Green Lemonade

“You find that every part of your body works better, imbalances are rectified, and irritating symptoms get a chance to melt away on their own – all by “switching on” a system that you were born with and that has been patiently waiting to serve you.” – Alejandro Junger, MD

With your party filled, hectic lifestyle, the last thing you have time for is a short one to three day juice fast. No social obligations or client dinners for a few days? PUH-lease.

But these days, its hard to ignore the growing curiosity about cleansing. Don’t let the tales and descriptions of extreme, uncomfortable liquid fasts (usually water-only fasts) overwhelm you. It’s about finding an intelligent, NUTRITIOUS, juice fast that is compatible for you.

Curious about what a short 1, 2 or 3 day juice fast can do for you? Curious what happens in a juice fast? Read on…

1. Toxins begin to mobilize, and leave the body

   In a fast, the intake of food is ceased allowing nature to begin the process of mobilizing accumulated toxins circulating in the blood and others from their storage areas deep in the tissues of the body. Diseased tissues are also released into the circulation for elimination.

   Enzymes stop entering the stomach for digestion and move instead into the intestines and into the bloodstream, where they circulate and eat up waste matter, including dead and damaged cells, as well as fat and other metabolic waste (we actually generate some waste just from our normal digestion!), and pollutants.
   

2. Body gets a chance to “catch up” on housework

   The body and its organs of elimination get an opportunity to catch up with their house work. A nutritious fast also begins to eliminate waste from the blood and body tissue. A fast also loosens up the mucus that coats the waste or “irritations”. You notice this mucus in the body when you have a cold.

   Complete elimination of the waste dredged up in a juice fast, however, requires the assistance of gravity method colonics (preferably). If colonics are not an option, a gentle herbal laxative (Nature’s Calm is a good one favored by this community) should be taken. Proper food combining upon the exit of a short juice fast is essential to further support the release of waste and toxins pulled out of the tissues from the fast.
   

3. Fasting increases the nutrients available to the body

   A fast helps to purify and oxygenate the bloodstream as diseased and fatty waste narrowing the blood vessels begins to mobilize. Clean, pure, oxygenated blood delivers nutrients and oxygen to every cell in the body, and it also has the job of carrying away metabolic wastes from the cells for excretion in the kidneys and lungs. Blood that is weighed down with excesses can’t perform these functions as effectively.
   

4. “Daily Moments” Rise

   A fast helps improve digestion and relieve constipation – which is a key contributor to good health! Good eliminations signal the body’s healthy ability to release toxins that accumulate from unhealthy eating, overeating and environmental stresses.
   

5. Physiological terrain in the body Is re-established

   A fast re-establishes the physiological terrain of the body. Fasting effects not only our physical being, but our mental, emotional, and spiritual being as well.
   

6. Mind is cleared

   A fast clears and strengthens the mind. Over 95% of the brain’s “feel good” serotonin production is actually manufactured in the intestines – with the balance manufactured in the brain*. People are realizing just how important the health of the colon is. Removing blockages and restoring the internal colon terrain is key to your health.

   * Check out “The Second Brain,” By Dr. Michael D. Gershon for more information.

7. Youthful energy is restored

   A fast restores a youthful energy and rejuvenates the body. I always feel light and full of energy when I complete a short juice fast (2-3 days) and even when I do a series of “juicing until dinner” days.
   

Learn more about juice fasting

You might also appreciate these articles on juice fasting.

• Juice fasting 101.
• 8 juice diet myths busted.
• How to prepare your body for a juice fast
• Sample menu: How to prepare your body for a juice fast
• Juicer recipes for weight loss
• The many ways to detox