Eating Healthily

Fasting Using Detox Diet Plans   by Heather Nauta

Fasting, although often thought of as a detox, is very different from the simple detox diet plans we’ve gone through so far. A fast involves little or no actual nourishment for your body, and is much more intense in unleashing stored toxins.

Fasting can be done with juices or broths, or simply water. The best time for fasting is to transition to or from warm weather, like spring or autumn.

Phil and I did a one-day water fast once, with a day or two of Green smoothies on either side. I love green smoothie cleanses, and I liked the water fast for most of the day. When it got to the end of the day though, I was totally tapped of energy and decided to have an apple. It was amazing how quickly I got energized from that apple!

By far the most popular fast is the Master Cleanse, which is a drink of lemon, cayenne, ginger and maple syrup several times during the day. I’ve known a lot of people who have done this cleanse, and they all struggle through it.

I’ve never tried it myself, but it does have some things going for it. Lemon, cayenne and ginger are all highly cleansing for the blood, and stimulate the digestive system to process whatever might be hanging around in your stomach or colon. One thing to note, though, is that lemonade from a can or a jar is not the stuff to use here. Fresh lemons, or pure lemon juice, is the only way to do this properly.

Some other ways to fast are drinking only herbal teas, drinking only a mineral-rich vegetable broth, or drinking just water. They go a step beyond a detox Diet Plan in that they have no fiber and barely any calories.

Although fasting can be very effective at pulling toxins from wherever it’s stored in your body, there are some good reasons not to fast. If done improperly, fasting can actually make you sick by releasing toxins, but not clearing them from the body.

When toxins are stored, they don