C.  The Science of Fasting

     There is a scientific aspect of fasting which is directly tied in with the therapeutic aspect of fasting (discussed at the end of this section).  There are many different definitions of fasting and explanations and rationalizations about it.  Fasting is a very simple process and has scientific parameters around it defining it and a physiological process that it is involved with.  Fasting is simply stopping the digestion in the stomach and intestinal track through avoiding solid foods or stimulating drinks.  A water fast or a juice fast (fruit and vegetable juices only) does this.  The physiological process of catabolism or anabolism takes place and digests the dead and disease cells flushing them out of the body.  This is fasting, its definition and activity. 

     A bread-an-water fast is not a real fast it is abstinence.  Eating any kind of food or drinking any kind of stimulating drinks is not fasting.  Stimulating drinks such as coffee, soda, alcohol, protein drinks, etc., stimulating the stomach to start secreting acid this stops the physiological process of catabolism in the body. 

     Gabriel Cousens, MD explains in his book, Conscious Eating, “In my clinical experience with juice fasting, although people may get transitory healing crisis for several days, the fasts provide a controlled and safe situation where one can ‘reset one’s dietary dial’ to a healthier diet.  After a few positive experiences of fasting on a purer diet, one has enough positive feedback that the transition to the next step goes much more smoothly.  After each stage of the transition, people seem to rise to a new level of well-being, energy, love and light.”[i]   

1.  The Physiology of Fasting

            “Whatever you eat, whatever you drink, whatever you do at all, do it for the glory of God.”  1 Cor 11.31

     The food we eat goes through several stages; first it is chewed, masticated; then digested and assimilated; and finally eliminated as waste.  The four main organs of elimination are the bowels, the kidneys, the lungs and the skin.  A meal goes from the mouth through a thirty-foot tube known as the gastrointestinal tract to the rectum.  Liquid passes through about two million filtering fibers in the human kidneys.  The body with all its organs works harmoniously through these stages to bring nutrition to the billions of body cells. 

     The bowels eliminate two things; food wastes and body waste.  Food waste is from the food we eat.  The body waste is from the blood and tissues which are discharged into the intestinal canal and in the bowels, these body wastes are excreted from the body.  If the body waste is not eliminated, it would cause protein petrifaction resulting in toxemia or acidosis.  The kidneys excrete the end products of food and body metabolism from the liver.  Perspiration throws off toxins through the sweat glands.  The lungs give off carbon dioxide and possibly other gases.  This internal elimination is accelerated during the fasting process. 

     The process of autolysis or self-digestion occurs during a fast.  During the first few days, the body will live on its own fast and stored substances.  After this is depleted, the body starts to burn and digest its own tissues.  The body first burns up the cells which are dead, aged, damaged and diseased tissues, tumors, fat deposits, etc.  Fasting gets rid of the inferior cells and keeps the essential ones. 

     Fasting is not starving.  Starving is the process of dying.  When a person does not eat, the body enters into a fasting period.  This second period can go on for weeks or even a month or two.  This third period that a person’s body enters into is the stage of starvation.  The fasting stage continues as long as the body has stored reserves in the tissues.  During this fasting stage, the body continues to nourish itself just as if it were eating.  And detoxification also occurs at this time.

     When the fasting stage is over with, genuine hunger is experienced.  The hunger pains in the beginning of a fast are normal gastric contractions or stomach spasms.  These are merely the sensation of hunger and not true hunger.  This false hunger is normal for the first few days of a fast. 

     The body suppresses appetite through a compound called ketones.  Ketones are the broken-down products of fatty acids.  There is an increase in the output of ketones when a person is fasting.  These ketones are released into the bloodstream.  The appetite is suppressed as there is an increase in the number of ketones.  The fast must be broken when the appetite returns.  Fasting can help restore the acid-alkaline balance in the blood.  The bloodstream should be alkaline.

     During a fast there may be some aches and pains and general discomfort of certain times during the fast.  Headaches, sleeplessness, a slight depression, and other minor crises just represent part of the cleansing process.  The liver may work overtime putting bile into the stomach causing nausea and vomiting.  (If the vomiting continues, perhaps the fast should be broken.)  The heart, circulation and respiration may slow down giving a feeling of weakness.  As the cleansing process continues, the vigor will return. 

     The cells in our body exist in three stages; new developing cells, fully developed cells and old dying cells needing to be replaced.  Waste products in the cells interfere with the nourishment of the cells.  These older dying cells and poisoned cells need to be flushed out of our bodies.  By fasting, these cells with the mucus, toxins and poisons will be flushed out of the body through the kidneys.  

     There are more than 200 different cell types and there are about 50-100 trillion cells in the entire body.  As cells die or are destroyed, new ones are formed, so the numbers of cells within each body are constantly changing.  It is estimated that half of our cells are working in peak condition, one-fourth are in the process of growth, and one fourth are in the process of dying and replacement. 

     Most advocates of fasting believe that one cause of disease is toxin saturation at the cellular level.  Every cellular function produces toxic waste products and fasting helps get rid of these cells or their wastes.  Another benefit is that the immune system’s workload is greatly reduced during fasting because the digestive tract is spared of any inflammation due to food allergic reactions from processed food, sugars, grains and proteins.  Furthermore, the serum fats in the blood are also reduced.  This thins the blood and allows more oxygen to get to the tissues.

     There are toxins and poisons stored in the fat tissues, such as pesticides and other chemicals which are mobilized and released from the system.  Because toxic waste products interfere with the functioning of the cell, it is important that toxins, poisons, diseased and dying cells are eliminated from the system as efficiently as possible.  This elimination stimulates the growth of more functional cells.  Fasting triggers a cleansing process that affects every cell and tissue in the body.  It eliminates dead, diseased and dying cells while stimulating generation of new cells.  During a fast, toxic waste product that impair nourishment of cells are eliminated with restoration of normal metabolic rates and higher oxygenation of cells. 

     Animals when sick or wounded abstain from foods and fast, this is their instinctive way.  Man is the only animal that eats when he is sick.  Yet, animals do not have religion and fasting usually comes out of strong religious traditions with many good habits.  The Tradition of Lent is one habit, among Catholics and Orthodox where fasting is emphasized.  Lent occurs at the end of the winter which is a good time to fast and back off from eating a lot and clean house, physically, mentally and spiritually.

     Fasting is part of Nature’s laws of self-healing and restoration.  The absence of food sets the cleansing process in motion.  The overburdened organism from its high intake of unusable food is allowed to relax and excessive pressure is relieved.  The mucus which lines the inner walls causing obstruction is washed out.  Poisonous substances are dissolved and eliminated.  The whole body is rejuvenated through the strengthening and purifying power of the fast.  

     A lot of diseases and physical problems did not exist two hundred years ago before the industrial age.  Unfortunately, on a global scale we are weakening our immune system generation after generation.   For example, most of the foods eaten today are full of sugar.  Sugar turns to alcohol and stimulates the brain, liver and other organs. 

     Fasting does two main things: it detoxifies the body and it resets the biochemistry of the body back to its normal operating levels and functional settings (i.e. pH levels).  The previous abnormal, messed up biochemistry becomes normal and functionally correct. 

2.  Fasting and Addictions

     Another aspect of the physiology of fasting is that it can be effective in breaking addictions.  Fasting and prayer can help to break addictions.  Addiction is anything that controls a person, whether it’s food, TV, pornography, coffee, or drugs; the result is the same.  Addiction destroys health and freedom.  The food industry has mastered addictive foods by adding lots of salt, fats, processed sugar and artificial flavor enhancers. Once in the blood, what seems to be a delicious treat becomes tomorrow’s craving.  These daily cravings become powerful forces shaping our destiny through dictating our thoughts, emotions and will.  Living becomes a daily routine of subconscious patterns.  If we study the patterns, we can discover the triggers for different subconscious actions and desires; such as feeling bad can trigger the urge for junk food. These little prods of addiction keep us in the same routine day after day.

     We live in an addictive society where it is socially acceptable to be addicted to sugar, salt, caffeine, fried food, cookies, cakes and junk.  An addiction makes you feel good for a time, but, behind your back, it is stealing your self-control and making you its slave through the desire for more. …for a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him.”  (2 Pet 2:18,19) Fasting, especially the longer seven-day fasts, can be helpful with addictions. 

3.  What Poisons and Toxins in my Body?

     Today in the area of nutrition,

“My people are being destroyed from lack of knowledge.”     Hos 4:6

     During fasting the process of detoxification occurs and poisons and toxins are released from the body.  These are usually locked into the adipose cells, fat cells or deeper in other cells in the body; the process of catabolism breaks these cells down so they are flushed out of the body in the urine or feces.  Obviously, the next question is; what poisons and toxins in my body?

     Many books have been written to answer that question.  Today there are many chemicals that have toxic effects on the body.  These can come from prescription drugs, cleaning compounds, kitchen detergents, garden insecticides and industrial chemicals.  A few of the common poisons are: Carbon monoxide from air pollution; DDT and other pesticides sprayed on foods; mercury; lead from gasoline, paint and other industrial sources; ozone, nitrogen dioxide and cadmium are air pollutants coming from smog; wax sprayed on fruits and vegetables to give a longer shelf life and makes them look better; most food colorings are synthetic and coal-tar based; artificial flavorings are either natural or synthetic and comprise about two thirds of all food additives used in America.  And irradiation kills the enzymes not just bacteria and germs.

     Examples of unnatural chemicals found in the house could be: Arsenic in bug killer; Antimony in eye liner; Barium in lipstick; Cobalt in laundry and dishwater detergent; Copper in water from old metal pipes; Titanium in metal dental ware; Lead in solder in copper pipe joints; Chromium in eyebrow pencils and water softener salts; Vanadium in diesel fuel, candles; Nickel in metal jewelry, metal glasses, watch bands and tooth fillings; Freon in refrigerators, air conditioners and spray cans; Mercy and Thallium in cotton balls, sanitary napkins; Dysprosium in paint and varnish; Holmium in hand cleaners; Hafnium in nail polish and hair spray; Bismuth in cologne; Cesium in clear glass plastic; Tin and Strontium in toothpaste; Erbium in foil packaging; Radon in crawlspaces under the house; Anthanum in copier ink; Aluminum in salt, cans, lotions; Tungsten in electric frying pans, hair curlers, toasters and tea kettles; Beryllium in lawn mowers and kerosene; Formaldehyde in foam mattresses, new clothing, foam chairs.  

     Both domestic and imported produce is monitored by the FDA, the best they can.  In 1991, the FDA reported these results from its testing of domestic and imported produce:

                                        Domestic Produce         Imported Produce 

Samples tested:                                8,281                9,933

No residues found:                           64.4%               69.2%

Residues below permitted levels:    34.8%              28.5%

Residues in violation:                         0.8%                2.3%

     The samples with higher residues in violation are held back, when caught.  What is more important than the residues in violation is the addition of this plus the low levels gives a total of domestic produce 35.6% and imported 30.8%.  Thus between 30 to 36% of produce has some level of pesticide residues in it.  That means one third of the supermarket fruits and vegetables have some kind of pesticides.  Hopefully most of these will get flushed out of the body but what about the rest that gets lodged in the cells somewhere in the body?   

     Fasting is one of the best ways to get rid of poisons, toxins, pesticides, waxes and other synthetic chemicals that can be found in fruits and vegetables.  Fasting catabolizes the dead, diseased and pesticide ridden cells and flushes them out of the body.  Fasting is the best way to get rid of pesticides.  Along with that it helps to rebalance the pH levels to the proper acid/alkaline balance; which is 70-80% alkaline and 20-30% acid.  

     The FDA (Food and Drug Administration) is understaffed and overworked.  They are a government agency created to protect the public in foods, drugs and cosmetics.  They have the manpower to inspect only a very small percentage of interstate fruits and vegetables and perhaps one quarter or more of the food processors.  The agency daily receives applications for approval, testing and modification of drugs.  The processing of each application takes months of work involving FDA members and outside consultants.  And unfortunately, many of the consumer and health groups have their own agenda.   The World Health Organization has ranked the U.S. twelfth in general health. 

     Yet there is a simple and universal answer to this major worldwide problem.  The answer is fasting!  Fasting is one of the best methods of ridding the body of commercial poisons and toxins.  Fasting is a simple, inexpensive way to insure health and happiness. 

     Numerous scientific studies have been done showing the chemicals and poisons in the food chain.  “During the past three decades, surveillance of toxic exposure in the U.S. population has been a routine governmental practice.   Since 1970, for example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has conducted the National Human Adipose Tissue Survey (NHATS) to determine the prevalence of fat-soluble toxins in the fat cells in U.S. citizens.[ii]  The 1986 version of this survey, for example, analyzed 671 adipose tissue specimens to determine the prevalence of 111 toxic compounds.”[iii] 

     Studies on tissues and body fluids and bone show the presence of numerous toxins in the body, including toxins that could be in the food or the environment: DDE & DDT &, B-BHC,[iv]  TCDD,[v]  p-DCB,[vi]  Lead,[vii]  Mercury,[viii]   Cadmium,[ix]  PBBs,[x]  2,5-DCP & l-naphthol & 3,5,6-TCP & 2-naphthol & 3,5,6-TCP & PCP, 4-nitrophenol, (pesticide residues in urine in adults in U.S.)[xi]  Styrene & Vinyl chloride (packaging migrant), [xii]  Toluene (Solvent), [xiii]  Xylene (solvent) [xiv].  

     And there are also toxins directly related to or in the foods:  Acetone (pesticide solvent),[xv]   Arsenic (arsenical pesticides),[xvi]  Benzene (solvent for pesticide formulations), [xvii]  Bromobenzene (fumigant precursor),[xviii]   Carbon tetrachloride (former fumigant),[xix]   Ethylene dibromide (fumigant),[xx]   Ethylene dichloride (fumigant),[xxi]   Hexane (solvent),[xxii]  Kepone (pesticide),[xxiii]    Methoxychlor (insecticide),[xxiv]   Methy isobutyl ketone (synthetic flavoring),[xxv]  Methylene chloride (decaffeinator),[xxvi]  and studies on coal tar dye colorings containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.[xxvii]   

     The use of chemicals in foods has soared from 419 million pounds in 1955 to more than 800 million today.  Each of us eats more than three pounds of food additives a year.[xxviii]

Added to the intentional and unintentional chemicals in our foods are the chemicals we ingest as medicines.  Americans are the most medicated people in the world.  Every year we swallow 37 billion doses of therapeutic pills, powders, capsules, and elixirs.[xxix]  No one knows what effect the combinations of pesticides, food additives; and medicines may have.

     In addition to the foods we eat and the medicines we take, we fill the sky with 130 tons of noxious chemicals… carbon monoxides, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and particulates.  Persons living in New York may inhale the equivalent of 730 pounds of chemicals a year.  Just think you astronauts are the average America who have all these poisons and chemicals in your bodies!   You need to eat raw living foods and go on a long fast and get rid of all this garbage.  

     Most medical professionals and scientists don’t think in terms of poisons, toxins, pollutants and parasites but the best way to deal with these is fasting.  What is the difference between poisons and toxins?  Poisons generally come from outside the body as just described above.  Toxins are produced from within the body by various means.  Fasting can help get rid of poisons and toxins in the body and rebalance the pH in the body.  

     Dr. Gabriel Cousens points out that: “A typical modern-day meal featuring a main course of beef, poultry, or fish may contain up to 750 million pathogenic microorganisms per servings, compared to a typical vegan meal containing only 500 pathogenic microorganisms per meal.”[xxx]   So the problem is not just inorganic poisons and pollutants but also living bad microorganisms. 

  4. Summary of Some Reasons for Fasting

1.    Fasting burns up all the diseased, dying and deal cells

           and inferior protein and fat tissues. 

2.    Fasting is a quick way to lose weight.

3.    Fasting will lead to a more disciplined diet and habits.

4.    Fasting helps with anxiety over not eating.

5.    Fasting tones up the flesh to make you look younger.

6.    Fasting is perhaps the best method of cleansing the body.

7.    Fasting can help build up the body’s natural resources

          and the immune system.

8.    Fasting can help reduce high blood pressure and high

          cholesterol levels and imbalanced pH levels.

9.    Fasting can help prevent birth defects and reduce

           morning sickness.

10.  Fasting is a way to rid the body of poisons in the world.

11.  Fasting can help clean out the toxins of air pollution.  

12.  Fasting is good to build endurance and for athletes.

13.  Fasting can be used to treat physical illness.

14.  Fasting can be used to treat mental illnesses. 

15.  Fasting can help break bad habits like smoking or         drinking alcohol, soda or another addicting beverage. 

16.  Fasting and prayer can help cast out an evil spirit.

17.  Fasting is found in all the world’s religions and many

            also, in man great leaders and teachers.

18.  Fasting is encouraged in the Bible. 

19.  Fasting is a requirement by Catholics and Orthodox.

20.  Fasting can be a silent protest and help identify with

           world hunger and the global community.

21.  Fasting can help identify with the poor and needy. 

22.  Fasting can help reduce the desires of the flesh.

23.  Fasting is an aid to humility.

24.  Fasting can help people live longer.

25.  Fasting can help us to be clean inside. 

     Clean inside means eating foods which flow through us, leaving their amino acid proteins, enzymes, minerals, vitamins, and other vital energies.  This food should not stop to putrefy and ferment.  Clean inside means having a good acid-alkaline balance in the digestive system, a balance which avoids acid-caused toxic conditions throughout the body.  Clean inside means a well-working bloodstream will supplied with health promoting minerals and having a liver capable of detoxifying the impurities which run through it.

  5. Types of Fasting

     There are basically two types of fasting; the water fast and the juice fast.  Juice fasting involves drinking fruit and vegetable juices, vegetables and herbal teas.  These are easily assimilated into the upper digestive tract and do not stimulate the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach. 

   a.  Water Fasting

     Water fasting is the oldest, the most well-known and widely used type of fasting.  Water fasting is the classic form of fasting.  As a science it was popularized in the U.S. around the turn of the century.  Obviously fasting on water means drinking only water.  There is no set amount as to how much water a person can drink but certainly, they should drink more than usual.  And drinking a lot of water can offset hunger. 

      Dr. Bragg recommends an alternative to just drinking water is to add one teaspoon of lemon juice and half a teaspoon of uncooked honey to each glass of water.  Make up a quart or two and refrigerate it.  By adding these two ingredients, they act as mucus and toxic dissolvers.  By dissolving the toxic poisons, they can be more easily flushed out through the kidneys.  It also helps the water to be more palatable.  Adding lemon and honey can be used on a 24-36 hour fast.  Some fasting experts would disagree with adding honey but would accept a little lemon in the water.  

      Dr. Bragg gives his orientation on fasting, “Here is my personal fasting program and the one I highly recommend to my students.  Every week I take a 24-hour or a 36-hour fast.  This I never miss!  In addition, I fast from seven to ten days, four times a year.”[xxxi]     

      Most experts tend to emphasize one type of fasting over another type of fasting.  Some put down one type in favor of another type.  Both sides come up with good reasons why their method works the best.  For some things water fasting might be better than juice fasting or vice versa.  Thus, the debate goes on. 

      My personal opinion (Jim) is that both the water fast and juice fasts are good ways to do fasting.  Experts in America tend to use water fasting and experts in Europe tend to emphasize juice fasting.  Both work and have helped many people to detox and be healed of many different diseases.  Follow your Heart as to what the Lord wants you to do, water or juice fasting.  I always emphasis doing juice fasting first to learn about it and do initial detox, since water fasting is much more difficult.   

      Whatever type of fasting one goes on the average person has 6 to 8 weeks of reserves in their body before starvation sets in.  Juice fasting is definitely easier the water fasting. 

      Some people feel that they are weak and blame it on the fast but it is usually because of toxins in the body that are being released and dumped into the bloodstream.  This also causes lightheadedness.  And sometimes people also have an emotional release during a fast.  Thus, fasting can be healing on an emotional level too. 

     The fasting process, catabolism, starts on the third day.  The hunger pains stop at about 2 ½ days into the fast.  This is true for both water and for juice fasting.

     A famous French doctor of Natural Hygiene, Albert Mosseri, has conducted over 4,000 long-term water fasts at his clinic.  “He came to the extraordinary conclusion that long-term fast were a ‘risky waste of time.’  He now oversees much shorter water fasts followed by what he calls ‘half-fasts,’ in which he introduces a limited amount of food rich in fiber in addition to water.  During this important stage of healing, his patients receive only one pound of fruits and one pound of vegetables daily until their elimination is complete.[xxxii]  Dr. Mosseri states that switching to this ‘half-fast’ method has accelerated elimination to such a degree that 100% of his patients develop profound signs of a deep cleansing process in the form of a dark coating of their tongue, often charcoal black or dark brown.”[xxxiii]  

  b.  Juice Fasting

      “God said, ‘See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be your food.”   Gn 1.2

      Juice fasting involves drinking fruit and vegetable juices, vegetables and herbal teas.  These are easily assimilated into the upper digestive tract and do not stimulate the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.  Water fasting has been around for thousands of years whereas juice fasting is mostly found as a practice in this century (it probably has been around a long time but I am not aware of historical evidence on this). 

     The question has been asked if juice fasting is a real fast or just a liquid diet?  Dr. Airola responds, “Any condition when your body is encouraged to initiate the process of autolysis, or self-digestion, is fasting.  During juice fasting, when no solid foods, proteins or fats are consumed, your body will decompose and burn all the diseased and inferior protein and fat tissues, just as it does during the water fast.  Juices are absorbed directly into the bloodstream without the usual process of digestion.”[xxxiv]

     Dr. Airola presents a list of scientific justifications for juice fasting which he bases on physiological facts and professional opinions.

      1.  Raw Juices and broths “are rich in vitamins, minerals, trace elements and enzymes.”

      2.  “These vital elements are very easily assimilated directly into the bloodstream, without putting a strain on the digestive system – thus they do not disrupt the healing and rejuvenating process of autolysis, or self-digestion.”

      3.  Juices “do not stimulate the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.”

      4.  “The nutritive elements from the juices are extremely beneficial in normalizing all the body processes, supplying needed elements for the body’s own healing activity and cell regeneration, and, thus, speeding the recovery.”

      5.  “Raw juices and vegetable broths provide an alkaline surplus which is extremely important for the proper acid-alkaline balance in the blood and tissues, since blood and tissues contain large amounts of acids during fasting.” 

      6.  “Generous amounts of minerals in the juices, particularly in the vegetable broth, help to restore the biochemical and mineral balance in the tissues and cells.”

      7.  Numerous fasting clinics and experts make scientific claims as well:

         a) “According to Dr. Ralph Bircher, raw juices contain an as yet unidentified factor which stimulates what he calls a micro-electric tension in the body and is responsible for the cells’ ability to absorb nutrients from the blood stream and effectively excrete metabolic wastes.”[xxxv]

        b) Dr. Ragnar Berg a leading authority on nutrition and biochemistry states; “During fasting the body burns up and excretes huge amounts of accumulated wastes.  We can help this cleansing process by drinking alkaline juices instead of water while fasting.  I have supervised may fasts and made extensive tests of fasting patients, and I am convinced that drinking alkaline-forming fruit and vegetable juices, instead of water, during fasting will increase the healing effect of fasting.  Elimination of uric acid and other inorganic acids will be accelerated.  And sugars in juices will strengthen the heart…Juice fasting is, therefore, the best form of fasting.”[xxxvi]

        c) Dr. Otto H.F. Buchinger at his clinic has supervised over 80,000 fasts and employs only juice fasting.  “He told me that, in his experience, fasting on the fresh raw juices of fruits and vegetables, plus vegetable broths and herb teas, results in much faster recover from disease and more effective cleansing and rejuvenation of the tissues that does the traditional water fast.”[xxxvii]

  c.  Mixed Juice-Water Fasting 

     This can come in several combinations of juice and water.

A cooked vegetable broth can be used with any of these.  

1. Introducing a fast with juices then switching to water for several days to a week and then switching back to juice to come off the fast is one version.  I have done this type of fast and it is very effective. 

2.  Almost no fruit juices (except a little apple) and using a moderate amount of green vegetable juices, is another variation.  Using primarily cucumbers and celery as the vegetable juices four times a day (8-16 oz) with 50% water is an approach used by Gabriel Cousens, MD in his fasting approach in order to minimize the glycemic load.  It is very effective for those who want a minimal amount of sugar. 

3.  Minimizing fruit juices and minimizing vegetable juices is another example but with a wide range of different freshly made fruit and vegetable juices for maximum variation in nutrients four to six times a day is another approach.  Cutting the juice with water by 25% to 50% helps to minimize the sugar, but water can be taken separately can help those who need to minimize the sugar intake.     

4.  Depending on your constitution in Ayruvedic doshas: pitta, veda, kapha vary the fruit to vegetable amounts but still cut it with water (25% to 50%).  You need to know what dosha you are and how well you tolerate sugar to determine this juice-water fasting approach. 

d.   The Vegetable Broth Fast                               

     Vegetable Broths are used in most juice fasting groups, perhaps even some water fasting groups but they are pretty strict about the type of fast they do, water only.  Yet Paul Bragg adds a little lemon to it. 

     Dr. Airola emphasizes vegetable broths along with juices.  “Vegetable broth is one of the standard beverages during fasting in all biological clinics in Europe.  Fasting patients at our Spa receive a large glass of vegetable broth first thing in the morning and before going to bed.  It is a cleansing and alkalizing drink which supplies a great number of vitamins and particularly minerals, which are so important for establishing and normalizing a proper chemical balance in the tissues during fasting.  Vegetable broth is particularly rich in the mineral potassium.”[xxxviii]

     He recommends that the broth be made up of: 2 large potatoes, 1 cup of carrots, 1 cup of red beets, 1 cup of celery and 1 cup of any other vegetable: turnips, parsley, cabbage, beet tops, turnip tops or a little of everything.  All of these are chopped, sliced or shredded.  Cover and cook slowly in one and one-half quarts of water.  Cook for an hour, let stand for an hour; strain, cool until warm and serve.  Refrigerate the leftovers and warm before serving. 

     Dr. Airola states that; “a satisfactory broth can be made with only potatoes, beets, carrots, and celery, consisting of approximately 50% potatoes, 20% carrots, 15% beets and 15% celery.”[xxxix] 

    This is recommended for some people who have a hard time with fruit sugars. Vegetable broths can be a necessary part of a 7 to 10-day juice fast.  They are a little bit of work but they really taste good after drinking juices all day.  A lot of juices are very acidic and a vegetable broth is very alkaline so it helps to balance out the blood chemistry.  Cut all the vegetables up into small pieces, cook the broth for about 20 minutes, strain it and drink it while it is still hot.  Try to get at least two full cups of broth so you need about a quart of water since some will be absorbed and some will boil away.  

     One approach is to juice carrots, cucumbers and celery during a fast so they do not need to be added into a broth.  Potato’s, beets and greens are probably the essential vegetables.  Here are five different broths that I made up for the 7-10 day or longer fasts I have been on, when I was writing this section of the book:

1)  1 potato; 1 onion; 1 sweet potato; some parsley and some spinach.

2)  1 red potato; 1 onion; ½ sweet potato; ½ beet; 2 carrots; 2 celery;

       some parsley and some spinach.

3)  2 red potatoes; 1 onion; ½ beet; 2 celery; some parsley and spinach.

4)   1 red potato; 1 sweet potato; 1/4 beet; several carrots; spinach  

5)   1 red potato, 1 sweet potato, ½ celery stock, 1 red onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 red pepper, 3 small tomatoes, 6 or so asparagus, 1 lemon, 1 lime, 1 small yellow and also green squash, teaspoon of flax seed oil, little salt and dulse and kelp granules. 

     Two basic types of broths can be made a potato broth and a cabbage broth; this can separate the vegetable starches. 

     6)  A potato broth (one potato, some of the rest: yam,

                 onion, garlic, orange pepper, beet). 

     7) A cabbage broth (cabbage, asparagus, broccoli, tomato,

                  add kale or spinach).

     Also adding to a warm drink or a broth frozen wheatgrass cubes or a teaspoon of wheatgrass is good.  So, experiment and make up your own vegetable broth.  A vegetable broth fast is a very important fast and for some people it is more important than a juice fast, because it is loaded with minerals and little to no sugar. 

     Doing just vegetable broths is the best fast for people who have problems with sugar, usually fruit sugar is not the problem but for some people it is and then a broth fast should be used.  Even when doing a juice fast, broths should be added into the routine since they are loaded with minerals. 

  e.  Bread and Water Fasting?   

     Fasting on “Bread and Water” is not a real fast but it is an abstinence.  The physiological process of catabolism does not take place and dead, diseased and dying cells do not get flushed out of the body.  Some monastics have used bread and water for a fast centuries ago, but we’re in the scientific age today and have a solid definition of what fasting is, what it does and how to best do it so as not to harm the body.  When water fasting is too difficult it is sometimes suggested to do a bread and water fast, but just eating bread for a long fast can be overly acidic to the system.      

f.  The Daniel Fast?

     This is becoming a popular fast but like the bread and water fast it is a form of abstinence.  The Daniel Fast is a partial fast where some foods are eaten and most are restricted.  Meat, wine and other rich foods are avoided in favor of vegetables and water for typically three weeks.  It is a reference to the 10 days wherein Daniel and others with him were permitted to eat vegetables and water to avoid the Babylonian King’s food and wine.  After 10 days they continued the diet for three years of their education.  The fast is based on the kosher diet of Daniel in the Bible and the three-week mourning fast in which Daniel abstained from all meat and wine.  It is often emphasized by the Evangelicals in contrast to the 40 days of Lent by Catholics and Orthodox.   

g.  The Dry Fast  

     The Dry Fast is a fast with no food and no liquids.  Fasting without any liquids can be dangerous, liquids are needed for hydration.  But as a radical fast it might be helpful for COVID-19.  When I was seriously sick for two days, I partially did the Dry Fast since I drank very little liquid and ate very little food, pondering on the fact I knew the Dry Fast was a very powerful as a short term fast. 

    Since I started fasting in the early 1980’s I have been opposed to, The Dry Fast, until I went to the summer 2016 Woodstock Fruit Festival in upper New York state and heard a fasting expert talking about doing the Dry Fast, no liquids.  He talked about going on a dry fast himself and others who have done it; and that it has therapeutic properties.  He stated upfront that it is not the best fast for everyone and it can be dangerous if done over a week.  Yes, it can end in death!  But after hearing his talk it changed my thinking on this topic and I now believe that it is a valid fast, but not a recommended fast, since it can be dangerous and even deadly.     

     A dry fast can be helpful for certain types of illness, major degenerative diseases or circumstances.  It should only be done under professional supervision for longer than a few days.  It should probably not be done over a week and even a week may be too long, and a person can die.  It is not a recommended fast to do, because it is just too radical, but for a few days it might help against Covid-19.    

     The Dry Fast is found in scripture when those opposed to the Apostle Paul went on a dry fast pledging not to stop the fast till they kill him, but a child heard this and went to tell Paul who directed the child to Pilate, who avoided letting Paul get killed by escorting him out of town.  The Jews broke the dry fast after Paul escaped.  Acts of the Apostles

h.  Fasting from T.V., Immorality, etc.?

    There are a lot of suggestions for people to fast from immorality, and many types of sins and bad behaviors, but this is definitely not a fast, it is an obligation.  Immoral speech, immoral T.V. shows, certain types of foods and many other activities that are considered bad or sinful should be stopped or minimized from and not engaged in.  This has become a norm for many who don’t want to do a physiological fast or feel they can’t do a water or juice fast for personal reasons.  It is not valid to use the term fasting in this way since it is not a physiological fast.  It is not a real fast, and it would be best not to use it in this way which causes confusion of categories and confusion of definitions.  The term, abstinence is a more proper term.  But this kind of fasting will not help recover from illnesses. 

 6.  A Seven Day Juice Fast

     A seven-day juice fasting program is spoken of in this book but oftentimes the terminology of 7 to process of detoxification 10-day fasting program will be used.  Coming off a seven day fast may last for one or two or three more days, making it an 8, 9 or 10 day fast. Thus, a seven day fast will take three days to come off of it, as would an eight or nine or ten day fast. 

     Paul Bragg, PhD makes an interesting comment that he has led people on fast for over forty years and came to the conclusion that the long three- and four-week fasts were good but doing four seven day fasts a year was better.  After a life time of experience of fasting he came to the conclusion that several shorter 7 to 10-day fasts were better than one long 21 to 28 day fast every year. 

     Therapeutic fasting involves fasting longer than 10 days, at least two to three weeks is best.  In Europe the standard therapeutic fast is about 28 days while in America it is about 21 days.  Oftentimes the fast goes longer than 28 days but 40 days is usually considered the maximum.  A seven to ten day fast can be healing but it’s just beginning the process it is more of a cleansing.  Usually it is best to be under medical supervision but about the only thing they will do is to tell you to break the fast when you’ve gone long enough.  As you will see therapeutic fasting can heal most kinds of degenerative diseases.  It can also be an excellent complementary approach to modern medicine.  

     A one week fast is good for housecleaning because it flushes out the dead, diseased and dying cells, but a longer fourteen to twenty-one day fast is needed for healing and to flush out these dead, diseased and dying cells, these poisoned, toxic or deformed cells that are deeper in the tissues and organs.  Doing a 14 to 21 day fast once a year will help do that than do one or two 7 day fasts a year at a different time.  That will give you 4 weeks of fasting a year.

  7.  Fruit Sugar, Candia, Fresh Juice

     Even though juice fasting is an excellent way to fast it may not be the best type of fast for everyone.  One such problem could be Candia, a yeast problem that exists mostly in women.  Candia or yeast is increased by eating sugars and thus the fruit sugar in fruit juice may increase the yeast problem.  But fasting could help this problem and even heal the problem.  A strict raw veggie diet and juicing could heal the problem.   Other conditions could exist that would make water fasting a better option or a broth fast; just drink broths and herbal teas. 

     In addition to much sugar from drinking a juice could deplete minerals, thus add water to juice when drinking large quantities.  But for a seven day fast this is not going to be a problem.  And when doing a long fast, drinking broths can help replenish the minerals that may be lost.  Juice has refined sugar and too much sugar can turn into fat, but for a seven day fast this is not a problem either, since you’ll lose weight not gain it. 

     In a general way it can be said that there are three levels of juices:  Juices from the supermarket, juices from the health food store and freshly made juice from a juicer.  Most of the juices in the supermarket are not real juices and most are pasteurized above 130 degrees destroying the important vitamins and enzymes.  There is little nutrition left in most of these drinks and they are basically sugar flavored water. 

     The juices in a health food store are usually more nutrient dense and have some nutrients and good qualities still in them.  Health food store juices can sometimes be found in the supermarket in their special health food sections.  This is the second level of food value and usable for a long fast. 

     The third and highest level of juice is made fresh from a juice machine.  Juice is always best if you drink it right after you juice it.  Oxidation occurs when in contact with air and light or even room temperature.  Freshly made juice can easily be stored for one to two days, sometimes three days in a refrigerator.  A dark glass jar, such as the prune juice jar is best to store fresh juice.  If possible, fill the juice to the top to prevent excessive oxidation.  Opening and closing the jar will increase the deterioration rate of the juice.

8.  The Seven Day Fast

     The fasting process, catabolism, starts on the third day.  The hunger pains stop at about 2 ½ days into the fast.  This is true for both water and for juice fasting.  Juice fasting gives more energy and a person can work an average work week on a juice fast.      

     For people new into fasting a seven to ten day fast is best.  Then with more experience 14 to 21 days fasts are best, a least once a year.  Twenty-five days and longer are for the experienced.

     A seven-day juice fasting program is spoken of in this book but oftentimes the terminology of 7 to 10-day fasting program will be used.  Coming off a seven day fast may last for one or two or three more days, making it an 8, 9 or 10 day fast. Thus, a seven day fast will take three days to come off of it, as would an eight or nine or ten day fast.  Water can be taken at any time during a fast, usually the more the better.

     Dr. Airola and Dr. Bragg both emphasize 7 to 10-day fasts, where as Dr. Walker only emphasizes a 6 to 7 day fast before breaking it.  Most people who read this book are just learning to fast and have little experience in long fast.  Seven days on a fast is enough for the average person.  After gaining some experience for several seven-day fasts, you can try for a few days more if your body and your spirit encourage you too.  A seven-day fast is sufficient for most people, longer 8-10-day fasts can be helpful and therapeutic, if they are done right.  For fasts longer than 10 days a person should either be experienced or under guidance.   After about twenty years of experience in 7 to 10-day fasts, I have found a 7-day fast is sufficient most of the time, but sometimes I do 8 or 9 days.

     Thus, for a seven day fast, fast for seven days and break the fast on the eight day.  The eighth, ninth and tenth days are transitional days going back to normal eating.  The eight day is still a fast day only with a little vegetables and fruit.  But if needed you could start breaking the fast on the seventh day and still call it a seven day fast.  Do what you are comfortable with. But do not eat a full meal when you come off a fast.

     Drinking water every day is also a must.  Diluting the juices with water is highly recommended during a fast.  Juices are very concentrated fruit sugar and drinking water and not only juice is needed during a fast. 

  9.  Juice Fasting Activities/Process   

     A seven-day juice fasting program is spoken of in this book but oftentimes the terminology of 7 to 10-day fasting program will be used.  Coming off a seven day fast may last for one or two or three more days, making it an 8, 9 or 10 day fast. Thus, a seven day fast will take three days to come off of it, as would an eight or nine or ten day fast. 

     Dr. Airola and Dr. Bragg both emphasize 7 to 10-day fasts, where as Dr. Walker only emphasizes a 6 to 7 day fast before breaking it.  Most people who read this book are just learning to fast and have little experience in long fast.  Seven days on a fast is enough for the average person.  After gaining some experience for several seven-day fasts, you can try for a few days more if your body and your spirit encourage you too.  A seven-day fast is sufficient for most people, longer 8-10-day fasts can be helpful and therapeutic, if they are done right.  For fasts longer than 10 days a person should either be experienced or under guidance.   After about twenty years of experience in 7 to 10-day fasts, I have found a 7-day fast is sufficient most of the time, but sometimes I do 8 or 9 days.  

     Thus, for a seven day fast, fast for seven days and break the fast on the eight day.  The eighth, ninth and tenth days are transitional days going back to normal eating.  The eight day is still a fast day only with a little vegetables and fruit.  But if needed you could start breaking the fast on the seventh day and still call it a seven day fast.  Do what you are comfortable with.  But do not eat a full meal when you come off a fast.

     In Dr. Paavo Airola’s outlined in his book, his program[xl]  for juice fasting:

       1.  Upon rising an enema, 

       2.  Dry brush massage followed by a hot-cold

                       Shower,        

  3.  At 9:00 a cup of herb tea – warm not hot.  He suggests, peppermint, chamomile, or rose hips.

  4.  At 11:00 a glass of freshly-pressed fruit juice,

                    diluted fifty-fifty with water. 

       5.  Walk or mild exercise, spa or massage or

                     sunbathing. 

  6.  At 1:00 a glass of freshly made vegetable juice or

                        a cup of vegetable broth.  

       7.  At 1:30 to 4:00 rest in bed. 

       8.  At 4:00 a Cup of herb tea. 

  9.  Walk, therapeutic baths, light exercise or other treatments. 

10. At 7:00 a glass of diluted vegetable or fruit juices, or

                        a cup of vegetable broth. 

     He advises to drink plain lukewarm water or mineral water if thirsty (two to three glasses total).  The total liquid intake should be 6 to 8 glasses and if thirsty then drink more.   

     Jim Tibbetts recommends the juice fast (or a broth fast) for long fasts and either a juice fast or a water fast for shorter fasts.  I do not recommend any specific daily regime to juice fasting but have suggestions on what works best.  I do recommend a weekly regime on a 7-10 day fast since certain nutrients and activities are helpful in not necessary. 

Over the course of a week I recommend that it is best to have a combination of;

            1.  Both fruit and vegetable juices, a lot, daily.

            2.  Juice made with a juicer at least once a day.

        3.  Broths at least two or three times, for potassium and minerals.  

        4.  Green juices or greens added to the broth for chlorophyll at least twice (celery, cucumber or leafy vegetable). Carrot juice recommended.

            5.  Enema’s once or twice (more if needed). 

            6.  Sunshine and fresh air, prayer time and relaxation.

            7.  Go to work at your job as you normally would.  

     Drinking water every day is also a must.  Diluting the juices with water is highly recommended during a fast.  Juices are very concentrated fruit sugar and drinking water and not only juice is needed during a fast. 

     For a juice fast, I recommend a steady diet of juices on a juice fast.   Drink as much juice and water as you feel the need to.  Usually first thing in the morning is a great time to do some juicing and make fresh apple juice or cantaloupe juice or other fruit juice.  Then once or twice an hour have another glass of juice, if thirsty.  Sometime in the late morning, around lunch time or in the afternoon have some tomato or V-8 juice or other vegetable juice, then go back to fruit juicing.  Store bought bottled juice is good to use but at least once a day (morning and/or evening) use a juice machine to make some fresh juice.  Then use a broth, perhaps in the evening, several times a week. 

     The fasting writer Steve Meyerowitz recommends a pre-fast diet.  “A typical pre-fast diet may consist of a day of cooked vegetables, salads, fruits and juices on the first day.  Any food in these categories is acceptable, but it is still a limited diet because it excludes grains, breads, and dairy, fish and flesh foods.  Day two is usually slightly more limited with only raw salads, fruits and juices.  Day three might just be limited to fruits and juices.  Each day is progressively more restricted up to the day of the fast.  The fruits and vegetables are of course, eaten separately, e.g., fruits for lunch, vegetables for dinner.  If time is limited and you are a seasoned faster, you may choose a one day pre-fast, which might turn out to be a day of salads or a day of fruits and juices.  Always keep the juices and water in your pre-fast diet since they are the major elements of the actual fast.”[xli]       

     Usually the day before a fast I start preparing for the fast by staying away from heavy foods and starches and junky food.  And the evening before I eat a light meal. 

10.  Breaking a Long Fast

     You want to come off the fast so slowly that this transition back to food is easy and uneventful, so that it just happens naturally.  Coming off the fast is the most difficult part of the fast and to come off it slowly is important.  Instead of waiting for the hunger to start, which usually happens during or after the seventh day, break the fast on the seventh or morning of the eight day.  Then by a slow transition the hunger will occur naturally as you are engaged in the process of starting to eat again. 

     The day you break the fast is really still a fasting day since you’ll be drinking juice all day and just eating a little fruit and vegetables.  If you feel anxious about it or start to feel hungry then go ahead and break the fast on the seventh day by starting the process on the seventh rather than on the eight day.  Having a goal of seven days also makes things easier since we are conditioned in our culture to reach a goal, it makes us feel good when we can do that in fasting.   

     Fasting until the hunger starts is the method that most fasting professionals use.  But breaking the fast on a definite day, like the sixth or seventh or eighth day, hopefully a day or two before the hunger starts is just as efficient when the transition back to food is slow and natural.  Sometime during the seventh day or morning of the eight you can break the fast, either early in the morning or later in the evening.  Wait and see how you feel, physiologically and psychologically on the seventh or eighth day.

     How a person breaks a fast is very important.  It takes more disciple to break a fast then to start it.  And if the fast is broken improperly it can be painful and disruptive to your system.  There are different ways to break the long fast but the main rule is to only eat a little at a time, then wait before eating more.  Breaking a fast involves “Will Power”.

      The following will relate what the various fasting experts say about fasting.  All of these doctors cited below break the fast with tomato’s, apples and oranges.   And three of them: Dr. Bragg, Dr. Shelton and Dr. Hazzard recommend using a tomato to break the fast.  There are different approaches to breaking a fast, this will give the variations.

     Dr. Airola writes on breaking a long fast.  “Whether you’re fast will turn out to be a success or a failure will depend largely on how you break your fast.  Breaking a fast is the most significant phase of it.  The beneficial effect of fasting could be totally undone if the fast is broken incorrectly!  As Dr. Otto H. F. Buchinger says: ‘Even a fool can fast, but only a wise man knows how to break the fast properly and to build up properly after the fast!’”

     Dr. Airola continues: “The main rules from breaking a fast are: 1. Do not overeat!  2. Eat slowly and chew your food extremely well.  3. Take several days of gradual transition to the normal diet.  First day: Eat one whole apple in the morning and a very small bowl or raw vegetable salad at lunch, in addition to the usual juice and broth menu.  Second day: Soaked prunes or figs (with the soaking water) for breakfast; Small bowl of fresh vegetable salad for lunch; Vegetable soup made without salt at dinner; Two apples eaten between meals.  All this is in addition to the usual juices and broths.  Third day: As second day, but add a glass of yogurt and a few raw nuts for breakfast.  Increase the salad portion at lunch, and add a boiled or baked potato.   A slice of whole grain bread with butter and a slice of cheese with soup at evening. ”[xlii]    On the fourth day he states that you can start eating normally and should start a build-up diet of natural foods.

     Dr. Airola’s has three points on breaking a fast, they are a must:  If you do not eat slowly and chew your food up or if you eat too much then you will suffer.  Your intestinal track has shrunk and needs to open up slowly.  Dr. Airola concludes saying, “But first and foremost, keep always in mind the first rule of breaking the fast: do not overeat!  This rule also happens to be the first rule of keeping healthy and staying younger longer.”[xliii]       

     Dr. Bragg recommends breaking a fast this way.  “Around 5 o’clock of the 7^th day of the fast, peel 4 or 5 medium sized tomatoes, cut them up, bring them to a boil and then turn off the heat, and when they are cool enough to eat, have as many as you desire.”[xliv]   The next morning he recommends a salad of grated carrots and grated cabbage, with half an orange squeezed over it, then some steamed greens and peeled tomatoes and some toast thoroughly dry.

     Dr. Otto H.F. Buchinger, M.D. writes on breaking a fast.  “From many years’ experience the fresh apple has definitely proved the best way of introducing the breaking of the fast. Its organic trace materials are conveyed to the organism in the natural and unrepeated form in which pectin and the core have a function promoting peristaltic movement.”[xlv]   He states to break the fast in the morning with an apple, then have another apple in the afternoon.  And in the evening have a little plain potato soup.

     Dr. Allan Cott, M.D., believes in water fasts with water only.  He suggests breaking a fast, of two days or longer, the first day after the fast; “In the morning mix two quarts of water with one quart of orange juice or apricot juice.  Sip two teaspoonfuls of the mixture every five or ten minutes in the first hour after breaking the fast.  Sip teaspoonfuls at regular intervals throughout the day, but make sure the concoction lasts until bedtime.”[xlvi]  The second day he recommends using undiluted juice.  Breaking a fast with juice is a common approach.

     Dr. Herbert Shelton states, “that fasts may be broken on whatever food is available, providing sufficient caution is observed.”  “Almost every advocate of fasting has evolved his own techniques for breaking a fast.  There seems to be a tendency for each man to assume that his own techniques are best.  There may be several techniques, each one of which is as good as the others. The chief requirement in breaking a fast is to use simple, wholesome food and feed this in keeping with the limited digestive capacity of the faster.  Time is required for the digestive secretions to begin to be produced in normal amounts and, until they are secreted in normal quantities, the ability to digest food is limited.”[xlvii]  

     Some people encourage breaking a fast with juices and others breaking a fast with foods.  Dr. Shelton writes of an associate Dr. Virginia Vetrano who thoroughly tested both methods of breaking a fast and found that breaking a fast with food was superior to breaking a fast with juices.  “For breaking a long fast, she served one-half orange every two hours, the first day.  The second day, have a whole orange every two hours.  The second day may be varied in the following manner.  At 8 a.m. one may have one orange; at 10 a.m., one apple; at 12:00 noon, one pear; at 2p.m., one tomato; at 4p.m., one-half grapefruit; and at 6 p.m. one orange. It is best the first day after a long fast to stay with one type of fruit.  The second day, if all goes well, every two hours the faster may have a different fruit in season, providing it is as small as one orange.”[xlviii]  The suggestion of using a whole orange or whole tomato with a maximum of six a day is also suggested. 

     Dr. Linda Hazzard, D.O. writes on breaking a fast.  “In the ordinary instance a successfully completed fast should be broken by the ingestion of the juices of ripe fruit or of broths prepared from vegetables.  The juices of fruits that are fully ripened are most easily changed in mouth and stomach for subsequent digestive processes, and there is but small effort in handling them.  The same reasoning is applicable to the use of vegetable broths, strained through a coarse kitchen sieve so as to remove fibrous material and hard solid particles.  There are many vegetables that lend themselves readily to the preparation of these broths, and, when the latter are made as indicated so as to exclude all but finely comminuted solid matter, they are easily digested and their products are assimilated promptly and without difficulty.  When using the juices of fruit to break a fast, it is suggested that those of sweet fruit be not mixed with those of acid.  One fruit as a time is the rule.  At first the broths should be confined in preparation to one vegetable, such as the tomato or the onion.  Later they may be varied in ingredients, and combinations may be made of two or three kinds.  The tomato is perhaps the one vegetable that lends itself most satisfactorily to the breaking of a fast, and it is in the constant use for this purpose by the author.”[xlix] 

     As stated above, all of these doctors just cited break the fast with tomato’s, apples and oranges.  And three of them: Dr. Bragg, Dr. Shelton and Dr. Hazzard recommend using a tomato to break the fast.  

     Jim Tibbetts has tried many different ways of breaking a long fast and have found that boiling several tomatoes (like Dr. Bragg suggests) and eating them is one the best ways.  The reason this works (stewed tomatoes) is because the alkaline content of the tomatoes helps to open up the intestinal tract. 

     Starting a fast becomes easy and automatic after a few years of fasting.  But coming off of a fast takes discipline and patience to do it right even after twenty years of fasting.                              

   A basic schedule or one approach could be:

1. Once you have decided to break a fast then cook one or two tomatoes for 5 to 10 minutes, until they are soft.  Or you could just eat them raw and uncooked.  Slowly eat the tomatoes.
2. Have some juice.
3. Wait until lunch and have one or two more stewed tomatoes or raw tomatoes. 
4. Have some juice in between.
5. At dinner have some more uncooked or stewed tomatoes and peel a half an apple or orange and slowly eat the apple, chew it up very well before swallowing it.
6. Have some juice in between.
7. The next morning have a piece of fruit and a stewed tomato. 
8. Have some juice in between.
9. At lunch have a small bowl of fruit salad or broth-soup. 
10. Continue to slowly add food the next day.   

     A program like this should be spread out over a whole day.  The purpose is to slowly open up your intestines.  The second day starches and carbohydrates could be introduced but it is really better to wait till the third day.  

     The broth-soup could be made up of numerous different ingredients mostly it should be of the vegetables that you were using to make broths all week long with.  One possibility is;  

   5 cups water, 2 red potatoes, 1 beet, 3 scallions, ½ onion, 3 small carrots, parsley, cabbage, ½ teaspoon of sea salt.  (or create your own)

Cook it 20 minutes or until the potatoes, carrots and cabbage are soft.  

     One reason this longer fast is referred to as a 7 to 10 day fast is because it usually takes about two to three days to come off the fast and start eating normally.  The day that you break the fast is really like a fast day.  Such as if you break the fast at lunch time with stewed tomatoes you will still drink juice the rest of the afternoon and evening and have a little salad or something in the evening.  This is like a fast day and should probably be referred to as one. 

     A second approach could be just to have a very small salad (fruit or vegetable) in the morning, a small salad in the afternoon and a little larger salad in the evening.  This works for most people but probably not for everyone.   

11. Summary Lengths of a Fast

     I agree with the benefits of a 7 to 10 day fast at least once preferably two or three times a year.  Here’s a summary of several fasting orientations. 

        Paul Bragg recommends that a 7 to 10 day fast

                        be taken four times a year, but he did a lot of

                        28-day fasts once a year with people. 

        Paavo Airola recommends that a 7 to 10 day fast

                        be taken once or twice a year.

            Norman Walker recommends a 6 to 7 day fast.

            Gabriel Cousens recommends a 7-10 day fast, 2x a

                       year and longer fasts, especially for the ill. 

            James Tibbetts recommends a 7-10 day fast

                        be taken two or three or four times a year

                         or do longer 14-21 day fast in place of

                         two or three 7 day fast, for a total of

                         four weeks of fasting a year.

     In addition to a weekly one day fast (which could be a juice or fruit or smoothie fast) and two or three 7- 10 day fasts I would recommend doing a longer 14 to 21 day fast once a year in place of the 7 day fast.  This would give three to four weeks of fasting a year, over two- or three-times periods.  This could give a spring, summer, fall and winter time of fasting.

     These are some comments on strengthening the immune system and keeping you healthy.  The important thing is to develop your personal lifestyle practice to keep your immune system strong and to stay healthy so that you don’t get the COVID-19 virus, and have the strong immune system to fight it!  These are some things that can help.   Praise God!

  D. Therapeutic Fasting Studies

     A 1 to 9 day fast is a housecleaning fast, 6-7 days is a standard fasting time, which expert fasters state a person can safely do on their own.  Therapeutic fasting involves fasting longer than 10 days, at least two to three weeks (12-21 days).  In Europe the standard therapeutic fast is about 28 days while in America it is about 21 days.  Oftentimes the fast goes longer than 28 days but 40 days is usually considered the maximum.  It is best to be experienced or have a fasting professional to oversee you.   

     A 7 to 10 day fast can be healing but it’s just beginning the process of healing.  Usually it is best to be under medical supervision for over 10 days.  As you will see therapeutic fasting can heal most kinds of degenerative diseases.  It can also be an excellent complementary approach to modern medicine.  The following charts show different experts on fasting and the use of fasting for curing degenerative diseases.

     a. Dr. Herbert Shelton study

    This next chart is taken from Dr. Shelton’s book: Fasting for the Health of It [l]  He was one of the greats in fasting.

  b.  Dr. Gerald Benesh,and Dr. James McEachen, study

     In this study 714 cases were carefully supervised by Dr. Gerald Benesh, D.C., and Dr. James McEachen, D.C., from 1952-1958 in Escondido, California.[li]      

     Along with the fast all of these clinics would have put the person on strict mostly if not totally plant-based diets. 

c.  Dr. William Esser study

     Dr. William Esser, N.D., D.C., supervised 225 cases from 1945-1947 in Lake Worth, Florida.[lii]  The following is the breakdown of those fasts.  Dr. Esser was a well-known successful doctor in Florida.    

    Notice not everyone gets healed but a large enough get helped to make this statistically significant.  Fasting is curing both minor and major illnesses and diseases.  

d.  Dr. Robert Gross study

     In this study 447 cases were carefully supervised by

Dr. Robert Gross, D.C., Ph.D., from 1957-1963 in Hyde Park, New York.[liii]   

     Dr. David J. Scott has a degree as a Chiropractor, D.C., and went on for several other specialized degrees (Doctor of Medicine (overseas) and a Naturopathic doctor ND).  He was the founding president of the International Association of Hygienic Physicians and taught physiology at Great Lakes College.  He was in practice for over 60 years and he water fasted under direct supervision some 20,000 patients.

“The following are some of the many patients’ conditions benefited in over 50 years by therapeutic fasting:”

e.  Dr. Scott’s Study  

            Dr. Scott was unique in that he used the latest technologies to demonstrate the status of health by physiological parameters.  Dr. Scott’s office has a fully functional and modern scientific laboratory.  From there he provides standardized testing to determine multiple indicators used to monitor a persons’ progress during the fasting process.  These extremely sensitive but standard medical technologies, including blood work, can discover early and even late signs of disease.  He was the only one in the country that uses this kind of measurements during a long water fast.  Dr. Scott passed away several years ago.