Therapeutic fasting on water for 1, 3, 7, 10, 21, 40 days

Water fasting is considered a health diet, when all food is prohibited, and water is allowed in sufficient quantities. It can be practiced according to the cascade principle, that is, combined with long periods of normal nutrition.

Therapeutic water fasting is used for pancreatitis, during preparation for and after operations. Refusal of solid food in these cases is very useful, and drinking water prevents dehydration, which is dangerous in any disease.

The effectiveness of water fasting is assessed from the standpoint of benefit and harm. The benefits are as follows:

• stimulation of immune forces;
• cleansing the body;
• elimination of excess weight;
• rejuvenation;
• improving the condition of nails, hair, and the pancreas;
• normalization of blood sugar;
• getting rid of snoring and apnea.

The negative aspect of the procedure is that, in addition to temporary inconvenience and discomfort, it causes the development of anemia, vitamin deficiency, anorexia, and amenorrhea in women. The lack of nutritional components has a negative effect on the functioning of the nervous system and the social activity of the starving person.

There are several water fasting methods that describe in detail the features and recommendations. They differ in procedures and duration, but all have the main ingredient - water.

Water fasting according to Breg

The Bragg system is a water fast, without the use of other liquids and solid products. The author was convinced that a one-day abstinence is recommended every week, a week-long abstinence quarterly, and a 21-day abstinence once a year. His book, The Miracle of Fasting, created a real sensation in society, and the new method found millions of followers.

Bragg personally practiced his method, perhaps that is why he was so cheerful and active in his old age. He managed to fast for 75 days a year. Bragg believed that this was enough to restore the pancreas, kidneys, and digestive organs in general.

Water fasting according to Bragg involves solitude outside the city, combined with a moderately active lifestyle. For drinking, the author recommends distilled water that does not contain harmful compounds, and does not recommend doing cleansing enemas. Particular emphasis is placed on the correct completion of the process. Preference is given to 7-10-day fasting.

• During a 7-day fast, the patient is allowed to drink purified water with honey and lemon juice (5 g and 10 ml, respectively). This drink cleanses and nourishes the fasting person's body.

During the period of abstinence from solid food, the digestive organs decrease in size, so it is necessary to switch to the daily regime delicately. The exit begins at midday on the last day; 4 tomatoes are prepared for food, cut and poured with boiling water, they are chewed until completely crushed.

Cabbage and carrot salad with lemon juice is suitable for breakfast. This is a kind of "brush" for the intestines. Then you can eat two crackers, and for lunch - carrots and celery, boiled vegetables. Dinner is canceled on this day.

The second day begins with fresh fruit flavored with honey. Lunch is similar. Dinner – no later than 6 pm, the best dish is green salad in lemon juice. Bragg advises to spend the following days in moderation, to start eating only when you feel hungry and never overeat.

The book describes fasting options designed for different periods of time; he considered fasting a health system, not a treatment. Although cleansing the body definitely leads to its recovery.

Read also: What water is best for water fasting?

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Water fasting 1 day

It would seem that a one-day water fast is ineffective. What can one day give, except perhaps a minimal weight loss? However, experts prove that a one-day water fast can give a good health effect, namely:

• stimulation of the immune system;
• cleansing;
• rejuvenation;
• improving the quality of intestinal microflora and the condition of the gastrointestinal tract;
• increasing blood supply to the brain, improving creative thinking and intellectual activity.

Water fasting should last from 24 to 27 hours. If less, it is not considered fasting, but a food pause. With regular repetition of one-day water fasting, the positive result accumulates. If one-day procedures are practiced for one to three months, then you can prepare for a longer version of therapeutic fasting.

With the shortest method of giving up solid and liquid food, several processes occur in the body.

• First, the digestive organs get a break. Instead of wasting energy on digestion, the body begins cleansing processes.
• Secondly, putrefactive microorganisms die, but beneficial lactic acid microorganisms are restored to health, due to which the synthesis of bioactive components is activated in the intestines.

Preparation for a 1-day fast begins a week in advance; you need to give up initially harmful products and reduce the consumption of protein foods, especially meat as a difficult-to-digest product.

The first fast is best done on a non-working day. Then, once you get the hang of it, you can fast while doing your job, and no one will notice, but for a beginner, combining work with a fast is almost impossible. You can do an enema beforehand on this day.

• The positive aspect of fasting is that the feeling of hunger is much weaker than with low-calorie diets. It turns out that not eating at all is easier than significantly undereating.

However, not everything is so rosy: refusal of food even for one day provokes weakness, headache and dizziness, nausea, bad mood, formation of plaque on the tongue, bad breath. The good news is that with regular practice of such days everything normalizes and improves, including mood.

It is necessary to exit the procedure gradually, first consuming vegetables, juices, fruits. It is important to drink more quality water. Put off "heavy" products for later. After exiting, it is extremely necessary to refrain from overeating.

Short-term water fasting does not pose a danger to the body, even if minor errors occur during the process. Therefore, it can be done at home, with or without a preliminary consultation with a doctor. Experience shows that if the preparation and exit methods are followed, the effect exceeds expectations. And if there are problems with the gastrointestinal tract, a short-term "fast" is more effective than taking pharmaceutical drugs. A one-day experience is also very important if the fasting person wants to prolong the "pleasure".

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Water fasting for 3 days

Nutritionists do not note any particular difference between one-day and two-day water fasting. If the fasting person feels fine after a day of fasting, he can extend it to 36 hours, or even 2 days at once. In this way, you can smoothly move on to a 3-day water fast without any prior experience or special preparation. However, it is advisable to properly prepare for a long period of abstinence from food.

The 3-day procedure results in the following consequences:

• The stomach stops secreting hydrochloric acid, but proteins and unsaturated fats are formed, which stimulate bile formation and suppress the feeling of hunger.
• The body begins to switch to independent nutrition; at the same time, digestion slows down, and its own fats begin to break down. But this is only the beginning, which requires completion.
• During this time, a person loses from 1 to several kilograms. To prevent the weight from returning, you should end the fast according to clear rules recommended by nutritionists.

A three-day fast produces the same results as a one-day fast, and as an added bonus, it has a beneficial effect on your appearance. Your skin becomes younger, fresher, and healthier. And here's another interesting fact: in just three days of such fasting, you can get rid of dangerous addictions - alcohol, nicotine, and even drugs.

If you feel suddenly worse on any given day and your urine becomes dark or too cloudy, you should end the fast early. You may be able to continue the interrupted fast later and move on to 3 days after short-term fasts.

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Water fasting 7 days

The method of fasting on water for 7 days is often used only for the purpose of losing excess weight. However, it is effective in the treatment of diseases, including those that medicine cannot cope with in other ways. Therefore, many agree to give up food, despite the difficult psychological and stressful fasting on water for everyone.

The rules for a week-long fast are as follows:

• Decide what your goal is: treatment, weight loss, strict fasting, etc.
• Consult a nutritionist individually.
• Select the type and term, do not extend it “on the fly”.
• Prepare carefully, set yourself up for success and positivity.
• Choose a convenient time and season. It is advisable to make the first two days days off.
• Remove sugar from your menu a week before starting.
• Two days before, reduce portions and switch to plant foods.
• Before dinner on the eve of a fast, cleanse the digestive tract with a magnesium solution.
• Follow all recommendations for exiting the procedure.

During the seven-day fast, morning enemas are recommended. The procedure is performed with a solution of potassium permanganate (up to 1.5 l), the concentration is a soft pink color. The fasting person turns over several times in a lying position, strokes the stomach clockwise, then from the pubis to the navel. After completion, it is necessary to do breathing exercises and gymnastics.

Drink at least 1.5 liters of mineral water every day, do not smoke, do not sunbathe, and do not freeze in winter.

The way out of the procedure is to restore peristalsis, "frozen" for a week without food. Stimulation begins with light unsalted decoctions - vegetable, cereal. The next two days are limited to a dairy and vegetable menu. On the 4th-5th day, bread appears on the menu and only on the sixth day can you allow yourself a normal diet.

As a result, not only does the weight drop to 5 kg, the skin improve, the energy surge, but also the revaluation of values, a new perception of the world. The person feels confident, optimistic and wants to lead an active life.

Water fasting for 10 days

Some consider water fasting a simple, others a complex way to solve health problems. Indeed, it seems much easier to use diets that limit certain foods, but do not exclude food altogether. Or use special means for weight loss or medications for the treatment of diseases.

• When preparing to fast on water for 10 days, you should know that in reality the food restrictions last much longer. They begin in advance and end several days after the official end of the fast.

You need to be prepared for this, first of all psychologically, so as not to give up prematurely and ruin the whole idea.

The method founded by Paul Bragg recommends replacing food with water entirely; you can drink it as much as you want for ten days. Medium-term fasting, which includes 10-day fasting, cleanses the body, reduces blood sugar and cholesterol, stimulates brain activity, and eliminates fat deposits. If you follow a doctor's recommendations and perform the procedure correctly, the effect is obvious.

However, not all doctors share the opinion about the benefits of water fasting, as they consider it unjustifiably risky. Especially if the procedure is carried out uncontrollably and irresponsibly.

• There are indeed some disadvantages. Thus, during the cleansing process, proteins are broken down, which causes the muscles to suffer. The accumulation of acetone bodies poisons nerve cells, insulin is critically reduced, which is fraught with diabetic coma. There is a deficiency of vitamins, minerals and nutritional components, and the metabolism slows down.

The desire to lose a couple of kilograms can lead to worse consequences: memory loss, nervousness up to aggression, visual hallucinations, fainting. Such sacrifices are justified if there are no other ways to overcome a serious pathology. But suffering and taking risks for the sake of banal weight loss is hardly advisable.

Water fasting 21 days

Some consider extreme water fasting for 21 days a panacea for insomnia, chronic diseases, excess weight and other complex problems. Those who have tried the method on themselves really note an improvement in sleep and intellectual activity, a surge of vigor and optimism, rejuvenation and the return of a slim figure.

However, such a long water fast is a complicated and difficult procedure, and not everyone can endure it. A 3-week fast is carried out by people who have already fasted for shorter periods in the past. A person who decides to do this procedure will have to undergo preliminary consultations with specialists, undergo examination and tests to determine physical readiness, as well as psychological determination and focus on success.

• Preparation for a long fast takes a lot of time. It consists of eliminating meat and fish, fatty oils and dairy products, flour and sweets, alcohol and cigarettes. With a plant-based diet, the body already begins to cleanse itself of cholesterol, fats and poisons accumulated during life.

A few days before the procedure, the volume of food is reduced. The day before, a modest menu without dinner and a cleansing enema are recommended, necessarily with water at room temperature. In the morning, the intestines are cleaned with laxative infusions or medications.

You should drink clean fresh water every hour, more often if you wish. It is recommended to suppress unpleasant symptoms, which are inevitable at the beginning of the procedure, by moderately active pastime: walking, meditation, contrast shower, which washes away toxins released through the skin pores. If possible, walk barefoot, dress in loose natural clothing, sleep in a ventilated room.

• Halfway through the term, it is necessary to check the blood parameters. If the course is normal, the tests show an improvement in the blood. The plaque that forms on the tongue is removed, the oral cavity is rinsed without using a toothbrush.

The exit from the hunger strike is very smooth. You should be prepared for the fact that the weight will start to return from the very first day. For prevention, eat modestly and fast. The menu at first consists of vegetables: a 200-g portion of grated cabbage or an apple is the best choice. Eat a little, up to six times a day. Diluted juice, a small fruit is an ideal snack. Lunch is a watery vegetable broth, mint infusion with honey. For dinner - also cabbage or an apple.

On the second day, porridge with butter is added to the diet for breakfast, low-fat soup for lunch, and kefir for dinner. Nuts are good for a snack.

On the third day, bread, low-fat cottage cheese, and fresh fruit are allowed. Herbal infusions are allowed as drinks.

When fasting is organized correctly, the body heals itself: it devours dead and pathological cells, producing healthy ones in return. This is reflected in the well-being: the emotions of the fasting person become more positive, the nervous system is strengthened, the person perceives life more joyfully.

If during the fasting period the condition critically worsens and the tests cause concern for doctors, the procedure should be stopped and the issue of fasting should be returned to after the obstacles have been eliminated.

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Water fasting 40 days

The longest is a 40-day water fast. During this period, changes occur on the physical and mental level. The discomfort typical of the initial days of the fast is followed by dizziness, pain in the gastrointestinal tract, bitterness, fever, and sleep disturbances. Blood acidity shifts, as evidenced by the sharp smell of acetone.

• At the beginning of the second week of water fasting, the so-called acidotic crisis occurs, that is, maximum acidification of the blood. In a biochemical sense, during the crisis, ketone bodies are used to create amino acids.

After the crisis, the picture changes for the better – up to the onset of comfort and harmony. This happens thanks to a new way of eating – with the involvement of the body's own resources. The discomfort that bothered you before disappears, the processes of cleansing and renewing the body are activated, the person feels a jolt of energy. Headaches, bad breath and the desire to eat disappear without a trace, sleep is normalized.

However, there is one "but": if the restructuring is delayed and lasts more than 10-12 days, then something in the body has gone wrong. Such a situation requires urgent medical intervention and, possibly, hospitalization (if the fasting person is outside the clinic).