Popular Dietary Models - Juice Fasting Flashcards
Juice Fasting
- Juice fasting:
o Alkalises the body.
o High nutrient density and easily absorbed.
o Rich in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients.
o Supports healing and regeneration. - Do not add sugar or honey.
- Pure vegetable juices are preferable if there are signs of dysbiosis (digestive disturbance, candida, history of antibiotic use).
- Also preferable for lowered vitality, the weak or elderly.
- Adding fresh ginger maintains warmth and digestive strength.
Nutrient dense vegetables and their benefits:
Nutritious vegetables for a juice fast include:
* Carrots: Antioxidants, vit. A, C, K, beta-carotene calcium magnesium, potassium.
* Kale: Vit. K, A, C; calcium, magnesium, high fibre, antioxidant.
* Celery: Vit. K, C, A, folate, potassium, antioxidants, benefit for high BP.
* Parsley: Vit. K, C, calcium, iron, zinc.
* Beetroot (beets): Vit. A, C, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, betaine (supports liver detoxification).
* Cucumber: Vit. A, C, K, folate, calcium, magnesium, potassium.
Cleanse and Rebuild Fast
Drink fruit juices in the morning (cleansing), vegetable juices in the evening (building). Always use organic!
* Carrot, apple and cucumber can be used with both fruit or vegetable juices.
* Adding fresh ginger maintains warmth and digestive strength.
* Organic fruit and vegetables provide key nutrients for liver detoxification pathways.
* Carry out one day fasts regularly every week or fortnight, building to two to three day fasts every month or two.
Recipe: Ingredients and Instructions
This recipe is excellent for detoxification, alkalising and reducing blood pressure Juice fast recipe:
* 2 stalks celery
* 2 stalks kale
* 1 beetroot
* 1 apple
* 1 pinch ginger
* 5 sprigs parsley
* 2 stalks Swiss chard
* Small bunch spinach
* 8 carrots
Instructions:
* Use only organic produce.
* Makes 8–10 ounces (one large glass).
* Drink three times daily, plus water.
Lemon Fast
Recipe: Ingredients and Instructions:
Ingredients:
* 1 litre filtered water (room temp.).
* 4 tbsp fresh squeezed organic lemon or lime juice.
* 2 tbsp organic honey.
* 2 pinches of cayenne pepper.
Instructions:
* Drink 6‒12 glasses a day for up to 10 days.
* Note—this is not for those who are metabolically impaired or on medication unless supervised by a healthcare practitioner.
* Also drink filtered water or a mild herbal tea throughout the day.
* You will need more than one batch. Ideally make it fresh rather than doubling the recipe due to oxidation
One Day Fast
Focus on organic vegetables and fruits for one day each week or weekend.
* Baked, steamed or stewed (no sugar).
* Easily digestible, cleansing for the system.
* If gastric HCI is adequate use raw fruit and vegetables.
* In the summer, salads are most suitable, during the winter warm vegetable broths and soups are more appropriate.
Mono Fast
Mono fasts focus on one type of food.
* The body is provided with energy but the digestive system and liver are rested.
* Eat only one type of fruit, vegetable or grain on fast days.
o E.g. brown rice, grapes, apples.
* Do not confuse with a Mono Diet where one food is eaten long term. This can deplete the body of nutrients.
Intermittent Fast
Intermittent fasting (IF) describes a cycle between a period of fasting and non-fasting.
* It splits the day or week into eating periods and fasting periods.
* There are various methods of IF including:
o The 16 / 8 method: Fast for 16 hours each day, eating only between noon and 8pm. Breakfast literally means ‘break’ the ‘fast’.
o Eat-Stop-Eat: Once or twice a week, don’t eat anything from dinner until dinner the next day (24-hour fast).
The 16 / 8 Method
The 16 / 8 method limits the timeframe within which food can be consumed.
* It involves 16 hours of fasting with an eight-hour ‘eating window’.
* Hours of fasting and eating are predetermined as the body appears to respond better to a regular schedule (enhanced cellular repair and regeneration).
* Generally the ‘eating window’ is set for noon to 8pm.
* Calorie intake and food choices are not restricted during this time although nutrient-dense foods are naturally encouraged.
* Water is consumed during the fasting period.
Eat –Stop –Eat
Involves a 24-hour fast once or twice a week.
* Regular meals are consumed between 24-hour fasts.
* Fasts can begin from any meal e.g. dinner 7pm until dinner 7pm the following day or breakfast 7am until breakfast at 7am the following day.
* Water and non-calorific beverages (ideally healthy) can be consumed during the fasting period.
* Note that artificial sweeteners promote release of insulin from the pancreas and over time, increase the risk of insulin resistance. They are also toxic to the body —avoid.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has demonstrated numerous health benefits including an increase in lifespan.
* Extensive research suggests that overall benefits of IF relate to:
o Activation of cellular stress response pathways that in turn protect and promote cellular function e.g. increased production of endogenous antioxidants; DNA repair mechanisms.
o Decreased oxidative stress in cells throughout the body.
o IF is also linked with enhanced immune function.
Benefits: Weight loss:
- Metabolic shift to using fat stores to fuel energy production when supply of glucose is diminished.
- Reduced insulin production which supports lipolysis and decreases lipogenesis.
- Increased sensitivity to leptin, the hormone that controls appetite regulation by signalling the hypothalamus that fat stores are adequate.
Benefits: Reduced risk of Type II diabetes
- Increases insulin sensitivity leading to decreased plasma glucose and insulin concentrations and improved glucose tolerance.
Benefits: Protects against cardiovascular disease
- Decreases oxidative stress and inflammatory processes associated with atherogenesis.
- Increases resistance of cardiac cells to ischaemia.
- Decreases resting heart rate and blood pressure.
Benefits:
Neurological benefits
- Increases alertness and mental acuity —linked with a metabolic shift to ketone utilisation and neuroprotective effects.
- Increases stress-resistant proteins and BDNF to protect against oxidative, metabolic and excitotoxic insults and ischaemic injury.
BDNF =Brain-derived neurotrophic factor. A protein involved in the growth and maintenance of nerve cells.
