The Secrets of Cleansing and Fasting

Fasting

Brief Description

Pros

Cons

Duration

Daniel Fast

Drink only water and eat only plants (vegetables and fruits) and a small amount of nuts, seeds or whole grains.

(Traditionally accompanied with prayer and scripture 3x/day)

• Anyone can do it
• Very little prep needed
• Gentle in terms of the cleansing effect

• Creates a much slower cleanse than other types of fasting

Traditionally 10 or 21 days; can be done for many years

Intermittent Fast

Many options:

1. Eat only from 10am-2pm
2. Eat every other day (can have 500 calories on fast day)
3. Fast 2 days/week

• More sustainable as you can do this for years
• You never fast more than 1 day at a time
• Typically you lose less muscle mass than traditional fasting

• The fast days can be difficult for some if they fall on a day where you have social engagements or have an intense schedule

Years

Green Smoothie Fast

Consume only green smoothies (can be done with or without protein and fat)

• Gives digestion a big break
• Can do this long term while working, exercising, etc.
• Quick to prepare the food

• Can still consume a lot of calories if you don’t have a good understanding of what you’re putting in.

REALLY long term if fat is added

Juice Fast

Consume however much juice you’d like, any type, any quantity

• Gives digestion a break
• You don’t feel hunger

• Easy to consume a lot of fruit juice (which is a concentrated sugar.)
• Easy to consume the same amount of calories you’d get if you were just eating (since fruit juice adds up quickly in calories)

Usually 1-40 days

Green
Juice Fast

Consume green juice only which is a base of 80% celery or cucumber and 20% in dark leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard, romaine, etc.)

• Almost as intense as water fasting (in terms of cleansing) but safer to do on your own because minerals are still going in

• Harder to do while keeping up with daily life
• Often invokes an “emotional cleanse,” which can be challenging to deal with if you don’t have help or resources available

1-15 days

Water Fast

Water only (purified)

• A deep and faster cleansing effect

• Really should be done in a clinical setting if you’re doing more than 1-2 days.
• Reduced strength and muscle mass after a couple of days

1-40 days

***I don’t recommend water fasting if not in a clinic. Supervised fasts are best in this case.