Fasting can be defined as "abstaining from all food or eating a certain type of food sparingly." However, a "juice" fast is altogether different; in a juice fast you do not abstain from food or eat sparingly. In fact, in your whole life, you have probably never consumed as much food in three days as you will during a three day juice fast. The amount of produce a person consumes in three days would practically fill a refrigerator. Juicing condenses pounds of valuable foods into a single glass with 99% absorption, instantly releasing nourishment to the body.

Juice fasting is definitely not about deprivation. This is the biggest surprise that participants in our juice fast retreat experience. Angie, a participant from Greensboro, told us, "I thought I would be hungry and only thinking of when I could eat again. Well, just the opposite occurred. I wasn't hungry, and I felt completely beautiful inside and out." I believe that this feeling of beauty is how we are supposed to feel. A juice fast effectively brings us this feeling of well being.

How does a juice fast have such a powerful effect on our physical, mental and spiritual well being? Partly, this is because we begin detoxification. Our bodies can become toxic because of poor air quality, chemicals and pesticides in our food and water, over the counter drugs, cosmetics and other environmental pollutants. In addition to physical toxicity, we may also be mentally toxic. Negative emotions and stress contribute to our overall poor health by creating acidity and interfering with proper breathing. Spiritual toxicity occurs when a feeling of joy is missing, and we feel disconnected from a sense of purpose.

So, how could a three day juice fast bring us into balance and transform our lives? Pamela Serure, author of The 3 Day Energy Fast, explains, "fasting with juices gives you the opportunity to build a new, healthier body. Instead of creating new cells that are immediately compromised by toxins, diseases, and other burdens, you can make a new cellular blueprint with healthier, hardier cells. As you start to clean out the body, you start cleaning out old habits, old patterns, old ways of thinking, old pains, old anger, and old fears. New cells have new meanings, new cells have new stories to tell, new cells do not follow the old programming."

As you begin to heal the physical body, you begin to heal the mind and spirit. As your body becomes clean, your mind becomes clear. Gabriel Cousens, MD, author of Conscious Eating, states that juice fasting "improves concentration, expands creative thinking, lifts depression and fades anxieties." He calls juice fasting "the elixir of spiritual nutrition and an essential part of any nutritional program for spiritual life and health." He further states, "juice fasting particularly seems to have a powerful effect on the awakening and activation of spiritual energy and sensitivity."

Juice fasting has given me the opportunity to know experientially the truth of what the experts say. My first fast was thirty years ago when my husband and I did a two week fruit fast. I have since experimented with many different fasts and have found that the three day juice fast is the most gentle and effective. A three day juice fast helps to break cycles of bingeing, craving sweets, and other bad eating habits. Anyone in reasonably good health can fast. Your success or failure can be determined by several factors. It is possible to do a fast on your own, but it is far easier if you leave your refrigerator, pantry of goodies, and your old eating habits at home. It is best to get away from the physical, emotional, and mental demands made on you in order to fully appreciate the juice fasting experience. A retreat affords you the opportunity to remove yourself from distractions, and encourages you to slow down. At a retreat, you can be pampered with a massage, a soak in the Jacuzzi, or a sauna. While fasting, it is a good idea to take nature walks, do yoga or stretch, meditate, sing or play music, journal, read, or take naps. Fasting should not be austere or painful. Pamela Serure believes, as I do, that fasting can be "rich and beautiful while still being powerful and profound."

Juice fasting is not about what you are giving up. Fasting is about allowing balance and harmony to fill your spirit, mind and body. Let juice fasting bring a new sweetness to your life as you begin a transformation into better health and well being. 

by Beth Winn

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