Archive for July, 2009
In my opinion, next to the mighty carrot the beet root is one of the most potent, and important veggie juices to have regularly, let alone during a total cleanse. When people are performing a body cleanse detox or juice fasting they often have severe iron deficiencies and as such, a beet
juice detox would be a great solution because simply eating healthy foods isn’t always enough, and beet juice allows for a very beneficial dose of much needed iron into the blood. This wonderful little root contains phosphorus, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and potassium, vitamins A and C, niacin, biotin, and folic acid which is fantastic for pregnant moms as it could lower the risk of diseases such as spina bifida and other neural tube defects that can be found in newborn’s.
Beet root also has something which is great in the detoxifying process which is called glycine betaine which is a chemical compound discovered first in the sugar beets in the 19th century. This chemical is known to act as a stimulating agent for liver cells (the most important organ in your body’s ability to detox. It also protects the bile ducts and liver in general. Coronary and cerebral arterial diseases have been shown to be greatly reduced and sometimes prevented by this compound by recent studies.
Along with carrot juice these two juices together make a potent combination for liver health, and if taken daily together or with other juices can make the detox process much more efficient as your liver is in much better condition to help do the cleansing! You wouldn’t want to use run down and broken tools to fix something, neither would you want a run down, overworked, and diseased liver to do your bodily cleansing. A Healthy liver equals a longer life and VASTLY more efficient total cleanse.
Remember, red colored veggies are typically good for the blood and that’s the channel through which so many of these toxins travel, and beets are some of the deepest pigments of red you can find in a veggie. This is so much so, it often stains the skin when cut open so you know this wonderful vegetable is chock full of nutrients and enzymes. If this isn’t enough reason to include beets in your regular juicing and body detoxification routine consider this last fact. During some early research in Hungary, Heinerman is reporting that Alexander Ferenczi, M.D., observed beets aiding cancer patients and he also performed studies that gave indications that beets could help animals fight various cancers as well. So next time you juice be sure to include some beet root in your beverage, your liver will thank you.
Acai berries have become the latest trendy super fruit alongside the mighty pomegranate, mangosteen, and goji berry. Let me first say that all of these fruits are good for you, because all fruits have some nutritional value, but some are more potent than others and these berries are often promoted with magical healing powers that are simply unrealistic. However when combined with good juicing habits and some moderate exercise, it can help to remove waste which along with the exercise can help you shed weight, and really help you achieve a whole body cleanse.
Acai juice blends are full of sugar, and rarely is it ever stated on the nutrition facts what the actual percentage of acai juice is in the container. From the research I’ve done the best form should you choose to get acai is in freeze dried powder form. I say this because provided you get it from a reputable company, it’s in the purest state-along with the puree option that you can get it in, next to having the berry itself of course. And the reason most of us outside of Brazil cannot get these amazing berries is because they spoil after 24 hours of being picked and can only be grown in the Amazonian climate, so anyone trying to sell you the whole berries themselves is trying to scam you, don’t buy it.
The acai berry has 10 times more antioxidants than red grapes and 10 to 30 times the anthocyanins of red wine. However this is not a statement of POTENCY, this is a statement of the VARIETY of different antioxidants and anthocyanins. The biggest acai berry benefits in regards to a total cleanse or partial cleansing are its trace fiber content and its impressive levels of omega fatty acids. Now having said this, the acai is not a significant source of fiber, but you can get a couple grams out of the powder form and if mixed with juice, especially with freshly juiced juice, the enzymes will unlock a lot of what’s beneficial about the acai powder and provide a very effective carrier of the acai nutrients, whereas mixing it with just water or store bought juice would not have this effect due to not having live enzymes.
In regards to the fatty acids it contains all three omega fatty acids but mostly consists of omega 9 which is a monounsaturated fat also known as oleic acid, which the body CAN produce in small quantities. Therefore it is not an essential fatty acid but DOES become so if you body is lacking the other two particularly Omega 3’s and then you would need to get it from your diet. Acai can be an effective addition to a juicing and whole body cleanse regimen if kept in perspective and not solely relied on. In my next article on acai juice benefits, I will go into more detail about which brands of acai I prefer and why and what you should look for in a acai product for use during a total cleanse.
Radiologists and gastroenterologists who are examining the typical patient in modern times would tell you that over 50% of people over 50 have what’s commonly known as a “fatty liver”. Generally if people have fatty livers they often have other very diseased and poorly running organs or parts of the organs as well. This has certainly been the case for myself when I was eating nothing but junk all the time, I had gallbladder attacks, occasional kidney pain, acidic stool which burned, and my urine was extremely dark which was a sign I wasn’t getting nearly enough water and nutrients in my diet. What’s worse is that some have abused alcohol over the years and its wreaked havoc on their liver, the good news is you CAN improve you livers condition with a total cleanse, your body has an amazing ability to heal itself; you simply need to give it the time, and nutrients to do so.
Your liver is an amazing organ, especially considering what it’s bombarded with on a day to day basis, but there are reasons as to why it’s health secrets are not known to enough people. Some in the medical community feel a total cleanse and the general idea of detoxifying your body is a bit extreme, and that eating healthy and moderate regular exercise is ENOUGH. This might have been the case a 100 or more years ago for many people. But modern life has prevented even those basic and very sound habits from being enough over time. This is because not all of our toxicity comes from food. We now live extremely sedentary lives in the unhealthy and stale air of our homes, and then when we want to go outside for refreshing air, we have all manner of pollution, chemicals, and allergens entering our system just through breathing! So instead of Being paranoid, a simple liver cleanse now and again will keep your body running in much better shape. After all your liver functions as your body’s main detoxifying organ, so wouldn’t it be wise to make sure it’s running in top shape?
Here are small simple guidelines to an easy to maintain if not daily liver cleanse and improve liver health:
4-6 Liters of water each day: Frankly this rule should be followed daily as it will have the greatest impact on your liver and overall health, and is one of the biggest contributors to the rapid weight loss experienced by heavier individuals. Please make sure you are using well filtered bottled water or well water.
1-4 Cups of green Tea throughout the day: Generally it’s best to do fresh brewed green or white tea, but if all you can buy is bottled, my recommendation would be Ito En’s Oi Ocha, and this bottled green tea is lightly brewed with whole tea leaves and only has vitamin C to preserve it for shipping and shelving.
2-4 Glasses of the Detox Combo I always Recommend: have 2-4 Glasses of beetroot,A shot of wheatgrass juice, Carrot and Cucumber juice; these can be mixed together with a bit of ginger or apple juice to sweeten the flavor.
With the advent of high powered blenders and a more health conscious society the idea of making smoothies at home instead of paying the very expensive prices for smoothie bar smoothies and juices has become quite popular. An even newer trend is the wonderful creation of what many call green smoothies, these little wonder elixirs allow for ALL the beneficial ingredients that make up the fruit and leafy greens to be consumed whole and as a result, are one of the best sources of natural fat burning foods. There is a debate within the health community whether a person should juice or blend and I’ve struggled with that question too when I started out. The answer I came to was both had their place and if you can do both regularly if not daily you’ll get the benefits from each wonderful source of vitamins and nutrients. In future articles ill detail the differences both subtle and obvious between blending and juicing but for now I’ll extol the virtues of smoothies, particularly, green smoothies, and how they too allow for a Total Cleanse and detoxify the body.
First and foremost and it’s something I’ll likely get into in a separate article because there’s so much to praise about it, the best blender for blending is the Total Blender by BlendTec. This appliance as of this writing is about 400$ but is worth every penny as it makes the smoothies effortlessly, is an easy cleanup, and is very durable.
Fruits if juiced too much can be too much sugar for the body to take in one shot and can be very detrimental to one’s health if done regularly due to said sugar, but at the same time you want to mask the often times unpleasant taste of the low sugar veggie juice. In this case you want to make a smoothie instead, this allows for the full nutritional value of berries and other fruits to be consumed while also incorporating lots of leafy greens like wheatgrass (which are not technically veggies) that can be mixed with anything (unlike actual veggies including starches like carrots or other types as well which have a tendency not to play nice when digested at the same time with fruits as a whole food albeit blended food). These are famously known as the green smoothies and there are many great recipes out there ill detail in another article. These taste amazing as well just for a healthy treat.
One of the greatest benefits of any smoothie but particularly green smoothies is due to the fiber content (very dense in leafy greens) which regulates all the sugar in the blended fruit that ends up missing in the juiced drinks. This fiber also helps in digestion and getting your regular does of 25-30 grams of fiber per day, which in turn can also help boost your overall fat burning capabilities by speeding up your metabolism. As a result, it is really one one of the best natural weight loss solutions out there. Please look forward to more information on these wonderful creations and stay in good health!
I hope you guys are starting to see the benefits of the total cleanse, your urine should be light yellow and much clearer then before; you should not be having much of any bowel movements. And your likely feeling a lot lighter-and you should be, you’ve removed a lot of waste and toxins and your liver is crying for joy. Hopefully you have kept up with your water intake of 4-6 liters a day and your keeping steady with the juices, it’s almost over, and if you have taken wheatgrass at all during the total cleanse you should be noticing the wheatgrass benefits to your overall lighter feeling as well. Now I personally detox every so often although I have no set pattern it’s just generally when I’m feeling regularly lethargic and generally unhealthy.
When you have reached the end of the third day and you’re feeling oh so hungry I want you to resist temptation and figure you can snack a little early, please don’t you need another full night of rest on an empty but cleansed body. I know it can be tempting as I’ve gone for over a week with some of my fasts.
Now once you have awoken and you’re starting on day 4 you can eat solid food again yes, I know you want to do a dance in celebration, it’s perfectly OK. But please resist the urge to gorge and eat fatty and rich foods, your body has not eaten anything for 3 and half days and you will do harm to yourself and also ruin the total cleanse and all your hard work if you do this. For breakfast you should have a whole grain bagel or a small serving of organic whole grain oatmeal or cereal (no fatty milk) along with a slice of fruit preferably melon or banana for the potassium. For lunch you should have a salad with organic vinaigrette based dressings (please check ingredients, avoid the typical corn syrup “natural flavors” phony dressings out there.) you can also have a fruit salad as well either for lunch or as a snack so you can continue to enjoy the benefits of eating healthy.
Consume nuts at some point in the day peanuts or almonds (small handfuls, that’s it) for protein. For dinner keep it light please your body needs to slowly adapt to eating again. My recommendation would to have some small amount of WHOLE GRAIN pasta with real organic tomato sauce or some fish lightly flavored with lemon and garlic so you can get your healthy fats. You need to eat reasonably the following days if you intend to get the most out of your juice fast but eventually your body does get invaded with toxins again even if your diet is perfect so it’s needed every once in awhile. And remember always- ALWAYS drink plenty of water no matter what, 2-4 liters a day for women and 4-6 for men. In following articles I’ll detail eating plans and general tips and advice for food and products that will benefit you in your plan to have a clean body and healthy life.
On day two you should really be starting to feel the effects of the total cleanse. Be sure to shower regularly as a vast amount of the toxins will sweat out through your pores, and you don’t want them lingering as it’s not healthy and can often smell offensive. Continue with the juicing regime I outlined in the prior article The Basic Core cleanse and Juice Fast Guide: Day 1. Be sure not exercise too strenuously as your body is not in a condition for it, but do be sure to get a minimal amount of cardio throughout the fast so that the blood flow is pumping properly and carrying out all those toxins to the various parts of your body to expel.
Now let me Elaborate why I recommended the juices I did. These are not frivolous choices given without care- they were selected for a reason and for optimum cleansing. Let’s start with…..
Beet juice: The beet juice is considered as one of the best vegetable juices for detox cleansing. It is a rich source of natural sugar. It contains sodium, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, sulfur, chlorine, iodine, iron, copper, and vitamin B1, B2, C and P. This juice is rich in easily digestible carbohydrates, but the calorie content is low. The protein factors or amino acids are good in both quality and quantity. Beets also have great healing qualities as well, and have therapeutic value. They have properties to clean the kidneys and gall bladder (which help detox the body). Being rich in alkaline elements, potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron, they are useful in combating acidosis and aid the natural processes of elimination.
Cucumber Juice: Cucumber is well known for its healing and diuretic properties. It’s a great source of Copper, Chlorine, Folate (folic acid), Magnesium, Vitamins B6, K, & C, Potassium, Panthothemic acid, Phosphorus, Thiamin, and Sulfur. Cucumber peel itself is rich in vitamin A as well (hence making your own juice is more potent). Cucumber juice has a tendency to increase its own potency and the potency of other veggie juices when mixed so not only does it act as a diuretic because its 90% water but it also increases the strength of the other veggie juice. (Did I mention it’s great for the skin?
Carrot Juice: Carrot juice is the most powerful veggie juice there is next to wheat grass, and thankfully is one of the most plentiful even bottled for those of you without access to a juicer. Carrot juice is one of the richest sources of vitamin A that can be used in the daily diet. It also ranks high as a source of the other anti aging vitamins, especially those of the B complex. Its mineral content is equally rich, and includes calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, chlorine, sulfur, and iron. The vitamin A content of carrot juice helps to strengthen the eyes and is essential in keeping healthy condition the mucous membranes which line all the cavities of the body, as well as strengthening the bones teeth and tissues of the body among its many other benefits.
The next article will be on how to conduct your final day of fasting and beyond.
Assuming you have followed the guide thus far please know there is wiggle room within this guide for your own tastes and what your comfortable with, but there is a minimum amount of various juices you WILL have to take in order for the total cleanse to be the most effective. The three core vegetable juices that you should consume throughout the fast (and frankly in your regular diet if possible) are beet juice, carrot juice, and cucumber juice. The fruit juices can be a matter of taste although you should generally stay away from the higher sugar and citrus juices as they are gentler on the body and have less sugar for your body to process. You can also have other veggie juices as well if you like but you MUST consume the three core veggie juices daily.
You should generally have a few glasses of each veggie juice per day spread out throughout the day but that can vary depending on your physical size. The fruit juices you should have more sparingly and should keep it at a minimum. Many people I’ve helped have used a small amount of fruit juice as a chaser for the veggie juice as the taste can be unpleasant. I cannot stress enough how beneficial making your own juice can be to the total cleanse, especially when fasting. If you do not have a juicer, at some point I whole heartily recommend you buy one because bottled juice is missing much of the enzymes and vital chemicals that allow all those nutrients to be absorbed in the first place, I will address my personal recommendations for juicers in another article.
If you need to buy your juice, cucumber may be difficult to find but it can be found at the smaller independent health food stores. I have found organic carrot and beet juice (not from concentrate) at places like whole foods and trader Joes before as well, so no excuses everyone! I want you guys to be healthy. DO NOT BUY VEGGIE OR FRUIT JUICE BLENDS! The veggies blends like V8 have tons of sodium and are not good for you, and fruit blends are often way too high in sugar and are from concentrate, only buy the straight non from concentrate single juices, please. The fruit juice I recommend are Apple, Pear, smaller amounts of grape, and a little orange juice here and there. And don’t forget the most important rule…Drink 4-6 liters of water a day, this will truly clean your system out and give you a total body cleanse.
3-4 glasses of veggie juice: Cucumber,Beet,Carrot-at minimum.
1-2 glasses of fruit juice: apple(cloudy),pear, and smaller amounts of grape and orange.
4-6 liters of pure drinking water (no tap water please, it’s too toxic).
This total cleanse diet is not easy to do at first but as long as you go into for your first time, but its very important you give it time to work for any of this to be effective.
Before I begin the guide I must let you know that should you decide to perform this detox cleanse during the process of the actual juice fasting you will experience some possible side effects. Some of these are headaches, tiredness, hypoglycemia, constipation, acne, increased body odor, and bad breath. These are signs that the cleanse is working and your body is being allowed to naturally release and expel toxins from your body through your skin, breath, and waste. Often people will complain of light headedness and the general sense of feeling ill, generally the worse it is- the more your body needed to have a total cleanse in the first place.
Step #1: The day before you start your juice fast be sure to keep your meals light and healthy mostly veggies and grains if possible. Do not eat late so as to give your body an easier time passing what waste you have inside your colon.
Step #2: At some point before the juice fast you need to purchase a natural and gentle Laxative this is KEY to facilitating and removing much of the waste. My recommendation is Oral Solution Magnesium Citrate Cherry; this is one of the gentlest laxatives you can by and therefore is gentle on your body but still accomplishes the task of removing waste. You can purchase this at a drugstore like CVS for 2 dollars typically. At some point in the evening before you go to bed you should consume the whole bottle (it’s 10oz) you’ll be going to the toilet frequently so prepare to go during the night and waking up having to use the bathroom.
It may not be attractive to talk or think about but you need to know that when your defecating it should be liquid essentially coming out and it will sound as if you are urinating but your obviously not. This process should last through the evening/night and into the morning whereas sometime in the morning to early noontime you should be slowing down if it does not that’s ok too, everyone is different and some have much more to get rid of then others.
Step #3: During the late evening and into the morning and noon hours of your first day of fasting and detoxing you should start to drink lots of water and various veggie and fruit juices which I will detail in greater depth in the next article about Day 1. Please be sure if you do have a juicer to juice your veggies and fruits instead of buying bottled. If you cannot get or do not have a juicer yet please try and buy organic and whole juices-not from concentrate from your local health food store if possible.
The body is clogged with a lot of buildup in the colon from years of poor diet with high fats, sugar, and a lack of fiber. This is common knowledge now but despite knowing this when people try to get the most out of there supplements and health foods they often feel let down by the results even after regular and steady intake. The reason for this is the blockage in the colon mentioned earlier, this often prevents and weakens the body’s ability to maximize nutrient absorption from your food and often makes the best supplements nearly useless.
Naturally we can conclude then that removing this blockage will remove this impediment and should allow for the various health foods and products to truly go to work and start the process to provide a total cleanse for the body.
Many forms of a naturopathy treatment are available to you and I will describe many of them in detail in future articles. The gentlest form of Cleansing is a food based diet where you simply consuming mostly high fiber grains, vegetables, and mostly water with light amounts of veggie and fruit juice. The most Extreme is simply fasting completely and only consuming water, I would never recommend this because your body is not getting any nutrients whatsoever and can be very harmful to the body. The most commonly used method and one I personally live by is the Juicing Fast or Cleanse. This involves consuming many liters of water a day along with Pure and Whole Fruit juices and Vegetable juices. As a result, your body is not taxing itself and is able to expel fecal matter blocking your colon but still allow for all the nutrients you need to survive and ultimately make the natural detox much more effective.
When someone is just starting this for the first time the fasting should only be for three days. Anything beyond this and you should consult a Physician first. There are people who should not try juice fasting. Pregnant or Nursing women should not try a juice fast or cleanse. People should not attempt a juice fast either before or after surgery. People with chronic conditions should only do so under medical supervision. Juice fasting can reduce blood proteins and change the way prescription drugs react with the body and therefore should consult a medical professional skilled in detoxification before trying a juice fast and should never reduce or modify their medications on their own.
