We had a class with one fasting expert, who told us that he once did a 40 day fast, had done lots of 10 day fasts, and that he strongly recommended NOT doing them. He said a once-a-week fast was easily do-able, and quite effective in giving the body a rest for a day (since the digestive organs don't have to process food). So this is my first attempt at re-starting that healthy habit. It's great if others in the family do the fast as well (it's harder if someone is eating and you're not).
Another benefit of doing a fast (other than the lemonade purchasing and prep) is that you have a lot more time at your disposal since you don't have to be preparing or eating meals. And you may experience a lightness, more energy, since the body is not processing heavy meals. So it's a great thing to do if you want to do a weekend retreat, for example, you can meditate and detox all at the same time!
I didn't have the lemonade diet recipe, so I surfed the internet (see diet recipe & instructions below). There are lots of websites about this and a few books that you can buy (books give you more of an idea of what to expect if you do the diet for more than a day), but here are the basics.
NOTE: a warning about the internal salt water bath - when they say don't go out for two hours, they really mean it! My first yoga teacher used to warn us about this - he said you definitely don't want to be driving in a car. You'll know what I mean when you try it for the first time. Think liquid. Stay close to a bathroom. It's quite powerful!
DISCLAIMER *** I am not a medical expert. If you choose to try this diet, you are responsible for your results. Please consult a medical doctor if you are concerned about any aspect of this diet. If you are doing a fast for longer than one day then you should be supervised by a medical professional. ***
LEMONADE DIET RECIPE:
- 2 TB fresh organic lemon juice (about half a lemon)
- 2 TB organic maple syrup (grade B) (I don't know what grade B is but I used local organic syrup)
- 1/10 tsp organic cayenne pepper (a pinch)
Drink 6 to 8 glasses of the Lemonade Recipe a day, if you want to lose weight. You can also blend part of the lemon skin and pulp with the recipe to add fibre, since this acts as a mild laxative.
The idea behind using all organic ingredients is that this diet helps purge toxins from the body and if the ingredients are not as pure as possible, you'll only be adding toxins back. If you can't get organic products (like the sea salt or cayenne), try to get products with as few ingredients on the label as possible. Check out your local health food store, since this is a really popular diet and they are sure to have the right ingredients.
They recommend drinking a laxative herb tea (Smooth Move is a good one) the night before, but I didn't have any so didn't bother. I did do the Internal Salt Water Bath, though, first thing this morning, and it worked wonders.
INTERNAL SALT WATER BATH:
First thing in the morning, mix the following:
- 4 cups of warm water (1 quart)
- two level teaspoons of organic sea salt.
STAY NEAR A WASHROOM for about two hours. You'll have bowel movements that will seem urgent, and they will get increasingly more liquid and frequent. At least that's what happened for me. It's gross, but it's all good.
Now that you've cleaned out your system, it's important to remain hydrated during the day since a lot of water will be released in the bowel movements. You can drink herbal tea during the day (peppermint is nice), and green tea will help burn fat. Be sure to drink lots of water in between your lemonade!