Angela Stokes (behind the table on left) at a Simply Raw Festival – Photo Courtesy: Valerie Doucette
29 year old Angela Stokes chose to take her raw food lifestyle to the next level by completely going on a liquid (fruit and veggie) juice diet for 92 days. Unlike a juice fast, Angela did not deprive her body of calories or nutrients. She simply provided her body with easily digestible nourishment – minus the fiber.
Juicing Fruits and Veggies Eliminates the Fiber
92 days without fiber is quite concerning. Many doctors (holistic and western) agree that fiber is the most important part of our diet. Fiber helps us eliminate waste.
However, as you will see, Oprah’s favorite doctor, Doctor Oz, explains: too much fiber can be detrimental.
If you radically increase your intake of fiber, though, you may feel gassy. “Your intestinal tract isn’t ready for it,” Dr. Oz says. “The fiber in the bowel is permeated by all these bacteria, the bacteria eat the fiber, and they make gas. That’s their waste product. So you’ve got to slowly build up when you add fiber to your diet. But at the end of the day, you’re going to have some gas. But it’s a good sign because you’re digesting food that’s good for you.
Many People Don’t Consume Enough Fiber
A common diet of cooked foods and refined carbohydrates makes daily toxin elimination almost impossible. So, many of us cannot afford to go 3 months without fiber.
Most adult women should shoot for over 20 grams of fiber a day; men should shoot for over 30 grams. You can easily achieve 30 grams of fiber each day by eating three servings of vegetables, three servings of fruit, two servings of whole grain foods, and one serving of legumes, such as lentils, kidney, black, and lima beans. To achieve 35 grams of fiber, eat four servings of vegetables, four servings of fruit, four servings of whole grain foods, and one serving of legumes.
The Nutrition Source – Harvard School of Public Health
Most health conscious people are already aware that foods with high fiber are good for them. These foods include fruits, vegetables, beans and whole grains, among others, that are high in vitamins and minerals but low in calories. Still, many of these people consume less than optimum fiber; and if they consume high fat while getting low fiber, they are at an increased risk for getting conditions like constipation and hemorrhoids.
The two types of fiber, insoluble and soluble, while being beneficial, pass through the body without being digested. However, in the process, insoluble fiber helps keep intestines and colon functioning properly and regulates bowel movements.
Angela Set the Stage for a Healthy Reaction to Juice Feasting
It is important to note that Angela Stokes healed her body with a raw food diet for years before deciding to ‘juice feast’. Her experience really speaks to the importance of taking dietary changes step by step. Since she was ready for the feast—she greatly benefited from it.
Resources:
Raw Reform [Angela Stokes’ Blog]
Investigating Food Myths with Dr. Oz [Oprah.com]
Gina Laverde is a Chicago-based writer and researcher whose expertise in natural health stems from her experiences with Body Ecology Diet, Blood Type Diet and homeopathic remedies. Gina believes that we’re in the midst of a serious world health crisis, and that the key to survival lies within our guts.
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