Liquid fast day/detox program

A Liquid Fast Day is the ‘clean out day’ for your gut. Fasting as a concept has been around for thousands of years, as it is easy to do (once you get the hang of it!) and recent studies have proven that it has a very positive impact on your health, from reduced heart disease, diabetes 2, Alzheimer and even cancer.

The best time to undertake a Liquid Fast Day is during the Waning Crescent Moon or 4th Quarter (the last 7 days leading up to the New Moon) and the New Moon, the preferred time for a detox program. At LWTM we call this a ‘Liquid Fast Day’. An alternative date is when your gut is highlighted – look out for this symbol on the LWTM lifestyle calendar.

But it needs to be a day when you can take the foot off the pedal and rest, even if it is a few days later. Don’t try to fast and drive, work with machines, or when your job is very demanding and stressful. The fast will then be counter-productive and you can’t expect to rely on your ‘usual level of concentration’, especially if you are new to fasting. 

We do not just detox via our daily toilet routine.  It is equally important to get some fresh air, so your lungs can detox and have regular showers and baths, as the skin also gets rid of lots of toxins, too. 

What is the routine on a Liquid Fast Day? 

Evening Before the first fast day:
Get the ingredients together for a big pot of stew/soup. If you have time you can already cook it in advance. Otherwise, cook on the first morning. On the evening of your first fast day try to eat as little as possible – if you cook now, you can already eat your soup/stew – certainly avoid alcohol, fizzy drinks, nicotine, and too much sugar.  Take out a large glass add 1 teaspoon of Epsom Salt and some water (fill up 1/8 of the glass) and leave it to dissolve overnight. Try to go to bed early and get a good night’s sleep. 

The next morning, the first thing is to top up your glass with the dissolved Epsom to the full and drink the diluted Epsom Salt mixture. It is called bitter salt for a reason, but you will soon the the hang of it. I try to drink in large gulps. Then you are ready for a light stretching program and a short walk/swim.

On your return, get a body brush and follow the body brushing regime followed by a nice warm shower, but ending on cold (as cold as you can bear), and slip into a bathrobe – don’t dry yourself and put on some warm socks. Relax, you will feel invigorated! To enhance, you can apply a body peeling between the brushing and the shower. Once the peeling is dried on, go under the shower and massage it away with a loofah glove. But end again on cold (see above). 

Once the skin has absorbed most of the moisture, add a good body lotion or oil all over the body. Your skin will thank you and will now feel wonderfully soft and well-nourished. 

Change into very comfortable house clothes and stay near a toilet (maybe even add a panty liner) as the Epsom salt will make you want to visit the toilet. The reaction is different for each person, some experience this sensation quite quickly whereas others may take until the afternoon. But be prepared! 

Then it is time to make a big thermos flask of herbal tea. One tea bag for 1 liter of hot water and you only dip the tea bag in, count to 5, and out again.  Otherwise, the tea is too strong. Like this, you can drink 2-3 liters of very weak herbal tea. Nettle, peppermint, fennel, dandelion, and lemon verbena teas all help with elimination and cleansing. Again it is something one needs to get used to, but now I love it and would not drink it any other way! This tea you sip all morning, whilst doing light housework, reading, and relaxing. 

Black tea or coffee is allowed, but only in moderation and ideally in the morning or early afternoon. Both have zero calories and can help with elimination, especially when you are used to drinking both tea and coffee. But do ditch the milk! The rest of the liquid you need to make up with either herbal tea or just plain water. 

If you have not made your stew or soup the night before, now is a good time to cook. Make a big batch and leave it on the stove. Then you can help yourself at lunchtime and in the evening. If you plan to fast for more days, I suggest you make enough to last you up to 2-3 days. 

To give your digestion a good break, stay off anything fresh (yes even fruit and vegetables). But you can make a compote/apple mousse (just peel some apples or pears and cook them for a few minutes until soft and you can eat this. You could also use nectarines, plums, and apricots). Again I would make a big compote/mousse and keep it for the 2 days. 

Now your cooking is done for the next 2 days and you can relax.  Don’t eat whilst cooking, but instead drink your herbal tea (and lots of it), or if you prefer still mineral water or bone broth, anything else is off-limits. 

Before lunch

Your meals are prepared, you are in comfortable clothes, and now it is time to give your hardworking liver a break by preparing a liver wrap. 

You need a flannel, a large towel, and a hot water bottle. Fill up the water bottle with warm to hot water (as hot as you can tolerate without burning), wet the flannel, and then lie down. First put the wet flannel on your liver (right-hand side, just under the ribcage), put the hot water bottle on top, make sure it stays on the flannel and not on the skin, then wrap the large dry towel around you and rest. This is a great method to detox your liver and you will feel very rested after it. But only do liver wraps until about 2 pm, if you want to do this in the evening, then put it on your belly to warm up your digestion. 

Afternoon: 

If the weather is good, go outside for a stroll, otherwise, read, watch a good film, sleep, meditate, fill in your goal planner for the month ahead, and permit yourself to just relax! 

Your bowel movement/s should have happened by now and as you are drinking so much, you should empty your bladder on a regular basis. You will feel this cleansing effect and hopefully, you keep going. 

The afternoon/evening is the hardest time as you will get an urge to eat. If you really can’t cope,  have another small plate of soup/stew, or if you really need something solid, have a rice cracker. The first Liquid Fast Day can be quite tough, but with every time your body builds up more resistance, and eventually, it will be easy and natural and you could even do some light work. 

Evening:
Have an early dinner, latest 7 pm and run a bath (you can do this before or after eating, but then leave a 30-minute gap). Get Epsom Salt bath salts and add 2 handfuls to a warm bath. This will draw out more toxins and you can shower it off, but this time I would leave the cold off. Before changing into your pajamas add some more body lotion/face or body oil and let it soak in. 

Then prepare your Epsom salt for the next day, if you are back to work, just add half or a quarter of a teaspoon and repeat as above. 

It is advisable to feed your brain with good, relaxing music, by reading a good book or watching a good film/TV show. Whatever it is, it should be uplifting, thrilling and educational. No horror, real-life crime, or anything that could depress or disturb. 

If you feel great and have got time, rinse and repeat for day 2. If at any time you feel dizzy, faint, or have a blackout, please eat a small portion of your usual meal and stop the fast. 

Disclaimer: You should not fast if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you suffer from a chronic disease or have any other health condition, speak to your doctor first. We assume that you are in good health. We add this information in good faith as general guidance, but individual circumstances can vary, and if in doubt speak to a health professional first. Good luck. 

Here is an article that explains more about my own research into this subject