How to Prepare for a Water Fast

Many people have questions about water fasting: the benefits, the risks and how to do one properly. 
I have written about some of the benefits of water fasting in my other blog posts. In this post I will supply a guide for how to safely prepare for a water fast to prevent extreme detoxification reactions. 
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The Build Up

Water fasting is an intensive detoxification process. That means, if you have never detoxed before, or if you are dealing with a signifcant toxic burden (post- chemo, heavy metal exposure, obesity, poor diet), a water fast can have severe reactions. 
During the intensive detox phase of a water fast (the first 1-3 days) people can have any number of reactions: dizziness, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, headaches or migraines, 10/10 body pains. It is hard to predict exactly how someone will react. 
To reduce the likelihood of an intensive detoxification reaction there are a few things you can consider during the preparatory phase. Depending on how toxic you are will depend on the length of time that you should spend preparing for your fast. Longer amounts of time are beneficial for more toxic states.

​Here are the options I recommend:
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Change Your Diet 

3-6 months - History of drug or alcohol use, polypharmacology, chemotherapy, obesity, SIBO, processed food diet 

1-3 months - Regular diet, no obesity, no history of prior detoxification, 1 or less regular pharmaceutical medications

 

• Switch to organic foods - as much as possible. Pesticides contain a multitude of toxins which I have written about here. 
• Stop eating meat - its hard to digest, contains toxins and hormones from the animal, is a weak source of protein, contains saturated fats which in an oxidative state create lasting plaques in arteries. Consider eating a full range of amino acids through vegetables, fruits, seeds (hemp, pumpkin, chia, sunflower), some organic soy and quinoa. 
• Wean off of coffee and other caffeinated drinks to restore the adrenal glands and prevent caffeine withdrawal. 
• Avoid gluten and dairy which are both allergenic, mucous producing and hard to digest for more people. 
• Quit alcohol completely - allowing your liver to recover and use its glutathione for detoxing rather than metabolizing alcohol. 
• Incorporate fruits and berries each day - 3 servings for antioxidant support which is crucial when detoxing.
• Focus on leafy greens 3 - 6 cups per day: lettuces, cabbage, kale, spinach, bitter greens, cilantro, parsley etc. They are full of fiber and provide alkaline support to the body as well as minerals (magnesium) and some vitamins. 
• Hydrate during the day - 2 L of water or herbal tea which helps flush toxins out
• Consider eating as much raw food diet as you can 
  • Smoothies for breakfast or tea or fast (Intermittent Fasting)
  • Salads with lunch and dinner to increase fiber for detoxification 
  • There are great raw food recipes that can be substituted for almost any normally cooked dish!​

Add in Lifestyle Changes

A useful addition to any program to improve your body's ability to detoxify. 

• Get colonics to help clear out the old and hardened fecal material built up over the years or mucoid plaques which develop over time. 3 colonics over 1 - 2 weeks is my recommendation
• Start skin brushing before a bath or shower
• Infrared saunas are detoxifying and can be done 1-3 times per week at 42 degrees for 30 minutes. Make sure to work up to this length of time by starting at 15 minutes and working up by 5 minutes each session. Stay hydrated and do your skin brushing before hand. 

​Juice Cleanse

A juice cleanse can be a great first step towards doing a water fast. It is a gentler detox with fewer detoxification reactions than a water fast. Because sugar is consumed in the form of fructose, the body does not go into ketosis which is the major driving force of detoxification and healing in a water fast. A juice cleanse is a break from digesting and metabolizing which uses about 30% of our energy. Without fiber the vitamins and minerals in the juice are rapidly absorbed for increased nutrition and health. Fresh live juices contain active enzymes which help to break down scar tissue and reduce inflammation. Juices keep us hydrated and help to flush out toxins through the kidneys. 

My juice recommendation for a juice cleanse would be:

• Green Juice - this is the staple of the Gerson Therapy for cancer and it is a good alkaline juice option. These juices need to be drunk fresh because they oxidize quickly and shouldn't  be stored. Consider making them yourself, or having a juice company prepare (and perhaps deliver) them directly to you. Here is the recipe. 
• Carrot apple - this is the other juice recommended in the Gerson Therapy. It is 3-4 large carrots to 1 green apple. This juice can be stored in an airless container for 24 hours. 

Avoiding juices that are highly acidic, or with too much spice and essential oil (ginger) is important because you don't want to damage your digest tract at all. 
Dosage for juices is about 8 -10 oz. 3 - 4 times per day. Juices are very filling and you might not be able to tolerate much more than this. Remember you can drink water between your juices. The number of days you choose to do the juice fast can range from 1 -7 days. 

1 day - this is a great first step in detoxifying. If you would like to go slowly and see if not eating for 1 day is even possible, take o the challenge by doing a 24 hour juice cleanse. Drink 6-8 oz. of juice 4-5x per day and see the results!

3 days - this is a beginner juice cleanse and can be done by most people. It will reduce inflammation and help to heal the gut. 

4-5 days - this is more intensive and can be done by people who are ready to experience some minor detoxification reactions, gut healing and a decrease in inflammation. 

6+ - this is an intensive juice cleanse that will produce results. Some autoimmune diseases can go into remission between 7-10 days of just juices, the gut will show signs of healing and inflammation will go down. You might notice your skin healing (reduced acne) or an aggravation of acne and rashes if there are a lot of toxins to be released.  

Note: if you have pre-existing medical conditions and you are not sure if a juice fast is safe for you, make an appointment with a local naturopathic doctor or other medical professional educated in juice cleansing to help you decide. 
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​Juicing + Light Meal Regime 

Combine a juice cleanse and vegetarian or vegan meal each day. 
Doing juices (6- 8 oz. 1-3x per day) and having 1 healthy meal is another good way to cleanse the body. Consider a meal that is high is fresh, raw greens and vegetables like a hearty salad, buddha bowl or dahl or soup. 
Raw crackers accompany a vegan meal well - this is my recipe. 
A healthy grain like quinoa can be added for extra density and protein. 
​Avoiding gluten and dairy in this meal is an important part of this regime as well as the other suggestions above for dietary and lifestyle changes. 

​Find Out About Heavy Metals

Naturopathic doctors can do a provocation test for heavy metals which show the tip of the iceberg for the quantity of heavy metals stored in your tissues. They can be removed from the body using oral or intravenous chelation. 

Preparing to do a water fast before you do one can decrease the severity of detoxification reactions which make a water fast safer and more enjoyable. 

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Up next...

How to safely do a water fast at home and when to seek out medical guidance. 

- Dr. Ariel Jones