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Detox Food 24 HR

People chose to fast for a 24-hour period as a way to detoxify the body and give the internal organs a chance to rest. The Master Cleanse is a well-known liquid fast that many people swear by. Alternatively, you can also juice fast on freshly extracted fruit and vegetable juices, herbal teas or freshly made homemade vegetable stock. The idea is to consume liquid that is not canned, frozen or processed: preparing fresh juices surpasses drinking reconstituted orange juice, for example.
If you have any serious medical issues, get permission first from your doctor.

  1. Benefits

    • The primary reason people fast for a day is recovery from overeating, eating something that is not digesting or created food poisoning, or to jump-start a diet regimen. Only fast if you know you are healthy enough to do so. For example, if you work a very physically or mentally demanding job, consider fasting on a day off. It is often difficult to fast, cleanse and perform regular work duties.
      Juice fasting or using the Master Cleanse removes waste that is stored in the gastrointestinal tract, especially the colon. Most health professionals say that a daily bowel movement is ideal, yet some people report only two or three bowel movements per week.

      By fasting, you might reduce your tendency toward overeating. Other benefits include improved digestion, absorption and eating smaller portions of food with greater food satiety. After fasting, some people report not eating as much as they did before fasting and having a much greater awareness of what they were consuming.

    The Master Cleanse

    • First popularized in the 1970s, the Master Cleanse is a lemonade made from lemon juice, maple syrup, cayenne pepper and distilled water. It is consumed in place of solid food for several days. The old benchmark was to look for no visible coating on the tongue. This is because the tongue is seen as an indicator of what is occurring in the stomach. A white coating on the tongue signals stagnation in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). A clear tongue signals a clear GI tract.
      For newbies, following the Master Cleanse for the day can still provide benefits. Drink plain water in addition to the lemonade throughout the day to prevent dehydration.

    Juice Fasting

    • If drinking lemonade for a day is not palatable, push fresh vegetables and fruits through a juicer instead. Elson Haas, MD, of Marin County, Calif., has led several juicing detox groups for the last several years. Author of The New Detox Diet, Dr. Haas recommends using organic produce so as not to add toxins to the juices.

      Aim for at least four to six eight-ounce glasses of fresh juices daily. Drink another four to six eight-ounce glasses of water to stay hydrated. You can also consume herbal teas appropriate for a day of fasting such as dandelion leaf, fennel seed, red clover, yellow dock or burdock. All of these assist in digestion, detoxification and cleansing the blood. Follow the tea manufacturer's directions as every tea has different herbal concentrations.

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