What is Water Fasting?

Water fasting consists of eliminating all solid and liquid foods to the exclusion of water. There are various types of water that can be used to detoxify the body while fasting. Our preferred water is Grander water. The Grander water system is added to a regular filtering system, either carbon filter or reverse osmosis.

Water Fasting for Weight Loss

We do not recommend or use water fasting to lose weight or for any eating disorders such as bulimia, overeating, binge eating disorder. The reasons are that food restrictions in some individuals prone to bingeing may generate the desire to binge after the completion of the fast and that ultimately the rapid weight loss will be regained rapidly. For weight loss, we prefer to focus on detoxification (link) and a more sustainable regular nutritious diet such as raw food with daily intermittent fasting. Long-term fasting for rapid weight loss is bound to fail when food is reintroduced, whereas progressive weight loss is a plan for sustained weight management. Moreover, rapid weight loss does not take into account health concerns that accompany bulimia and obesity, such as nutrient deficiencies and electrolyte imbalance. On a raw food diet weight loss is accomplished and sustained, electrolyte imbalance and deficiencies are restored. Read more about our Lifestyle Change for Weight Loss program.

Intermittent Fasting

We all fast while we sleep. This natural fasting cycle can be extended with an early dinner and a late breakfast to accomplish a 16-hour fasting cycle. This is done by eating dinner at 5:00 PM or 5:30 PM and breakfast at 9:00 AM or 9:30 AM. The early morning hours are used for exercise.

Water Types

Distilled water does not contain any minerals and is obtained by the process of distillation. Distillation consists of boiling the water and condensing it in a container. Rainwater is naturally distilled water. Distilled water is acidic with a pH of 5.5-5.8.

Spring Water

Springwater contains various minerals depending on the specific spring. Most companies keep the spring water in plastic bottles and the water is contaminated with plasticizes. It is better to choose glass bottles.

Filtered Water

Filtered water is obtained from treating tap water. Tap water should not be used in any case without filtering to remove chemicals and toxins byproducts of disinfection. The two main chemicals used for the disinfection of the water are chlorine and fluorine. Tap water also contains heavy metals such as arsenic and aluminum and prescription drugs residues that are routinely dumped in toilets to be discarded or contained in the urine. Chlorine disinfection byproducts are as dangerous if not more than chlorine itself.

A carbon filter must be used to remove all these chemicals, chemical byproducts, and heavy metals.

If your tap water contains fluorine (Some states have it some not) a simple carbon filter will not be sufficient and you will need to obtain a reverse osmosis filter.

Alkaline Water

To obtain alkaline water an alkalizer is used. The alkalizer is separating the water into acidic water that can be used to water plants or wash dishes and the alkaline water for drinking. The pH of alkaline water is adjustable between 7.0 and 8.5.

Revitalized Live Water: Grander Water

Grander water reproduces the taste and the energy of mountain spring water. The following effects have been reported:

  • water stays fresh longer
  • better taste of the water leads to increased drinking
  • pleasant, soft feeling while bathing and showering for skin and hair
  • improved plant growth and noticeable display of color
  • more freshness and taste in food which stays fresh longer
  • savings in laundry and cleaning products, also more environmentally-friendly
  • pleasant bathing experience in swimming pools
  • increased protection for heating system and noticeably clear heating water

Upgrade Your Water

Upgrade your water with the  High Tech Health Water Ionizer! It will create extremely clean water, make minerals bio-available, adjust pH, and even produces highly beneficial molecular hydrogen gas! Give them a call at  1-800-794-5355  to learn more and mention the Hawaii Naturopathic Retreat Center to get a great discount!

Preparing for a Water or Juice Fast

Progressive food elimination is recommended. This may be done one week or more prior to the start of the retreat program at the clinic or at home. This preparation will consist of a raw live food diet, juicing, exercise, and journaling. Introspection is important to prepare the mind for change and the successful implementation of new lifestyle habits.

Improve the detoxification efficacy of the fast by preparing at home!

How To Prepare for a Water or Juice Fast

The Pre-Fast Regimen: Eight Days is Recommended for Preparation

  • Days 1-3: Avoid meat, fish, fowl, eggs, dairy, grains, legumes, salt and spices. Focus on fruits and vegetables; cooking them is okay.
  • Days 4-6: As above, except all foods are eaten raw.
  • Days 7-8: Raw fruit and vegetable juices only.

It is also recommended that you meditate and journal on the lifestyle and diet changes you want to make, so as to start your fast with a clear vision.

Following this plan for the eight days before you commence your fast will ease your body into burning fats and detoxifying, and make starting the water fast easier.

During the Fast:

Your part!

Resting, complete relaxation and contemplation is the main focus of the fast. Secondary activities such as meditating, praying, sun bathing, yoga, drawing, painting, skin brushing, may occur.

Medical support: Mini daily checkups with Dr. Baylac to ascertain progress of the fast.

Spiritual and emotional support: More extensive visits can occur when necessary. Lifestyle Change Consultations, Reichian Breathwork, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) or The Work of Byron Katie.

Other possible activities: Soaking, bathing and swimming in natural warm pools, by the ocean.
Nature walks in the jungle or to the crater. Hands-on live food preparation, and continuing lifestyle education.

After the Fast

  • Progressive reintroduction of food with food sensitivity testing.
  • Rebuilding the body with vibrant raw live food and juices.
  • Continued introspection and meditation.
  • Progressive reintroduction of physical activities.

Fasting Procedures Incorporated In Our Fasting Programs

Fasting Procedures

  • Water Fasting
  • Green Juice Fasting
  • Coconut Water Fasting
  • Broth Fasting


Find More On Fasting

What others experienced

In the beginning of 2008, I did a twenty-one day fast and silent meditation retreat, plus six days of raw food. I devoted a total of one month to the process. It was the most challenging and most rewarding experience I have ever done. I went into deeply transformative spaces in body and psyche. The profound spiritual transformation is still fully present, reverberating through me as a continuous ecstatic undercurrent. In general, I feel reborn, renewed, fresh and bubbling, vibrantly alive and full of gratitude. During my stay I learned to feel deep gratitude for each moment of life. I learned a huge amount about nutrition, and about regeneration. I learned to expand my level of compassion and love towards myself and others.

Sarita2008

It has been three months since I completed the fast and I am continuing a healthy eating regime, and basically have changed my entire relationship with food. I am more committed than ever to living in optimum health and well-being, and when I get a little slippery with myself, I think of Maya and happily get right back on track. She is a living example of self-responsibility and honoring of the body temple – an inspiring person and doctor. I strongly recommend her clinic for anyone with any kind of ailment; physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. It’s a great gift only you can give to yourself.

P.S. approximately 70% of my long standing symptoms were gone by the end of the fast.

Faith Callier2005

My forty-nine day detoxification & rejuvenation (thirty-one days on pure water; eighteen on restricted coconut water and pure water).

I won’t relate exactly what happened to me. Nothing that I expected to happen, happened; the things I least expected to happen, did. If you hear my stories, you might expect the same things to happen to you. I can tell you of my tongue’s coat changing and parting like the red sea, moles falling off, grey hairs vanishing, warts disappearing, knees and entire leg bones straightening, eyesight going wild then improving, a little toenail appearing for the first time in my life, but I can also tell you of a cyst in my nose remaining, a scar on my cheek unchanged. Who knows what your body will consider its priorities? (And who knows what miracles occurred in my kidneys, my spleen, my prostate, etc., etc.?) After all, the body has a lot of nooks and crannies, and it’s clever enough to repair them all, perfectly, in turn and in concert, in a conscious-numbingly fine-tuned web of coordinated steps and actions.)

Tim 2003 - 49 day fast