“The body must first be considered as a machine, a mechanism made of rubber-like material which has been over-expanded during its entire life through overeating. Therefore, the functioning of the organism is continually obstructed by an unnatural over-pressure of the blood and on the tissues. As soon as you stop eating, this over-pressure is rapidly relieved, the avenues of the circulation contract, the blood becomes more concentrated and the superfluous water is eliminated. This goes on for the first few days and you may even feel fine, but then the obstructions of the circulation become greater because the diameter of the avenues becomes smaller and the blood must circulate thru many parts of the body, especially in the tissues, at and around the symptom, against sticky mucus pressed-out and dissolved from the inside walls; in other words, the blood stream must overcome, dissolve and carry with itself mucus and poisons for elimination thru the kidneys.” – Arnold Ehret

Welcome to Day 2 of our Guided Juice Fast!

Hello Fellow Fasters!

Congratulations on making it through Day 1! This is the day when you might start noticing some curious symptoms. If you do not notice any obvious symptoms, that can be a sign that your body is in fairly good shape! However, as your body goes through the process described above by Arnold Ehret, most of you will experience different sensations. These are all detox symptoms that your body is going through as it is working hard to mobilize and remove the accumulated waste in your system.

This is the day when you will be forced to face many of your addictions. Since all non-water containing plant foods are stimulating and addictive (to some degree), you might find yourself having some withdrawal symptoms. These begin with the neurological message nudging you to eat or drink that stimulating substance. For example, if you were eating oatmeal or sprouted grain toast for breakfast regularly, once you pass the period when you would typically have it, your brain will send out a message saying, “Hey, where’s my oatmeal? Dude, the oatmeal, please, now!” You might momentarily forget you’re fasting and start to think about the oatmeal or you might start to get annoyed that you are fasting and that you have to overcome this hump. This neurological nudging will probably continue throughout the day but once you over ride through it the first few times, it will become less and less bothersome.

Then there’s the physiological withdrawal, which is more symptomatic and less psychosomatic. These are the symptoms that take place when the body starts cleansing. You may get a headache or flu-like symptoms. This is not because you’ve put something into your body that was harmful but because the harmful things that are already in your body are starting to get dredged up and these harmful substances are now flowing through your bloodstream. The break from food is enabling the awakening of the waste (part one of detoxification). If you are very uncomfortable you will find an enema or well administered colonic to be the solution. The awakened waste and poisons only create symptoms when they are awakened but not released so releasing them will bring your body back into a state of ease. You can avoid virtually all uncomfortable symptoms by ensuring you release what you awaken in a timely manner.

If you find you are having lots of withdrawal issues, both neurological nudges and physical symptoms, it’s a great opportunity to consider just how much you’re awakening and how awesome the practice of fasting is! These symptoms can also open your eyes to just how much of your dietary intake is actually stimulating substances. The less stimulating (more organic, water-containing plant food-based) your diet, the fewer symptoms and nudges to eat you will have.

Do your best to just observe what is occurring — the prodding neurological messages tell you a lot about your level of addiction. Fasting is a great way to break through these addictions — as you pour the offending waste out of your body, your addiction will leave as well offering you a prime opportunity to leave those addictions behind and change the patterns they are connected with forever!

With this unique insight into your level of toxicity, the depth of your addictions and the foods and drinks that have been over-stimulating you, it’s the perfect time to come up with a new diet-lifestyle strategy. Think about the things that you may be doing that just aren’t serving you. It’s very hard to break an addiction or pattern when you are still engaging in it. But through the course of this fast, you are now disengaging. Do you really want to re-engage your old patterns after the fast is completed? This is the moment, while you are experiencing your withdrawal symptoms and your body is communicating with you clearly to determine your post-fast resolutions.

Common Detox Symptoms

Did you check your tongue this morning? When you’re fasting you get to peer into what Arnold Ehret calls the “Magic Mirror.” The Magic Mirror (not the same one from Romper Room) is the peek you get into the state of mucus in your body by observing your tongue after rising when fasting. That thick coating on your tongue shows you the mucus that is ready to be sloughed out of the body and that has been awakened by the abstinence from food. The body will release much of this mucus through the many eliminative organs (lungs, kidneys, skin, etc.) but as always, nothing supports waste removal of any kind like irrigating and evacuating the large intestine. This coating is a mirror of the coating that is on your intestines and is a great indicator that your body is pulling up stored waste in your body and mobilizing it for removal from the body. Make sure you brush your tongue well so you remove the waste instead of reabsorbing it into your body.

Other common detox symptoms include:

Headaches 
Gunk in eyes 
Flaky skin or dandruff 
Skin break-outs (acne, rashes, etc) 
Tight jaw

Remember, the degree to which you experience these symptoms is a great indicator of the degree of accumulation and waste in your system. Know that by juice fasting you are doing the best thing for your long-term health and your outward appearance by giving your body the chance to hydrate, magnetize and mobilize the stored toxicity out of your body. Remain vigilant about keeping the intestine clear and your symptoms will be greatly minimized. The more of this waste that leaves the body, the easier the fast will be. With the waste expelled you should feel highly energetic, even euphoric. Without the waste expelled, your experience will be quite the opposite.

It may be difficult for you to sleep if you’re not used to the surges of energy that come when blockages are released. As always, observe and see if you can go deeper into your feeling body and experience what is different about this energy. Instead of running from it or avoiding it, try going deeper into it. If you struggle to fall asleep, take it as a cue that your body and mind need to move this energy around. You can get up for an hour and continue working on your closet cleaning or other household organization or do some writing or reading. Just don’t toy with the idea of eating – you don’t want to sabotage your fast and night-time is the time of greatest weakness for most people during a fast. These bursts of energy will come and go throughout the fast and can be harnessed and used for positive and productive purposes!

Social Considerations on Day 2…

Chances are, when people find out you’re fasting, you will have to contend with shock and raised eyebrows. Unless you have to disclose what you’re doing, I suggest keeping it to yourself. It can be particularly challenging if symptoms come up. People around you who know you’re fasting may be very quick to question your judgment. That’s simply because they do not understand the process. As you move through these experiences, it helps to keep in mind that most people are totally unaware of the depth of accumulation we all have in our bodies from living “normally” and do not realize that these symptoms are actually a very natural sign that your body is doing what it is supposed to!

This is not the time to engage in conflict. Hold your center and remember that you know what you’re doing. This is an extraordinary process that meets extraordinary goals – but it’s not always linear and it’s not always predictable. If you’re okay with that, chances are others will accept it. If you’re impressionable and meek, they will likely seize the opportunity to shut you down. People do this for a number of reasons: jealousy (many people would love to fast but don’t think they have the discipline), they want eating company, they don’t want you to surpass them and break free of habits you both share. It’s very rare that anyone genuinely believes that juice fasting is bad for your health although they may still use that in their reasoning even if their real motivation is their envy or personal fear of being left behind with their habits while you move forward. Don’t let anyone change your mind. You made this decision in absolute sanity. There is no risk whatsoever to juice fasting for three-days. Be prepared for these occurrences – ready to let them slide right off of you like water off a duck’s back as you stick to the plan you made for yourself.

If you have to cook for other people, think ahead about what you plan to serve them so you are not rummaging around the kitchen. Keep it simple! Know that you are going to serve your children vegetable soup and toast, for example, and have the ingredients you need for this on hand. Tell your family that you have embarked on something that really matters to you and you would really appreciate their support. Although you want to make sure they are well fed, you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen.

Remember to journal and make time to nourish your spirit today. It is not uncommon for the food addictions that rear their head to stir up old emotions as well so it is important that you make space for working through this. Simply reflecting quietly on everything that is coming up for you and journaling about it can go a long way.

With Love, 

Natalia & the NRI Team