TYLER TOLMAN BLOG
Juice Fasting | Why It’s So Beneficial
Juice Fasting | Why It’s So Beneficial
A question I am often asked is “Is fasting good for you?”. Juice fasting and similar types of programs occasionally get some unfair press. As a result, it seems many people are unsure about whether it’s better to juice fruits and vegetables or just eat them whole. There are plenty of people out there are strong advocates for juice fasting, while there are others who say that it can be detrimental and you’re better off just eating whole foods in their entirety. Feeling confused?! I’ll give you my low down here based on years of experience.
Fasting is Not a Fad - It's Ancient Wisdom
Now I know a lot of people may perceive fasting as some new fad, but in fact it has existed since the beginning of life on earth. When any animal gets sick or injured, the natural thing for them to do is rest and fast. They instinctively know that the healing process will be much faster and more effective when they abstain from solid food. One reason for this is that the digestive process uses up large amounts of energy.
The human body has this same instinct. Humans have used fasting not only for preventing and curing diseases, but for religious ritual as well. There is certainly something about the purification process of fasting that opens us up more to the world around us.
I believe fasting is so beneficial to health that I’ve made it part of my life’s work to help people heal this way.
Can You Become Nutritionally Deficient on a Juice Fast?
Absolutely not! Juice fasting may reduce calories but it increases nutrition. Even someone that has been living on a high calorie diet will be more than nourished, probably even more so because a high calorie diet is often low in nutrition! Just look at Joe Cross (who made the Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead documentaries)! He had a super high calorie diet, and through 60 days of juice fasting he was able to heal a rare disease and nourish his body to the point where he could get off medication. In an extreme situation like this though, I would highly recommend you get someone like one of my Tolman Health Coaches to coach you through it to make sure the fast is done correctly and safely.
Now, for a person already eating healthily, it would be impossible to eat the same amount of fruit and vegetables that you can juice. Even if you could, the body would still have to process all that fibre. A juice fast is the best way to inundate yourself with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients but avoid having to use all the energy needed for digestion. Unlike a supplement injection, you also get the nutrition in the ratio mother nature intended. And you get all the amazing life force, electricity, live enzymes and probiotics from each of those fruits and vegetables!
Our bodies have a great capacity to find and extract the nutrients we require. Think about how many cultures only have access to only a few foods and yet somehow manage to stay quite healthy. Nature always provides us with the solutions if we take the time to look. As an example, many people are deficient in vitamin B12, which can be found naturally in foods like seaweed (nori wraps), soybeans and in many seed sprouts and wheat grasses. Drinking a decent amount of juice from these foods is like a super vitamin injection, but direct from nature.
Now, don’t get me wrong about fibre. It’s fantastic for ridding the body of toxins and keeping everything moving and should be a big part of our daily lifestyle. But giving the digestive system a break occasionally from fibre has many benefits, especially in healing the body very quickly.
Can Fasting Extend Your Life?
Studies performed at Hull Biological Laboratories have proven that many species of animals including dogs, cats, mice, rats and smaller organisms can have their life span doubled and even extended 3-5 times longer by simply eliminating all food twice a week!!
The scientists behind these studies, Professor Carlson and Dr. Kunde have started eliminating food twice a week themselves to be the human test subjects and they believe they will live beyond 150 years.
It’s not just extending your life either, rather it’s extending your youth and years of vitality. You don’t see many animals in nature with grey hair. Every time they fast a ‘renewing’ of the body happens. There is a cycle with the seasons they follow that ensures this happens regularly. Just think about how many animals in nature gain weight in preparation for a winter fast when food is scarce. During this time fat that is broken down literally releases stem cells which have the ability to heal the organs and rebuild damaged tissue etc. This has been built into our DNA since the beginning of time as a means to heal and get through times of famine and drought.
Our bodies produce stem cells and regenerate the immune system, damaged and weak tissues and organs when we fast.
A Common Pitfall in Fasting - How to Break a Fast Properly
Given our natural instinct to deal with famines through feasting when food is available, there are some that would claim fasting is not good because you might binge eat or even end up eating at McDonalds afterwards! The fact is that for some humans this will always be the case. This doesn’t make fasting, or any other diet, a bad thing just because of what people do after the diet. For most people, if a binge does happen, typically they will regret it and learn from it. If bingeing continues then maybe they need to look deeper at some emotional issues that could be tied into these eating patterns. Many times these emotional issues will be cleared through an extended fast (especially when facilitated by someone like one of my Tolman Health Coaches who are trained in helping to clear mental and emotional issues).
Clearly after a fast you’re going to be hungry, but just make sure it’s healthy food. I recommend starting with fruit to really hydrate and nourish the digestive system and then slowly add in other foods you choose to replenish with. Education is key. Typically I find most of my clients get fully inspired to eat healthier after a fast. Once they have detoxified and nourished they begin to crave healthy food.
This is why it can be helpful to have a guide when fasting and breaking a fast to do it properly and then be led to the lifestyle that will maintain your younger, healthier body after the fast.
But What About My Metabolism? Won't It Be Much Slower?
Not according to the University of Chicago! They state that the only way to increase base rate homeostatic metabolism is through fasting. Their studies show up to a 5-7% increase, which is massive considering that with age the base metabolism is slowly decreasing.
So, if someone says fasting is bad for your health, I urge you to just be open to a second opinion before going and sharing their message. If you want to try out fasting for yourself (and I recommend that you do) then make sure you are signed up for the Free Resources on my website. In there you will find everything you need to know to do a short juice fast properly.
Thanks for reading!
