FASTING
To prepare your body for a fast, begin at least a day before by eliminating all stimulants, such as coffee and tea, and all depressants, such as alcohol. Also avoid bread and cooked carbohydrates such as pasta and cereals, and make your last meal of the day a large raw salad of vegetables and fruits. This is even better if carried out for 2 or more days. Eat only raw vegetables and fruits. This will make the fast less of a shock to the system.
While on a fast, consume at least eight 8-oz glasses of steam distilled water (or purified water if distilled not available) a day, plus pure juices and up to 2 cups of herbal tea a day. Dilute all juices with the water, adding about 1 part water to 3 parts juice. Do not drink orange or tomato juice, and avoid all juices made with sweeteners or other additives. NEVER FAST ON WATER ALONE.
The best juice to use during your fast is fresh lemon juice. Add the juice of one lemon to a cup of warm water. Fresh apple, beet, cabbage, carrot, celery, and grape juices are also good, as are “green drinks”, which are made from green leafy vegetables. These green drinks are excellent detoxifies. Raw cabbage juice is particularly good for ulcers, cancer, and all colon problems. Just be sure to drink the cabbage juice as soon as it is prepared. As this juice sits, it loses its vitamin content.
Follow the juice-water-and-tea fast with a two-day diet of raw fruits and vegetables. Eating cooked foods immediately afterward can only ruin the desired effects of the fast. Because both the size of the stomach and the amount of secreted digestive juices may decrease during fasting, the first meals after a fast should be frequent and small.
If you experience headaches during the fast, eat something solid. Watermelon by itself or applesauce, fresh homemade in blender or food processor, not bought. Leave the skin on the apples and do not cook them.
Take a fiber supplement before and after your fast, but not during.
Do not chew gum while on the fast. This starts the digestive enzyme secretion and if no food is coming, trouble occurs.
If you have hypoglycemia, never fast without a protein supplement.
If you need daily supplementation for any reason, continue taking your vitamin and mineral supplements during the fast. When you are drinking juices, reduce the dosage of supplements that you take. If you are on prescription medication, be sure to consult your physician before fasting.
During a fast, as toxins are released from your body, you may experience fatigue; body odor; dry, scaly skin; skin eruptions; headaches; dizziness; irritability; anxiety; confusion; nausea; coughing; diarrhea; dark urine; dark, foul smelling stools; body aches; insomnia; sinus and bronchial mucus discharge; and/or visual or hearing problems. These symptoms are not serious and will quickly pass. You may experience a coated tongue and foul taste in the mouth. To relieve this, rinse your mouth with fresh lemon juice.
It is very important that you rest during your fast. Plan to fast when you are not required to exert a lot of energy either physically or mentally. Plan to nap during the day to recharge your batteries.
To make an excellent juice for healing many illnesses, juice together 3 carrots, 3 kale leaves, 2 stacks celery, 2 beets, 1 turnip, ¼ pound spinach, ½ head of cabbage, ¼ bunch of parsley, ¼ of an onion, and ½ clove of garlic. If you don’t have a juicer, place the vegetables in a pure vegetable broth and gently boil them, adding no seasonings. A cup of this juice may be substituted for any other juice while fasting. Save the vegetables to eat after your fast.
If you are a denture wearer, keep your dentures in your mouth while you fast to prevent gum shrinkage. (Adapted from Prescription for Nutritional Healing – 2nd Edition)