Fasting for Good Health

Have you ever experienced a feeling of lowness and lethargy for no apparent reason? Well, it could be that your body is working hard by itself to get rid of toxins and thus the feeling of nastiness.

Fasting has long been associated with religious rituals, diets, and political protests. Now new evidence demonstrates that routine periodic fasting is also good for your health, and your heart.

When a healthy body reaches an overload of toxins from the pollutants in the air we breathe, the chemicals in the food we eat, the poisons in household cleaning products, etc, etc, it tries to eliminate these toxins and symptoms may also include headaches, and depression.

By fasting we can help our bodies to get rid of these toxic matters faster and more effectively. The lesser the degree of toxic overload, the better our digestive tract will work, and the stronger our immune system will be. A fast will give our organs a well deserved rest.

Fasting during an illness can speed up recovery as the body can use all its energy to eliminate toxins. After all, when an animal is sick, it does not eat because nature knows it is better to use body energy to get rid of the germs than wasting it on the digestive system.

Since the bulk of the toxins in your body are stored in your fat reserves, the longer you fast on water only, the more fat you’ll burn and the more toxins you’ll eliminate from your system.

Put another way, your body does not experience significant detoxification during the first 12-24 hours of a water-only fast.

During any fast it is of utmost importance to prevent dehydration by drinking plenty of water. Water only fast is not recommended as a water only fast release toxins too quickly, which will result in headaches and malice. Rather follow a live-juice diet (1 part water to 3 parts homemade juice) as it helps to remove toxins but also provides nutrition. Use Spirulina while on a fast as it is high in protein, vitamins and minerals (this is a must if hypoglycaemic). Before a water/juice fast, eat raw fruit and vegetable for two days as this will prepare the body for the ‘shock’. Then do a three day water and live juice fast, but remember to drink also extra water. Follow this then with a two day raw fruit and vegetable diet, rather have small portions more frequently.

A three day fast (with diluted live juices) will help the body to get rid of toxins and purify the blood. A five day fast will heal and rebuild the immune system and a ten day fast can prevent some illnesses to become a major problem.

During a fast, as toxins are released from the body, you may experience headaches, dizziness, fatigue, skin eruptions etc.

Never fast longer than 3 days without the guidance of your health care practitioner and any person with chronic health problem should consult their doctor first. Never fast when pregnant or lactating.
While fasting, avoid strenuous exercises.

Health Researchers are reporting that fasting not only lowers one’s risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes, but also causes significant changes in a person’s blood cholesterol levels. Both diabetes and elevated cholesterol are known risk factors for coronary heart disease.

What is a Vegetarian

The past month, I have suffered from terrible allergies, visited my doctor twice, and am under strict medical medication. Due to medical reasons, I have taken a vegetarian diet. Doing research, I came across this rather interesting information.
There are five main types of vegetarians:

1. Semi-Vegetarians aka Flexitarians
Semi-vegetarians limit their intake of either certain types of meat or the amount of meat. For example, they might eat no red or white meat (beef, pork, lamb, game, venison, etc), but eat fowl and fish. Or they might only eat meat once or twice a week. Someone who only eats fish can also be called a pescatarian. (semi-vegetarians are not vegetarians at all.)

2. Ovo-Lacto Vegetarians
The most common type, ovo-lacto vegetarians do not eat any animals, but do eat eggs and dairy products.
Subcategories:
* Ovo vegetarians (eat eggs but not dairy)
* Lacto vegetarians (eat dairy but not eggs)

3. Vegans
Vegans eat no animal products – no eggs, no cheese, no dairy, no jelly, no honey, etc. Plus exclude other items wool, silk, leather and some wines.

4. Raw/Living Foodists
Raw or Living Foodists eat only raw food, because enzymes are destroyed by normal cooking processes.

5. Fruitarians
Fruitarians eat only fruit, fruit-like vegetables (e.g., tomatoes, cucumbers), and sometimes seeds and nuts.

It might be very daunting entertaining a vegetarian. They cannot eat anything that was cooked with meat, even if the meat is removed or invisible. For example, vegetable soup made with chicken broth, pizza with ham removed and vegetables cooked in the same pot as a chicken are not acceptable to most vegetarians. In fact, you can make them ill.