Fasting, the new health asset?
After the excesses of the holidays and before starting spring, February is the perfect off-season to feel lighter.
What is fasting?
"Fasting is the detoxification of the body: it allows deep cleaning, to rid the body of all industrial products and chemicals ingested: toxins responsible for fatigue, malaise or even diseases", explains Michelle Boucher, a fast-accompaniment and psychotherapist at www.jeuneyogaetrandonnee.com, 550? the week.
How? By stopping to eat simply! There is dry fast, which does not exceed three days and consists of not spitting any food. Less extreme, water fast admits liquid elements (water, herbal tea, broth). Beyond 24 hours without eating, we can consider that we entered the fasting period. Usually it is at this time that the stomach starts to gurgling ... not recommended for a first appointment!
The origins
Since ancient times, great doctors like Hippocrates and Galen have recommended healing fasting. One observes the fast of purification through the monotheistic religions also.
Even today, Muslims continue the tradition one month a year. The industrial and political revolutions have overshadowed religions especially during the twentieth century. But at the beginning of the 21st, the young person is experiencing a "revival", helped by the organic movement and the return of healthy values ... fasting becomes "in", it is "fashion"!
For who ?
Those who want to lose weight, forget the fast! It is above all a state of mind according to Michelle Boucher: "My trainees are men and women aged 18 to 68 who want to learn how to eat as healthy as possible. They are stressed, have a problem of health, or in their life. Fasting allows you to take a break, take a step back, have another apprehension of life, and that goes through the way of eating. And for good reason when we know that 30% of our time is dedicated to food. "
Even with this will, some people are contraindicated such as bulimics and anorexics, minors, diabetics, pregnant women and those with serious illnesses like cancer.
How long
The maximum duration is difficult to define. Historically, fasting can go up to 40 days. But when it comes to a "dry" fast, it obviously can not exceed a few days. Mrs Boucher recommends "a week of fasting a year. It's reasonable. The best is to listen to his body, it is he who will prevent when he is overloaded.
The typical fasting day
Do not eat does not mean staying in bed and waiting for it to happen! Fasting is accompanied by a spiritual work which is included in the services of the centers: "We start the day with a herbal tea and a group of speech, then a yoga session and meditation. Depending on the season, we have 3-4 hours of outdoor hiking, then yoga with relaxation and finally we finish the day at 20:30 with the broth. It is important to go to bed early because the body is digesting and working from 10pm to 2am ", says our specialist.
The boom of detox cures
A threshold below the fast, and still based on the purification of toxins, detox treatments are on the rise. More accessible than fasting, the cure has the advantage of practicing at home, and even with the family.
According to Caroline Jolivot, a gourmet nutritionist, "ldetox is about accepting to break a food lifestyle. It is decided to deprogram the habits to change the rhythm. It's an individual awareness. Detox is not a constraint, it's the joy of taking care of yourself. "
The detox program
Following the precepts of our nutritionist, here are the main lines of the cure:
1. Promote natural and organic products
2. Promote the plant and reduce or eliminate the animal (meats carry a higher risk of toxins)
3. Focus on fresh, seasonal and raw fruits and vegetables without additives
4. Focus on live foods, ie raw rather than cooked
5. Adopt dietary supplements such as barley grass juice herbal teas (Green Magma type)
6. Incorporate the plants (black radish, dandelion, birch ...) in all their forms into herbal tea or ampoules to activate the depurative effect
At first glance, we can think that all this will not open the appetite, think again: "La detox makes eating very varied, fresh and cheerful by incorporating all the desired aromas and spices that will give flavor. Oils rich in omega-3 -that have taste- are also acclaimed as olive oil, rapeseed, nuts, hemp. "
The cure also makes it possible to be reconciled with the pleasures of the table: "No way to eat standing up. The meals are calm, seated, warm and in good mood especially! ", exit the game-boy at the table, the TV volume 8 and phones in symphony ...
What benefits?
The detox focuses primarily on the work of emunctories, these organs that deal with waste and toxins naturally as the liver, kidneys, lymphatic system, intestine ...
The detox cure "washes" these organs, purges them, even heals them. It is also important to hydrate a lot outside of meals and of course to follow a physical activity (one hour of walking is enough) to allow oxygenation of the cells and help the lungs to eliminate fats and toxins.
The must of the cure, and not the least unpleasant, is to be massaged. The lymphatic drainage and the rolling palpate allow to work on the elimination and the blood circulation while decongesting the tissues.
The addresses :
Detox in the center: to become familiar with the rigor of cures, many centers offer vegetarian detox treatments accompanied by cultural activities. This is the case at the BUCHINGER Fasting Clinic.
For more information: www.buchinger.com/welcome-buchinger.html
Detox at home : the follow-up is done by a nutritional coach, as exerts Caroline Jolivot carolinejolivot@wanadoo.fr or 06 10 33 75 90
