At the Green Farm Juicery, we approach fasting from a health and spiritual perspective. From a health perspective, research shows that regular intermittent fasting lowers the risk of coronary artery disease and diabetes, attributes to lower blood pressure, reduced inflammation, weight loss and improved energy levels!
So what happens when we take a 24-36 hour break from eating? The body will release more cholesterol, which allows it to utilize fat as a fuel source, instead of glucose. The brain increases neurotrophic factors, and decreases insulin growth and lepton in the blood. The intestines reduce energy, the liver and muscles increase insulin sensitivity and at a molecular level, the body repairs damaged cells and heals.
Fasting is not starving! Your body will not go into starvation mode for 1-3 days of not eating, contrary to old beliefs. Hunger and starvation are not the same! Hunger fuels our digestive fires. Eating before the body is hungry diminishes that fire and puts stress on the liver and digestive system.
What benefits can you expect to notice by the end of the 1st month of weekly juice fasting:
- Weight loss or weight maintenance because body is burning fat instead of glucose!
- Reverses aging because we are increasing the speed of the metabolism. The body will eliminate and digest faster!
- Regulates eating patterns throughout the week. When we reset our bodies, hunger normalizes and we can allow the body to feel hungry before eating.
– Energy levels increase. 80% of the energy our body uses goes towards digesting food. Saving that energy once a week allows for more energy during the day!
– Sleep improves. Sleep is the most important thing you can do for your body. Fasting helps regulate the Circadian clock. Most fasters report feeling tired before 10:00 and going to bed earlier on fast days and rising early the next day with excess energy!
– Skin, hair and eyes are clearer and stronger! Fasting release toxins from our bodies and as a result, our skin and eyes will be clearer and hair stronger!
We now know through many studies and through experimentation, that intermittent fasting does a body good! So why do we drink organic cold pressed juice while fasting? The alkalinity, chlorophyll, enzymes & phytonutrients in plants provide the body tools to create healthy blood cells. Some refer to green juice as “soap” – cleaning the body and ridding it of toxins. The juice is absorbed rather than digested and while our bodies are “hungry” we will blast the blood with these amazing plants provided by Mother Nature.
Eating and spirituality are very much connected. Breaking bread and eating with loved ones and neighbors is a sacred act. At the Green Farm, we connect all aspects of eating and fasting to a higher perspective. No matter what religion or belief system you may have, our bodies & good health are a gift and honoring that is the highest form of gratitude.
Ayurveda, a 5000 year old medical system from India, teaches us how to eat and when to eat to nourish the body and soul. Healthy, clean food from the earth nourishes every cell in our bodies and provides us with Prana, life force.
A few reminders this month to maximize the most benefits from your experience:
-Meal plan! Overeating the day or days after the cleanse is common, but we won’t let that happen to us!
-Avoid snacks, soft drinks, alcohol, processed foods & reduce or eliminate meat on the days off!
-Plan 3 meals full of plants and proteins! Many of the Green Farm smoothies can satisfy the breakfast and lunch necessities!
-Don’t forget to come in for tea! You have access to all our medicinal and digestive teas, unlimited everyday throughout the month! Create a new habit of mindfulness with the teas. Sipping warm tea is calming to the digestive system and fuels that Agni in the belly!
Fasting day is a great time to go inward. Treat yourself to a bath (add Epsom salt and magnesium flakes for the ultimate detox), read something that will educate you, perhaps sit in meditation for 10 minutes or pull out that gratitude journal!
Peace, Juice, Love ~ Amanda & Mara
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