Know what you do after a weekend of too much “healthy” carrot cake? Strategery! (What? It’s a word!)
Time for a little strategic thinking. I started the day off with a big cuppa ginger root & lemon slice tea! This is a great way to begin a little detox, as ginger and lemon are both super cleansing! Next, I will follow with a day of nothing but liquids!
Carrot juice, green juice, beet juice, more carrot & beet juice, dandelion & spinach green juice, etc. and then probably some fresh V-8 style juice!
I’ll most likely top it off at the end of the day with a little cashew/macadamia nut milk to help with hunger and to give me a little healthy fat!
The plan, at the moment, is to fast for at least two days!
What are the benefits of intermittent fasting?
Turns out – our bodies are designed for periods of feast and famine! I hope I didn’t lose you just then. Yes, going without food for a short period of time is actually a healthy practice!
I know, we were taught years ago to eat small meals all day long to “keep the metabolism high”. Wrong! When your body is in constant feast mode, it has to spend all of its time on the process of digestion, a never ending job if you are grazing all day long!
Giving the body a break from the activity of digestion allows it to focus on healing and cleansing! When doing a juice fast, you’re also flooding the body with nutrition that requires no extra energy to digest!
This actually mimics our ancestors a bit… think about it, we didn’t have access to food 24/7 back in the day like we do now. Our constant access to any food at any time of the day, or even of the year, has given us the thought that we must have sustenance consistently.
In my opinion, this is one of the things that has lead us to be overfed and undernourished, because the “sustenance” we are seeking is whatever we are craving at the moment. Often, the convenient choices are the bad choices! In fact, many cravings are simply the body trying to tell you that you are missing out on particular nutrients.
Of course, here I am talking about a juice fast. Many people will also do intermittent water fasts, which has its very own set of amazing health benefits.
So, what are some of the benefits of juice fasting?
- Reduces the oxidative stress on the body. Actually, not only are you decreasing the free radicals in your cells, but you are blessing your body with amazing, fresh antioxidants to boot if you are juicing. Pure liquid nutrition!
- Speaking of nutrition, think about how many nutrients you are getting in one glass of fresh juice. Take carrot juice, as an example. 16 Ounces of carrot juice provides the carotene equivalent of approximately three pounds of carrots. Can you think of a time when you plan to sit and eat three pounds of carrots?
- You are making the process of elimination much, much easier by juice fasting. All of your cleansing organs will go into “work mode” and begin the process of detox! If you are not eliminating waste regularly from your body, you will get sick. This alone would be a terrific reason to go on a juice fast. (You would be surprised if you knew how many people are constipated!)
- It gives the digestive system that much needed break, allowing the body to focus on healing. Did you know that humans are the only creatures that push eating while sick? Animals instinctively restrict calories when they are dealing with illness, and so would we if we re-trained our minds to follow instinct! You will be surprised at how many things will improve and heal from a simple juice fast.
- It’s a great way to re-boot the body and the mind. Not only are you “resetting” your taste buds, but also your focus. A perfect way to kickstart weight loss!
I could probably list a multitude of other great reasons to give yourself a few days of nothing but juice, but any one of the above should be reason enough!
