CAN FASTING HELP PURGE THE BODY OF TOXINS?

from go ask Alice



Dear Alice,

Is it really true that fasting can help purge the body of toxins? Is fasting safe? I find all kinds of contradictory information about this on the web.

Thanks for your help.

Sincerely,
Just Wondering

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear Just Wondering,

To some people, it seems logical that fasting, or not eating, helps the body to rid itself of harmful substances, including the toxins you mention. People fast in various ways and for various reasons: fasts can be limited to only juice, water, or herbal tea, for example, and may be done for religious, political, or health reasons, to name just a few. Fasts are often fads, or part of a "health regimen" or a week away "healing" program. Although many people can withstand one day of fasting, as in some religious practices, extended periods may prove unsafe for most others. Fasting is highly unwise for people with eating disorders or impaired immune systems. It is also not recommended for elderly persons, children, or pregnant women. The "health" part of fasting is more myth than fact. In fact, denying yourself nutrients can actually work against you.

To help understand why, a lot can be learned from taking a moment to investigate the body's own detoxification process. The human body is quite ingenious. It was designed to have two major pathways to eliminate harmful substances. First are the immune tissues of the intestinal tract, and second are the enzymes of the liver. Did you know that the intestinal tract generates about 70 percent of our antibodies? These little heroes attach themselves to many of the bacteria, toxins, and viruses that enter our bodies, inactivate them, and prevent many from being absorbed, helping to protect us against infection and illness.

Harmful substances that slip by the intestinal detoxification system are delivered to the liver. This second pathway has two detoxification phases: (1) various transformations occur preventing the perilous substances from creating harm to our bodies; (2) another series of reactions occur, causing these substances to become less toxic. They are then excreted from the body in urine and feces.

So, how does fasting influence the body's detoxification processes? Our nutritional status affects the body's ability to manufacture antibodies and enzymes, and the liver's ability to detoxify. Fasting deprives the body of the raw materials — sufficient calories, proteins, and certain vitamins and minerals — needed to make antibodies and enzymes. Eating keeps our immune system strong.

In addition, specific phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant chemicals in vegetables and fruits) assist in the detoxification pathways, including the following examples:

• Indoles, found in broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and other cruciferous (cabbage family) vegetables, are helpful in the liver's first phase.

• The liver's second phase is enhanced by isothiocyanates and dithiolthiones, also found in cruciferous vegetables, and by limonoids, found in citrus fruits. These phytochemicals help block carcinogens from damaging our cells' DNA (thereby protecting us against cancer). Compounds in garlic, onions, shallots, leeks, and the spice cumin also enhance phase two of the liver's detoxification system.

So, fasting does NOT boost the body's disposal system, or cleanse your body in a healthy way. Fasting denies you all the nutrients you need in a day to stay healthy!

With your height and weight ... you are already so slim. I personally don't think you need to fast.

I did fasting in my past but did not feel good and it was fueled by my body image obsession rather than for health reasons.

I do hope you decide against ... you are gorgeous. Eat and enjoy your food!

I tried an holistic fast to detox a couple months ago. I was on the all natural hippie diet called - Feeling Light.
It was mostly a juice and water fast. That article in Self makes it sound so easy. It's not at all. I have never been moodier or more tired. Every morning i would wake up and feel like i was having a hangover- pounding head, dizziness. I lost 6 lbs in 7 days of torture. Fasting claims that your body starts to feel more energized after the initial 3 or 4 days- NOT TRUE, it also says that your body starts to turn its hunger mechanisms off-NOT TRUE. The weight lost after the fast I gained it back when i went into my raw fruits and veg ONLY diet. How do you gain weight when eating only raw fruits and veg?? Probably because it was all water weight.

I know it might sound like all that organic vegetarian crap is better for you but i must vouch that i tried it for a couple months starting with the "cleansing fast" its just a bunch of crap that made me feel totally deprived, grouchy, and tired. The only thing it did for me was a bout of anemia and i didnt loose much weight either, it was making weight loss a lot harder than it should be. I ended this diet with a vicious binge and started Atkins shortly after.
Atkins was totally the opposite of the "feeling light" diet, in fact it was the one diet that i thought i would never try. I think it's just suited for my metabolism or something because miracle of all miracles, I can loose weight eating bacon, cream and cheese... but i cant loose weight eating carrots, rye bread and banannas.
If you want to try fasting, it might be a different experience for you, everyone has a different body and a different metabolism, i just wanted to share my experiences.

I fast once a month for 3 days. I have considered going longer. I just get sick of hearing that I should "eat" from everyone I know. It is very uplifting and I believe the only way to cleanse the body of toxins. All of the food we eat is toxic. Veggies unless you buy the high priced organic, fruit too. Meat unless you buy the high priced free rannge. I can't afford all of this so I fast once a month. Good Luck. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you

I reviewed the topic of fasting in the Atkins Book and it discourages fasting because the body uses carbs and fats as fuels, primarily. If the body doesn't have these to feast on, it will begin to use protein, muscle, for fuel. Honestly, I would think twice before endulging a lengthy fast.

Black57

Having been anorexic for three years as a teenager, I am personally against fasts such as these. In fact, I did a similar fast when I was 13 and that's what started me on fluid fasts all the time and eventually being down to 90 pounds at 16 (I was 5'7").
I am not saying this is everyone's experienc ewith fasting. Just make sure you really evaluate why you are wanting to do this, and see if there is a healthier way to "detox". Drinking just water and lemon/maple flavored water is not healthy.

Thanks to everyone for all the input. I did not decide to start a cleansing FAST because of damage I've done to my body. I thought it would be a good way to gain control and detox (just from everyday food/eating). I have decided against a total fast (lord knows I don't want to casue metabolism problems).I will try maybe the egg FAST (I really want to cut out the meat for a week or two). I'll keep you posted on how that goes.
Thanks again for all your advice. I'm really glad I found this forum :-)

Hey Hey! Did you ever do the egg fast? I just started mine today..i'm gonna try it for 5days..and see hows that goes.

Personally I think a 10-14 day fast would be dangerous and downright unhealthy. But that being said, I found the essay comical. It reminded me of a good sex and the city episode. I love the "Hey Baby" weight, and spending all of her time trying on clothes that didn't fit the day before...everyone knows being 10 pounds lighter does put a zing in your step, BUT I wouldn't advocate going about it this way!

Good luck!

Elle

Or just drink at least 200 oz's of water a day, make sure you go to the gym, work up a good sweat, sit in the sauna for a while.

I've done a couple of 10 day fasts. Once in high school, I was curious what it would feel like, and once a religious fast. If I lost any weight doing it, it came right back when I started eating. Also, I think that's a long enough period of time without food to get your body into starvation mode. I think it will definitely slow you're weight loss. I found that putting anything acidic into my empty stomach was extremely irritating, lemon water might be ok though. I was also really irritatable as the fast went on. You have to be careful what you eat after the fast, your digestive enzymes decrease so its pretty easy to get sick, start back eating as though you're recovering from the flu. (I never ate pancakes again)!

My dr. recommends the liver cleanses for detoxifying, I'm not going to do enemas to myself but he did recommend it to me.

The term "detox" has been bandied about way, way too much. It is constantly used to try to sell you something worthless, like magical cellulite removers and quack remedies.

It's like so many forms of advertisement - trying to tell you that you aren't good enough, or in this case clean enough, so that you'll buy a product to become worthy.

If detoxification is really the aim. look for the book "The detox book : how to detoxify your body to improve your health, stop disease, and reverse aging". My good friend cured herself of Chronic Fatigue. In the course of that detox became a big thing - and the road to success. She and a group of like minded women all got better, trying everything they heard about, to support the body and eliminate toxins. After her years of recovery, she happened upon this book in the library. In every chapter it went about the same. The author started by saying there were alot of things you could do, but this is what we found to be the best - and it was invariably what my friends group also discovered by trial and error.

There is another book, I don't know the name of that is quite in depth and a lengthly committment. Neither suggests that detoxification will occur in 10 days.

I have done the Master Cleanser. I liked the drink and was able to stay on it easily, once I got past the carb and caffine withdrawl. I did it seven days and did not own a scale so can't say if I lost weight. I had a friend who did a really long fast, he was into meditation and had been to India. He said that after awhile he needed very little sleep, but the weirdest thing was this. You may or may not know that they used to put quick silver in some common childhood remedy. Around day 30 or something, he suddenly needed to "go". It was about 1/2 cup of quicksilver that his body eliminated. Wild, eh? Which goes to show, the body is pretty good and squirelling away that which it doesn't know what to do with. Many people believe that by following this or that regime, toxins would be eliminated. I don't think the best route is a fast.

I have also done the Master Cleanse and got through 5 days of doing so well drinking the lemonade. I did cave after my husband ordered pizza. The big jerk. He said he felt bad I wasn't eating anything. LOL.

Thanks a bunch. Maybe a little support was better than ordering the pizza.

I was never hungry in those 5 days. I also have CFS and did not have one day of fatigue or pain. I didn't even take one pill the whole 5 days. Amazing. It did take another week for my tongue to get pink again but that was eating regular food wiser choices though.

All in all. I felt that it was a great experience. I haven't had a soda since I did the cleanse. I have also stopped having the urge to just eat "just because."

curezone.com has a lot of information about cleansing. I'm not sure if I will be in trouble for posting this here or not.