**By Raine Devries **
There are many schools of thought when it comes to “detoxing” the body. People come up with “master cleanses” and intricate concoctions that will supposedly detox the body and allow the weight to melt away.
Sometimes though, back to basics is best way and there are two efficient ways of detoxing that will positively affect a person’s health, weight and spiritual worlds: Juice fasting and water fasting – for this posting, we will be discussing the merits of juice fasting as a means of detoxing.
A simple juice fast can be an amazing experience. There are many resources online and in books that provide you with recipes for juices. However, you can also simply purchase what you like, what’s in season and what’s on sale. Get a decent juicer (they can be found for less than $100) and start playing with the flavors.
Learn for yourself how amazingly sweet carrot juice tastes; be surprised at how watery tomato juice is and how it looks nothing like V-8, see how frothy apple juice can be. Throw in a clove of garlic to juice if you wish to tackle high blood pressure issues. Embrace mixing fruits and vegetables together for new tastes and keep in mind that vegetable juice is high nutrition with low calories whereas fruit is the opposite.
A juice fast provides your body with a much needed rest to detox. Approximately 30% of our daily energy goes towards the digesting of food. By juicing, the body does not need to digest anything is able to put that vital energy to work by removing plaque on the arteries and eliminating toxins from the organs.
If a person has not detoxed in any way before, they may be startled at how the body reacts. The sheer magnitude of toxins will suddenly want to make a run for it. It’s not just the intestines that remove waste but the skin and lungs are two major organs that will release toxins.
It’s important to plan a juice fast so that days 3-5 will fall on a weekend or some “off” days you may have as it’s common to feel lethargic during these days; however, energy will then spike and will remain high the duration of the fast. Your may be surprised to realize you need less sleep but you are feeling more restful upon awakening.
While you may begin a juice fast for vanity reasons to lose weight, you may be surprised to discover how grounded, calm and centered your feel.