Detoxification diet, fasting, & juicing
Diet is a very important part of detoxification. What we eat
can make and keep us healthy, but it can also
help us detoxify. The body cannot detoxify xenobiotics (foreign chemicals) if we are
constantly adding to our toxic burden with
the foods we consume. The body also cannot
detoxify if it does not have the proper "fuel"
and energy. The detoxification processes in
the body require large amounts of energy,
and this energy comes from the nutrients in
the food we eat. If we eliminate foods that
contribute to our toxicity and eat those that
help cleanse the body, our health will improve.
Diet
Diet directly affects the ability of the body to detoxify.
- High protein intake enhances the removal
of xenobiotics, while a protein deficiency
lowers glutathione levels and reduces
Phase II conjugation by the glutathione pathway.
- Low carbohydrate intake decreases the rate
of cytochrome P-450 activity in the liver.
The best form of carbohydrate for a detoxification program is a complex carbohydrate that is not readily absorbed and does
not ferment in the intestines.
- Fatty acids work with carbohydrates to support the energy requirements for detoxification. Fatty acids that do not increase
blood fat levels increase liver energy production. The liver can digest, assimilate,
and oxidize triglycerides (a compound
composed of glycerine and fatty acids) as a
source of metabolic energy. Increasing
liver energy levels increases detoxification.
If you have food allergies, you will need to address this problem, because allergenic substances slow down detoxification processes.
| DIET TIPS |
| A V O I D | C H O O S E |
| All refined sugar and any food or mixtures that contain refined sugar, including sucrose, dextrose, corn syrup, brown sugar, turbinado, nutritive corn sweetener
| Unsweetened foods or foods sweetened with fruit juices, limited amounts of honey, herbal sweetener, stevia | | Caffeine in regular coffee and tea, dark and other carbonated drinks, chocolate, cocoa and aspirin compounds
| Water, unsweetened fruit juices, some herbal teas, roasted grain coffee substitutes; carob; white willow bark
| | Soft drinks and fruit-flavored drinks
| Unsweetened fruit juices, sparkling water
| | Alcohol in all forms
| Sparkling water with a twist of lemon or lime
| | High salt intake
| Season with herbs and spices; cut salt use in half
| | Artificial sweeteners, colors, flavors
| Natural whole foods, free of any type of additive
| | Chemical additives and preservatives, including MSG (monosodium glutamate), BHA, BHT, nitrates, nitrites
| Only foods that will spoil and eat them before they do; this also avoids micro-organisms and enzyme changes that accompany food spoilage
| | Processed foods and mixes
| Natural whole foods, fresh foods instead of frozen, frozen instead of canned
| | Refined carbohydrates, such as white flour and white rice
| Whole grains, flour ground from whole grains
| | Fruits and vegetables that have been waxed, sprayed, fumigated, or dyed
| Organically grown fruits and vegetables
| | Saturated fats and artificial fats
| Healthy forms of fats and oils such as expeller-pressed, cold-pressed, or unrefined
| | Fried foods and over consumption of fat
| Low-fat meals; broil, bake, steam, or stir-fry food
| | Processed meats containing fillers, sandwich meats, reconstituted meats
| Good-quality meats and poultry free of antibiotics, hormones, and drugs |
Fasting
Fasting is the deliberate abstention from
food, giving the body a rest and freeing the large amounts of energy used by the digestive organs for use elsewhere. It gives the
body a chance to reestablish metabolic order
and is an extremely rapid method of detoxification. Fasting also helps the body to heal
and to resist diseases, infections, and toxins.
Sensible fasting gives the body an opportunity to return to its natural state of homeostasis, or balance. During a fast, toxins are
drawn out of the cells and tissues throughout the whole body. Eliminating waste products allows an increase in cellular oxygenation and improves cellular nutrition. The
body produces new healthy cells to replace
diseased and discarded ones. Conditions
that the body could not correct on a normal
diet are improved, and the body is cleansed
and renewed. Often, however, some type of
heat therapy is also necessary, as fasting will
not release or remove all of the lipid-soluble toxins in fat tissues.
- BENEFITS OF FASTING
- The benefits and healing properties of fasting have been known for centuries. Fasting
is mentioned in all ancient medical texts,
and Hippocrates prescribed fasting as a
means of achieving good health. It has been
employed in religious observance both in
the past and today. Animals instinctively fast
when they are sick or injured. They will
ignore available food until their health has improved.
The following are
the more important benefits of fasting:
- accelerates the detoxification process.
- cleanses metabolic wastes and toxins.
- cleanses the digestive tract and improves digestion and assimilation.
- increases energy levels.
- rejuvenates the cells and the entire body.
- increases resistance to disease.
- refreshes the mind and spirit.
Many people adopt a schedule of liquids - only one day each week, or liquids - only for a
three-day period once each month, for an ongoing healing process rather than postponing action until a health crisis occurs. Although fasting can be done at any time of the
year, it is wise to pick a time when you can fit
in some extra planning and preparation.
While you are fasting, you may feel colder
than you normally do, so winter may prove
to be an uncomfortable time to fast.
- CONTRAINDICATIONS TO FASTING
- Exercising common sense will prevent problems with fasting. Malnourished and undernourished people should not fast, nor
should people with an eating disorder, children, pregnant women, and nursing mothers. People with weak hearts or who have had a recent heart attack, and people with
lowered immunity should not fast. Before
and after surgery is not a good time to fast. Low blood pressure, anemia, bleeding
ulcers, some types of cancer, diabetes,
epilepsy, liver and kidney disease, tuberculosis, ulcerative colitis, and gout are all contraindications for fasting.
People with many food allergies should
exercise caution and fast only under medical
supervision. People are always addicted to
the foods to which they are allergic. Because
of this allergy/addiction phenomenon,
these people can go through severe withdrawal symptoms when they first begin a fast.
- TYPES OF FASTING
- Short-term fasting lasts from one to three
days. More than three days is considered
long-term fasting. While true fasting requires that no food or liquid be consumed,
this is not advised because the body adapts
by lowering the metabolism and eventually
consuming its reserves of fat and lean tissue
(muscles, connective tissue, and organs).
The toxins concentrated in our fat cells
and organs are released rapidly during a true
fast. If detoxification is intense, it can temporarily increase sickness. However, for
some people this can be immediately helpful. To avoid problems caused by too-rapid
detoxification, most people drink water or
unsweetened herbal teas during their fast.
More liberal fasting includes drinking the
juice of fresh fruit and vegetables as well.
Warning: Do not attempt a long-term fast without medical supervision.
- PREPARING FOR A FAST
- Fasting is more likely to be successful if it
is entered into gradually by those new to
fasting and those whose health is suffering.
A good first step is to remove alcohol,
caffeine, and sugar from the diet. Ideally,
smokers would stop smoking. Avoiding animal food, such as meats, milk, and eggs, also
eases the transition. Eating only fruits and
vegetables for several days before beginning
the actual fast will allow detoxification to
begin more slowly. Some people try several
short fasts, before beginning a longer and stricter fast.
- DURING THE FAST
- Do not take vitamins and minerals while
fasting, as they can interfere with the cleansing process during fasting. They can stress
the digestive system and cause nausea on an empty stomach.
If possible, discontinue any medications
you are taking. The body has to expend energy to remove them rather than directing
the energy to detoxification. If you are taking
prescription medication, check with your
physician before beginning a fast.
Be certain to get plenty of rest while you
are fasting. However, it is important that you
incorporate some type of mild exercise to
help keep body fluids circulating, even
though your energy levels may be less than
normal. Blood and lymph must circulate
through the tissues in order to remove toxins. Walking is an excellent exercise during a
fast. Some people are able to jog, bicycle, or swim during a fast.
- SYMPTOMS DURING FASTING
- Fasting does involve a little discomfort. Your
stomach will growl and rumble, and maybe
even hurt. This simply means that your
stomach is empty. These feelings will pass
with time, and sometimes drinking water or
juice will satisfy your urge to eat.
During your fast your tongue may become coated, and your breath may become
quite strong. The more you detoxify, the
worse the coating on your tongue and your
breath will become. You may brush your
teeth and tongue, but do not use a mouthwash. If you have dentures, continue to wear
them to prevent gum shrinkage.
You may also experience increased body
odor from the toxins being released through
your skin. Do not use cosmetics of any kind,
deodorants, or perfumes, but take extra
showers, using mild soap. Even your urine
may become darker and develop a strong
smell, but increasing your water intake will
help. Because you are not eating solid food,
you may not have bowel movements, but do
not take a laxative. If you do have a bowel
movement, it may be foul smelling and full of mucus, or stringy or rubbery. This is toxic
material from your colon that the fast has
forced out of your body.
Because you will be undergoing intense
detoxification, during which toxins from
past exposures are being released into the
bloodstream, you may not feel very well during your fast. Vomiting, nausea, aches,
pains, fatigue, nasal discharge, diarrhea,
and other symptoms are possible. However,
if you continue the fast, these will pass. Remember that if you vomit or have diarrhea,
you lose fluid and you must drink more to replace it. Should you begin to have symptoms
several days after stopping your fast and being symptom-free, this is a signal that your
body is continuing to detoxify.
An important aspect of fasting is the breaking of it. Even with a short fast, it is best to return gradually to solid foods over three to
four days. For longer fasts, the return of
hunger signals that it is time to break the
fast. Continuing a fast past this time exhausts the reserves of the body and it will begin to break down tissue protein to obtain
the energy it needs. Although some people
may feel some hunger the entire time they
fast, the hunger signaling the need for the
fast to end will be more intense and urgent.
When breaking your fast, be careful not
to overeat. Always eat lightly and chew foods
and liquids well. Chewing stimulates the
production of saliva and mixes it with the
food or liquid. Eat slowly and do not eat too
many different foods at any one meal. Many
people are continually hungry for a few days after a long fast, but this feeling will soon normalize.
Juicing
Juicing is a detoxification method considered by some to be a fast and by others to be a
juice diet. It involves refraining from the use
of all other nourishment and drinking fruit
and vegetable juices rather than water. It
detoxifies more effectively than a water fast,
and the juices can be more enjoyable to drink than water.
Easily utilized by the body, juices require
minimal digestion, and supply nutrients
that support the body while stimulating it to
release toxins. In addition, juices contain elements that remove toxins and aid cellular
rejuvenation better than water alone. Juice
fasting is safer than water fasting, and offers quicker recovery because it supports the
body nutritionally during cleansing and maintains energy levels.
Juices are concentrated nutrition. The
nutritional part of the plant is separated
from the indigestible fiber, and the vitamins
and nutrients, including antioxidants, from
many fruits or vegetables, are contained
within a small volume of liquid. Because
juice contains no bulk, it is digested in a
short time with no strain on the digestive
system. The carbohydrate, protein, and fat in
the juice, although in small quantities, supply the body with the energy it needs to carry
out daily activities. Even an exercise program can be continued. With a water fast, in
contrast, energy levels decrease rapidly without nutrients and the feeling of lethargy
makes physical activity difficult. The nutrients in juice supply energy to the detoxification systems and body functions, and
promote cleansing and cellular regeneration.
Juices are prepared from raw fruits and
vegetables in a special machine called a
juicer. This machine will extract the juice
from the fiber. For juices that are high in
natural sugar, such as pineapple, apple,
grape, and carrot, drinking them without the
fiber can cause blood sugar problems for
people who are hypoglycemic and hyperinsulinemic.
Vegetable juices are the best rebuilders
of cells and fruit juices are the best detoxifiers. You can drink them separately or
blended in a mix. For the best results, you
must prepare your own juice from fresh,
washed organic fruits and vegetables. Commercially prepared juices are not made from
quality fruits and vegetables and may contain mold, pesticide residue, and bird and
animal droppings. In addition, the enzymes
contained in the fresh fruits and vegetables
to help you digest them are destroyed in processing.
Not all fruits and vegetables juice well.
Bananas and avocados turn into mush and
clog a juicer. They can be used in a blender,
but result in a thick mixture that will have
to be diluted. Apples, apricots, berries,
cherries, grapes, mango, melons, papaya,
peaches, pears, pineapple, and plums are
the best fruits for juicing. Citrus fruits are
too acidic for some people, but they may be
used sparingly if diluted well.
Many vegetables make good juice, including alfalfa sprouts, asparagus, beets and
beet tops, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, dandelion greens, eggplant, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, onions, parsley, parsnips, potatoes, radishes, spinach, Swiss
chard, tomatoes, turnips and turnip greens,
zucchini, and watercress. Juices made from
green vegetables are very high in chlorophyll
and are felt by many practitioners to be very
healing for blood disorders and the digestive tract.
Juices can be combined to make appealing drinks. However, many fruits and vegetables do not combine palatably. Apples
and carrots work well in either fruit or vegetable blends. Very sweet juice mixtures
should always be diluted. Vegetable juices
can be consumed hot, but some of the nutrients are destroyed.
If you do a juice fast, you should drink
between 32 ounces and a maximum of 64
ounces of juice a day, and at least four 8-ounce glasses of water. If the juice has a high
sugar content, such as fruit and carrot
juices, you may need to limit the amount you drink.
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