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History of Fasting: A Brief History of Fasting

Sunday, October 31st, 2010 at 12:08 am

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Fasting, or abstincence from food and frequently also from drinking) for an extended period of time, is certainly not new. It has actually been practiced for hundreds of years associated with spiritual ceremonies. Fasts are performed in all of the world’s major religions, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Confucianists, Hindus, Taoists, to name a few. Even though Buddhism emphasizes discipline in eating instead of fasting, Buddhists in certain countries around the world, notably Tibet, do fast from time to time.

Initially, fasting had been one of various rituals where activities were decreased or stopped, producing a condition of repose equivalent, symbolically, to death, or to the condition prior to birth. Fasting was also done as part of fertility rituals in ancient ceremonies.

A number of these ceremonies were carried out during the vernal and autumnal equinoxes and continued to be observed for centuries. Many historians link the emblematic utilization of matzo (unleavened bread) by Jews through the springtime celebration of Pesach (Passover), with these early beginnings. Remnants of those ancient rituals are also present in fasting done by Christians all through Lent prior to Easter.

In addition to fertility, fasting was often done to prevent catastrophe or as penitence for sin. Indigenous North American Indians did tribal fasts to find favor with the spirits and thus receive assistance in the prevention of looming threats and/or disasters. The Native Americans of Mexico as well as the Incas of Peru fasted regularly to “appease” the wrath of their respective gods.

In the ancient world, the Assyrians and also the Babylonians particularly, fasted as a form of penance. The jewish people also fast for purificaton and forgiveness of sins annually on “Yom Kippur” (The Day of Atonement). Yom Kippur has been observed four thousands of years since its inception by Moses as read in Leviticus 23:27.

The passage described that on that Holy Day, no work should be done. The text goes on to explain the unique rites that the priests did to absolve the people from their sins. One of these rituals removes the people’s sins and as a symbol puts them upon an animal that is consequently sent into the wilderness. This ceremony is the source of the phrase “scapegoat”. Muslims observe similar times of fasting each year during the month of Ramadan.

The historical Christian church also connected fasting with penitence and cleansing from sin (see Matthew 6:16; Mark 9:29). For the first 200 years after its inception, Christianity recognized fasting as something done in preparation for receiving Holy Communion and baptism, as well as for the ordination of new priests into the Catholic church.

While at first this type of fasting was done on one’s own volition, later on they became compulsory. In the sixth century lent fasting was broadened from the initial 40 hours, ( the amount of time that Christ spent in the grave prior to his resurrection), to 40 days of fasting from sunup to dusk – with only one meal allowed daily.

Following the Reformation (1517-1648), fasting was maintained by the majority of Protestant churches and became optional in certain instances. More stringent Protestants such as the Puritans, on the other hand, condemned not just the celebrations of the church, but also its fasting rituals.

Fasting was belittled from very early times. A lot of Old Testament prophets and Christian authors viewed fasting as being a meaningless custom carried out by individuals who were living in sin. In our contemporary world fasting is often sharply criticized, particularly by some in the medical profession.

Doctors and psychologists have questioned the worthiness of fasting for long periods of time as they maintain that it is sometimes harmful. Roman Catholic fasting days are Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. In the US, fasts are done primarily by Episcopalians and Lutherans among Protestants, by Orthodox and Conservative Jews, and by Roman Catholics.

The hunger strike, a type of fasting, continues to be used as a political tool. Countless political prisoners in several parts of the globe have engaged in hunger strikes to catch the government’s ear and bring attention to their cause. Mohandas Gandhi, leader of the battle for India’s independence, carried out fasts regularly to motivate his followers to resist violence and adhere to his cherished precept of nonviolence.

Tags: historical christian church, unleavened bread, cherished precept, North American Indians, political tool

More On Juice Fasting

Saturday, October 30th, 2010 at 12:30 am

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Juice fasting is a type of liquid diet during which a person takes in only juice created from fruits and/or veggies. This method is generally known as a detoxification diet, designed to expel the toxins that accumulate in our bodies from the food we eat, air we breathe and water we drink, in addition to other environmental contamintants. Juice fasting is a great way to lose some extra pounds fast and refresh/re-energize your body, mind and spirit. If you have ben feeling sluggish, depressed, bloated and glum – then chances are good that juice fasting can help to get you back on track.

The whole concept of juice fasting is that, by abstaining from solids for some time, you give the digestive system much-needed time to focus on cleansing, healing and tissue repair. Since so much energy is required to maintain the digestion process, the body normally does not have the “time” to perform these crucial maintenance functions – at least not at the depht and thoroughness that it is able to when we fast.

In addition to detoxifying, juice fasting offers all kinds of other advantages. Many use a juice fast for religious purposes, while others might undertake it just to slim down. Juice fasting may also help one to break bad habits, such as smoking, over eating, or even being addicted to caffeine. This perfectly describes me. I was a two-pack-a-day smoker for nearly thirty years and could not go through the day without constantly drinking coffee – usually ten to twelve cups daily. Juice fasting can also be deployed as an an alternative treatment for a variety of ailments including cancer.

A Detoxification diet can range in the quantity of time it is practiced. There are many who fast for three-to-seven days several times per year. I personally juice fast constantly… at the very least once per week. The reason is that, due to many years of poor eating, I developed a liver condition that requires me to keep my body clean. Last year I actually did a 100-day juice fast. After a few weeks it just becomes second nature, carrying the juice jugs in my car wherever I went. It was amazing.

But that is not to say that you also need to fast for a hundred days. Juice fasting for 100 days is something that I always wanted to do, and I have been fasting for many years. If you are new, you need not break any records I always say.

Start slow with a one-day juice fast, then on to two and three days. Do this for a while until you get used to dealing with hunger and other fasting detox symptoms. THEN you can start doing longer juice fasts of seven days and beyond. But you don’t even have to do that. Frequent juice fasting of one to two days are usually sufficient for most people, unless you have a lot of weight to lose or are doing it for specific health reasons.

Most fruits and vegetables do not contain fibers, so it is sometimes essential to stimulate certain organs and assist in the detox/cleansing processe. Certain fasters use enemas to expedite the process, while others consume an herbal or crystal salt laxative to aid with elimination. I personally use a herbal laxative called Herbs & Prunes. It is cheap and very effective. Take two of those and you’ll see some pretty massive bowel movements, legendary even.

Another way to stimulate the colon and foster the elimination of built-up fecal matter is to add some psyllium husks to the juice. What psyllium does is that it creates an “abbrasive” bulk of fiber in your stomach that, in essence, serves to “scrub” the intestines and loosen stubborn debris adhered to the inner walls. This is the hardest debris to eliminate yet it is crucial to do so. If you are going to go through the effort and sacrifice of fasting, you might as well make sure that all of that filth is wiped out from your body so that it cannot continue to pollute your blood and organs.

Start out with a teaspoon of psyllium once a day with your glass of juice. If you do not move your bowels, move on to two teaspoons the next day. Do not exceed two tablespoons daily. If you STILL cannot go after this, then I recommend that you visit your doctor immediately. You could possibly have another type of more-serious obstruction. Seriously, don’t procrastinate…. get checked out right away.

There is a vast selection of fruits and veggies to choose from to prepare the juice. But not all will work well together and some of them like bananas simply cannot be juiced. Certain greens work great in a juicer, for example parsley, kale, and spinach.

Broccoli and cabbage also work very nicely, and can give the juice a very distinct flavor. Some root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes and carrots also work amazingly-well in a juice fast. Grapes, apples, and citrus offer an abundance of juice and taste absolutely deliciouis. Spearmint, pepper mint, ginger, and green onion are a few of the natural herbs which taste very well in juice, along with wheatgrass, fennel, and even basil.

Tags: tissue repair, religious purposes, bad habit, amount of time, digestion process

Busy Schedule? A Juice Fast Is a Good Alternative!

Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 7:57 pm

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The term “fasting” literally suggests “not eating,” for a predetermined period of time and drinking water only. To be sure, water fasting is by far the most difficult of the fasting disciplines. Today, however, the practice of fasting with freshly-extracted fruit and/or vegetable juice is being more widely embraced.

Juice fasting provides similar weight loss and detox benefits as water fasting, with the exception that one still is able to consume a range of fruit and vegetable juices with pulp. Since most of us have very demanding schedules, juice fasting often presents itself as a better option because the symptoms – particularly hunger and weakness – will not be as strong as they would be in a traditional water fast.

Juice can be preferable than water fasting for a variety of reasons, for instance juice is quickly broken down and assimilated by the body while supplying calories with a HUGE nutritional bang. During a juice fast, one will continue to receive energy from the juice, albeit in smaller quantities than when one is eating the usual three meals per day.

A juice fast can be carried out before or after a cleansing detox diet. In situations where the juice fast happens 1st, it typically lasts for one-to-two days prior to food being gradually reintegrated – usually over six to seven days.

My point is this: It is important to be very careful with what you eat both “before and after” a juice fast. Since the digestive system has been in partial hibernation due to the diminished intake while fasting, it is crucial to “re-awaken” the bear slowly and with much caution.I strongly encourage you to read the breaking a fast page when you have time and be prepared for this phase before you even start fasting.

If you eat too much before a fast, the detox and hunger pangs can be quite uncomfortable because the body is having to break down the feast you had prior. Similarly, if you eat too much, too soon after a fast, you will place an enormous burden on the digestive system and possibly make yourself terribly sick. I say this from experience too.

Don’t do it. Take it easy and slow. Slow is fast my friend. If you are new to juice fasting, I recommend that you start slashing all sugars, fats and caffeine from your diet at least seven days before you start. This will allow the body to begin a “pre-cleansing” process of sorts which will make the actual fast a bit easier. The more “empty” and “light” your stomach is before fasting, the better.

Some people think that they need to gorge before fasting “to store” food. But that is a recipe for misery. It is best to eat as clean and as little as possible for about a week, THEN start juice fasting. This also will give you time to become used to hunger pangs and detox sysmptoms. Consider this cleansing diet phase a “dress rehearsal” for your actual fast.

If you can, it is a lot more useful to for you to prepare the fruit and veggie juice yourself with fresh fruit and a juicer. Organic product is best. If this is beyond your current budget, make sure to thoroughly wash the produce before inserting it in the juicer. I recommend that you check out our juice fasting series of articles so that you can get more detail as to how to prepare and carry it out.Again, if you are new, please do not try to break any records.

You don’t have to fast for forty days to receive benefit from your efforts. It is best if you start slow, possibly with a one-day to three-day juice fast. Once you get used to that, then you can venture out for longer periods of time. Take it easy and be careful. This is not a race… it is best to go slow and build a foundation that lasts than to speed ahead and have to start from scratch over and over, dont’ you think?

Tags: period of time, Food and drink, continual energy supply, enormous burden, Hospitality Recreation

How to Zap Acne & Skin Blemishes With a 72-Hour Colon Cleansing Juice Fast

Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 4:21 pm

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If you want to have clear/glowing skin that is free of acne and/or blemishes, then put away the scrub pad for a while and try a juice fast instead. You will be amazed at the marked results you can get by giving your digestive system as little as three days to expel digestive system waste. Believe it or not, much of what we eat (especially the bad stuff) lingers in our bellies and can fester in the colon for years.

These toxins continually are absorbed into the blood and intoxicate our bodies over and over and over. And one of the organs that gets hit the hardest is the skin. It is not unusual for skin problems such as severe acne and/or blemishes to be caused by chronic toxicity of the digestive system. You can scrub, scrub and scrub… but unless you cleanse your gut, the results will be minimal. Hopefully this article will give you a fresh persective and arm you with what you need to solve this problem and get your skin glow back! Yes, I am a GUY…. but I still like to look good!

By detoxing your colon, you reduce the poisons that leak from the pores of your skin which are the primary culprits for acne. Probably, like most people, you eat three “square” meals per day. That means that you should be having at the very least TWO bowel movements daily – three would be even better. I actually spoke recently to a gastroenterologist and he confirmed to me that, when healthy, we should have one bowel movement for each meal eaten. BUT, that is usually not the case for most of us.

How many times daily do you go? If you move your bowels just once per day, then you are probably toxic and need cleansing. A lot of those toxins undoubtedly are making their way to your facial pores and causing that acne that you so much want to get rid off. So what to do?

You have to eliminate all of that filth in your colon ASAP! So the first day of the juice fast should focus on exactly that – cleansing the colon. Then, for the following two days, we will fine-tune the cleansing to make sure that EVERYTHING has been expelled and that you have properly and thoroughly detoxified.

Carrying out a 72-hour juice fast is, in my opinion, the easiest method to cleanse the colon, decontaminate the blood and revitalize your skin. However, it is important for you to note: Juice fasting for three days ia a very powerful startingpoint for your healing and transformation.

Still, fasting is NOT a “cure-all” for everyone and, for it to work, you must be willing to make PERMANENT eating-habit changes. Otherwise you are simply fooling yourself. You might be fine for a little while, but eventually what you eat will catch up with you and you will find yourself back where you started. So this DOES require your active participation.

In the book, Cooking for Healthy Healing: Diet Programs and Recipes for Alternative Healing Linda Rector-page,Ph.D., speaks with regards to fasting: “Fasting works by self-digestion. During a cleanse, the body in its limitless intelligence, will break down and burn off just the materials and cells that are sick or unnecessary, such as an abscess, tumor, extra fat stores, and congestive toxins.

Just a reasonably brief fast can speed up eradication of these toxins from the liver, lungs and skin, frequently leading to extraordinary changes as big quantities of built up debris is eliminated. Live foods and juices could virtually grab lifeless matter from your body and carry it away.”

The Day Prior To The Juice Fast

The day prior to the fast, consume a big salad and a couple of pears and/or apples. This injection of raw fruits and veggies gives the body a nice shot of fiber to kickstart the colon cleansing process – loosening all of that tough, toxic stool that clings to the walls of the intestines.

Drink at the very least eight large glasses of water and, if possible, take two-to-three of the Herbs & Prunes laxative that I’ve talked about before. Steer clear of white flour, sugar and anything fried. Today should be a day to eat light and premare yourself mentally and physically for the juice fast.

Day ONE Of The Juice Fast

Carry out this kind of detox on a weekend or whenever you can take it easy and not be swamped by a million things at once. I mean, if you simply CANNOT take time off, then I would say go ahead and do the fast. But it is best if you wait until you can relax and focus on what you are doing without being distracted by multiple ancillary issues. Also, you will need to stay close to a restroom while doing this as you will likely have multiple bowel movements, many of them at unexpected moments and times. You don’t want to be caught unawares! .

To complete this juice fast, you will need these supplies:

* A quart of prune juice, organic is best

* One gallon of apple juice – organic is possible.

* At least six apples, organic if possible

* Seltzer/Sparkling Water to help soothe hunger and detox symptoms

*Decaffeinated Green Tea to help soothe hunger and detox symptoms

Whenever you get up in the am, drink up:

* 8 ounces of prune juice

* 10-20 minutes afterwards drink an additional eight ounces
of prune juice

* 10 mins afterward drink still one more eight ounces of prune juice

* Twenty minutes to one-half-hour later, drink 8 ounces, this time of apple juice

* Twenty minutes to one-half-hour later, drink one more eight-ounce glass of the apple juice

If you have not raced to the toilet by now, I assure you that you will very soon. Take in an eight-ounce glass of apple juice every hour, on the hour for the rest of the day – until 5 or 6pm. If hunger hits you in the afternoon, make yourself a cup of the decaf green tea and sip it.

As far as what you are allowed to have during the day, you can eat three apples or pears in the morning and another three at night – no later than 9pm. This procedure will start to really empty your gut of all of that debris that has kept you toxic and bloated. Do not eat anything after 10 pm. If you get hungry, crack open a seltzer water and go back to bed.

Day TWO of The Colon Cleansing Juice Fast

An alternate way to get the cleansing ball rolling is to use an amazing product called Oxy-Powder. You can purchase the tablets and follow the thirty-day cleanse protocol. So you would take it during the three days that you are juice fasting, and continue to do so until the thirty days are completed. Take a capsule a day for thirty days basically.

On the 2nd day you are able to consume diverse types of juice and you can chomp doen as many as five apples or pears. You may drink any type of juice whether it is fruit or veggie. However, I strongly encourage you to drink a combination of both fruit and vegetable juice. Fruit juice has natural sugar, but it is sugar nonetheless.

You will want to keep sugar content low, and you can do this by mixing the fruit and veggie juice… and then perhaps adding a bit of water as well. When I say “fruit juice,” I am NOT talking about Kook-Aid or any other artificial types that one commonly finds in the supermarket. I am talking about natural organic juices.

Your local supermarket probably has a health-food section. Look there or on the lower shelves of the juices section. This time of premium juice will cost you an extra dollar or two. But that is a small price to pay for your health, is it not?

Day THREE Of The Colon Cleansing Juice Fast

The 3rd day is much like the 2nd one. You are able to consume whatever type of juice you want along with the five pears or apples.

Fourth Day, after the fast is done

Once you have completed the 72-hour juice fast, it is imperative that you slowly and gradually build up your system to take in solid food. If you end the fast with a cheeseburger, then you have wasted your time! Be patient and gentle… patient and gentle. You have done a LOT of cleansing over the past three days and your body is in better shape than it possibly has been in years. Don’t ruin it by eating inappropriately…

Below are a few of the food items that you can start refeeding witht:

* Salad: lettuce and tomatoes with just a tiny dab of EVOO <- extra virgin olive oil

* Baked potato; with just a tiny dab of salt and EVOO. Steer clear of butter or sour cream

* Light soup: Do NOT go out and get the really thick and greasy “chowders” out there or other types of “super-fattening” soups. Opt for light soup like chicken broth, vegetable etc… You can have soup with a little meat in it, but keep the solids to a minimum for at least three to five days immediately after the juice fast.

* Oatmeal, multigrain cereal; I am not talking about the commercial variety which comes packed with sugar. I am talking about natural PLAIN oatmeal. Oat/bran cereal (the low sugar type) is also terrific to help the digestive system right after a fast.

* Fruit salad: these come pre-packaged but can be expensive. I suggest you purchase your choice of apples, pears, strawberries, grapes and bananas. Cut them and mix them together in tuppereware bowls you can simply pull out of the fridge and eat or take with you.

* Fruit smoothie; Pull out the blender and mix some fruit with either low-fat milk or water (and lots of ice). My favorite is lemon/orange/strawberry smoothie. Drink it natural. Don’t pour sugar into it or you are only fooling yourself.

* Yogurt; Avoid those filled with sugar… opt for natural instead. If you like yogurt, you can actually mix some into your fruit salad for an added treat!

Important Note: If you’re sick, feeling under the weather or your defense system is weak, then it is probably best if you wait to do this fast until you feel a bit better. Continue to cleanse your face regularly while doing the fast and, little by little, you will start to notice quite the difference.

I had persistent blackheads on my nose, cheeks and shoulders. After this type of cleansing… they all but went away. Some disappeared right away, others took a few weeks. But detoxing my gut did the trick. I pray and hope that it does the same for you dear friend.

Tags: skin glow, bowel movements, Human behavior, facial pores, local supermarket

Here’s How Juice Fasting Can Transform The Course of Your Life

Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 12:46 pm

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Why Juice Fasting?

In this article I continue to talk about juice fasting, especially in relation to the health benefits. To be sure, one of the primary purposes for which people fast is to detoxify the body and improve their health.

Others do it strictly for weight loss and many observe times of fasting as part of their religious beliefs. What is your reason for wanting to fast? Have you ever written these reasons on paper? If not, I recommend that you do. Putting your goals in writing gives them a certain type of power than they do not have just swimming up in your mind. Health, health, health is what this is all about.

Traditional medicine is wonderful and I am always amazed at just how much we have advanced in the last century. Surely new discoveries may one day overcome age-old human enemies as cancer.

Meanwhile, it is our duty to do everything within our power to take care of our bodies and maintain the best health possible. This task is not for your doctor, parents, spouse or children… it is FOR YOU! So, if you are overweight and toxic, this article the clarion call to WAKE UP AND START TO TAKE ACTION!

And juice fasting is a very effective tool that can help you lose weight and improve your health in a relatively short period of time. A juice fast can detoxify your body at the same time delivering a very nice shot of vitamins, minerals and enzymes. Juice fasting (and water fasting also) places the body in healing mode and allows it to rest from digestion and focus instead on deep cleansing, healing and fat burning.

Whenever you drink natural fruit and vegetable juices, you’re taking in some very powerful curative nutrients. You are drinking living enzymes, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and photochemical agents that help the body cleanse and rejuvenate. I mean, I could go on and on and on talking about the benefits of juice fasting.

But even the most accurate description will fall short. You just have to try it for yourself. And if you already are an experienced juice faster, then you STILL have universes to explore. No matter how many times you have fasted in the past, each fast – in my opinion – takes us to a different region in our minds, bodies and souls.

So even if I fast for 100 years, I would only be scratching the surface since the world of the spirit is infinite. I don’t know about you, but to me this is immensely exciting. What other practice on the phase of this earth gives the body the power to basically cannibalize disease? Truly amazing stuff!

How should we proceed with a juice fast?

To begin with, you have to know that fasting can be safe. Many do not realize that the human body can actually make it without eating for as long as 70 days or more, depending on your weight and fat percentage. The body actually has stores of vital nutrients in the liver and bone marrow. While fasting, it has the ability to tap into these resources to ensure your survival in every way possible. A lot of people do not know this and are therefore misinformed about fasting.

I recall vividly one gentleman staring at me shaken and wild-eyed: “Fasting… you mean not eating? You will die!!!” Here he was, with an enormous potbelly that hung almost down to his knees, ,but it was ME who was in danger of dying. Ugghh!

Perhaps you, too, have had some encounters with unbelieving loved ones and/or acquaintances. Let the results speak for themselves is what I always suggest. But, if you are new, the best thing you can do is to start slow and give yourself plenty of time to get used to the fasting process, particularly hunger pangs, detox symptoms and the emotional ups and downs.

Once you have successfully completed various one, two and three-day juice fasts, you can then venture and complete seven days. Do seven days every other week, for example. This is a very powerful form of intermittent fasting. Continue to move forward and then – eventually – give yourself the goal of doing three straight weeks of juice fasting.

A juice fast 21 to 30 days in length will likely have a profound impact on your mind, body and spirit. It could definitely change the entire course of your life. If you are able to handle 21 days, then you can probably make it to 30 days with relative ease. Everyone should have the awesome experience of completing thirty days of juice or water fasting. There is just nothing like it. Many go beyond thirty days. Last year I completed 100 days of juice fasting.

But this is really not necessary in most cases. I personally did it because of a lingering liver condition that requires me to cleanse regularly. I always had the goal of juicing for 100 days… so that was my personal goal. If you are more than 100 pounds overweight, you should not force yourself into a long fast is you have never done one before. I mean, everyone has their mission in life.

When I got sick and tired of living in obesity, depression and isolation, I launched a 40-day water fast within days. But that was me. If you feel that fasting is the way through which you want to lose all of your excess weight, then give yourself plenty of “trial and error” time. If you initially start with your sights on doing 14 days and then fall off on day five, don’t berate yourself or think it was a failure. Simply get up and try, try again. It may take a few tries before you settle into your fasting grove. Just keep getting up and do not ever give up.

Likewise, prior to beginning a juice fast, you must recognize that it likely won’t be a “piece of cake.” You might have moments of turmoil when you will have a very strong urge to quit due to hunger pangs, detox symptoms and/or emotional attacks. You may just say “screw it,” and start driving to the market to buy the biggest cake you can get your hands on! I have been there so many times it isn’t funny.

When all of these trials emerge (and they certainly will), realize that the symptoms will pass. Realize that, even though it may seem that time is crawling, this fast is a very small window of time in the grand scheme of things. And realize that, no matter how much discomfort you face initially, it will be NOTHING in comparison to the HUGE benefits that you will gain mentally, spiritually and physically.

If you are sick and tired of being sick and tired with your weight and health, you definitely should try a juice fast. You will not regret it. I pray and hope that all of your dreams come true, and that you receive the strength, wisdom and determination to overcome all obstacles that may stand in your way. Talk soon!

Tags: human enemies, vegetable juices, three-day juice, lose weight, clarion call

Some Key Pointers To Help You When Juice Fasting & Detox Cleansing

Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 8:36 am

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A real fast doesn’t normally include any kind of sustenance or beverages aside from just water. However, after many years of fasting and coaching others, I cannot deny just how immensely powerful it is to fast with fruit and vegetable juices. At first I opposed juice fasting because I considered myself a “purist.”

But, a little older now (and wiser I hope!), I see that nature has immense healing and restorative powers that cannot be denied, and juice fasting - in my opinion - is one of the most direct ways in which to harness this miracle. The juices provide nutrition which hasten the body’s excretion of toxins, as well as tissue repair. Indeed, fasting with fruit and veggie juices is very powerful and can help you to notably improve your health, as well as lose weight quickly.

Beyond weight loss, however, I always like to emphasize the power of body cleansing. Fasting causes the body to switch to “survival” mode, meaning that it starts to tap on stored fat in order to provide energy needs.

Since the worst of the toxins from the air we breathe, water we drink and food we eat are stored inside fat cells, this survival mode - known as ketosis – causes the toxins to be released into the blood stream. The result is what can be mild to severe detox symptoms. These last anywhere from nine to 21 days, depending on your body makeup and state of health. Juice fasting helps to facilitate this process because the abundant nutrients in raw fresh juices help the body to more effectively process and expel these poisons.

Fasting enables the digestive system get some rest and so the extra energy can be utilized to eliminate toxins. The body metabolises its tissue to supply the energy usually produced from solid foods.

However, and miraculously, the body will only consume the unhealthy, fragile cells, NOT the healthy ones. It is for this reason that fasting frequently for a week to 14 days (at least once annually), can help keep you healthy, clean and lean. This, of course, depends largely on what you eat when you aren’t fasting. You STILL must become willing to make PERMANENT eating-habit changes once the fast is over. Here are juice fasting pointers you should be aware of:

* Don’t use anything except raw organic produce to prevent any kind of chemical deposits which could remain. However, if organic is at present beyond your budget, or if you simply do not have access to it where you live, then it is imperative that you wash and scrub the fruits and vegetables throughly before juicing. I recommend that you purchase a hand scrubbing brush especially for this purpose.

* Utilize a non-centrifugal juicer so that you can protect the live nutrients in the juice. An entire argument could be presented both in favor and against this and that type of juicer. I honestly do not make a huge deal of it. In an optimum circumstance, purchase the non-centrifugal. If you cannot find one where you live, just get the very best that you can. It is better to start doing something right away than to continue to procrastinate, don’t you think?

Sidebar: What’s the big deal about juicers anyways? Well, non-centrifugal juicers generate less heat and therefore do not threaten the nutrients in the juice which can be destroyed by high temperatures. In addition, some schools of thought indicate that these life-giving nutrients actually are sucked into the bloodstream through the esophagus prior to reaching the digestive system. There is no proof to this argument, but it certainly is a very interesting supposition.

* Help your body out through the detox process and go out for regular walks or cycling… any type of low-impact exercise would be great. Spend plenty of time taking deep breaths and visualize clean air going in and black toxic stuff being eliminated as you exhale.

The more calories you burn each day, the faster the body can process and be rid of the toxins that cause all of the uncomfortable cravings and detox symptoms. But I said “low intensity.” Biking a few miles is fine… but NOT a twenty or thirty mile hike please! If you jog, do it slowly and stop the moment you start to feel light-headed. Low impact, low impact, low impact… oh, did I tell you: low impact!

* Consume the juice as quickly as possible after you prepare it. You can plausibly stretch a juice’s lifespan to as much as three – even four days if you agitate it frequently, keep it in an airtight jar and cover the jar or jug with aluminum foil to shield the juice from all light. Many times I have been juice fasting for long periods of time and simply do not have the time to be juicing every day. So I prepare up to one gallon of juice at a time and then protect it like a newborn baby!

* Raw fruit and veggie juices possess alkaline nutrients that help the body to more effectively counteract toxic/acid waste generated by the water we drink, air we breathe and food we eat – in addition to a variety of environmental toxins..

* Lots of poisons tend to be expelled via the pores and skin during detoxification. Spending at least ten minutes each day “brushing” your skin helps a lot to get those pores actively eliminating toxic residue. Just make sure that you do not use a brush that is too harsh and can break your skin.

The whole point is to “hel” your skin, NOT mangle it! Shower when you are finished. If you have access to a sauna, use it daily for ten to fifteen minutes to further stimulate the excretion of toxins through the skin.

* You can drink as many as 7 eight-ounce glasses of juice daily, but no more. Make sure to drink at least half a gallon of water also. When hunger and/or detox symptoms hit you, try drinking a seltzer/sparkling water or a cup of green tea for some added pep. I usually drink the seltzer water two or three times daily if I am struggling with hunger.

Green tea (preferably decaffeinated) usually helps a lot at those “hump” times of the day when you feel yourself dragging. You ought not, however, drink green tea at night as it may keep you up. If you drink anything in the evening, try chamomille tea instead. It is very soothing and will help you settle in for the night.

* You should always break the fast slowly. Spend various days re-introducing solid food to the digestive system. Anything raw is usually best and is most easily digested. A huge steak two days after fasting is not a good idea.

Neither is a cheeseburger or any of that other trash that got you sick and overweight in the first place. NOW is a perfect time for you to take stock of your eating habits and become willing to make some PERMANENT changes. Otherwise you will simply end up back where you started, eventually.

For those who have chronic conditions such as cancer and/or diabetes (among others) or are underweight or with child, I strongly encourage you to see your doctor and talk to him or her FIRST. Thanx for visiting Fitness Through Fasting. If I can be of service to you in any way, simply drop me a line!

Tags: extra energy, juices possess alkaline, healthy ones, restorative powers, entire argument

More Tips for Juice Fasting Success

Friday, October 29th, 2010 at 4:32 am

Comments (22)

General Juice Fasting Rules:

o Have freshly prepared fruit and veggie juice and do not store it for over 72 hours. If you cannot consume it right away, put it into an airtight jug or jar. It is important for the juice to be sealed air tight to avert premature spoilage. Juice extracted freshly from fruits and/or vegetables is a huge nutritional powerhouse. It does, however, spoil quite quickly, so it is very important for you to be aware of this so you do not let any of it go to waste.

o The majority of fruit/veggie juices go down quite smoothly and do not foster the release of acids from your stomach. However, I caution you to use lemon, orange and tomato juice sparingly as they could, in some cases, cause uncomfortable acidity. Use them, but always mix them up with other types of produce.

o Raw fruits and vegetables aren’t always suitable when eaten jointly. Apples tend to be the exclusion.

o Working with Greens– you may want to juice all of your greens up front and leave harder types of veggies for last. The reason for this is that when you prepare greens last, they tend to create a thick sediment on the jug, which makes pouring it harder. I actually spilled an entire half-gallon of juice I had just extracted for that very same reason.

For example, I juice a few carrots or pears first, then I move on to spinach, parsley and watercress… then on to carrots, celery and/or squash. You may come up with your own favorite way of juicing; this is just my recommendation based on a lot of trial and error

o Melons should be juiced themselves. Making a meal out of melons is another option.

o Refrain from utilizing juices of the sweetened, commercial variety. That is just garbage and will only serve to perpetuate sugar cravings. Any food that is pasteurized loses its nutritional pep.

o Cucumbers are in the melon family and might not blend too well with other vegetables. You may have to get used to the taste in some mixtures, but do not let that inhibit you from trying out new combinations.

o Dilute all fruit juice 25 to 50% so as to minimize the amount of sugar that you will be ingesting. Drinking too much non-diluted fruit juice can end up strengthening hunger and cravings. So be very careful with fruit. Fruit has natural sugar, but it is sugar nonetheless. You don’t have to water it down too much; just use common sense. The juice can still be quite tasty.

o Vegetable juices need not be diluted.

Some Suggestions To Help You With Your Juice Fast:

o Take hot and cold showers or baths. While juice fasting, the body will be expelling a lot of toxins through the skin. So regular bathing will help rinse it out and keep the epidermis clean and thus avoid acne or other skin blemishes.

I actually use the bathtub as my own private fasting “recharging” station. I may be about to crack and break a fast prematurely, but once I sit in the bathtub and just let warm to hot water hit me, I seem to always get a second wind. Give it a shot. To be sure, your water bill will probably surge during this time. lol

o The pre-fasting diet ought to consist of eliminating all fat and refined sugar. Start to eat larger quantities of fruits and vegetables instead. This will begin the detox and help you later by reducing the intensity and length of hunger pangs and detox symptoms. Trust me; following this type of “pre-fast” cleansing diet will make the fast much more bearable and stack the deck in your favor.

o Avoid negative people. Do NOT feed into the hysteria if well-intentioned (but misinformed) relatives and friends caution you that “you will die if you don’t eat.” Gosh, I have no idea how many times I have heard that one.

Don’t get glued to the TV set and become immersed in news which can often be quite negative. Avoid horror or violent films. Spend more time in prayer, meditation and viewing/listening to inspirational material. This is very important because fasting is mostly a “mental” discipline. If you are being bombarded with negativity to and fro, your chances of reaching your goal could diminish.

o Get some exercise every day that you are fasting to oxygenate and assist the body in its fat burning, detox cleansing task. I am not saying to go out and run a marathon or put yourself through grueling aerobic and/or weight training routines. I am talking about low impact exercise (like walking or riding a bike) for at least half an hour. This will help you to lose weight faster, but it also will help to take your mind off of food and eating!

o I know this one may sound a bit odd to some people, but I also recommend that you sit under the sun for fifteen minutes to a half-hour daily while juice fasting. Sunlight in small quantities can help energize you, as well as give you a light bronze that will make you look great. Just don’t overdo it.

o Make use of Enemas–A juice fast may not always induce the disposal of ALL toxins, especially that tough and stubborn fecal matter adhered to the walls of the colon. You will want to make sure that any such debris is expelled so that it does not continue to pollute your body. Several colon cleansing sessions will usually do the trick. To this end, check out our detox blog for a huge variety of articles related to detox cleansing.

o Continue with your normal daily schedule of activities. However, you will need to reduce the intensity at which you normally do things. You will need to take it easy, move slower and give yourself plenty of time to get things done. When fasting, especially during the first nine to eleven days, doing even the most mundane daily tasks can often require a great deal of exertion and concentration.

o Avoid coffee, soft drinks, tobacco or anything more. I smoked two-to-three packs of Marlboro reds for nearly thirty years. I smoked my last one the morning of my first 40-day water fast. If you are a smoker, I encourage you to do the same. Now is as good a time as any to overcome this terrible addiction.

o Cut back on certain nutritional supplements and prescription drugs. If you are more than sixty years of age, it is recommended that you take a multivitamin once daily while fasting. Again, make sure that you discuss all of this with your doctor and ALWAYS follow his or her recommendations. Although fruit and veggie juice has a LOT of nutrients, elderly fasters should err in the side of caution and take the multi-vitamin.

o If you are hypoglycemic, it will be best if you have someone around to supervise your fast. Depending on how your body reacts, you may need to “slow-down” the fast by adding some sort of protein.

o If you wear dentures, do not remove then because sometimes the gums shrink while one is fasting and you may find yourself having to buy a new pair.

o Get as much rest as you can and sleep, sleep, sleep!

Some Final Recommendations: It is important for you to realize that while fasting, you will likely experience periods of intense fatigue, tiredness and mood swings. This is all normal. Remember that when we fast a huge number of toxins that were hiding in fat tissue are abruptly loosened into the bloodstream. This is what causes the detox symptoms, which – depending on your diet – may be quite severe. But, the good news is that they WILL pass!

As I said before, fasting is a time when we tap into the spirit in ways that we are not accustomed to. It is a time of physical, mental and spiritual healing. Take full advantage of it and remember the HUGE benefits that you will gain from walking through the discomfort and reaching your goal.

Tags: health care supervisor, glass jar, Juice Fasting Rules, colon cleansing sessions, fruits and/or vegetables

To Hell & Back – How Fasting Saved My Life

Friday, October 22nd, 2010 at 1:35 pm

Comments (27)

Robert-Dave-Johnston

“Sometimes I would get so sick that I would actually vomit all over myself while gorging. I did not care. I would just continue to eat. Wouldn’t even change my shirt. In my mind, I was garbage and did not deserve even the slightest of human dignities.”

Ever since I was a small child, I recall always feeling inadequate, ugly, weak an unworthy. This translated to lots of bullying in school and very few friends. The kids called me “the ugly fat cow.” Anytime I would walk by or get in the bus they would start “mooo, mooo, mooo.”

You know how tough kids can be. I was terrified to go to school. I was the overweight, nonathletic, dark-skinned kid in the group. The ugly duckling. My mother worked hard to raise and support me, but it was very hard as she was alone.

My father was a very famous Latin American singer in the 1960s and 70s and I guess he was too busy with his fame to care much about me. So he left us when I was very young. I was always in emotional pain. Food gave me the hiding place and “medication” that I needed. I recall that for a great part of my childhood my grandfather ran a little shop from the house.

Kids would come up to the kitchen window and order candy, sodas and fried goodies. Needless to say, I ravaged the candy when noone was looking. It was not unusual for my grandparents to find tons of candy wrappers under my bed. “You’re eating my profits!” grandpa would shout. I could not stop. I was not even ten years old and already was a food addict.

My mother went on to remarry, but the father image that I longed for did not materialize. In fact, there were periods of mental and even physical abuse. I retreated further into my shell. Girls did not like me, I had no friends and became a total outcast. This went on through high school.

Many other things happened and for a period of time I lost a lot of weight. It was mostly due to my huge love for Rocky and Sylvester Stallone. But that did not last and my binging eventually led me to regain all of the weight.

By this time I was in my late teens and had gone off to Los Angeles to be on my own. I did ok at first and started to get in shape and do some acting. I played in numerous rock bands. Like they said in the movie Goodfellas – “It was a glorious time.”

I met and hung out with a lot of celebrities (Slash and Axl Rose from Guns N’ Roses were my favorites), had hair down to my waist, rode a motorcycle and felt like I was on my way to doing something positive with my life, especially in music as a singer, guitarist and composer. But the food addiction and binging had other plans.

Increased alcohol consumption led to weight gain which led to demoralization which led to a full-blown relapse into binging. This time, however, I was going straight to hell. By the time my sting in Los Angeles was over, I had given up on music, acting and just stayed in my tiny apartment in Santa Monica Boulevard eating, eating and chain smoking.

Sometimes I ran out money and would call the pizza man and then beg him to give me the pie and that I would pay later. I was blacklisted by pizza delivery restaurants within a ten-mile radius. lol I could go on and on.

Over the following years I was lucky enough to start a journalism career in San Juan, Puerto Rico which is where my mother is from. I can only say it was a “God” thing because one day I was working out in the sun mixing cement and the next day I was in an office writing business stories. I was taken there. I don’t recall having the ambition, energy or vision to do so.

Things went really well and I seemed to have found my niche as a writer, which apparently I did fairly well. But that feeling of “not being good enough” was always there.

Anytime something good happened in my career (awards, raises, praise from colleagues), I would minimize it and set out to prove everyone wrong. I would slide into a binge and disappear from sight. I would lock myself in my apartment to drink and eat and simply not show up to work.

My bottom was me not bathing, shaving or changing clothes for weeks, sometimes months at a time. I would spend weeks alone in my apartment living off of pizza, cheeseburgers and Chinese food delivery. I would order an Xtra large pizza every day and eat it in its entirety, as well as liters and liters of soda.

Sometimes I would get so sick that I would actually vomit all over myself while gorging. I did not care. I would just continue to eat. Wouldn’t even change my shirt. In my mind, I was garbage and did not deserve even the slightest of human dignities.

How can a human being sink so low? My only exposure with the outside world was my daily trips to Dunkin Donuts to buy a dozen pack and some apple fritters. I wore only black over sized clothing, most of which was badly stained by icing and grease from the pizza and Chinese food.
I was the ‘man in black.’ Walking death…

Black shorts or sweatpants and a black t-shirt. That was my uniform. Several times I contemplated suicide and even started to plan it. The only thing that held me back was knowing the horrible pain that would cause for my precious mother.

Eventually I lost my journalism career, my home, my fiancee and ended up living in rescue missions, christian homes and anywhere that I could crash. I smoked two packs a day of Marlboro Reds and was drinking heavily as well as binging nonstop.

My mother was the only one that could stand me. I was obese, dirty, smelly and lost in chronic depression, bitterness and hatred. I was dead in life. Many well-intentioned men tried to help me, but I was unwilling to listen or have any type of accountability in my life.

Some years later I moved to Florida and secured a job at a great business newspaper. I was overweight but was in somewhat more ‘control’ than before. Everyone in that newspaper was very good to me.

But, again, I had to prove everyone wrong. So one Friday I went home to drink and binge and disappeared for months. They tried to help… but I was trapped and simply could not stop eating.

I recall waking and seeing boxes and boxes and boxes of pizza all over the place, garbage and the horrible smell of death. I looked in the mirror and saw a horribly bloated, greasy face with deep, dark circles around the eyes. I looked like something out of Night of The Living Dead.

By then I was 90 pounds overweight and very sick from intestinal toxicity and a liver condition that was getting worse.

One day I started fasting basically out of desperation, but was consumed by horrible withdrawal symptoms before I could finish even eight hours without solid food. It was like being stabbed all over my body… the detox pain was intense.

I was puzzled by the bad breath, white-sticky tongue, metallic taste and dizziness that I experienced. Research later led me to the realization that the symptoms were a reflection of just how toxic my body and digestive system had become.

By that time I had spent nearly 25 years binging, binging and binging with very little interruption.I had no social life and hardly any friends. For all I cared my life was over. How dark it gets before the dawn!

In an ultimate low, I received the grace, strength and resolve to launch a 40-day water fast. The start of the fast was hell. I quit smoking cold turkey right then and there. The symptoms hit me hard and I was against the ropes many times. I don’t know why I was doing this.

I just knew that I had to. I could sense in my spirit that this was my chance to find some sort of life. It was very hard and painful – especially during the first 11 days of cleansing and detoxification. But I was reborn.

Fasting for weight loss, health and fitness has changed my life. It worked when traditional diets did not. I realized that, as long as I kept putting food in my body, I was not giving it the opportunity to cleanse from all the toxicity that had built up over the years.

My complete lack of control with food was a problem that only fasting was able to break. It forced me to navigate through the pains and discomfort of cleansing and detoxification.

Only then did the chains of food slavery break and I was led to freedom.

Once the fasting was over, I found – to my astonishment- that I was no longer willing to just put anything in my mouth. The sacrifice of fasting and cleansing gave me a new perspective on food.

This new perspective, in turn, gave me a fresh sense of discipline that had otherwise eluded me. In short, for me diets did not work because, in reality, what I needed was to stop eating altogether for a season so my body could clean itself.

I tried all the diets, believe me. Yet I only grew fatter and more frustrated. Each failure usually restored me to the previous undesired weight and added another 10 to 20 pounds to boot.

Later I realized that, at least for me, fasting and cleansing had to come BEFORE or could expect to stick to any particular diet – no matter how good it was.

Having lost nearly 100 pounds through juice and water fasting, I now dedicate myself to helping others interested in improving their health through this amazing, life-giving discipline. I am not here to present a rosy picture that this is easy. It is not. You have to get to the point where you are “sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

AT that point, there is no other option but to press on and do whatever it takes to find freedom. And I am not cured of food addiction. I will be a food addict for the rest of my life. But, one day at a time, I choose to NOT take that first careless bit of the trigger foods that enslaved me.

That does not mean that I am a killjoy either. I do have my treats once in a while, but it with a structure and it is just a one-time shot. The mental food obsession has left me. I rarely get obsessive thoughts about food anymore. I have made contact with the God of my understanding.

You may wonder: why do you I give such graphic details? Well, I want to give you hope! I want you to know that no matter how low and hopeless you may feel, you CAN overcome and find freedom just like I did.

I pray that you may be filled with strength, wisdom and determination to seize your freedom. And may all of your dreams come true.

Best Regards,

Rob

Tags: San Juan, mental food obsession, hiding place, Jim Zwerg, Guns N' Roses

Mature Health & Fitness

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010 at 6:01 pm

Comments (17)

senior health and fitness

You may not be interested in running a marathon or diving into the crazy world of extreme sports, but that certainly doesn’t mean that as an older adult, exercise is no longer important. In fact, to keep yourself limber and mobile so that you can maintain the lifestyle that works for you, exercise is even more important to the older generation.

As we age, it’s easy to let our physical health and fitness slide but this is right when you need it the most. A visit to one of the many available cardiac hospitals will show you the devastating effects that an inactive lifestyle can have on a mature body.

Besides the obvious stiffness and loss of flexibility that can make everyday activities difficult, extra weight, immobility and poor diet can put a massive amount of strain on the essential organs that have already put in a lifetime of work. The more fit and active a senior can be the less stress is put on organs such as your heart and lungs, as well as the overall health of your entire circulatory system.

One of the easiest and most enjoyable way to stay fit in your senior years is through non weight bearing exercises such as water treadmills, aquatic therapy or water aerobics. The natural buoyancy of water allows for a greater range of movement without the jarring and often damaging impact of the non-aquatic versions. Aquatic therapy also has the benefits of natural resistance, making it a method of exercise that doesn’t even feel like exercise.

A routine including something as gentle as swimming slow and regular laps or the steady rhythm of a water treadmill a few times a week can offer substantially increased circulation and mobility to seniors, which will also improve your overall health and quality of life.

Retiring from the workforce doesn’t mean that you can retire from fitness. Keeping yourself active and maintaining a healthy weight means that you will have the tools to celebrate those golden years to the fullest. You’ve earned your retirement so make sure that you can enjoy it.

Tags: everyday activities, physical health, extreme sports, cardiac hospitals, Aquatic therapy

Your Guns, Reloaded

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010 at 11:24 pm

Comments (31)

Your arms are too small. Or at least you feel that they are. But chances are it’s not because you’re neglecting those muscles. In 15 years of training clients, I’ve yet to come across a would-be arms dealer who hasn’t tried every biceps curl and triceps extension in the book.

So what’s the problem? Your upper back. And your core. And your glutes. (Yes, butthead, your glutes.) When those muscles are weaker than they should be, they act like brakes on the size and strength of everything else. Especially your arms.

The problem is simple to correct, as long as you’re willing to invest time doing the Big Arms Workout featured on this month’s poster. In 4 weeks, you can build new muscle from head to toe, and put yourself back in the arms race.

Step 1: Call in the reinforcements

Physiology 101: Your biceps bend your arms, and you work them with curls. You probably figured this out as a kid when Dad told you to “make a muscle” for one of those photos parents use as blackmail for when their sons start dating. Chances are you did a curl the first time you ever picked up a dumbbell, and you’ve been doing them ever since. Now ask yourself: When’s the last time I increased the weight I use on my arm exercises?

Physiology 201: If you want your arms to grow, you need to create overload and challenge them with progressively heavier weights. They’ll adapt by growing bigger and stronger. Since they aren’t receiving that overload from curls, you need to recruit bigger muscles to help them grow in tandem.

Start with the chinup. This move forces you to lift your entire body — several times the amount of weight you could curl — on each repetition. Your lats, which are the fan-shaped middle-back muscles that run from your armpits to your spine, do a good deal of the work. But your biceps are more than just bystanders. They’re working as hard as they can. Without their help, you couldn’t do a single rep.

Target your triceps the same way. Do bodyweight dips or close-grip bench presses with a loaded barbell. You’ll be able to lift multiples of the weight you use for extensions.

Make these heavy, multimuscle exercises the focus of your upper-body training. After you’ve performed them, add curls and extensions to give your arms some extra oomph.

Step 2: Restore your core

Next time you hit the gym, try this test: Go to the triceps pushdown station, select the heaviest weight you can use for 10 reps, and do a set. Rest a few minutes, and then repeat the set . . .standing on one leg. You won’t be able to knock off 10 reps, and the reason is obvious. Your triceps didn’t become weaker; they simply lost some of their support base. A weak or unstable core limits how efficiently your central nervous system controls your muscles; this can raise your injury risk.

So even though your triceps aren’t part of your core, their performance is affected by it. A weaker or less balanced base of support limits the strength and power your arm muscles can generate, while a stronger core enables all your muscles to work harder, longer, and more productively. That’s why the exercises in the poster workout challenge and strengthen your core as well. It’s a two-for-one bargain: You develop better abs while creating the base that allows you to build bigger arms.

View the original article here

Tags: Alwyn Cosgrove, Weight training, Scott McDermott, arm exercises, Biceps brachii muscle

Daniel Fast: The Daniel Fast – A Plant-Based Spiritual Powerhouse

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 6:40 pm

Comments (25)

The Daniel Fast keeps growing in attractiveness all over the world. I very often receive email messages from Christian brethren in different parts of the world telling me how they felt moved by The Spirit to adopt a clean, fasting lifestyle as the one depicted in the book of Daniel. I sense that getting our physical house in order is among the top item in God’s agenda. A Christian brother or sister can have amazing anointing to preach, heal, encourage or countless others.

But if he or she is overweight and eats poorly, then that person’s Gospel message can very well be extinguished before its time. I see a LOT of wonderful pastors and ministers that are terribly overweight and seem oblivious to its dangers. This makes me angry. I can just see the enemy looking on and laughing as we literally eat ourselves to death. Sooooo, the Daniel Fast, in my opinion is a very powerful antidote. It is a call to simplicity, self-mastery and optimum health. Christ did not die on the cross so that we live our lives obese and eating badly.

That does NOT honor Christ, in my opinion. I have gotten quite a bit of scorn for saying these things, but I honestly feel in my heart that the time has arrived to put away the fork and start fasting with greater regularity. If we are fat, bloated and lethargic, what kind of vessel can we be for The Holy Spirit? How will we be able to endure the increasing pressures of life filled with blubber and toxins?

The Daniel Fast is a completely plant-based method of eating. As you may know, it is based on the fasting experiences of the Prophet Daniel as recorded in Daniel 1:10. At this time (approximately 600 B.C ), the people of Israel, God’s chosen, had succumbed to terrible sins and idolatry, for which reason God disciplined them by allowing the Babylonians to destroy Israel and take large numbers of men and woman captive.

Daniel was among the captives and, in the course of time, he went on to become a top adviser for Nebuchadnezzar – the King of Babylon at the time. A great deal of this favor he received from the pagan king was surely due to the frequent periods of fasting that Daniel observed. This is just my opinion. Regular times of fasting can turn even the coldest, most-carnal Christian into a Gospel powerhouse.

With Daniel, the whole thing started with what sounds a lot like a bet. Daniel saw all the greasy and heavy foods that all of the king’s servants were eating and basically told the King: “Let your servants continue like whay are eating, and I will eat only vegetables and water for some days. Then we can compare and see who looks healthier and better.” Needless to say, Daniel won the bet and the King then proceeded to change everyone’s menu to the one Daniel was following.

Forced fasting! lol I can just imagine how furious many of those servants were! lol At any rate, The Daniel Fast, in essence, is based on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, seeds and good quality oils (i.e. olive and canola). It also allows a variety of herbs and seasonings. Other than the above mentioned foods, one cannot eat any artificial or processed foods, foods with chemicals, yeast and baking powder.

The sole drink allowed while on The Daniel Fast is water. You can, however, use fruit and/or veggie juice as well as non-sweetened soy milk on cereal or in recipes. The majority of people carry out the Daniel Fast for 21 days, although there really isn’t a particular length required.

Twenty-one days references the 21 days that Daniel spent water fasting asking God to help captive Israel. The tale of Daniel regards a man that discovers God’s blessing while a slave to the Babylonians. Indeed, it was not a fun time at all for Israel, and Daniel confronted a lot of perils while there.

He went through more than most of us would be able to bear and still stood tall and did not lose his faith. In spite of all of the adversities, Daniel had many dreams and visions. He had the gift of prophecy and was able to interpret some troubling dreams that the King of Babylon was having.

How was it that he was able to thrive under such immense hardship? I believe the answer lies in the HUGE connection between fasting and the spiritual world. When we fast, we set the flesh aside and are able to connect with God much more directly.

In short, the Daniel Fast is a partial or intermittent fast during which certain foods are not allowed for the purpose of achieving a spiritual objective. There are no restrictions as to the amount of food that you can eat on the Daniel Fast. Nevertheless, bear in mind that this is a time of fasting.

Tags: plant-based method, israel god, pagan king, person's gospel message, terrible sins

Fasting Bible Scriptures

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 at 10:11 am

Comments (20)

Bible scriptures that mention fasting:

1Ki 21:9 In those letters she wrote: “Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people.

Ne 9:1 On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and having dust on their heads.

Es 4:3 In every province to which the edict and order of the king came, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping and wailing. Many lay in sackcloth and ashes.

Es 9:31 to establish these days of Purim at their designated times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had decreed for them, and as they had established for themselves and their descendants in regard to their times of fasting and lamentation.

Ps 35:13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,

Ps 109:24 My knees give way from fasting; my body is thin and gaunt.

Isa 58:3 `Why have we fasted,’ they say, `and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ “Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers.

Isa 58:4 Your fasting ends in quarrelling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high.

Isa 58:6 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?

Jer 36:6 So you go to the house of the LORD on a day of fasting and read to the people from the scroll the words of the LORD that you wrote as I dictated. Read them to all the people of Judah who come in from their towns.

Jer 36:9 In the ninth month of the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah king of Judah, a time of fasting before the LORD was proclaimed for all the people in Jerusalem and those who had come from the towns of Judah.

Da 9:3 So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Joe 2:12 “Even now,” declares the LORD, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”

Mt 4:2 After fasting for forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Mt 6:16 “When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.

Mt 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Mr 2:18 Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees are fasting, but yours are not?”

Mr 9:29 He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”

Lu 2:37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped night and day, fasting and praying.

Acts 13:2 While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Acts 14:23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust.

View the original article here

Tags: sackcloth and ashes, the Holy Spirit, great mourning, prominent place, king of judah

Anti-Aging Fasting

Saturday, August 21st, 2010 at 9:21 pm

Comments (34)

Fasting is anti-aging because it rids your body of toxins, which impair your longevity health. In addition, it helps to control your weight, which is often an aging factor.

Fasting is the most efficient and effective way of detoxification.

What is fasting?

Fasting is voluntary abstinence from food and drink, except water, for an extended period.

Fasting is not starvation which is abstinence continued beyond your body’s nutrient reserves. In other words, starvation may exhaust your body’s stored nutrients to the point of presenting health hazards, while fasting is still “consuming” the nutrient reserves stored in your body. There is a big difference.

Fasting has many therapeutic benefits. Fasting accelerates the self-healing process of your body, thereby enabling your body to recover speedily from any disease. Fasting temporarily stops the continuing work of your digestive system, instrumental in reserving energy for your self-healing. Your body may now utilize the energy for self-healing, which otherwise normally might be expended on secreting digestive enzymes to break down the food for distribution of nutrients throughout your body.

Fasting slows down your aging process by keeping your arteries young (often hardened by cholesterol, fats, inorganic minerals and fibrous tissues). Fasting facilitates the removal of accumulated substances that may damage cell functions, thereby slowing down your aging process and extending your lifespan.

Fasting may alleviate your body pain and rid your body of drug dependence. Remember, longevity is often a drug-free life.

Fasting relieves the burden of not only your digestive tract, but also your liver and kidneys, which have to work extra hard to remove additives and toxins accumulated in your body through improper eating.

Fasting produces powerful detoxifying effects in your body not achievable by any diet, restricted or supplemented.

Fasting decreases your blood pressure by softening your blood vessels.

Fasting activates the immune system in your body.

Fasting removes the cause of any chronic disease you may have by removing the toxins, not just the symptoms, as in the case of medication.

Fasting facilitates you, if you are a smoker, to quit smoking during a fast.

Essentially, there is only one type of fasting: pure water fasting. Juice fasting is not fasting: it is not anti-inflammatory; only pure water fasting is. Vegetable or fruit fasting is not fasting: it is more of a healthful diet. Only pure water fasting is complete and total fasting, which has the capability to break down fat, abnormal cells, plaque, and even tumors. Pure water fasting is the most efficient natural method of detoxification.

How safe is fasting?

Fasting is both natural and safe. Your body system has the capability to fast, and your body has the ability to fast safely. Generally, it takes more than forty days to exhaust all the nutrients stored in your body. That is why in the Bible Jesus fasted for forty days. In general, your body will still have more than adequate reserves of proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins to maintain its normal function during a fast. In fact, during a fast, your body conserves its muscle and lean body tissues.

For centuries, people have practiced fasting all over the world.

Animals instinctively fast when they are sick or wounded. However, humans in similar situations erroneously believe they need to eat to regain strength, thus making them even sicker and weaker.

To prepare for a fast, eat more vegetables and fruits prior to a fast. Reduce the consumption of meat, and refrain from eating any meat the day before a fast.

During a fast, your body naturally increases mucous production to wash away viruses and infected cells. It may even induce a slight fever to activate your immune system. Your body discharges toxins and chemicals through your skin, mucous membranes, liver, and kidneys. Due to hormonal and metabolic changes, you may feel slightly colder. That is natural and normal. Just keep warm to conserve your energy and to facilitate rapid elimination. One common phenomenon is dehydration through excessive loss of water. Drinking more water is recommended during a fast.

You no longer have any bowel movement after the first day. That, too, is normal.

During a fast, you need less sleep than usual. You are fully refreshed with from three to six hours of sleep. A fast is invigorating.

Remember, the more you fast, the less uncomfortable you will feel. Normal functioning of the body will resume upon removal of all causes of functional impairment.

On the first day, you feel pangs of hunger, and a white coating forms on your tongue. On the second day, you begin to feel gradual dissipation of hunger, and there is more white coating on your tongue. On the third day, you may feel complete disappearance of hunger and the clearance of coating on your tongue.

The first three days of a fast are most challenging. However, once the challenge is overcome, you are well on the way to rejuvenation of your entire body. A clear tongue and clean breath are a good indication that the cleansing is more or less complete.

The length of a fast depends very much on an individual. The following is just a general guideline: a one-day fast, as often as required, preferably weekly, for good maintenance; a three-to-four-day fast for general health and well being, several times a year; a two-week fast for complete internal cleansing, every year or so; and a three-week fast (or even longer) for curing a specific disease, under the supervision of a physician

Always consult your physician first if you go on a fast longer than three to four days. Stop the fast immediately if there is significant increase in physical weakness, or drastic drop in blood pressure.

A one-day fast is ideal for maintenance, but may not be too effective for deep cleansing. Regular fasting minimizes the risk of a disabling disease later in life, and is therefore anti-aging.

Stephen Lau, a writer and researcher, has spent years in writing research synopses of doctors and scientists in the United States. For more information on health and wellness, visit: http://www.longevityforyou.com . Mr. Lau has also designed a website on golf tips and information. For more information, go to: http://www.golfingsuccessinfo.com

Tags: United States, Body cleansing, cell functions, therapeutic benefits, Juice fasting

Fasting For Spiritual Breakthrough

Saturday, August 21st, 2010 at 5:25 pm

Comments (31)

As defined by the dictionary, fasting is the act of willingly abstaining from some or all food and in some cases drink, for a period of time

History of Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough

Fasting has been practiced by humans and animals since history began. It was really the only method for healing that primitive man had (other than some herbs from nature). They would fast when they became hurt or ill. It was a natural instinct for self preservation

Fasting (spiritual and non-spiritual) has been around for a very long time. Spiritual Fasting has some importance in almost every religion. The Bible, alone, has 74 references to it. Spiritual fasting is mentioned in both the Old and New Testament, in the Mahabharata, in the Upanishads and in the Qur’an.

Jesus fasted for 40 days, and his disciples took part in many long fasts. All of history’s greatest spiritual teachers took part in spiritual fasting. They all understood the power of fasting for spiritual breakthrough. Now, you are being exposed to it!

Benefits of Spiritual Fasting

The benefits of spiritual fasting are both physical and non-physical. Many of the effects cannot even be described and/or scientifically proven. Below, I will list some of the main effects of spiritual fasting.

First of all you are no longer controlled by food. I am amazed each time I do a fast how free I feel. You will notice that you have so much more time. You are not a slave to your food. Your regain your mastery over it. After fasting, you do not eat as much as you use to. This is because you have more mental power to control food, and your stomach shrinks slightly.

Fasting for spiritual breakthrough has also been known to reduce mouth and body odor. Many people have reported no longer needing to use any kind of deodorants, after taking part in regular spiritual fasting.

Spiritual fasting has many benefits for your body. It gives your body a physiological rest. During this time, you body is also able to get rid of toxins. Basically fasting for spiritual breakthrough allows your body to relax and let go, which causes a very powerful internal cleansing.

Spiritual fasting can be a very empowering experience. If you are able to complete it, you feel sense of accomplishment and freedom. I have found spiritual fasting is a great way for me to become inspired. It has also been know to cause a calming effect. And for some people it induces feelings of euphoria, it is like a natural high.

Overall, fasting for spiritual breakthrough cleans the body-mind and feeds the spirit.

“All the vitality and energy I have comes to me because my body is purified by fasting.”-Gandhi

How to Begin Fasting for Spiritual Breakthrough

The best way, from my experience, to begin fasting for spiritual breakthrough is to start with a 24 hour fast. It is pretty safe, and very healthy. Although, depending on you, it may be better to start with a juice fast.

During the 24 hour fast, which I am talking about, you can only consume water. During this time, no food should enter your system. Although, I recommend you take one teaspoon of honey in a glass of water. During the fast it is very important you drink a lot of water. Usually 8-10 glasses of pure, distilled water are sufficient.

Ending the spiritual fast, is usually one of the most important parts. Personally I end fasts with the meal recommended in “The Miracle of Fasting” by Paul and Patricia Bragg. They say after 24 hours to end the fast, the best thing for you to eat is a raw coleslaw cabbage made up of chopped cabbage, grated carrots, and beets with a fresh lemon juice as a dressing. Whatever you do, eat something light, natural, and organic. I do not recommend you break a fast with any animal products.

Most importantly, do your research and make sure you consult a physician for your specific needs and results.

Would you like more ways for experiencing spiritual breakthroughs? Jason Randhawa, the creator of this article, has also arranged for you to receive a Free Metaphysics Information Package from his website: WhatIsMetaphysics.com. It is full of valuable spiritual insights. You will get the 7-Day ?What Is Metaphysics? Ecourse, a subscription to the Metaphysical Mind Ezine, and over 25 Spiritual Ebooks. Get all this for free at http://www.whatismetaphysics.com/spiritualbreakthroughs.

Tags: Fasting and abstinence of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, long time, spiritual teachers, Paul Bragg, body odor

How Fasting Can Transform Your Body and Your Life

Saturday, August 21st, 2010 at 1:23 pm

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Fasting has been around for thousands of years. It is the oldest and some say, the most effective natural healing therapy for our physical, mental and emotional ailments. It does something to our bodies, minds and spirits that no other remedy does. It’s quite literally, life-changing – transformational medicine in it’s purest form.

Fasting plays a part is every religion on earth. Buddha, Jesus, Moses, Elijah and Mohammed all fasted to purify their bodies and minds. The Sufis and the Essenes both used it extensively. Many indigenous cultures such as the Native Americans value fasting. Socrates, Plato, Galen, Aristotle, Paracelsus and Hippocrates the father of medicine all advocated abstaining from food and used fasting therapeutically.

Have you ever been sick and simply not wanted to eat? In fact, has the thought of food been quite a turn-off and the farthest thing from your mind? That is your body naturally fasting, naturally negating the drive to eat because food is not the best thing for you at this particular time. Have you ever had a pet that has refused to eat? This is their way of encouraging the healing process – an instinctual knowledge that the body has more important things to do than digest right now.

Fasting is precious time that we give to our internal organs to breathe out, have a break, relax, recharge and restore. We do the same for our mind when we go on holiday or get a massage. Why not give our body the occasional break too?

Have you ever considered fasting? What do you think would happen if you simply didn’t eat food for a while? What do you think would change? How do you think you would feel? Here’s a brief overview of fasting designed to inform and perhaps inspire a fasting journey of your own. You certainly won’t regret it and will be amazed by your body’s inherent ability to heal and the insights you gain on so many levels.

What is fasting?

The word “fast” itself give us a clue. By avoiding food or certain types of food for a time we literally speed up the natural detoxification and cleansing process that is happening constantly in our body and we speed up cellular renewal and regeneration. So a fast is a cure, a remedy and a therapeutic action. In the purest sense of the word, fasting refers to total abstinence from all food, whether it’s 40 days or 10 days or even 1 day. In more modern times fasting can also refer to limiting particular food intake or perhaps eating only one type of food or taking fresh fruit and vegetable juices only. There are so many different types of fasts and internal cleanses to choose from and you can tailor them to suit your individual needs. You can even do a simple cleanse by avoiding all alcohol, dairy, caffeine and processed food and drinking more water if you like, this alone will have an extremely beneficial effect on your body.

Why should I fast?

Good question and there are as many reasons as their are people on the planet. Some fast to cure cancer or diabetes. Some fast for weight loss. Some fast for detoxification and to improve liver function. Some fast as preventative medicine. Some fast for chronic skin conditions or digestive complaints. Some fast for self-realisation. In my own recent 40 day fast my intentions were to simply get more in touch with the internal functioning of my body and mind, to lessen my emotional attachment to certain foods (think potato chips and chocolate) and to rekindle my fascination for the healing properties of food we eat daily. For me and many others, fasting is a way to look at our habits when it comes to food consumption and reassess our diet. It allows us to keep what is working and get rid of what isn’t. It also allows us to clearly identify the moments we confuse cravings and comfort eating with the nutrients the body and mind really need.

Fasting has been used to successfully treat the following: colds, flu and respiratory symptoms, headaches, reproductive system issues, allergies, skin conditions, ulcers, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, mental illness, epilepsy, obesity, fatigue, back pain, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation and insomnia.

Fasting promotes purification, clearer skin, anti-ageing, reduction in allergies, improved immune system function, change of habits, better sleep, greater ability to relax, more energy and clarity of focus, rest for the digestive system, improved sense of smell, taste, hearing and vision, dietary changes, creativity, new ideas, inspiration, better attitude, spiritual awareness and right use of will. Pretty cool huh?

Who shouldn’t fast?

As with any changes is health you are thinking about making there are always considerations. For the following group of people fasting is not recommended unless under the careful guidance of an experienced health professional: pregnant women, underweight people or those with serious physical and mental degeneration and those with major nutritional deficiencies.

How do I fast?

Fasting can be a controversial topic and there are many schools of thought on the best way to do it. Here are four steps to follow to start your journey:

Educate yourself on the best possible fast for your body and your lifestyle – you are unique and what works for another may not work for you. Seeing an experienced health professional who listens and who wants to guide and support you through your fast is highly recommended.
Choose a suitable time. Winter is never suggested as it is a natural storage and rest time for your body. Other than that, the change of seasons is always good (out with old and in with the new!). Lighten your schedule if you can while you fast.
Begin and plan your fast. The reality of you having nothing to do but nurture yourself is pretty thin unless you go on a retreat of some sort so making a start is the most important thing. Be easy on yourself. You will experience rapid change that may surprise you but the results and how you will feel after your fast will blow you away. Make sure you’re prepared and have everything you need as going to a supermarket may not be high on your priorities.
Listen to your body. It will clearly tell you if what you are doing is working or not. Surround yourself with supportive people, give yourself some time to go through the initial detox symptoms (very commonly some degree of discomfort, headaches, bowel change, fatigue and irritability for the 3-5 days) Know you are doing an amazing thing for your body and mind that will change your whole experience of health.

There is much, much more to say about fasting and the correct way to do it. Thousands of years worth of study in fact! We have simply scraped the surface. With everything in relation to health this is about you. How do you choose to take responsibility for your body, mind and emotions? Fasting is nature’s doctor and is one extremely practical and effective way to achieve better health, more energy and greater passion and clarity for the gift of life.

Susan Living is a community focused speaker, workshop facilitator and health coach extraordinaire! Passionate about making vibrant health and wellbeing accessible to all, her down to earth and practical thoughts on health and wellbeing are life-changing. Her insights into the nature of food and addiction and the intricacies and psychology of eating are applicable to anyone with a body.

Susan also helps business owners save money on staff costs by improving the health and wellness of their people and is creating an international community of health practitioners working together to change the way medicine is viewed accessed and delivered in the world! She can be contacted at http://www.susansfoodforthought.com and http://www.susanliving.com

Tags: purest form, processed food, mental illness, internal organs, important things

Fasting – The Miracle Of Juice Fasting

Saturday, August 21st, 2010 at 9:23 am

Comments (29)

Methods

The best, safest and most effective method of fasting is juice fasting. Although the old classic form of fasting was a pure water fasting, most of the leading authorities on fasting today agree that juice fasting is far superior to water fast. We can help this cleansing process by drinking alkaline juice instead of water while fasting. Elimination of uric acid and other inorganic acids will be accelerated and sugars in juices will strengthen the heart. Juice fasting is, therefore, the best form of fasting.”

Vitamins, minerals, enzymes and trace elements in fresh, raw vegetable and fruit juices are extremely beneficial in normalising all the body processes. They supply essential elements for the body’s own healing activity and cell regeneration and thus speeding the recovery. All juices should be prepared from fresh fruit immediately before drinking. Canned or frozen juices should not be used.

Benefits

Fasting is highly beneficial in practically all kinds of stomach and intestinal disorders and in serious conditions of the kidneys and liver. It is a miracle cure for eczema and other skin diseases and offers the only hope of permanent cure in many cases.

There are several benefits of Fasting

1. During a long fast, the body feeds upon its reserves.. Being deprived of needed nutrients, particularly of protein and fats, it will burn and digest its own tissues by the process of self-digestion. But it will not do so indiscriminately. The body will first decompose and burn those cells and tissues, which are diseases. Damaged, aged or dead. The essential tissues and vital organs, the glands, the nervous system and the brain are not damaged or digested in fasting. Here lies the secret of the effectiveness of fasting as a curative and remunerative method.

2. During fasting, the building of new and healthy cells is speeded up by the amino acids released from the diseased cells.

3. The capacity of the eliminative organs, that is, lungs, liver, kidneys ad the skin is greatly increased as they are relived of the usual burden of digesting food and eliminating the resultant wastes.

Fasting should, however, not be restored to in every illness. In cases of diabetes, advances stages of tuberculosis and extreme cases of neurasthenia, long fasts will be harmful. In Most cases, of neurasthenia, long fasts will be harmful.

Breaking of fast

The success of the fast depends largely on how it is broken. This is the most significant phase. The main rules for breaking the fast are: do not overeat, eat slowly and chew your food thoroughly: and take several days for the gradual change to the normal diet. If the transition to eating solid foods is carefully planned, there will be no discomfort or damage.

Author Diwakar vashist is a senior consultant of Institute of vedic science, New Delhi, India. he is working on the ancient vedic sciences i.e. vedic astrology, vedic vastu, hatha yoga, meditation etc. for more related informations visit http://www.shreevedic.com.

Tags: fresh fruit, frozen juices, vital organs, senior consultant, cure for eczema

Spiritual Fasting and the Demolition of Strongholds

Saturday, August 21st, 2010 at 5:01 am

Comments (36)

For thousands of years religions worldwide have used the discipline of spiritual fasting as a means to pound on the doors of heaven for breakthrough. The concept is that fasting weakens the body and allows the spirit to become more awake and in control-therefore allowing it to receive God’s power and direction.

Flesh Domination

Overall, spiritual fasting centers on putting aside the domination of the flesh in favor of the spirit which, in essence, is the true source of power that can solve the problem or situation being fasted for. Christ himself, the Scriptures say, was filled with the Holy Spirit in the River Jordan and then led to the desert where he fasted for 40 days and came face-to-face with Satan (Matthew Chapters 3 & 4).

Whether you believe this to be literal or not is irrelevant. I respect whatever your belief may be, and wish to use this passage primarily as an example of spiritual fasting and its results.

Bible scholars indicate that Christ had to first confront every human weakness BEFORE being ready for his ministry, before becoming the suitable representative for the entire human race. It could only be done through fasting… imagine that! During the desert fast, Satan offered Christ food, riches and godhood (Matthew 4).

Reality is the Unseen

In every case Christ alluded to the Word of God, indicating with his refusal that there was, in essence, a higher and “more real” reality than the three dimensional cravings and desires we experience as human beings. This required fasting. We are not told of Christ drinking water during his time in the desert. If he did not, then that particular fast was supernatural and way beyond the scope of this discussion.

Moses in the Old Testament (Exodus 34:28) is said to have spent 40 days in Mount Sinai collecting the Ten Commandments, during which time he neither drank nor ate. These are supernatural examples of fasting – both with yielded huge spiritual and physical revelation.

In one case, the Ten Commandments. In the other case, the readiness of Christ to start his earthly ministry.

An “absolute” fast of no water or food, in human terms, can only last for a maximum of three to five days before death results from dehydration. The Apostle Paul of the New Testament converted to Christianity after being struck down from a horse by what the scriptures say was the risen Christ himself (Acts 9:3-22). Paul, the scriptures say, then went with no water or food for three days. When the three days were over, out of his eyes fell what seemed to be scales.

Transformation

It was after this spiritual fasting experience that he changed from a hater and persecutor of Christians to one of the most powerful apostles in history, almost singlehandedly writing the entire New Testament. We can just speculate exactly that Christ and Paul went through during their fasting. However, in both cases we can see that the end result was transformation and enhanced spiritual revelation.

What are the “scales” in your particular eyes? What are the behavior, mental or physical barriers that stand in your way? From the examples we have discussed, and from the first-hand experience of many others, it can be said that spiritual fasting is indeed mysterious.

Demonic Opposition

In another portion of the Scriptures, this one in the Old Testament, the prophet Daniel fasts for 21 days and does not receive an answer until the last day (Daniel 10). At that point, the scriptures say, the Archangel Michael appeared to Daniel and told him he had been heard since the first day he started to fast. But that demonic powers had stood in the way and a battle had ensued.

I have read commentaries that say this points to the never ending fight between good and evil which translates, in our case, to the struggle between the flesh and the spirit. The Apostle Paul in the New Testament calls himself a “wretched man” (Romans 7) because he says he did what he did not want to do, and often failed to do that which he knew was right.

We are not going to get into any type of theological debate here, but it appears that whatever Paul was battling did not have an evident “human” solution.

Biblical Examples of Fasting

In the Old Testament, the Jews Fasted to seek God’s help in threats or times of war (nation in general), when loved ones were sick (David), in seeking God’s forgiveness for themselves and their nation (Ahab, Daniel), and in seeking God’s protection and His will (Ezra).

Just look up the term, Fasting, in a concordance and observe the abundance of references (Lev 16:29-31; 23:26-32; Num. 29:7; Psalm 69:10; Acts 27:9).

Moses, Elijah, and Jesus all Fasted for 40 days. The Bible records that Spiritual Fasting was not just for the super leaders, rather it was practiced by most, such as during the Judges (Deut 9:15-18; Jug. 20:26; 1 Kings 21:27). (The absolute Fasts of Moses and Elijah had divine assistance Deut. 9:9; 1 Kings 19:8).

Israel Fasted at Bethel, in the war against the Benjamites at Mizpah, and in the Philistine war (Judg. 20:26; 1 Sam 7:6). In the book of Ruth, the Jews Fasted when they heard that Haman had tricked the king into wiping them out (Esther 4:3-16).

David Fasted for Saul and his friend Jonathan, and wept for both his son while he was dying, and for his enemies (2 Sam. 1:12; 2 Sam. 12:16-23; Psalm 35:11-13).

Daniel Fasted for Israel (Dan. 9:3-5). Fasting accompanied prayer, devotion to God (Psalm 35:13), penance (1 Kings 21:27), and seeking God earnestly (2 Sam. 1:12).

The effects of Spiritual Fasting with prayer, when it is real and heartfelt, is that it humbles (Psalm 35:13), disciplines and corrects wrong behaviors and thinking (Psalm 69:10), and God is more likely to respond to our prayers. (Ezra 8:21-23)

In the New Testament, Fasting was practiced when one was faced with temptations (Jesus), in serving God and beginning a new ministry (Antioch), and, when selecting and appointing elders (Matt. 4:1-2).

John the Baptist performed spiritual fasting regularly as a testimony to piety that was real, heartfelt, and pointed to God, not to himself (Matt. 3:11). Paul listed spiritual fasting among other things that proved he was a minister of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1; 2 Cor. 11:23-28). The early church practiced spiritual Fasting as they further sought God’s Will, drawing them deeper into His presence (Acts 13:2-3; 14:21-23).

Physical Impact

Looking at the physical benefits of spiritual fasting, Daniel the prophet at one point dares the King of Babylon to let him eat only water and vegetables for ten days and at the end of that period compare his appearance to that of others who ate meat and other fatty foods (Daniel 1:12). The Scriptures indicate that at the end of the ten days the king was amazed to see that Daniel and his friends looked younger and healthier than all the others.

So notable was the difference that the king actually decided at that point to change the menu altogether and put everyone on water and vegetables. Juice fasting is precisely that – water, fruits and vegetables. In short, there is ample scripture evidence that fasting can place the believe in a position to effect profound changes in his or her life.

What are some of the emotional or behavioral obstacles that limit your intimacy with God? How much better would your communion with Him be if these patters were broken? While in this world we are constantly asked to look outside for material gratification, as a believer one must become convinced that the only true source of liberty and satisfaction in this world lies in intimate daily communion with God.

Fasting can be the hammer at your disposal to tear down the walls of opposition and usher you into a broader spectrum of spiritual experience.

At Fitness Through Fasting.com – you will find a growing number of fasting-related articles and topics to assist you achieve your weight loss, detoxification and health-improvement goals through juice and water fasting.

Tags: human beings, river jordan, suitable representative, Human behavior, bible scholars

Christian Fasting – What’s it all about?

Saturday, August 21st, 2010 at 1:09 am

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Fasting is a practice that has been observed since the beginning of recorded history. One of the places we find records of early peoples fasting is in the Christian Bible. In fact, one of the very first recorded occurrences of a fast can be found in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Here it is recorded that while Moses was on the mountain receiving the Ten Commandments from God, he fasted for 40 days.

While there are many Biblical references to Christian fasting, Christians have no set rules or times for fasting as the Muslims do. Probably the most structured time of fasting is found in religions, such as Catholicism, where Lent is observed. During this time worshippers choose one thing in their lives to fast from. This can be a type of food, such as coffee or chocolate, or an activity, like watching television. This action of giving up a favorite thing is supposed to remind the worshipper of the sacrifice of Christ. Participation in Lent, however, is not mandatory for any member of the Christian religion.

Since there are no set in stone Christian fasting rules we can only follow the examples of fasting Jesus set for us in the Bible:

“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting…But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:16-18 NIV

Since Jesus does make this mention of fasting in His Sermon on the Mount, it is clear that fasting is an accepted practice. In fact, there is a record that Jesus Himself fasted for 40 days in the wilderness before He began His public ministry. By the above passage, Christians also infer that God does not respect fasting done only as a show. In order to fast properly and in a way that will bring glory to God and not ourselves, we must not make a show of our fasting.

In his article “Is Fasting a Christian Duty?”, W. Frank Walton contends that Christian fasting came about much like the practices of foot washing and the holy kiss. “They (these practices) all originated in culture, not divine revelation, as a cultural way to express an underlying principle,” states Walton. He goes on to add that fasting is not commanded for Christians as a binding obligation, but rather a way to express their sorrow for wrongs done and the depth of their repentance.

Another way Christians use fasting is in connection with prayer to deepen their relationship with God. Many people find they can use the time they would have spent preparing and eating their food in prayer instead. They also believe this time of fasting heightens their awareness of their spiritual self and causes them to be more in tune with the Holy Spirit.

Unlike Muslim fasting, there are no set rules for Christian fasting. Christians infer from scripture that fasting is an accepted practice and that it should not be done in show, but in a true desire to grow spiritually.

Christian fasting can be done by following the master cleanse fast That link will take you to a site packed with information about fasting with the lemonade diet

Tags: W. Frank Walton, glory to god, choose one, christian fasting, book of genesis

Fasting – Is It Really Dangerous For Your Health?

Friday, August 20th, 2010 at 4:14 pm

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Fasting involves restricting your dietary intake to a liquid and liquid only. The liquid can be either water, tea, or fruit juice. Proponents of fasting recommend occasional regular short fasts, lasting from two to five days, as part of a general health-maintenance regimen. Advocates recommend that longer fasts for health maintenance or the healing of illness, lasting a month or more, be conducted under medical supervision.

For fasts lasting more than one week, fruit juices are given to supply the nutrients needed to maintain health. Some add enemas as part of the detoxification fasting regimen. Proponents claim that because the body is relieved of its usual chore of breaking food down into its elemental nutrients, fasting allows the body’s inner resources to focus on cleansing and healing. Cleansing is said to be accomplished through the elimination of existing toxins.

Fasting claims to enhance the immune system and reduces the demands placed on it. In addition to its role as part of health maintenance, some believe that fasting is an effective way to treat illnesses, including arthritis, ulcers, heart disease, asthma, and other problems.

The ancient belief that fasting purifies the soul has been extended to the current view that fasting also can purify the body. Fasting maintains and restores health through physiological mechanisms. Included in these mechanisms are shifting physiological effort from food conversion to the elimination of toxins, reducing the immune system’s workload, releasing pesticides and other chemicals from body fat, and eliminating the body of nonessential tissue.

It is helpful to look at these beliefs in terms of scientific information about the well-studied sequence of events that occurs when people start fasting. When body weight declines, water and fat, but not toxins, are lost from cells. Toxins therefore are left behind. Nutrients are needed to sustain immune competence, the ability of the body’s disease-fighting immune system to make antibodies and other proteins and cells. Immune system failure, not enhancement, occurs when people do not eat enough to provide the nutrients that sustain proper immune function. Instead of reducing its workload, fasting impedes the immune system.

Advocates explain that people feel sick when fasting because toxins are leaving the body. Actually, fasting decreases the immune system’s ability to destroy and eliminate toxins. Fasting also causes a drop in blood sugar levels, which causes a breakdown of tissues needed for energy. This leads people to feel sick because the brain and other tissues fail to receive needed sugars, and the body’s metabolism is forced to remove the needed nutrients from muscle and liver tissue. At the same time, the liver and kidneys are not able to do their work of handling the by-products of protein breakdown.

Fasting can harm all organs. It is extremely dangerous to health, especially for those who are malnourished by chronic illness, yet some proponents recommend fasting to treat chronic illnesses. The slimmer the individual, the more dangerous a fast will be. The longer the fast, the more life-threatening it becomes. Studies show that when people reach 56% of their appropriate body weight, death occurs. The body cannot distinguish between intentional fasting and starvation.

Solid scientific research does not support the claims of fasting advocates. To the contrary, it contradicts those claims and indicates the dangers of fasting, even with water or juices. Reducing the number of calories you eat while maintaining a normal, balanced diet will reduce your weight. But consuming only water, tea, or juice is harmful, not helpful, to health and should be avoided especially by those who are ill.

Advocates believe that fasting can produce fatigue, anemia, irregular heartbeat, body aches, nausea, dizziness, and other negative effects. They refer to these as temporary problems that precede feelings of well-being, mental clarity, internal cleanliness, and other benefits.

Contrary to advocacy claims, fasting does not and cannot heal medical conditions, assist immune or other physiological function, or play a role in health maintenance. The decreased supply of blood glucose leads the body to break down muscle for energy, causing weakness, depression, fatigue, and sick feelings.

If you want to read more about healthy eating click over to Christain’s site at @ http://angelogy.com/healthy-eating

A website dedicated to showing people how to enjoy healthy eating.

Tags: sequence of events, medical supervision, Juice fasting, ancient belief, Immune system

Fasting Strategies – The Top 5 Fasting Mistakes

Friday, August 20th, 2010 at 1:12 pm

Comments (31)

If you have ever tried to fast, you know completing a fast can be a very difficult thing to accomplish. Every fasting attempt begins with a desire to see it to the end, until something or someone comes along and causes you to quit. Don’t make these common fasting mistakes and you will be much more likely to complete your fast, whether it be one meal, one day or 30 days.

Mistake 1: Telling everybody you are fasting-You decide you are starting your fast on Monday and by Sunday night you have told everyone you know what your plans are. This common mistake often results in unnecessary embarrassment and unwanted questions. Being too forthright with your fasting plans can place expectations on you that you may not be ready to face. If you decide to break your fast for whatever reason, you may feel guilty because you told so many people what you were doing. Tell as few people as possible and make sure the people you tell will be supportive of your endeavor. By doing this, you eliminate everyone’s expectations except your own.

Mistake 2: Eating your last meal without restraint- you know you are going to start fasting tomorrow, so the night before you eat every thing in sight.Gorging before a fast is a disaster waiting to happen. Your body has a difficult time adjusting from so much food to little or none at all. As a result, the detox symptoms become too much for you to bear and your fast is broken before you get started. Avoid this mistake by “pre-fasting” and eating light, healthy meals up until fasting day. With longer fasts, it is helpful to eat only fruits and vegetables for 3-14 days before starting a fast. Pre-fasting makes detox symptoms less severe and easier to cope with.

Mistake 3: Fasting without a plan- it is very difficult to commit to fasting if you don’t make it a commitment. Before starting any fast, take the time to determine your reason for fasting,your fasting goals, and rewards. Write down a list of things to do besides running to the pantry when a craving hits, think of what you might say when people ask you why you aren’t eating, and how you will deal with detox symptoms when they arise. Purchase items you need for your fast ahead of time, like a juicer for juice fast, fresh fruit & vegetables, distilled water or anything else you may need to begin your fast.

Mistake 4: Partaking in anti-fasting activities- temptation is inevitable with fasting because it is all around,but try to avoid temptation as much as possible until you have the stamina to endure it. When friends invite you out to dinner, politely opt out or reschedule for after your fast. Don’t spend your evenings watching television shows about cooking or food, have other family members prepare dinner if possible or prepare meals ahead of time, when you are in a very tempting situation distract yourself by conversating with people or reminding yourself of your goals. Until your strength has been established, skip events centered around food.

Mistake 5: Breaking the fast too harshly- you did it, you fasted for the length of time you had planned to and then you break your fast by eating steak, potatoes, soda and a big slice of chocolate cake. No sooner than you’ve swallowed the last bite, you feel like you’ve been hit by a bus. Your body does not know how to respond to such a huge meal so suddenly after fasting. In addition to the shock on your body, indulging in heavy foods after a fast defeats the purpose. Fasting when done properly, detoxifies the body and prepares it for a healthier lifestyle. Breaking the fast should be done carefully and with caution. Ease back into eating with light foods like salad, fruit, yogurt and gradually increase intake until your body is comfortable with eating again.

Samantha Ware is a freelance writer, an avid researcher on fasting and other natural and holistic healing methods. Her blog, http://www.hopeforthehips.blogspot.com was recently started to assist others who attempt fasting and want to learn more about it. As the blog continues to grow, Samantha is working on a fasting website.

Tags: Samantha Ware, fruits and vegetables, Juice fasting, Fasting in Jainism, Human Interest

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