Juice Fast?

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Juice Fast?

Postby BatGrrl » Sat Mar 01, 2008 10:45 am

Question for Dr. Novick and/or any McDougallers out there....

What is your opinion of periodic short-term (1-3 days) juice/broth/water fasts for colon and liver cleansing (not for sustainable weight loss)? My acunpuncturist has suggested working with her naturopathic doctor partner for a supervised spring cleansing, complete with fasting, herbs and colonics (not so sure about that last part!).

Are there juice fasting techniques (completely organic, non-chemical of course) that you would recommend? Do you have experiences with fasting that you would be willing to share, especially what benefits did you receive and what were the challenges?

Thanks in advance for any insights you might share.
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." --Dr. Seuss


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Re: Juice Fast?

Postby JeffN » Sat Mar 01, 2008 12:25 pm

BatGrrl wrote:Question for Dr. Novick and/or any McDougallers out there....

What is your opinion of periodic short-term (1-3 days) juice/broth/water fasts for colon and liver cleansing (not for sustainable weight loss)? My acunpuncturist has suggested working with her naturopathic doctor partner for a supervised spring cleansing, complete with fasting, herbs and colonics (not so sure about that last part!).

Are there juice fasting techniques (completely organic, non-chemical of course) that you would recommend? Do you have experiences with fasting that you would be willing to share, especially what benefits did you receive and what were the challenges?

Thanks in advance for any insights you might share.


Greetings.

Juice fasting can not "cleanse" or "detox" your colon or your liver. The liver, and the colon, along with the kidneys, bowels, skin, lungs, are all organs of detoxification. Your body does an excellent job of it and is at work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

What you can do to help it is to make sure you stop the intake of excess calories, animal products, high fat products, dairy products, eggs, cheese, milk, salt, sugar, refined processed flours, alcohol, caffeine, junk food., etc

I do not recommend juice fasting for weight loss either. Even many of the fasting docs in the country do not recommend fasting for weight loss. Losing and maintaining the weight loss is all about behavior change and learning a new way of life. Juice fasting does not teach you that.

The most important thing we can all do is to learn how to eat healthy on a day to day basis and how to maintain that over time and live healthfully each and every day. That would be the most beneficial for long term health and weight.

I do not recommend the use of colonics either. They are occasionally necessary in some rare medical issues, but not for the reasons you mention above or for the reason most alt health practitioners recommend them. Colonics are not a requirement for or a necessary part of a healthy lifestyle.

If you follow and live a very healthy lifestyle, you will soon find out that you will have no problem with elimination. :)

IMHO, occasional short term juice fasts, or juice diets, can have a place in someones healthy lifestyle if they so choose, but they are not a path to the lifestyle nor should they be used as such nor should we empower them with healing powers they do not have.

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Postby susie » Sat Mar 01, 2008 6:19 pm

Mr Novick, you are like a breath of fresh air! :D

This post is one of the most profound that I have read on the subject.
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Postby Jan Tz » Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:37 am

I have just finished reading a book called "The Pleasure Trap." The authors devote two full chapters to the benefits of water-only fasting "for days or even weeks". I disagreed with what they said, and found your discussion above of fasting to be entirely reasonable.

What concerns me, though, is that on the back cover of the book is printed a review by Dr. McDougall and he also wrote the Forward to the book. He praises the book, praises the author, and calls water fasting the "ultimate therapy."

Can you please help me to understand what Dr. McDougall meant by this, and why he praised a book and this practice? I am a little confused. :?
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Postby JeffN » Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:04 am

Jan Tz wrote:I have just finished reading a book called "The Pleasure Trap." The authors devote two full chapters to the benefits of water-only fasting "for days or even weeks". I disagreed with what they said, and found your discussion above of fasting to be entirely reasonable.

What concerns me, though, is that on the back cover of the book is printed a review by Dr. McDougall and he also wrote the Forward to the book. He praises the book, praises the author, and calls water fasting the "ultimate therapy."

Can you please help me to understand what Dr. McDougall meant by this, and why he praised a book and this practice? I am a little confused. :?


I think the confusion exists because you are applying answers from a different question to your questions that are not the same.

My comments were in relations to juice fasting to "detoxing", and "cleansing" the liver and the use of colonics. To that question, my answer applies.

In addition, many people use fasting for the wrong reasons, sometimes as some sort of sporting event as who can do it the longest and/or most often, and/or as a response (or allowance) for their periods of binging and overeating, and without proper knowledge and/or supervision, all of which would not be healthy.

I do agree that the Pleasure Trap is an excellent book and fasting can be of great value, when applied appropriately for the appropriate reasons. My original comments mentioned this. I fast myself on occasion and have so for many years. Fasting is a regular part of most all religious traditions, and many cultures throughout time. Fasting may have also occurred regularly in nature due to periodic food shortages and famines. Fasting also occurs in the animal kingdown for various reasons. Fasting, and reduced meal frequency patterns (i.e., eating only once a day, fasting ever other day), is also currently being studied in relation to the work on Calorie Restriction.

However, my original comments still apply in regard to the big picture. The most important thing anyone can do (and I know the authors of the Pleasure Trap would agree) is to apply the principles of healthy living on a daily basis consistently over time. And not to empower fasting with powers it does not have (cleansing, detox, etc).

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Postby Jan Tz » Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:38 pm

Thank you for clarifying your position.
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Postby Melinda » Thu May 15, 2008 7:22 pm

I believe in "the Pleasure Trap", the fasting they are recommending is a dramatic and quick way to reset your taste buds, and to sensitize them again to more subtle tastes.
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Postby JeffN » Fri May 16, 2008 10:29 pm

In certain conditions, fasting can be of benefit.

The best way to find out if fasting can help your situation, is to talk to a qualified fasting practitioner. Doug Lisle is associated with one of the most renowned ones in the world, the True North Clinic, which can be accessed at

http://www.healthpromoting.com

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