Saturday, May 26, 2012

My Water Fast and Juice Healing Retreat


Since adding apple/carrot juice to my diet, my energy levels have sky rocketed and I am back to 100% in that regard. However, my gut still isn't 100%, although it is significantly improved. I still get gurgling, and my bowel movements aren't quite normal yet.  When I read the book Self Healing Crohn’s and Colitis, they discussed a water fast, as well as a juice healing diet as a way to give your bowel a rest and enable it to heal up more rapidly.

Water Fast Description: 

Days One and Two:  I’ll be water fasting for two to three days. The definition of “fast” is a complete physiological rest (in bed), including abstinence from all food except pure water. This enables the body to utilize virtually all available energy for self-healing; all activities are ceased and energy conserved for the organism to use for self-healing. Fasting is generally not necessary for recovery from Crohn's, however, it can significantly speed up the healing. Fasting must be undertaken only when conditions are favorable and not when severe malnutrition is present or when a person is unable to take complete rest.

Juice Healing Diet:

I will then transition to the juice healing diet for the balance of seven days. Juice therapy has been known to greatly improve chronic digestive troubles, help overcome ulcers, increase vitality and resolve many more health problems. Juicers break open the cells of the vegetables or fruits, releasing minerals many times more effectively than our chewing can. Raw juices are rich in “organic” water, enzymes, vitamins and minerals, all of which assimilate within minutes.

After becoming comfortable with the healing diet (described in an earlier blog), which I have been following for a couple of months now, and symptoms have diminished and stabilized somewhat but are still lingering and not reducing further, an all-juice diet for one to five days, depending on how you feel, will expedite healing. It also requires complete rest during this time. This juicy diet gives the bowel a rest and enables it to heal up more rapidly.

Day Three:  I will transition from the water fast to the juice diet by drinking only watermelon juice of 4 oz every two hours for the first day of the juice diet.

Day Four:  The second day on the juice diet, I will be having apple/carrot juice twice a day, then as much juice as I like from the following fruits:  apples, grapes, pears, melons, persimmons, and mango. This will be the plan for the first day of the juice diet.

Days Five through Seven:  The remaining three days, I’ll also add romaine and cucumber twice a day.

Transitioning to the Healing Diet

Day Eight:  I’ll be transitioning back to the healing diet, which you can find the details of this diet in an earlier blog called “My Healing Diet.” In addition to continuing with the juice on this day, I’ll have only two melon meals. Melons are the most easily digested fruit, and this will help the digestive system ease into having to work again.

Day Nine: I’ll eat melons again, but I can have them for all meals. 

Day Ten: I return to work on this day, and will be able to eat all the fruit on the healing diet that I like.

Day Eleven: I can add the vegetables on the healing diet as well.

I’ll likely blog daily as to how I am feeling along the way. Wish me luckJ

1 comment:

  1. Just wondering what the scientific basis is for the diet? As a someone only recently diagnosed with Chrohn's, I felt so hungry and had a lack of energy all the time that I just don't see how not eating solids would help. Sounds interesting though. Best of luck with it! Ruth

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