Juice fasting for weight loss and health.

How juice fasting can jump-start your weight loss plan while helping to detoxify your system.

When we hear the words "fasting for weight loss", we might get an image of drinking gallons of water, getting nauseous, obsessing about food, (and basically starving) in order to get the weight off.

Water fasts were quite popular in the beginning of the last century, when some practitioners recommended water fasts to cure all sorts of illnesses.

One of the most famous proponents of water fasts as a cure-all was Linda Burfield Hazzard, D.O, the author of Scientific Fasting - The Ancient and Modern Key to Health, which she wrote in 1927. Even then, the treatment of disease with water fasts, even under the care of a trained physician, was controversial.

A present-day practitioner who recommends fasts for disease control is Dr. Joel Fuhrman, who has written the book Fasting-And Eating-For Health: A Medical Doctor's Program for Conquering Disease. Dr. Fuhrman advises that anyone who is considering a true fast, with only water, should change to a healthy plant-based, low sugar diet before taking the fast. This will reduce the number of detoxifying symptoms and make the fast much easier to tolerate. It will also set you up on a healthy life-long course, so your new healthy body will stay thin and strong, long after your fast is over.

But there's another kind of fast that can help you lose weight safely - the juice fast.

Juice fasting for weight loss and detoxification is recommended by a number of naturopathic physicians. My favorite book on the subject is by doctor Steven Bailey, author of The Fasting Diet, who believes that the juice fast helps detoxify the system and gets it ready for the long-term weight loss and weight-maintenance program that will follow.

Why is detoxification so important? Many pollutants and poisons are oil-soluble, and collect in your fat cells where they can be safely quarantined. When you lower your calorie intake and increase the amount of exercise you get, the fat in your cells will be burned and the poisons will be released quickly into the blood-stream.

Much of the feeling of sluggishness and nausea that many people associate with diets actually comes from these toxins, because the body isn't able to get rid of them fast enough. You are basically poisoning yourself - which is exactly how it feels.

This feeling of being poisoned is one of the biggest reasons why people drop out of a weight loss program - they just don't feel good.

When you begin your diet with a properly designed juice fast as outlined in Dr. Bailey's book, and follow his recommendations for cleansing the colon, you can skip over the unpleasant side-effects of your new weight-loss program, which helps considerably in maintaining your commitment to good health.

Many doctors also claim that the juice fast and colon cleansing will help to reduce your chances of getting colon cancer, if it is repeated a few times a year.

Used this way, you won't really be fasting for weight loss, but to prepare yourself for the process of losing weight, by improving your overall health and cleaning out your system.

Freshly made vegetable and fruit juices have a long history in nutritional circles. For instance, carrot and apple juice is a major part of the Gerson Institute's anti-cancer diet, and a number of popular books have recipes for many other healthy juice drinks. Some even suggest certain vegetable juices for specific physical ailments.

I followed Dr. Bailey's one week juice fast program (which actually makes you feel more energized - not sluggish and tired the way a water fast would) and then followed this juice fast with a low-fat diet, including a good variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, as recommended by Nathan Pritikin, (whose books are out of print - look for them in your local library).

After I had lost 35 pounds and my doctor told me I was at a healthy weight, I kept up the carrot and apple juice in the morning, and I really believe it helps me maintain my weight. I consider my purchase of a juicer to be one of the best investments of my life. (Did you know that amazon.com sells them? And they now come in different colors to match your kitchen. To see them, click here.)

Because I make a habit of drinking fresh vegetable juice, I feel like I'm getting a major nutritional boost each morning, while drinking something that really tastes good. And that glass of sweet, healthy goodness helps to remind me of my commitment to a lifetime of good health.

Do you have to go on a juice fast before you start your new weight loss program? No, of course not. But I highly recommend that you at least read Dr. Bailey's book or one of the many other books that discuss detoxifying your system by juice fasting for weight loss. When your eliminatory organs are working efficiently and your digestive system is healthy, you will feel considerably better - which makes anything, even dieting, easier to do. It is possible that juice fasting for weight loss may be just the thing to jump-start your diet.

One of the healthiest things you can do for yourself is getting into the habit of drinking at least one glass of freshly made vegetable juice each day. If you choose to jump-start your diet by juice fasting for weight loss, I think you'll find, as I did, that you've given yourself a head-start on a lifetime commitment to good health.

Other sites that may interest you:

Juice Plus
Juice Plus provides the nutritional essence of 17 different fruits,
vegetables and grains in convenient capsule form.

Jonni Good is the author of most of the original articles on this site. Jonni always looks for the easy way to solve common health problems, by working with human nature. Her books have helped hundreds of people lose weight, get fit, and regain their health - with less struggle. Please take a moment to visit her other sites:

Do You Gain Weight... Even when you eat less than your thinner friends? Learn why it happens, and how to use nutritious, satisfying food to break the metabolic pattern that causes some people to gain weight too easily.

Sugar Cravings and Addiction – Describes a simple program to help people break their addiction to sugar and fat. This book has been popular ever since it came out in 2003, and has helped hundreds of people lose their cravings for sugar and other simple carbs. Once the cravings are under control, it's easier to stick with your diet and regain your health.

Weight Lifting for Absolute Beginners – A guide to lifting weights for strong muscles and bones.

The Easy-Does-It Diet – A guide to creating your own delicious and healthy frozen diet meals. Eat healthy, low-fat meals without paying extra for store-bought frozen diet food.

Disclaimer: This site and the articles contained here are for information purposes only. The authors have made every effort to make sure the information is accurate, but no health decisions should ever be made based on this or any other website. Please contact your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program.

Juice fasting for weight loss and health.

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