I feel it would be an injustice to the reader to talk about improving
your health and better understanding personal nutrition without
mentioning the fast.

When one has acne, especially after the adolescent
years, it is an indication that the body is under some type of stressmental
and/or physical. The quickest, most natural and cheapest way
to give your body a break from this stress it to fast.

Plus, if one has acne pumps covering the entire face, it is increasingly
difficult to pin point what is the underlying cause and message behind
the acne.

Thus, a fast gives all of your internal organs a break, so that a
good deal of the excess waste in the body will no longer get directed to
the face. In short, fasting gives you a head start in decoding the
messages behind your acne pimples.

Before you start

Please note that fasting is not for everyone. It’s advisable to talk with
health care practitioner if you have doubts or concerns about your
ability to fast. Again, it’s your body and you ultimately decide what to
do with it. There are numerous benefits that come from fasting and I
invite you to enjoy them all.

Reordering our views

If the idea of fasting scares you and appears to be an undertaking
reserved exclusively for the religiously devout, you are mistaken.

We Westerners live in a world of excess, where more is better. This
ideology has led the United States to become home of a population
that is 64% overweight or obese, according to statistics from the US
Department of Health and Human Services. That’s an insanely large
amount.

How did this happen? First of all, we do not get enough
insoluble fiber- a substance that not only promotes a feeling of satiety
but also helps cleanse the colon.

Also, we eat huge amounts of sugar.
The average American eats over 100 pounds of sugar a year, whereas
our ancestors of just a century ago rarely consumed over one pound of
sugar annually.

This sugar does several things to the body. It intoxicates the blood,
creates excess energy that gets stored as fat, and produces a craving for
more sugar. So, what’s the result of increased sugar consumption- an
overweight populous. However, if we do not critically and
constructively examine our daily lives, we are only setting ourselves
up for destruction.

Ask yourself:

• Why do I eat certain foods such as BLTs, chips, salads, etc?
• Is it because I am hungry, bored, or programmed to eat these
  foods?
• Do I try new foods or only stick to what I know?
• Conformity is the beginning of death. When you refuse to try new
  things or allow yourself to experience new tastes you age
  yourself. Imagine a child; he or she will try anything. Yes a
  child needs guidance regarding what is safe to eat and what is
  not.

All the same, a child is willing to investigate new things.
They live for exploring. We age ourselves prematurely by
shutting off this child- like curiosity.

So the next time someone suggests fresh broccoli instead of fries, why
not try it out? You just might like it. Experiment, bring new foods into
you fridge that you have not tired before. Use the nutrition list
provided in the Foods that help the kidneys, liver and colon sections if
you don’t know where to start.

Just the experience of introducing new,
healthy foods into your body will positively affect you.

If you pay attention to yourself, you will even notice which foods give you
sustained energy and which foods have a debilitating effect, that is
instead of making you feel full, they force you to eat more while
draining your energy.

It is all too easy to walk through life asleep. We have to be conscience
of what we do, at all times. Otherwise we are denying ourselves the
birthright of fulfilling our purposes here and enjoying ourselves.

The fasting prep

Your fast can be whatever you want it to be. It can be a day of sheer
pleasure where you focus on how wonderful life is and how much you
enjoy your family and friends.

Or, you can reflect on how much you’d
like to eat a steak, hamburger, sundae, cookie, or whatever food pops
into your mind. You can imagine that you are torturing yourself. The
mind is a powerful thing.

Your mind will dictate how you endure the
fast, not your stomach. Recall the words of Emil Coue; your
imagination will always outperform your will. People drive themselves
crazy and scare themselves by allowing repetitious and negative
thought- forms to enter their mind.

Ponder this: How many times did you say to yourself: “I’m dying for a
slice of pizza,” or “I’m dying for a cup of coffee.” You’re dying all
right, because what you eat either nourishes you or poisons you. You
decide. So, when you go on a fast, you have to prep your mind as well
as your body.

To prepare your mind you have to decide why you are going to fast.
Looking at the benefits of fasting is an inspiring starting point:

Fasting encourages removal of the following toxins:

• Toxic waste matter in the lymphatic system and bloodstream
• Toxins in the spleen, liver, and kidneys
• Mucus from the lungs and sinuses
• Imbedded toxins in the cellular fibers and deeper organ tissues
• Deposits in the microscopic tubes responsible for nourishing brain
  cells
• Excess cholesterol
• Dead, dying or diseased cells
• Unwanted fatty tissue
• Trans-fatty acids
• Hardened coating of mucus on the intestinal wall

After fasting you may experience these benefits:

• The nervous system is balanced and calmed
• Energy level soars
• Organs are rejuvenated
• Mental clarity is enhanced
• Quick, safe weight loss is achieved without flabbiness
• The skin becomes silky, soft, and more responsive to touch
• Body feels more agile
• Breathing becomes deeper and easier
• The digestive system receives a well-deserved rest

Now, ask yourself, “Do I have enough mind control to fast?” “Do I
want to receive the benefits of fasting?” OK, so you’re first fast may
be difficult and you end up eating something.

You may even eat more
than you would on a normal day because of the deprivation effect of
fasting (i.e. eating more because your mind tells you that you have
been deprived and you are on the verge of starving). This is not a
reason to feel hopeless and give up. It is simply an opportunity to try
again.

Give yourself some credit for making an effort and trying
something new. After that, get back on that fasting track and try again.
Remember the proverb for change: if anything is worth doing once, it
is worth repeating. So keep trying to fast and eventually you will be
able to fast for longer periods of time.

Juice Fasting

An easy way to get your body primed for fasting is to begin with a
juice fast. This is where you simply juice fresh fruits and vegetables
and drink them throughout the day.

This does not mean that you buy
bottled or canned juices to drink. Squeezed juice has much more
nutrients than bottled juices that probably contain added sugar and
preservations –the very toxins that you are trying to get out of the
body.

Also, fresh squeezed juices contain parts of the natural fiber that
you need to help cleanse your colon along with enzymes to help
eliminate free radials that cause ill health and premature aging.

Water Fasting

Fasting with water is generally only recommended after you have
performed a few juices fasts. This is because only drinking water, as
you would on water fast, causes a tremendous amount of wastes to be
released by the body- resulting in a healing crisis.

Sense this healing crisis can be overwhelming for most people just beginning to fast, it is wise to prepare your body for a water fast by performing a juice fast first. You can maintain a water fast for 1-2 days and extend this period a bit longer if you know that it will be safe for you and your body.