so many different options that are available to you, so do yourself a favour and explore them all. After all, if you don't like a certain juice then it will be very hard to keep drinking it.

Before the date that you start juice fasting to lose weight, try to not overindulge on solids. Some people will cram foods into their mouths before they start their diets thinking that it will somehow hold off their cravings, but I can tell you that the opposite is actually true. Instead try to wean yourself off of solid foods. As the date approaches closer try to cut down on the amount of solid foods that you are consuming. This will help you to better adjust to your fasting lifestyle. So instead of going crazy as the date is getting closer, try to adjust your body and prepare it for the date. Positive thinking is your friend when you are starting a new diet and this is especially true when you are juice fasting to lose weight. A juice fasting diet can be a different lifestyle for you and it will be hard if it is the first time that you have tried it. Use positive thinking during the process, and before you have started the diet try imagining yourself doing it. The mind is a powerful tool in helping us to succeed and diets as we all know can be very hard to stick to.

Many everyday people have had success by juice fasting and it can help you too. The hardest thing about fasting to lose weight is getting used to not consuming solid foods.

Eat to Diet

When you are served with a seemingly delectable meal, what do you do? Would you immediately experience the food or do you stop and start counting the calories of each of the ingredients? Dissecting the food before devouring it can make you end up having no appetite for it, especially when you realize that its calorie content is more than you are allowed to have. This is such a pity; to have something you really want at your midst yet you cannot have it because you want to lose weight.

Then again, the situation should not be like that. There is a way that you can eat to diet in such a way that you will lose weight even when you have luscious dishes generously every meal time. This is not to pull your leg, this is a fact that many people tend to ignore because they cannot see the sense. How can eating make you lose weight? Well, it is not plainly eating but it is eating the right stuff that makes this possible.

What are the things that you should avoid when you eat to diet?

1. Sugar - this translates to fat when the body turns on to insulin as a defense mechanism against starvation.
2. Bad Carbs - bad carbs can turn to unwanted fats that accumulates in the body
3. Bad Fats - just like carbs, bad fats are stored in the body and are not easily burnt. When you often have it, you will end up bulky
4. Processed Foods - the chemical contents found in these foods make the liver function less efficiently. Thus, instead of having more time to burn fat, it will focus on filtering harmful substances.

When you refrain from the above and when you learn which the good stuffs are, you can stop counting calories and start enjoying generous servings of sumptuous, healthy meals all the time.

Atkins Bars

One of the most popular and successful diets on the market today is the Atkins Diet. Atkins Bars make the diet portable, offering "fast food" that fits the nutritional demands of the Atkins diet. The Atkins Bar helps people deal with lunch at work, and with mid-morning or mid-afternoon "snacks attacks". Some people, however, find themselves making simple mistakes that interfere with their weight loss efforts. Even when they stay on the diet, and think they're eating all the right foods, they stop losing weight. What could cause this?

YOU NEED WATER

Probably the most overlooked aid to dieting is not at all what you eat. It's what you drink. Or, rather, what you don't drink. You may not be drinking enough water. Every time you eat an Atkins bar, you should drink a glass of water. Drink a glass of water with every meal, too, and with each snack. You need 64 ounces of water every day. That's a half gallon of water! Your body needs this much fluid to maintain proper digestive function and absorb nutrients into the bloodstream. It needs water to build blood cells. The fact is, your body may be dehydrated, and the brain registers that as hunger. So, if you're dehydrated, you will not only be able to process and flush foods through your system, you'll be tempted to yield to cravings that defeat your diet.

EAT!

Yes, you must eat. So many dieters don't eat regularly. There are many reasons for this: decision to cut back, don't enjoy eating on a diet, or just not hungry. But whatever the reason, it interferes with your diet success. Don't go more than 5 waking hours without eating. When you skip a meal, your body reads that as a starvation mode, and immediately shuts down the metabolism. By doing this, your body is saving all the fat cells you're trying so hard to get rid of. Your body thinks that, since you did not put food in it, there must be a shortage of food. So, eat small, regular meals. It will keep your blood sugar levels steady, as well, reducing cravings. The Atkins bars help with the need for small regular meals.

AVOID...

Actually, on the Atkins diet, the things you need to avoid are very quiet, subtle items. They are caffeine and aspartame. They are also sneaky, because you don't know how many places these two ingredients hide. They are in many drinks and foods that you would never drink or eat in order to get these ingredients. But, they can affect your blood sugar.

With aspartame, your body reads the chemical as a dose of sugar, and reacts accordingly. So, insulin levels are affected, therefore, affecting your metabolism. Caffeine has similar effects, and should be avoided.

You can follow the Atkins books and diet plans closely. But, if you don't drink enough water, eat regularly, and avoid caffeine and aspartame, you'll find your efforts thwarted. Remember, the Atkins bar and a glass of water may be your best friends in your dieting efforts.

Raw Foods

Raw Foods and Weight Loss
Why do diets fail? Why has every single diet you've been on before never given you the permanent results you longed for?

Because underneath every diet is a hidden fact. They are all the same.

Sure they may seem different on the surface, but when you dig deeper you'll see that they all revolve around the same kind of food.

They are basically recycled versions of each other.

So if you want to lose weight, where should you turn?

The key to experiencing fast and permanent weight loss is through changing the kind of food you eat. More specifically, lowering your consumption of cooked foods, and increasing your consumption of raw food.

And there is a specific reason for this.

Natural foods like raw vegetables and fruits contain active enzymes that improve your overall health and aid in weight loss.

It's the reason fresh food ripens and cooked food decays.

The cooking process of every foods will kill the active enzymes, a large amount of vital vitamins, and destroy the structure of protein. In essence you ruin many of the things in fresh food that are good for you.

These same properties make these naturally fat burning foods. Most people eat too many cooked, heavy foods so their thyroid and adrenal glands are blocked and slow down fat loss.

By eating more raw foods you'll see your fat loss exponentially increase the more you continue the diet.

Ideas on How to Add Raw Foods

Simply eating a fruit or raw vegetables before, after or during a meal is a good start. Also if you have a juicer or a blender, having a morning smoothie made from fresh fruits will kick start your day.

Skyrocket Your Energy

Don't think that fat loss is the only thing these foods can provide you. Because of the natural enzymes and the abundance of vitamins and minerals, you will start feeling a dramatic increase in energy. Suddenly you'll feel like you have more energy to do all your favorite things. Which in turn will help you get out and exercise.

No matter how you look at it, raw foods is a great means to lose weight. If you've tried everything to lose weight, and didn't succeed, this is your answer. Some people say they lost up to 10 pounds their first week by switching to raw foods. How much will you lose? To find a diet plan right for you, you need to see Atkins Diet blog site.