Juice fast vs water fast: What is the difference?
When I first went plant-based 21 years ago, no one was really juicing. In fact, I think I was the only person in Dayton Ohio with a juicer (that was being utilized anyway). Detox centers, weight loss clinics, and Juice bars are very prevalent these days, and so many people are talking about different types of cleanses and detoxes. Let’s discuss the difference between a juice fast and a water fast today. What are the potential health benefits of both and what works better? Water fast or a juice fast?
Both types of fasting are effective. But what we know for sure is that in comparison with juice fasting, water fasting represents a quicker way for the cells to recover. On the other hand, it is more demanding with regard to energy and mental condition. Yet, both types are effective if you choose a suitable amount of suitable juices or if you follow specific recommendations when water fasting. One thing I would like to point out here is that water fasting should not be considered the main tool to lose weight.
As for weight reduction, juice fasting is a better choice but not a long-term solution. You have to change your eating habits and lifestyle, which may be difficult and challenging. Either type has both benefits and drawbacks. For example, my family and I have excellent experience with distilled water fasts that, among others, helped us eliminate skin problems and asthma.
For most people, long-term water fasting is just not an option. People work, have children and their schedules just don't allow it. in people who are facing a serious illness (lasting for two weeks and longer) should take place under the control of a supervising health professional and in calm conditions.
On longer-term water fasting, it's also a must to monitor the color of your urine and in case your urine has turned too dark drink a sufficient amount of water in order to support the function of the kidneys. Kidneys “filter“ toxins that leave your body more intensively thanks to fasting. I'm not saying you can't juice fast in common conditions of everyday life because it is not VERY possible! You only have to be careful to choose suitable (preferably vegetable) juices and drink enough of them.
If you say fasting, many people imagine starvation or deprivation of hunger and self-denial, while some imagine even danger. I see fasting as a way to have a blood transfusion of nutrients poured into the body over a period of days or weeks. you should view fasting as a healing process that helps your body get rid of most of the toxic load you accumulate on a daily basis. And believe me, the amount of toxins is pretty high not only because of your diet but also the environment, which is not as clean as it used to be.
Depravation is definitely not the case when it comes to juice fasting. When you drink vegetable and fruit juices, your body still receives macro and micro-nutrients.
Water or juice fast selection: Which is better for what?
The truth is, both forms of fasting are beneficial to the body however water fasting yields the most promising results. I took on my first long-term water fast of 21 days several years ago at a facility in Northern California. For my clients and myself, water fasting is very beneficial when it comes to both detoxing the body and weight loss. With water fasting, the water is used to filter through fat cells and other cellular parts of the body, while washing away unwanted toxins logged in the digestive system that has formed mucoid plaque. Water fasting can reduce your chances of developing heart-related illnesses as well as diabetes and has even been proven to stabilize blood sugar while yielding promising results for people who suffer from diabetes.
Health
In my humble opinion, water fasting wins over juice fasting and even intermittent fasting. There have been countless scientific studies published over a period of time supporting water fasts.
Juice fasts are also beneficial. Again, weight loss is a likely benefit, especially when choosing natural juices, and not sugary store-bought alternatives. Adopting a whole foods diet rich in whole fruits, fresh green juice, and other enzyme-rich living foods is a must to maintain the health benefits you'll gain after any type of fasting.
Weight loss
For most people undergoing any type of dietary lifestyle change, the goal is to detox. Sadly, as much as I believe weight loss should not be the goal, most of the time, it is. Detox occurs as the fluids are cycled through your body. Additionally, we see a healthy improvement in the immune system, from the vitamins and nutrients received from the juices.
Allow yourself a minimum of three days on a water fast or juice fast for weight loss purposes. Water fasting should not be considered the main tool to lose weight. As for weight reduction, juice fasting is a better choice but not a long-term solution. You need to change your eating habits and lifestyle over a much longer period of time to reap true wellness rewards!
Cleanse & detox
Processed foods, meat, dairy, and pesticides along with the inhalation of toxic chemicals bombard us each and every day. When we "drop the fork" the body has the ability to heal.
The human body has a quick adapting capacity to repair and regenerate when given the opportunity. There is no better way to give our bodies a second chance to thrive like there is when we undergo a juice or water fast.
Cellular reception and regeneration are possible! But only when we stop bombarding the body with solid foods. The studies are in! There simply is no better way to cleanse the body at a cellular level. Not even on a whole foods diet.
The rapid cellular regeneration happens not while we are fasting but after we begin re-feeding and take on better eating habits. These eating habits are exactly what a teach my clients at both my juice fasting retreats and my water fasting retreats.
The number one eating habit I make sure my clients leave with is replacing their breakfast with a 32 oz green juice daily. Trust me when I say this is better than any medical advice you will ever get.
Another healthy eating pattern I instill in my clients is to end their day with an herbal tea that has a gentle laxative effect. The detoxification that the laxative herbal tea produces for the digestive system has many health benefits. When sipped in the evening along with a digestive enzyme and probiotic over a period of time (several months), weight gain is avoided and weight loss becomes a breeze.
Cleansing effects of fasting
The cleansing effects of abstaining from food are nothing short of magical! The detox effects of fasting will change the body from the inside out. Weight gain, skin issues, and many degenerative diseases seem to disappear almost overnight.
Personally, as a certified detox specialist and juice fasting retreat guide, I prefer using both methods interchangeably.
Autophagy & cell regeneration
For true cellular regeneration, I encourage my clients to go on water fasts. This is the quickest way to reverse the aging process, heal degenerative disease, and achieve a true status of health.
Improved immune function
In over a decade of running juice and water fasting retreats, I strongly feel that juice fasting improves mental well-being and boosts the immune system more than water fasting. Juice fasting is like a blood transfusion of vitamins and minerals going straight into our bloodstreams. Many of my clients say they feel almost high off the juice.
Juicing makes it easier to consume more fruits & vegetables (you should still focus on consuming whole fruits & veggies in your diet.
Skin benefits
To truly GLOW from the inside out, I always recommend juice fasting!
Juice fasting is a fantastic way to add immune-boosting foods to your diet such as (ginger, greens, beets, carrots, limes, and lemons).
The vitamins, nutrients, and macronutrients you'll gain by juice fasting will create what I refer to as the "onion effect". It's like the peeling of an onion. You really do become more and more beautiful each day.
Extended fasts
Extended fasting isn’t for everyone. If you have been seriously ill for a long time, it is necessary to fast as long as several weeks but your body needs preparing, which can be achieved by means of shorter fasts that are gradually prolonged before you go into long fasting.
If you want to expose your body to regular cleansing and you do not suffer from any serious illness, then it is best to fast one-three days once a month or 1 day once a week, or seven days once half a year. It all depends on the circumstances and how well your body gets used to fasting.
For extended fasting, one must do juice and not water. Water fasting is excellent for shorter time fasting when deep tissue cleansing is needed. However, the human body needs nutrients during longer-term fasts. A woman's hormones (having more estrogen) do allow her to water fast for a significantly longer period of time, however.
I fasted on water for twenty-one days at True North Health Center in Northern California a few years back. It was an incredibly cleansing experience for me, one that I will never forget.
Both extended fasts and short-term fasting are great ways to aid and restore wellness within the body. Juice cleansing is truly the quickest way to have healthy gut bacteria, rejuvenate luster back to your skin, hair, and nails while reducing inflammation.
A rule of thumb is drinking between 1-3 liters a day in 3-5 rations, similarly to breakfast, lunch, dinner. Drink slowly, enjoy drinking the juice in the same way as you enjoy eating solid food. You can also drink pure water or herbal teas. Don't force yourself to drink and only drink as much juice as your body bears in a given moment.
An alternative: A water and juice fast
The benefits that both water and juice fasting have over your average trendy diet are that when we obtain from solid food, the body rejuvenates itself back to a conscious state of wellbeing. In fact, both water and juice fasting win over any other type of diet or weight loss program out there. Of course, the alternative to a water and juice diet would be to consume a living diet rich in whole foods such as a raw vegan diet.
The majority of my clients adopt a plant-based diet once they've completed their fasting retreat at my alkalize with Andrea detox retreats found here. In fact, I cannot think of a single client who has ever has gone back to a "SAD" diet aka standard American diet after completing a juice or water fast retreat with me.
Who are these liquid fasts NOT suitable for
All types of fasting should be forbidden to pregnant women, nursing mothers, due to the toxins that flush out of your body so quickly. These toxins can be harmful to a fetus or if they are in breast milk.
Always consult with your doctor prior to engaging in a juice or water fast. Especially a water fast.
Try out the effects of fasting on yourself. It's the best present you can give to your body. When asking yourself what is right for your body, (Water fasting vs juice fasting) just remember they are both excellent ways to heal the body from degenerative diseases at a cellular level.
