FASTING: Feel Good, Failure or Fiddlesticks

32 Nude Foodies on Juice Fast 
A bunch of brave people have embarked on a 14 day juice fast. Some are doing it as part of their normal annual ritual, some are doing it to test their will power, some are doing it to lose weight and most are doing it for the first time to learning about cleaning their body naturally. The recipe, details and FAQ's can be found on the Nude Food 14 Day Juice Fast page.

My Fasting Experience
Typically I complete two fasts a year, however this one will be my third. Each time I do one, I have a different experience. Some times I get a horrible headache on day 1, but so far I haven't had any pain or discomfort...(woohoo). I usually get very cold from day three onwards...I am bracing for that BRRR. And on occasions I even get a little light headed when I stand up too fast.

Fasting is as much an emotional journey as it is a physcial one. Everyone has a unique experience and has their own mental demons to deal with. I have found that around day 9 or 10 most people give up. It appears that this is when the 'addictions' are at their worst. The first time I experienced this I could have eaten road kill I was so hungry..and i'm a vegetarian (just kidding of course). I was absolutely busting to put food in my mouth...toast was a major craving.

Oh I was coming up with all kind of reasons to stop like:....'I have done enough', 'surely I don't need to do 14 days', 'I feel great, I don't need to do anymore'..bla bla bla.

However I knew it was an emotional response to my physical addicictions so I just held on. After making the choice to stick with it I just let it go and got on with life. Surprisingly it all passed. I woke up the next day and there was no stress and I had a renewed sense of purpose. It was clear sailing....I could have fasted for as long as i liked.

From the other side I realise it was all my addictions talking...and the truth is, I didn't realise I had any food addictions...boy, was this an insight. Now the good news... each time I fast, my food 'addictions' have become less and less demanding, to the point where nowadays I just don't want to put anything processed in my body. My tastes have changed and I now dine on the raw, natural offering from natures table a lot easier than in days gone by. I read once that you get new tastebuds in 7 days...so I am guessing my tastebuds have change a lot since the days of scotch and cokes, chicken and chips and processed chocolates. (ewww...makes me cringe nowadays)

So How Do You Stick With a Fast?
An interesting question. I believe it is all about the choice. What I mean is, making a clear choice for health, as apposed to losing weight or doing it for others, is instrumental. Health is the only reason to fast, losing weight is a natural consequence, so is sleeping better, more energy and a sharper mind. Anyone who has done it for weight loss reasons alone have gone back to their normal routine and put the weight back on. Any that do it to clean and support a healthy body have continued on the health journey and regularly do fasts to maintain good health.

Is Fasting Really Safe?
There are all kinds of 'experts' out there with an opinion about fasting. I listen to their reasoning...and to be honest, a lot of them sound compelling. However I also add to the mix the simple ideal that resting the body and giving it a clean out is a wise choice. Fasting is in every ancient culture. They never had RDA's (Recommended Daily Allowance) or high protein diets etc. Ancient cultures often used a higher wisdom than we have learned to tap into in this 'modern, civilised' world. My way of thinking is: if it has stood the test of time, if it is not driven from a desire for power, control or money, if it has an organic source, if it is sustainable and if it supports my health, my heart and my resolve..then count me in.

There is Evidence!!
I think if you look, you will find evidence to support all views on it. So, if you feel fasting is for you, give it a try. Be clear about your reasons and look towards a sustainable way to have a healthy body. At the end of the day, you are the master of your destiny.

One thing I have come to discover for myself is that no one knows my body the way I do. No one 'really' knows what is the 'right' thing to do as far as health goes. So I decided to go on my own discovery tour. And after years of eating crap, reading interesting books, and researching other points of view, I have come up with one simple view. It just does NOT makes sense to put synthetic, processed, chemicals, manipulated 'foods' or 'drugs' into my body. And that food from nature can support my health and heal anything...yes I mean ANYTHING.

I feel that the medical model has strayed from it's original source and become part of a machine that is very sexy with it's power, control and 'i know best' attitude. No longer do the dollars for research go into finding root cause, rather they go into discovering new drugs to market.

Get back to basics folks and you will live a long happy life...x