Intentional fasting has been practiced in practically all cultures, with accounts of Christ, Buddha, Moses, Mohammed, and countless others undergoing long water fasts for spiritual as well as physical benefit. Hippocrates (the father of Western medicine), Socrates and Plato advocated fasting, while Pythagoras required a 40-day fast of his students as an entrance requirement.
Animals with injury or illness will abstain from food until their health is improved. Most people have experienced a loss of appetite with the flu and other infections. Many with the more serious, chronic diseases lose their taste for food. Both animals and humans have a natural intuition to fast during ill health.
Even unintentional fasts (as when people have been stranded without food) usually cause significant improvements in the health of the people involved. Mark Twain wrote much on the health benefits achieved by shipwrecked fasters in the 1800’s.
Pain, discomfort and inflammation are reduced by fasting. For many, the improvements found in their fasting experience have been a springboard to the healing of long-accepted health conditions.
The following liquid vegetable fast is intended to re-alkalinize* the body, and facilitate healing by allowing increased elimination of toxins during the time the body is relieved of metabolizing solid food.
This is a period of rest for your body. Arrange your schedule so you are able to rest and relax during this cleanse if you feel tired or irritable. Go off all supplements on these days, unless specifically prescribed.
Pre-Fast Day
This day consists of 6 or more cups of vegetables and/or Bieler Broth. This “broth” (named after Dr. Bieler) is actually a vegetable puree that heals by re-alkalinizing the body.
Bieler Broth recipe: Steam (on low enough heat so that steam does not escape your covered pot) until soft – about 10-15 minutes: 2 medium zucchini, a handful of green beans, 2 stalks of celery. Place vegetables, steaming water and a tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley in a blender. Blend for 1-2 minutes until smooth, and drink.
This broth is excellent taken only by itself (plus additional water) for the deepest cleanse. If you would rather complete your daily vegetable requirement – 6 or more cups – with other vegetables, this is fine. You may have your vegetables steamed or raw. If steamed, turn down to low enough temperature that steam does not escape the covered pot. The non-starchy vegetables will provide the greatest weight loss.
Non-Starchy Vegetables: Celery, chard, cucumber, bell pepper, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, summer squash, zucchini, artichoke, deep green lettuces, spinach, kale, onion, asparagus, garlic, green beans, snow peas, radishes, all sprouts.
Starchy Vegetables: All root vegetables – carrot, beet, parsnip, turnip, rutabaga, jicama. Jerusalem artichokes are good for stabilizing blood sugar. If you are too hungry with just these vegetables, winter squashes, yams, sweet potatoes and white potatoes are more filling.
I recommend supplementing on this day, one tablespoon of an oil high in therapeutic essential fatty acids, such as: evening primrose oil, borage oil, black current seed oil, flax seed oil, fish oil. If taken in capsule form, chew open the capsules for the oil, then spit out the shell.
Drink purified water according to thirst, and you may also start drinking raw vegetable juice, described below.
1-3 Day Liquid Diet
Have 2 to 3 quarts of freshly made raw vegetable juice each day. Use a juicer** to extract the juices from organic vegetables, or order the juice from Sunny farms’ deli or Tootsie’s here in Sequim. Toss any juice left over at the end of the day – it becomes too oxidized to save.
Each 1 – 2 cups of juice is best alternated with a glass of water, a cup of Bieler Broth or “Alkaline Broth” (see recipe below), a green drink, or cup of herbal tea. Drink at least 4 quarts of liquid on each day, and preferably up to 6 quarts total liquid.
The basic healing juice combinations are:
- 2 parts carrot, 1 part beet and 1 part cucumber (The cucumber mellows out the beet flavor.)
- Carrot, beet and celery
- Carrot, beet, celery and cucumber
The juices of these 4 vegetables are helpful for anemia, allergies, arthritis, for cleansing and healing the liver, gallbladder, kidneys and bladder, and all mucous membranes including digestive and respiratory tract, nervous system, etc!
Other good juice combinations are:
Carrot, celery, endive & parsley (carrot should be 6 out of 8 oz).
Carrot, lettuce and spinach (spinach only 1-2 oz. per glass).
You can also add wheat grass juice for a shot of blood-building chlorophyll, or any other vegetable that you like, to the basic combination. Use the vegetable combinations that appeal to you.
Hot herbal tea (such as Pau D’Arco) or broth is good to start with in the morning.
Alkaline Broth: Use a glass, stainless steel, enameled or earthenware container. Take 1 cup carrots, 1 cup onions or celery, and 1 – 2 cups other vegetables – good are beet tops, carrot tops, parsley, cilantro, green onion. Chop vegetables and put in pot, cover with water and simmer for 1/2 hour. Let stand for another 1/2 hour. Strain and drink only the broth. You can season with herbs if desired.
Post-Fast Day
You can continue the raw vegetable juice if desired, but also have at least 4 servings of vegetables today. In the evening, you may have a grain dish, or fish.
The Enema
For optimal health benefit during this fast, use an enema to relieve any fatigue, headache, irritability or depression that may happen while detoxing.
How to do an enema: Use body temperature water for your enema solution. When you have filled your enema bag, insert a hanger through the hole at the top end of the bag to hang from a towel rack (should hang 3 – 4 feet above the floor). Use a natural ointment to lubricate the rectal speculum, and insert it while in a comfortable position. Knee-chest position is best, though lying on your side or back is fine too. Release and tighten the clamp as needed to slowly allow the solution in.
Once the solution is in, find a comfortable position and either gently massage your abdomen or rest comfortably. After 5 – 15 minutes (sooner if necessary), let it out into the toilet. It may take a couple of sittings to completely release the solution.
If necessary, it’s O.K. to take in, then void, just 1 quart of enema solution at a time, rather than the whole 2 quarts.
1. Salt and Soda Enema: Dissolve 1 tablespoon each of sea salt and baking soda into 2 quarts water.
2. Garlic-Epsom Salt Enema: Can be very purging/anti-parasitic.
Finely chop 3 cloves of garlic, add to 2 quarts water, simmer 5 minutes and strain the garlic out. Add 2 tablespoons Epsom salt. Let it cool a bit, and pour into bag, adding enough extra water to fill the 2 quart bag.
3. Coffee Enema: Great for the liver, gallbladder and skin.
Make a dilute coffee using 4 tablespoons ground organic coffee to 2 quarts water. (You can also do this by diluting 1 quart of standard drip coffee with 1 quart water.) Add 1 tablespoon each of sea salt and baking soda. When cool enough, pour into bag.
A 2 quart enema is able to reach the entire length of the colon; however, a colonic from a professional colon hydro therapist will do an even more thorough job of cleaning out the entire colon.
If you feel great on this liquid vegetable fast, using enemas as needed, you can extend the liquid diet to 7 days.
*The body tissues must be at the proper pH to be healthy. Toxic acids build up over time in the tissues from: refined sugar and food products containing refined sugar, coffee, regular tea, alcohol, chocolate, excess meat, stress, allergic reactions, inflammatory reactions, deficiencies of essential minerals. A good way to monitor your body’s pH is to dip a strip of pH paper (purchased from a pharmacy or my office) into a catch of your first morning’s urine. Optimal pH is 6.5 – 7. Continue your re-alkalinizing efforts until your pH comes up into this range.
**Juicers that spin the juice out (centrifugal juicers) produce inferior quality juice that has less nutrient value and oxidizes more quickly. The brands of juicers I recommend (the more expensive/high quality juicers first): Samson, Green Star, Green Power, Omega 8001, and Champion.
Many patients opt to use this fast toward the end of the 3 week spring cleanse program.
