Juice fast or Water fast. Which is Better?

There are arguments for both. We find that the juice fast is both gentler on the system and easier on the mind. In a juice fast, the body is not starved of nutrients - on the contrary - the juices are full of life giving energy. Also, because you are still spending time taking in the juices, powders and herbs, and because your taste buds are being satisfied by the juices, a juice fast feels less frugal than a water fast. The juices have an alkalizing effect on the blood, which reduces any symptoms of detoxification.

According to the purists, a juice fast is not a real fast. To the purists, fasting means only water. However the Swedish Dr. Ragnar Berg, long our world's foremost authority on nutrition and biochemistry, stated.

During fasting, the body burns up and excretes huge amounts of accumulated wastes. We can help this process by drinking alkaline juices instead of water.

Juice fasting is therefore the very best form of fasting.

Furthermore, with the herbs we cleanse the entire gastro-intestinal tract, assure the elimination of toxins and the balancing of the entire system. The sauna cleanses through the skin, and the Yoga and Meditation facilitates the purification of the mind and the spirit. All of this in a most serene and pure setting.

We had several clients here, who previously had intense experiences of fasting with just water. They were surprised by the amount of feces that was eliminated during the two-week fasting program with juices. They had never experienced anything similar in a fasting session with water. During our juice fasting program, with all the juices, broths, herbs and  treatments, as well as yoga and meditation, with most people the energy levels remain high during the program. People do the treatments, take long walks and have sessions of sauna and hot tub. However, during a fasting session with water, it is recommended that you rest and do as little as possible.

I fast for greater physical and mental efficiency - Plato

For Body: Juice fasting is the oldest, fastest and safest (biochemical) method of removing unwanted weight and increases physical well-being , helps you to stay slim, healthy and vital, and is a huge help in the breaking of addictions.

For Mind: As the physical body detoxifies, rejuvenates and regenerates, the mind begins to function more efficiently. During the fast, the digestive system has a rest, freeing up energy for other things. This energy is used by the mind - bringing mental clarity. Fasting develops mental will power and increased control over the senses and mind.

For Spirit: All the major religions practice fasting in some form or another. Fasting allows the body and mind to become still, and in the stillness, one is more likely to tune into the secrets of Life, and to connect with Spirit.

Why do you need to fast?

Just about everybody benefits from fasting. Even those who live a relatively healthy lifestyle still have toxins. Due to old and often bad nutritional habits, environmental pollutants, stresses and strains of life situations most of us suffer from toxic deposits throughout the body. With the elimination of these toxins, remarkable and sometimes incredible changes can and have occurred.

Here, at Moinhos Velhos, we have experienced and witnessed the complete reversal of so-called incurable diseases (like Psoriasis), the cessation of chronic migraines, the elimination of allergies and back problems, and dramatic relief from the discomforts and pains of rheumatic and arthritic sufferers etc. Even if you feel you are relatively healthy, a fast is a wonderful preventative measure against aging and possible future ill-health.

Fasting provides a much-needed rest for the internal organs. The functions of restores and normalizes glandular, metabolic and nervous-system functions; speeding up the elimination of morbid accumulations, toxic wastes and dead cells; accelerating new cell and tissue generation and enhancing cell-oxygenation.

Juice fasting can help to lose surplus weight
The benefits of fasting are on so many levels, and different people choose to do our program for various reasons. A number of people inquire as to whether they will lose weight. If you have weight to lose, you will certainly lose some of it - depending on how long you fast for. It is also an excellent first step to losing weight and changing bad eating habits.

Low calorie and other fad "diets" usually fail because they literally starve the body of much-needed nutrients, causing even greater biochemical imbalance. Thus, when one can no longer stand to continue with the diet because of how heavily the body is craving what is denied, one is usually forced to binge to the point of gaining more weight than was lost, further lowering self-esteem