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Do you Fast and/or Cleanse?

laintpe

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I recently tried a one week cleanse and on the third day I started to pass out, thought my glycogen stores were depleted, that my brain was feeding off of vital tissue and dying, so I called 911. I probably overreacted a little, but, you just watch(!), someday my paranoia will prove to be useful.

Anyway, a few days after that I played tennis with some of the vegans from the Sac vegan group, one of whom is a raw foodist (I have recently been attempting (and failing at) raw foodism) and asked him about his cleansing practices (?). When I mentioned losing consciousness, he nonchalantly replied, "Oh, yeah, I pass out all the time when I fast. I go with it, let myself pass out, and wake up later." I find that to be a little unsettling... and I'm sure there is a way to "cleanse yourself" without shorting your brain on glucose.

So, my questions.

Do you fast or cleanse (regularly, for religious purposes, randomly, even for blood tests, at any time/for any reason)?

What do you consume when you cleanse (some people only consume liquids, etc.)?

Have you completed any sort of cleanse that did not compromise your consciousness?

Do you think that there are benefits to cleansing/fasting?

Do you notice any changes in your thinking (do you find that you are more clearheaded, etc.) when you fast/cleanse?

When I started raw foodism, I didn't really see any point in cleansing, but most foods make me feel sick, so when someone suggested I try a cleanse... I went for it. I doubt I will try a strict fast again, but I'd like to know if anyone has a safer cleanse that has worked well for them because constantly feeling nauseated isn't much fun either.
 

SurlyAdam

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My body doesn't seem to appreciate food, so I don't really eat. I'm also going through sort of a destructive, this life thing is taking forever phase. But there was a time...

I brought up at one point my digestive issues with a freind how's a nutritionist. She practices regular cleaning and stresses a natural foods diet. She also looks even younger and more beautiful than she did when we were in high school. When I stuck to her dietary suggestions, I felt amazing and looked years younger myself.

This is what she suggested as I began:

Here is a quick summary of the pro-biotic options I discussed with you today. Try one or several and keep doing it for several weeks. If you can, try to include living foods (like raw sauerkraut or properly prepared miso soup) into your diet permanently.

1) Raw, fermented pickles: "Bubbies" brand (found at Whole Foods and the Wedge or most co-ops for sure).

2) Miso, either used raw as a condiment on food (you can make a nice dressing with raw miso, lemon juice, a little olive oil and natural mustard-not yellow is what I mean). I recommend having a cup of miso soup, three times a day. Make hot water (just hot to the touch), start with a tsp. of miso and add more to taste, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, green onion or naturally brewed tamari or shoyu (soy sauce) are a nice addition. Just make sure the water is not too hot.

3) Goat yogurt. Some people who are lactose intolerant can tolerate goat or sheep milk, especially when it is cultured as is yogurt. Just a thought if you want to try it just have a spoonfull a couple times a day.

4) Capsule probiotics- you can find these at a natural foods store or Whole Foods. They should be in a cooler case as they need to be kept cold to stay fresh.

As far as the diet...try to eat more vegetables and fruits, less meat, some grains or grain porridge (like soft cooked brown or white rice, oatmeal, etc)...stay away from raw salads for a few days. Soups, and easy to digest foods are good. Drink fasting tea or "detox" tea which you can find also at WF or a health store.

Try substituting one meal a day with tea or the master cleanse drink...or simply the fasting or detox tea. I personally would not suggest the Master Cleanse for you right now...maybe down the road if you are serious about detoxing...there are many ways to detox. Raw cleanses, brown rice fasts, etc...but you may want to start more gently than the Master Cleanse. For more info on that though, here are some links...

The Master Cleanse

Master Cleanse - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia and this guy, we do his cleanse and have read his books...you may find some interesting tidbits on this website to begin with..

cleanse.net


The suggestions above are probably a good start. For me, I found the pro-biotics made for a major improvement in digestion, which seemed to be the source of my issues. Once my digestive functions were in line, a mostly vegetarian diet kept me in top shape.

Thanks for bringing the topic back to my mind. Makes me think about my health again.
 

laintpe

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^ thanks for your response, surly. i wonder why she stresses no raw salads- that's interesting. it looks like a cleanse i'd be willing to try... very raw/vegan friendly.
 

Randomnity

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No, I think it's misguided and unwise. Maybe there's someone here who's into that, though.
 

rhinosaur

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I'm rewriting this post more coherently. I fast occasionally, when my body needs it. Fasts can be healthy and beneficial, but they can also be very harmful.

- One week is way too long to fast. Anything more than about 48 hours does more harm than good.
- Listen to your body! I cannot stress this enough. If your body says it's time to stop, stop. A fast should not be a punishment, or a test of endurance.
- Drink juice and tea, and chew on stuff like ginger root.
- Transition into the fast gradually. I like to make my last meal a light salad, or soup.
- Wikipedia quote on transitioning out: "This usually involves drinking "full strength" juices for a day or two, while slowly adding in soups, then fruit, vegetables and nuts before resuming a regular diet."

I wouldn't recommend a one-week fast for anyone; it's too long. I also wouldn't recommend fasting for a vegan; their low-energy diet is already clean, and stopping it outright could be dangerous.
 

spirilis

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I've fasted once before for the general 'detox' reasons. I was having trouble where anytime I ate a meal I felt like crap, and I'm still not 100% sure what brought that on but I decided to fast for a few days. The exception is that I did have *one* small can of low-sodium V8 each day. This was during the summer.

After the 2nd day or so I did start to feel weak at times, but I never actually fainted--just felt lightheaded and weak. One interesting effect was during my drive to work, I was driving in 80-degree weather with my windows *up* and no A/C, clear skies, and I felt fine. No sweating. Normally I have the A/C cranked up like crazy in those conditions. It was kinda cool.
When I broke the fast I couldn't eat much, which I thought was a pleasant surprise. Normally I have a voracious appetite and not nearly the calorie expenditure to justify it. I felt a lot better afterwards when I ate.
Come to think of it, I actually feel like I could use another one of those 3-day fasts. Maybe when it's warmer out...


I did tell my doctor about it afterwards and he said he didn't recommend doing that, at least not for weight loss. He said the body tends to shift itself so it takes on weight easier once you complete the fast and start eating again. I get that; in future instances I will probably ramp up my eating gradually using my current dietary guidelines in proportion (currently following a dietary plan laid out by my dietitian so I know the proportion of grains/milk/protein/veggies/fruit to eat each day) and include some light exercise in the mix to ramp up my metabolism.
 

cascadeco

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No. Given my metabolism, relatively low weight to begin with, and being prone to feeling lightheaded, it would be a bad idea. Plus I fail to see much purpose in it.
 

Moiety

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Hell no. I love eating way too much. Perhaps, unless there's a medical reason of some sort I think it's a pretty stupid idea. And by stupid I mean dangerous. I mean, what's the point anyway?
 

Lady_X

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i have once....felt like shit.
but i recently discovered i have low blood sugar and i'm supposed to eat frequently...so...not eating is not so great for me.
 

EcK

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i have once....felt like shit.
but i recently discovered i have low blood sugar and i'm supposed to eat frequently...so...not eating is not so great for me.

Drop that candy bar already!
ive tried but i cant ever seem stick to it :(
The trick is NOT to eat.
It's confusing at first.
 

Mitzy

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Drop that candy bar already!

The trick is NOT to eat.
It's confusing at first.

lol yea but i do it anyway cuz i stop caring. im like WHATEVER EFF THAT >=0
but the next day somehow turns out to be "day one" and it continues at "day one" for days until i just finally give up. meh, whatever
 

GargoylesLegacy

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Do you fast or cleanse?
I did that once until now. Never thought I could do it, because I just like the ritual of eating and everything. But it worked. Maybe I will do that again in the (near) future.

What do you consume when you cleanse?
Water, tea, maybe fruit juice or bouillon

Do you think that there are benefits to cleansing/fasting?
Yes! You are more awake because your body does not need any energy to digest food. Also you have more time because you don't eat. It feels good.

Do you notice any changes in your thinking when you fast/cleanse?
Yes, as I said: more awake, faster and somewhat "high". It was interesting.

I probably need to do it again anyways, because my stomach is quite sensitive to stress. I always either need to take Bach Flowers or just eat nothing.
I am kind of surprised to see quite a few people doing this, though. I mean voluntarily.
 

BerberElla

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I've only ever fasted for religious reasons, and it's not fasting in the way you are speaking of, it was not eating or drinking from sunrise to sunset for 30 days. Considering the feats that were laid out every time we broke fast it was hardly cleansing but I remember passing out as a child trying to run the 1200 metre race whilst fasting, man did that ever suck.

I would like to try one of the cleansing fasts, to try to get my system back in check after years of sugar and caffeine, which I am still terribly addicted to.

But willpower and me broke up years ago, we are barely on speaking terms these days.
 

laintpe

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"No. Given my metabolism, relatively low weight to begin with, and being prone to feeling lightheaded, it would be a bad idea. Plus I fail to see much purpose in it."

"Hell no. I love eating way too much. Perhaps, unless there's a medical reason of some sort I think it's a pretty stupid idea. And by stupid I mean dangerous. I mean, what's the point anyway?"
__________________

The purpose of cleansing/fasting I'm referring to IS NOT weight loss... and yes, there are benefits to cleansing.

"What is cleansing? It is a process of eliminating toxins, internal toxins, from the body. Every day our bodies are presented with environmental toxins, including pollution, airborne viruses and substances from the foods we eat. Normally our livers help us process these pollutants, but it is impossible over time for our bodies to completely eradicate all of the poisons we are subject to.

Consider for example your home furnace. It has a filter you place in it. In the beginning the filter works fine. Over time however you must clean or replace the filter or it does not work as efficiently. Our bodies work the same way. Since we cannot replace our bodies we must periodically cleanse them. When we do not, we become sick, we fall prey to immune system illnesses or digestive illnesses. We catch colds more easily or have difficulty getting over them.

Many people do not realize a simple cleanse can help them with these problems. Some people are less likely to have trouble with toxins including individuals on raw food diets or similar diets because they do not put as much pollution in their bodies from the foods they eat.

This does not mean however that they do not need to periodically cleanse.
Some simple ways to cleanse include ingesting certain herbs that help bind or chelate certain chemicals or heavy metals out of the body. Some health food stores offer herb combinations that you can buy that help your body purge toxins. Other ways to remove toxins from the body include by fasting and by mono-diets, described below.

Fasting

Fasting is an opportunity like cleansing to help detoxify the body and heal the body. For many it is also an opportunity to heal the mind or engage in a period of spiritual cleansing. People can fast for a period of 2 to 7 days or more, although this is not recommended unless someone is supervised. Not all people should fast including those with chronic health conditions unless they are supervised by a health practitioner.

Often fasts are useful for overcoming health conditions, so it may be helpful after all. Many find fasting helps boost the immune system, and decrease the side effects of many health conditions including arthritis and asthma. In many countries fasting is quite a part of daily life and religious life, and in others used to treat conditions like allergies. Fasting may help you detect certain allergies especially food allergies if you eliminate them from your diet.

To start a fast it is always best to start with light meals the day before. Many people begin with short two day fasts and work their way up to longer fasts. For many a fast consists of drinking water or diluted juices although the sugar in the juice is not traditionally a true fast, but may be useful for someone that requires more of a restricted diet than a full fast. Lemon and water may be more appropriate.

Some of the side effects of a fast may include:
Headache
Fatigue
Nausea
Anxiety
Chills

How Often To Fast

You can fast as little or as often as you like, but you shouldn't engage in it too often because you don't want your body to go into starvation mode. A two day fast once four times a year will offer your body plenty of time to recharge and remove toxins. This will not place too much strain on your body. Some people refer to this as seasonal cleaning or spring cleansing. You can perform a fast once for each of the seasons for example.

The minimum fast to achieve a good result is usually 48 hours or two days. Fasting will help you look your best, avoid catching common viral illnesses as often, and will help you feel more energetic more often.

Mono-Diets

Many people have not heard of mono-diets. They are an optimal way according to some to help detoxify the body and lose weight. A mono-diet is sometimes much easier for someone that has enjoyed a raw food diet because they are used to not splurging on a bunch of processed and junk foods.

A mono-diet as the name implied means eating one food product only for a defined period of time. So, you may decide for a period of 7 days to eat just apples, bananas or pineapples.

This type of diet is not something that would be healthy for an individual to live on, because it would not provide the proper volumes of essential vitamins, minerals and nutrients to sustain life. However, for purposes of cleansing, or a pre-fast or pre-cleanse diet a mono-diet would be very appropriate.

Usually someone tries a mono-diet for just 3 days or thereabouts. This is a fine amount of time to enjoy a mono-diet especially if trying it for the first time.

Here are some ways to try the mono-diet:
2-3 days of vegetables of any kind eaten raw with no salt
2-3 days of fruits
2-3 days of one type of vegetable
2-3 days of one type of fruit

It is very important that you drink a lot of water during this time to help your body purge toxins and to help keep you hydrated. This will also stimulate your colon to relieve your bowels of any built-up toxins."

I know this article mentioned weight loss... but I am very anti-diet, very pro-health-as-a-lifestyle, so I'm mostly focusing on the health benefits and cleansing purposes of fasting.
 

laintpe

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Do you fast or cleanse?
I did that once until now. Never thought I could do it, because I just like the ritual of eating and everything. But it worked. Maybe I will do that again in the (near) future.

What do you consume when you cleanse?
Water, tea, maybe fruit juice or bouillon

Do you think that there are benefits to cleansing/fasting?
Yes! You are more awake because your body does not need any energy to digest food. Also you have more time because you don't eat. It feels good.

Do you notice any changes in your thinking when you fast/cleanse?
Yes, as I said: more awake, faster and somewhat "high". It was interesting.

I probably need to do it again anyways, because my stomach is quite sensitive to stress. I always either need to take Bach Flowers or just eat nothing.
I am kind of surprised to see quite a few people doing this, though. I mean voluntarily.

thank you!
 

Metamorphosis

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I eat based on intermittent fasting so I understand the principles, but what you are talking about is not healthy. It's a lack of trust in your body. Your body tells you when you need to eat and to some degree, what you need to eat.

If you're passing out, your body is not getting any healthier on the diet.

The good points made by GargoylesLegacy are possible with intermittent fasting without the negative side effects of starvation/death.
 

laintpe

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I eat based on intermittent fasting so I understand the principles, but what you are talking about is not healthy. It's a lack of trust in your body. Your body tells you when you need to eat and to some degree, what you need to eat.

If you're passing out, your body is not getting any healthier on the diet.

The good points made by GargoylesLegacy are possible with intermittent fasting without the negative side effects of starvation/death.

Thanks. I also agree that passing out is a sign of a major problem- which is why I ended that fast prematurely and am now looking into less restrictive methods of cleansing... what you call "intermittent fasting", i'm assuming.
 
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