Apple Fast

Can fasting really give you energy while helping the healing process?

"Fasting is the greatest remedy --the physician within." ~Paracelsus

            When we stop the fast food, fast paced, over-indulgence that our current lifestyle often perpetuates, even for a short while, our health, our lives, and even our priorities can become clearer.

          Keeping the body and mind healthy includes eliminating stored toxins. Fasting need not be limited to traditional fasts like water or juice to be effective. I recommend an apple fast because it is a relatively easy, simple, and an effective strategy that clears out the toxins pretty quickly.

   The 3 Day Apple Fast provides not only the benefits of improving a multitude of physical conditions, the malic acid in the apples benefit the immune system and skin health. In addition, the apples give you large amounts of natural pectin to cleanse the intestinal tract. The pectin leeches toxins from the bloodstream and intestines. Make a note that it can also leech anything with food value so Do Not eat anything else and Do Not take vitamins at the same time. Because fasting initiates the body’s own healing mechanism, many ailments may show improvement.

   
           The apple fast is effective because when eating only apples the body is fooled into a fasting mode. Toxins from the organs like kidneys, liver, and other intestinal organs dump into the bloodstream where the pectin can leach them from the system. 

               From our classes in Ayurveda, we teach that drinking warm water throughout the day can eliminate toxins out more rapidly.     

Apple Fast Made Simple:

1.    Eat only organic apples all day long. I like to buy a variety of apples        in a multitude of colors. I usually eat 8-12 apples a day depending on my hunger or my work schedule. Don't worry about how many you eat. When you are hungry- eat an apple. My wife likes to cut them up into slices and eat them throughout the day.

2.    Drink warm water all day long. This is key! As a rule of thumb - drink half your body weight in ounces.(Ex 160 pounds: 80 oz water)Ice or cold water isn't good for digestion or elimination. It douses the digestive fire. However, warm water helps stimulate peristalsis and clear more toxins. My wife keeps a hot pot on her desk so sip throughout the day.

3.     Apple fast for three days.

4.    On the night of the last night take 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. When you don't eat any fat for several days, your liver and gall bladder store up bile. When you flood your system with fat (olive oil) all at once- your gall bladder and liver release the stored bile and push out the cholesterol stones that have formed.

Pay attention:

A.   Whenever you are activating a cleanse it is important to pay attention to how you feel during the process. Remember that toxins are releasing, so pay attention to any areas (if any) of the body that might feel achy.

B.   Be kind to yourself (and others) during a fast. Just like food toxins, our emotions can be stored as well. Let any emotions that have been pent up be released along with all other toxins.

C.   I suggest keeping a journal during the fast so that you can process anything that needs attention.

Benefits of Fasting

Fasting is not a “cure” for anything. However it can promote the following:

·         Rests the digestive system. Excess food on a continual basis creates a burden for the body. It has been reported that 65% of the body’s energy is directed to the digestive organs after a heavy meal!

·         Cleanses and detoxifies the body

·         Promotes mental clarity

·         Gives a body a break in eating patterns and can help realign habits by giving you a new perspective on food

·         Can “jump start” a healthy eating plan

·         Can lend to a feeling of lightness (can help promote weight loss)

·         Frees up energy so healing can be promoted

·         Promotes an inner stillness and can enhance a spiritual connection

·         It can detox and repair cells, tissues and organs, eliminating foreign toxins as well as the natural metabolic wastes (which are also toxins) produced even by our healthy cells.

·         When you've progressed past the stage of dealing with detox symptoms, a fast will have you feeling lighter, more energetic, more enthusiastic, and and can even lend to a better night’s sleep.