Please consult your physician or doctor before you start any diet or fasting plan. I am not a doctor, so if you want to make sure a fast is right and healthy for you, speak with your doctor. Okay, now that I have the legalities out of the way; fasting can be a good method of jumpstarting a new diet plan, removing waste and harmful toxins from your system, and even transitioning to a meat-free and vegetarian lifestyle. Cleansing your body of all the waste that processed foods and meat leaves behind in your system before becoming vegetarian or starting healthier eating habits will help your body reap the benefits of a healthier change in diet. Fasting is a natural way of removing waste from your body without using stimulants, laxatives, and pills. Do not be alarmed by the word "fast." Fasting can be done gradually and completed in less than 10 days, After you have successfully completed a fast, you will want to keep you body as healthy as possible. One way of doing this is to adopt a vegetarian diet and make sure you use a diverse range of vegetarian meal plans and recipes to help nourish your body and support your health. Here is an easy to follow 6 Day Fasting Regimen 1st Day - During the first day of your fast, you need to eliminate all meat (a big no-no - even fish and chicken) caffeine, alcohol, junk food (you know, chocolate, sweets, chips and dip, soda...the usual suspects) and drink a lot of water.; at least 64 oz of water a day. 2nd Day - Since the junk food is gone, now you need to stop eating canned, frozen, and other processed foods. No canned or frozen vegetables or fruits; only the natural and fresh stuff. No canned beans either. If want to eat beans, use the dried beans that usually come in a bag or that you can buy in bulk. 3rd Day - Now that you have eliminated all meat and junk food and process foods from your diet, you will stop eating all animal products such as eggs, cheese, yogurt, and animal milk. It is still okay to consume soy based products such as soy yogurt and soy milk. 4th Day - This is the day you say farewell to all grains and legumes. This means beans, bread, rice, pasta, oatmeal, couscous, pasta and any other grain and bean family members (don't worry; this is not a permanent elimination). In the near future, you will be able to enjoy these healthy and delicious foods once again. I promise. Remember, drink a lot of water to facilitate the fasting and cleansing process. 5th Day - Remember this is a fast, so we must eventually eliminate all foods, no matter how healthy they are for us so that our body can naturally cleanse itself. On day five, you will need to stop eating vegetables. At this point in your fast almost all food has been eliminated from your diet except for fruit. You can still enjoy all the fresh, sweet, and juicy fruit your little heart desires on this day. Fruit is the last food to be eliminated from your diet on this fast because fruit is the earth's natural cleanser and is full of fiber that helps keep your body's digestive system performing at optimal levels and helps removes waste that other foods leave behind in your body. 6th Day - This is judgement day. You should not be eating any foods at all. Not one drop of food should be hitting your lips. It doesn't matter how healthy the food may be for you. You should only be drinking water and fresh vegetable and fruit juices. When I say fresh vegetable and fruit juice, I mean the real stuff. You may need to dust off the juicer and use fresh and pesticide-free fruits and vegetables to make your own juices at home. This way, you know that the juices you are drinking are not loaded with sugar and sodium and you can feel great about drinking your fresh juices knowing that you are not reversing your fasting efforts. Don't fret if you don't have access to a juicer. Not having a juicer will not make or break your fast. Just try to purchase juices that don't have any added sugars and are organic. Try not to drink too much of the bottled juices during the fast. You will need to continue this fresh juice and water fast for another three to five days. How long you continue this fast is totally up to you. I would suggest not fasting any more than five days. The purpose of this fast is not to have you living off water and fruit the rest of your life. I know you want to eat food again (I would, after a 6 day fast) so after you have completed your fast, you will want to start adding healthy foods back in to your diet one day and one food group at a time. You want to make sure you don't shock your body with too much food too quickly. Copyright (c) 2009 Beyond the Garden
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