Healing our Bodies: Part 2 - Organic Fasting/Hyperalimentation

One morning in January, I woke up feeling like I caught the bug. I decided that I would do an organic fasting to fight it, which meant that I was going to have  only  organic food all day, mostly raw. Although I had somewhat started to eat this way for some months now, I had not done anything as intense as what I was planning.

This is a take off from the Gerson Diet, which is designed to heal our bodies. I  don't suffer from a chronic, serious disease so I am eating some foods that are eliminated in the Gerson diet for the treatment of cancer and other chronic diseases, like wheat, nuts, and dairy products. 

The focus of my fast is on juicing fruits and vegetables.  The juices are best taken on an empty stomach and they can take the place of the same amount of water you drink.To some, this is a means to detoxify. To me, it is also a way of bombarding my body with much needed nutrients, hyperalimentation.

JUICING: First, wash the fruit and vegetable ingredients  in filtered water with a capful or so of apple-cider vinegar (ACV), which acts as a disinfectant. I use purified water because it is partly absorbed by the organic fruits and vegetables which are soaked for, at least, 10 minutes. This keeps their organic origins from being contaminated by any toxins or other matters that maybe in the tap water. Then, drain off the excess water.

The next step is to cut up the ingredients into strips and bits, to fit the neck of the masticating juicer, as opposed to using the centrifugal type. Choosing the right juicer makes a world of difference in the resulting juice. The masticating juicer chews out the fruit and vegetable to a pulp, slowly, thereby squeezing more juice out with higher nutritional values, including glyconutrients.

This is an important feature because our bodies need to get the most nutrition out of raw food ingredients, the rebuilding blocks to get our bodies back into becoming healthy again, to the state where it can start healing from within without taking medication. 


I started my day with a glass of ACV + honey, diluted in filtered water to make an 8 oz. drink. After an hour, it was followed by...

1st Juice serving - Super Trio: broccoli, carrots, and a green apple.

Broccoli - has a large amount of Vit C which aids in iron absorption, prevents cataract formation, aids in treating the common cold.

* TIP: Carrot strips and apple strips are juiced alternately. The carrot pulp helps move the apple mush through the masticating part of the juicer.

2nd Juice serving - Basic Two: carrots and green apple

Carrots - excellent source for antioxidant compounds which protects against cardiovascular disease and cancer, richest source for pro-Vit A carotenes which promote good vision.

Apples - presence of phytonutrients (polyphenols and flavonoids) help regulate blood sugar. 

3rd Juice serving - OJ, pure orange juice with pulp

Oranges - the presence of phytonutrients plus it's Vit C gives it significant antioxidant properties; the most important flavanone can be found in the peel and the inner white pulp of the orange, which has been shown to lower cholesterol as well as have anti-inflammatory properties.

Using a microplane, I gathered the orange zest on the orange peel to add to my orange juice. (Please use this gadget with utmost care, as it is very sharp. When washing, always go with the direction of the tiny blades.)

Breakfast: half a a bowl of milk, with oatmeal and avocado, 
sweetened with agave syrup

Milk -  an ideal source for Vit A & B, calcium, carbohydrate, phosphorous, magnesium, protein, zinc, and riboflavin which aid our bone health, robust-looking skin, good immune system, preventions of some diseases (like hypertension), dental decay, dehydration, respiratory problems, and some forms of cancer. Severe deficiency of dairy product consumption may cause anemia and osteoporosis.

Oats -  a cereal plant high in calcium, potassium, magnesium and B complex - all necessary for a healthy nervous system; a good source for inositol which is important for maintaining blood cholesterol levels; good fiber source - protects us from bowel cancer; a natural anti-depressant; cooked oats relieve fatigue.

Avocado - the best fruit source for Vit E that protects against many diseases and maintains overall health; an excellent source for glutathione (antioxidant) for anti aging, cancer, heart diseases; a source for folate - lowers incidence of heart diseases; when eaten in a salad, it enables better absorption of carotenoids (lycopene and beta carotene) five times; a source for carotenoid lutein - protects against macular degenaration and cataracts.

Agave syrup - a good substitute to sugar and other sweeteners due to its low glycimic index; the agave nectar is used in folk remedy because of its medicinal properties.

Morning snack: a banana

Bananas - one of the best sources for potassium which is an essential mineral in maintaining a healthy heart function(in maintaining or lowering blood pressure and protects against atherosclerosis).

LUNCH: Entree: Mozarella Salad - mozzarella, tomato, parsley, 
seasoned with pepper and drizzled with olive oil

Tomato -  a good source for Vit C, and some Vit A & K;  a prominent source for lycopene - and antioxidant that helps protect the cells and other bodily structures from oxygen damage, protection of DNA (our genetic map) inside the white blood cells and plays a role in the prevention of heart disease. It is found to be protective against different types of cancer - colorectal, prostate, breast, endometrial, lung, and pancreatic cancer.  

Parsley - rich in Vit K and some Vit C

Main Course: Quinoa Salad - quinoa, cucumber, tomato, 

echalotte, garlic, with vinaigrette

Quinoa - a high complete protein source rich in essential nutrients; high in fiber content; rich in manganese and magnesium (good for migraine sufferers), zinc, Vit E, and selenium which control weigh; reduce the risks for heart disease, certain types of cancer and diabetes. It also is an an anti-oxidant that protects the body from free-radical damage; rich in riboflavin (B 2) essential in energy production within the cells; provides significant cardiovascular benefits for post-menopausal women.


Cucumber - a succulent with Vit C,caffeic acid, and folate; good for soothing skin irritations and swelling; cucumber skin is rich in fiber and the minerals silica, potassium and magnesium; the ascorbic and caffeic acid content prevents water retention;  when applied topically, it is good for eyebags, sunburn, and dermatitis.


Lettuce - a good source of chlorophyll and Vit K, A and C; has minerals like iron, calcium, phosphorus, folic acid, manganese, postassium, chromium; has high water content and low in calories; high fiber - helps with elimination of toxins and other waste materials. Juicing lettuce leaves ( the darker the better) can be used as natural home remedies for sexual disorders,  iron deficiency, weight loss, hair loss, insomnia, cardiovascular disease, and strengthening of weak bones.


Garlic -  may help improve iron metabolism; a good source of selenium; aids in keeping our blood vessels expanded and helps stabilize the blood pressure; research suggests that garlic consumption may actually help to regulate the number of fat cells that get formed in our body; has anti-inflammatory properties. 

4th Juice serving: Green Juice - cucumber, broccoli, green apple, celery

Celery leaves - have a high content of vitamin A.

Celery stems - are an excellent source of vitamins B1, B2, B6 and C;  rich in potassium, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, sodium and essential amino acids. It has many health benefits.

5th Juice serving: Basic Two 

6th Juice serving: Flavanones - sweet potato, carrots, Fuji apple

Sweet potato -  a very good source for beta carotene and Vit A.

Dinner: Soupe de Potiron - the remaining pulp from juicing squash, sweet potato, carrots and apples; plus onion, fresh parsley, potato (with skin) added during cooking. 

Squash - is a good source of Vit A and C, and also contains calcium and iron. It has two phytochemicals - cuomarins and flavonoids. The coumarins may be used for the treatment of venous and arterial thromboembolism, as in the case of transient ischemic attacks and strokes. The beta carotene is found in the skin and rinds and should be eaten.

Potato - is a high-fiber source which is needed for protection against cardiovascular disease and cancer; a good source of Vit C, Vit B6, copper, potassium, and manganese; it contains phytonutrients (carotenoids, flavonoids, caffeic acid, patatin) with antioxidant activity.

Onion -  a rich source for a number of sulfur compounds; it is effective against bacteria though it is not as potent as garlic; it aids in cardiovascular health and cancer prevention and other physical conditions such as relief in the treatment of coughs, colds, asthma and bronchitis, and decrease bronchial spasms.

Just a quick glance at the list of ingredients and their health benefits shows me how much nutrients I had taken in one day. A lot of it! I consumed close to 4.5 kilos (about 10 pounds) of fruits and vegetables. In the Gerson diet for people suffering from chronic diseases, the total consumption is close to 9 kilos (about 20 pounds) per day.


The following day, I woke up with a fever. I continued my program. Ingesting food in juice form bypasses the digestive system and goes straight into our bloodstream. In so doing, it carries with it the toxins - acummulated amounts of food additives, residues of pesticides and othe agrichemicals - to the liver. Plus, add the toxins that had previously built up in the liver, this could have caused a "toxin jam". An important part of the Gerson therapy is employing coffee enemas to detoxify the liver. I followed the directions and I had a coffee enema. After sometime, my fever was gone. I continued to juice.


Day 3: After I started my fasting /juicing program, I woke up and realized that I could move with ease, with out much pain in my neck and back from osteoarthritis, my chronic conditions of frozen shoulder and tennis elbow,  and my pinched sciatic nerve. I still followed my juicing regimen.


I continue to eat this way, as much as I can, because I have never felt this good in the last 25 years. And, to think that the orthopedist told me a year ago that there was no cure for my osteoarthritis, he was wrong. Now, I think I can gracefully age without complaining too much.


You, too, can be pain free or even be disease free! It takes more than a day or months to get to this point. For some, it takes years of being on a much stricter vegetarian raw-food diet to be healed.


Reference:  
Gerson, C. & Bishop, B. (2010). HEALING the Gerson Way - Defeating Cancer and Other Chronic Diseases. Gerson Health Media: California