Detox Fasting – Types And How They Work

Detox fasting is a great way to remove toxins from your body. Eliminating toxins from your body prevents these toxins from causing health disorders in the future.

There are various detox fasting methods. Here are some of them.

Juice fasting: In juice fasting, only fresh and raw juices of fruits and vegetables are consumed. Drinking water is also allowed. No solid food is eaten.

Juice fasting is a short term measure. A juice fasting period should last only 3 — 10 days. Juices will provide you with vitamins and minerals. But they cannot give you proteins and necessary fats.

There are variations in juice fasting. Some people drink juices of different fruits and vegetables, while others stick to one fruit or vegetable. An example of the latter is the famous ‘grape cure’.

Water fasting: In water fasting, only pure and fresh water is consumed. No other foodstuff is taken.

Raw food fasting: In this, only raw foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains etc are eaten.

There are various other fasts like Daniel fast, Acai Berry detox, Master cleanse fast etc which are basically derived in some way from the above fasting categories.

How detox fasting works

The cells in your body need glucose to perform. This glucose normally comes from your last meal. When you go on a fast, your body turns to other sources to fulfill its glucose needs.

The liver and muscles store glycogen, which can be changed into glucose when the body needs it. The body exhausts this source first. It takes about 24 hours for the glycogen supply in the liver and muscles to get exhausted.

After 24 hours, the body turns to fat tissues and fatty acids for energy. This is where most of the toxins are also stored. Slowly, as the fat is burned, the toxins are also released into the blood stream.

Then the elimination process starts. The body eliminates the toxins releases through various wastes like urine, feces, sweat etc.

A detox fast is effective only if it is practiced for at least 3 days, as the toxins start coming out from the fat tissues only after the first day.

Consult your doctor before going on a fast

Not every body can go on all kinds of detox fasting. Pregnant women, diabetics, heart patients, people on certain medications should not go on some types of fasts. Please contact your doctor before going on a fast.