In the old days, the act of fasting was done mainly by the Christian, Buddhist, and Muslim populations of the world. In the present time though, with a better understanding of what a fast does, many more people across the globe have begun fasting because of the great detoxifying benefits it offers the body. Simply put there are two types of fasting a juice fast and a water fast. We will only focus on a juice fast to thoroughly examine what to expect when you begin to participate in your own 30 day juice cleanse. We know it offers many benefits, but what exactly? Keep on reading to find out.
Stage One, Days 1-3
I'm going to cut to the chase. Stage one is one of the most difficult stages during this month-long fast. Most people quit during these first few days because of the intense hunger and headaches. People are easily irritated during this period because of light-headedness, queasiness, and bad breath. It's okay though because after the rain stops and the sun starts shining you will feel like when you were a kid in grade school.
Stage 2, Days 4-7
All right stage 2 is here and you have finally gotten over those hunger pains. Is it smooth sailing from here on out? Sorry to disappoint but the answer is "No". Your body has finally begun its rigorous cleansing and you will feel some of the effects from it. Some major ones include acne and a white coated tongue followed by some sores in your mouth. This is happens because the body uses the skin and the mouth as gateways to rid yourself from the toxins. There are a few methods you can use to treat these symptoms such as regular aloe vera gel for acne and anti-bacterial gargle and rinse for your mouth.
Stage 3, Days 8-15
You are now nearing the end of the first half of the month-long juice fast and finally you are starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. Stage 3 is very important because of a few major points that occur during these days. These include:
Soreness in the muscles
Canker sores in the mouth
Getting rid of dead tissues
The soreness can be explained by the irritants from the toxins that are escaping the body. It is temporary and is not extreme. The canker sores happen because like stated earlier, many toxins are escaping through the mouth. The most important part of this stage is the last bullet point. Getting rid of dead tissues becomes a source of energy for your body and after 2 weeks of no cooked solid food it starts to feast on dead cells and tissues. This is great news because after its done removing, it starts replacing with live, healthy tissues. Unfortunately, while its feasting on your tissues, some pain is felt and depending on your situation and needs, the range of the pain goes from barely noticeable to "I think I'm dying". A good rule to follow is: the more serious injuries such as broken bones or deep cuts, the more pain you will feel. This is due to how healthy you were when the injury happened. If you were a bad eater and was getting lousy nutrition, sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you are going to be in a world of pain. But if you were making the right choices and was healthy at the time of injury, you might not feel any pains at all.
Stage 4, The Final Stage, Days 16-30
The last stage is the most rewarding of all stages. Anticipate clean smelling breath with a nice pinkish, reddish tongue. Most days during this stage are filled with greatly increased energy and great ability to focus on anything you want. More importantly, the body will reconstruct the areas where it had previously removed the dead tissues. It will place healthy tissues which help your engines run smoothly like when you were a teenager. Congratulations on your juice fast. You have proven that you have the inner strength and ability to avoid consuming any cooked solid foods for an entire month. Remember to not eat everything you see when you are done as this can cause you to get sick. To efficiently break the fast eat only soft fruits on the 31st day. The next day add some veggies, and the next some soups and salads. After about a week of eating lightly your digestive system will be adjusted to food and you can eat whatever you want. To maintain the weight loss and increased energy, make sure to work out regularly and to keep drinking fresh juice from a juice extractor every day.