Detox and Fasting

Modern dietary lifestyles put huge toxic strain on our organs and glands. Not only do people eat food that is not in season, most of it is bought in a refined, processed, denatured state and indiscriminately combined. The rise in global population has also caused starchy grain to become the main staple of the human diet despite the fact that grains are the only items in the human diet that cannot be eaten and digested in their raw state. They have been tampered with and genetically modified at seed state so by the time they have been refined and processed into the final “edible” product they are totally denatured and the only thing they can feed is your waistline.

            

For those who want to shed that extra weight and can find the discipline to do so, here are some detox and fasting methods that not only help you to drop a few sizes, but also to cleanse and rejuvenate the blood,  tissues and organs. You will be amazed at how effective they can be at curing and preventing all kinds of ailments. A detox is also a great way to reform old eating habits and begin to introduce foods that benefit the body, instead of just eating for flavour.  

One of the first things to learn about is quantity. The amount of food you eat should never exceed the amount you need for energy output. The body will only convert as much food as it needs into energy. The rest is stored as fat, calcium deposits, plaque, phlegm, impacted faeces, cysts and other accumulations. An athlete or builder for example, would need a lot more protein and fat than say a computer operator, whereas the computer operator would need more complex carbohydrates than the former. Also, in summer you need more cooling fruits and veg, and in winter more warming fat and protein. Just because everything is available all year round in the supermarket doesn't mean you should eat it all year round.

Changing your diet to begin a detox usually triggers  a response in the body called the “healing crisis”. The symptoms of this can be frequent colds, flu, diarrhoea, profuse sweating, dark urine, skin eruptions, headaches and other uncomfortable symptoms. These are all caused by the body’s rapid elimination of toxins built up in the tissues and organs by old eating habits. It is a natural response and only happens when the toxic foods are totally eliminated from the diet, especially foods such as meat, milk, sugar or drugs. The stronger the symptoms, the more toxic your system is. When your system is fully cleansed the symptoms will disappear, as well as other seemingly unrelated ailments you may have had. You will almost certainly experience cravings for the offending foods, such as sugar and starch, which, if you give in to, will cause you to binge on the particular food. This will get rid of the withdrawal symptoms, but it will also immediately halt the cleansing process. Stay focused, don’t give in, the end results will far outweigh the temporary discomfort.          

RAW FRUIT/ VEGETABLE FAST:  

This is a popular semi-fast using raw fruit or vegetables. They are an excellent way to purify the body and eliminate toxins. Select only one type of fruit or veg and stick to it. Different fruits and veg work better on different organs so pick one that suits the area that needs most work. One popular type of semi fast is the famous “grape cure”. Dark grapes are one of the most widely used for detox, and they work wonders on liver and gastrointestinal problems. There is a hospital in Russia that specializes in treating its patients using only the grape fast. In America there are patients who claim to have used the grape fast to cure “incurable” cancers. The grape cure not only detoxifies the body, it also enhances metabolism and strengthens the heart muscles. All other foods must be cut out when starting the grape fast. The fast should last up to 10 days, minimum 3 days. Start off eating 1 pound per day and work up to 3 or 4 pounds. You may feel like crashing out after 2 or 3 days because of the toxins being dumped into your system as they are purged, but grin and bear it for a few days and you will feel better than ever. 

NON-FOOD FASTING:     

Fasting is the most ancient and natural healing mechanism in the world. All animals fast when sick. There are tribes in the Amazon and Africa that keep “sick houses” outside the villages where sick villagers go to fast until they regain their health. The ancient Greeks fasted for health and long life. Galen, Paracelsus, and Hippocrates, the founding fathers of Western medicine, prescribed fasting for all serious ailments and as a preventative. Fasting triggers an amazing cleansing response that reaches into every cell in the body. Within 24 hours of halting food intake, enzymes normally used to digest food stop entering the stomach, and instead travel into the intestines and bloodstream, where they devour the waste matter including dead and damaged cells, unfriendly microbes, and pollutants. All the organs get a rest, and so can purify and rejuvenate their tissues and balance their functions. The alimentary canal is swept clean and what comes out the other end will surprise first timers enough to make fasting a regular habit. Probably the most important benefit of fasting is that it thoroughly purifies the bloodstream, which is vital in delivering oxygen and nutrients to every cell, and carrying away wastes for excretion. Dirty blood cannot perform these tasks and all kinds of problems arise, such as acne, boils, pimples, diarrhoea, liver spots, foul perspiration, bad breath, body odour etc.                                                                                                       

The best fast to undertake is a seven day fast, as it takes seven days to cleanse the entire bloodstream by fasting and to rid the lymph system of toxins. You eat nothing for the seven days. Instead you take a powder called Psyllium Husk powder. This is ground from a special grade of psyllium seed. It can be purchased in most health stores. It can be taken with 10 oz. of filtered water or organic apple juice, or a mix of both. Put 1 teaspoon of the powder into the liquid, stir it quickly and drink immediately. Follow with a glass of water. It should be taken 5 times a day. The powder swells in your stomach so you feel full. It also clings to the walls of the colon, holds moisture there, and softens and loosens the waste matter that has built up in the colon for years.                                                                                                                 

Bentonite, which is made from volcanic ash, is a great addition during a fast as it acts like a magnetic sponge, soaking up toxins from every area of the digestive tract.  It usually takes at least 2 days for the waste material to begin to pass, this will not be faeces but rather the layers of mucous-coated undigested foods that have been impacted on the colon wall for years. Each passing of this material should be inspected, and by seeing what comes out, you will be strongly motivated to continue through to the end of the program.

Excessively obese and/ or chronically ill people should not try the full 7 day fast first time, as this could raise the toxin levels in the blood to dangerous levels. The best approach would be to start with several 3 day fasts spread out over 3 to 4 months, with a diet of mostly raw veg foods in between.

Nutritional Information Provided by David Sheehan (Trident Fitness Club)