The Fasting Path

The moment you decide to do a fast, the healing medicine begins working on you.  In other words, your body begins to heal.  Preparing for your fast will be preparing your body and mind for the transition away from food and your current ways of being. 

Depending on your current lifestyle, health and intention for this fast, you will want to transition into an ‘organic whole foods diet’ at least 3 days out.  This includes: freshly squeezed fruit and vegetable juices, fresh fruit, vegetables in salads or lightly steamed, whole grains like brown rice, millet, quinoa and amaranth, fresh unsalted seeds and nuts and different kinds of sprouts.  (see below for more tips)

You may want to eliminate processed foods with sugar, salt and white flour, alcohol, fried foods and other heavy foods. Also, if you are smoking, drinking or taking any recreational drugs, it is a good idea to stop these at least one month before you fast. It will make the fasting process much easier physically, emotionally and spiritually having eliminated these substances from your consciousness before-hand. Two to Four days before your fast it is best to eat just fresh fruit, if possible.

If you are on medication you need to check with your doctor about going off the medicine during a fast.  Consider to start journaling.  Cleansing will occur on all levels and just like with the physical body, we want to remove any toxins in our mental or emotional bodies as well.  Journal will aid in this process.

The most important thing is to be gentle with yourself during this phase.  This is a PROCESS.  Trust in it and let it unfold.  There is no reason to push the river, just allow it to flow!

More tips

Eliminate or reduce your consumption of:

• Animal proteins, especially cooked. These are difficult for you to digest and your body will cleanse better if you haven’t been eating them before your fast.
• Snack foods. Most all prepared and processed foods are heavily salted and with loads of chemicals. If it comes in a brightly colored bag and has a long list of ingredients that’s what I’m talking about.
• Additional salt and sugar to any of your foods. This includes staying away from artificial sweeteners (aspartame products) and foods flavored with them.
• Fried foods. The oils in fried foods are usually rancid from heating and difficult for your body to work with. And talking about oils, use only cold pressed and chemical free oils in moderation. Margarine is also on this list. Try a little extra virgin olive oil or organic flaxseed oil on your bread.
• Dairy. Milk, cheese and ice cream are highly mucus forming and many people have health problems related to milk. Check out www.notmilk.com
• Coffee, black tea, alcohol, soft drinks and canned, bottled and packaged juices.
• Airplane food. Most of it is heavily salted, made with rancid oils and also preserved with chemicals. Ordering a fruit plate on all your flights will help you ease into and out of the fast.

Ideal Suggestions:

These suggestions are ideals to start creating awareness and planting seeds moving you in the direction of higher vibration foods.  Be gently with yourself.  You will find that these foods and habits will naturally become a part of your life as a result of fasting. 

• Drink water, herb teas or fresh fruit and vegetable juices as long as you like. When you are ready to eat your first meal is the best time to eat. Good breakfasts are fresh fruit, your own homemade porridge, your own homemade muesli with your homemade nut or seed milks, salads, smoothies, and fermented nuts or seed cheeses on sprouted bread.
• Consider buying a juicer.  Fresh made juice made of vegetables/fruits of any combination: carrot, cucumber, apple, celery, ginger, pineapple and beet root are the greatest gift of love for your body. 
• Make it your motto to eat foods as close to their natural state as possible, this means eating: fresh fruit raw or juiced, fresh sprouted, raw or juiced vegetables, salads and lightly steamed vegetables, quinoa, millet brown rice (non gluttonous grains), daily milled and freshly baked whole grain breads, baked potatoes (once in a while). Eat fruit that is: 1. grown locally, 2. that is in season, 3. that is tree/vine ripened.  For more information check www.rawfoods.com .
• Start by combining your food properly. Try to eat fruits alone, not for deserts or with nuts, grains or yogurt. This is because fruit digests very quickly and mixing it with anything else will slow its digestion causing fermentation. Don’t mix complex carbohydrates and animal proteins together for the same basic reason, they don’t work well together and inhibit proper digestion.  This is an art in itself that we will be exploring more in the coming days, weeks or months. 
• Begin to become aware of how much you are eating.  Your mind takes 20 minutes to register how full you are, so see if you can take your time and eat mindfully.
• Bless your food!  This is so powerful.  For many, it has become a ritual with very little awareness or presence.  This is an opportunity for you to let go of everything in your life, bring yourself back to this moment, and express your gratitude for all of the beings involved in bringing this food that you are about to enjoy before you.  We will go much deeper with this transformation experience during our time together, but for now, simply stop for a second and express what is in your heart.
• Take time each day to connect with higher yourself in peace and quiet.  Drink in nourishment for your soul.  You may want to meditate, read inspirational thoughts or remind yourself of all of the things you are grateful for in your life.  
• Enjoy the Journey.  Know that it is all unfolding perfectly.  Allow it to unfold with effortless ease.  Remember, we are moving away from dis-ease and toward ease.