Juice Fasts

Do you fast? Most Indians fast once a week, for religious purposes. But did you know that fasting, if done right, can be great for the health too? 

We tend to underestimate our Indian culture in our desire to ape the West. While the benefits of fasting are now being realized by the West, Indians have been fasting for millennia. We need to appreciate that our Indian religion is very scientific. While it may have a religious focus, the activities our religions call for, have enormous health benefits. Why do you think some of our sages live to be 300 years old? Not because God stops them from dying, but because their bodies are young, fit and healthy. While we can't drop everything and go and meditate in the Himalayas, there are definitely certain things we can imbibe, and one of them is fasting.

Here are tips on how to fast, to get your health back in shape.   

1. While some people fast for ten days to a month at a time, you could begin with one day a week, or even one day a month, and move on from there. 


2. Our toxins are stored in the body in the form of fat. So while fasting will definitely get rid of the fat, it will also mobilize the toxins which have been latent so far, and release them into the body all at once, rendering your body unable to cope, especially if you have suddenly gone on an extended fast. Thus, it makes sense to start out by a day at a time. 


3. When we stop eating, our system gets a break from the junk that we consume, but it also stops getting the nutrients it needs. Thus, your fast should include intake of nutrients in some form. This need is best served by consuming juice. 


4. Freshly squeezed fruit juices are the best bet. You could also have vegetable juices like carrot or beet juices, diluted with distilled water. 


5. Drink lots of liquid. Your body will be losing water, and you need to replace that. 


6. No tea, coffee or alcohol during a detox fast. Avoid milk as well. As mentioned before, all your liquid intake should be in the form of fruit or vegetables.  


7. As this is an extremely low calorie form of diet, you will barely be taking in protein or carbohydrates and will not be taking in any fat. It is thus likely that you feel week and disoriented. Don't do anything physically or mentally strenuous, as you would be straining your body. If possible, rest at home on the day you are fasting. 


8. Juice fasts help rejuvenate the body as your stomach will get a break from all the impure forms of food that you have been consuming. The bonus is that you will lose weight quickly - and safely, if you fast right, as your calorie intake will drop. 


9. A good idea would be to consume the juice of that fruit which is beneficial for the particular ailment you've been suffering from. Thus, if you've got a weak liver, consume as much grape juice as possible during your fast. 


10. Ease back into solid foods slowly, especially if you've been on an extended fast that lasted more than a day. Breaking a three-day long fast with butter chicken, paneer makhani and naan is a bad idea to say the least. Eat something light the day after your fast.