The Fasting Diet (Paperback)

~ Steven Bailey (Author) "Fasting, as a willful act, predates written and spoken history..." (more)
Key Phrases: fasting physiology, juice phase, reintroduction diet, Master Cleanser, United States, Day One (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

A medically sound way to relieve common ailments, such as allergies and digestive complaints

Fasting--going for short periods of time without certain types of foods--is gaining more attention for its ability to detoxify the body, strengthen the immune system, promote healing, and lead to heightened emotional awareness and clarity. Presented by an expert in the field, The Fasting Diet is a medically sound and risk-free approach that will allow you to achieve all of the benefits of fasting without endangering health or drastically altering your lifestyle.

About the Author

Steven Bailey, N.D., is an internationally recognized authority on therapeutic fasting. He lectures worldwide and is the author of more than 150 articles on national health.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0658011456
• ISBN-13: 978-0658011450
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #151,161 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 48 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Juice Fasting for Dummies, October 20, 2003

By	shettakaburi (TX USA) - See all my reviews

The title sums it up. The real question is, does it actually work? According to many fasting doctors, like Joel Fuhrman, juice fasting doesnt work. Will you lose weight? Yes. Is it healthy? Sources say no.

There are two major changes that occur in a fast: ketosis and a relaxation of digestion. With a juice fast you will relax your digestive system, according to Dr. Bailey, and that relaxation in itself is all you need to start your body on the weight loss and healing. Dr. Bailey also claimed that in todays toxic world its simply too dangerous to go on a water fast because so many toxins will be released into our system for cleaning that the body wont be able to handle it and the subject will become very ill and lethargic.

Ketosis is when the body shifts from sugar fuel to ketone fuel. The body will do this about 2 or 3 days into the fast once it realizes no more carbs are coming. The liver starts producing ketones which are made by breaking down fat and bad cells (like tumors) and turning them into fuel for the brain and the rest of your body. However, on a juice fast, you never stop the influx of carbs so your body never goes into ketosis and so the greater amount of weightloss and healing does not occur.

I highly recommend water fasting over juice fasting thanks to my own experience (juice fast 27 days, water fast 17 days). I felt much better during the water fast and could have gone much longer except it was time for vacation and i love laksa!

Please pick up Joel Fuhrman's "Fasting and Eating for Health" if you are considering a fast.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great fasting advice, July 22, 2004

By	S. Dean (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I did the fasting diet under Dr. Bailey?s supervision in 1992 while in Portland, Oregon. The results were positive and I have since done the fast many times on my own, unsupervised.

I don't know if I would have the courage and confidence to do a fast from reading a book without personal guidance. However, I can say that the book includes all the information I received under the supervised fast, and much more.

I will not do this fast solely to lose weight. Rather, the fast helps me to re-evaluate my long-term relationship to food which gets me on the path to better nutrition and healthy weight loss. By eliminating food that is high in calories yet empty nutritionally, I am able to ?re-set? my eating habits. After the fast, I eat far less food that is higher in nutrition (i.e., only the food my body really needs). I am more balanced emotionally and think more clearly after doing this fast.

I think this book provides good information and I recommend it without reservation.

14 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 5 STARS!!!, April 22, 2004

By	Thaddeus Jacobs (Santa Barbara, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This books does an extremely good job of laying out the many facets of fasting. The two-star rater who claimed that water fasting is the only way to go is quite ignorant on a number of counts (Besides, I don't think he even read the book).

1) Water fasting MUST be medically supervized very closely; juice fasting is much less risky in terms of preventing potentially fatal electrolyte imbalance.

2) His "experience" is himself, alone (he also points out that he prepared for his extended water fast experience by using the juice fast...hmmm); Dr. Bailey has supervized thousands of fasters and has reversed many conditions believed to be incurable (sure, water fasting can potentially do the same, but why take greater risks...especially when a series of consecutive fasts are needed to produce the desired results).

3) fasting is NOT a good way to lose weight; you CAN lose weight, but it's not a substitute for rational lifestyle changes.

4) juice fasting is much better tolerated by the average person -I have my several-times-a-day aerobics and yoga instructor patients report that they have ample energy to continue their regular teaching routines; in fact, it's very common of people to claim they feel better and have MORE energy than they normally do while on the juice fast.

5) this list can go on and on.

I don't want to completely "knock" water fasting. It can be useful with the correct execution -i.e. preceeded by a juice fast AND medically supervised. I do not, however, believe that you should go buy a book by some self-proclaimed expert whom religiously swears that water fasts are the best; my experience, the experiences of my patients and the experiences of Dr. Baileys patients have proven otherwise.

Thaddeus Jacobs, ND, LAc
Co-founder, Santa Barbara Center for Natural Medicine