Want a way to lose weight fast? Looking for a system to detox your body over a short period of time? Then a juice fast may be the solution for you.

A juice fast, which is essentially a short-term abstinence from solid food and a diet consisting of only raw vegetable and fruit juices, is a system being promoted by natural health professionals worldwide. One of the main benefits of a juice fast is weight loss. By limiting your caloric intake without depriving your body of essential nutrients and minerals, you’ll speed the weight loss process.

But a juice fast will also aid in detoxification. That’s because your body stores toxins in your fat cells. As you lose weight while consuming healthy, organic fruit and vegetable juice, your body will naturally dissolve fat cells and slough off the toxins in them as well, eliminating them through the skin, liver, kidneys, and colon.

How a Juice Fast Works

A juice fast will generally last for between one and three days, although some recommend as many as 10 days for a juice fast. During your juice fast, you’ll be using a home juicer to squeeze the nutrients, fiber, vitamins, and minerals out of organic fruits and veggies, resulting in a liquid “meal” that you can drink several times a day.

In generally, it is recommended that you consume between 32 and 64 ounces of your fresh-squeezed juice every day (freshly-squeezed fruits and veggies are recommended over store-bought options in order to get the most advantage from them). This juice should be sipped, and can include things like cabbage, apple, celery, spinach, beets, carrots, kale, pineapple, cranberry, and other healthful choices (although citrus options are generally not recommended). A wide variety is the way to go to get the maximum number of nutrients.

In addition to your regular juice intake, you should also be consuming more water than you would normally to help aid in the detox process. Filtered water is the best choice, and you should be sure to drink between 6 and 8 glasses every single day.

Tips for Doing a Juice Fast

To make your juice fast as worthwhile as possible, here’s what the experts recommend:

• Do your juice fast in the spring, or at the very least during the warm months. Your body will be more apt to lose weight during these times.
• To really kick-start your juice fast, begin to eliminate unhealthy habits and foods—caffeine, nicotine, white flour, fast and processed foods, sugar, dairy—from your life 7-10 days before you begin the juice fast. Add in lots of beans, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes.
• When juicing, try to choose only organic fruits and vegetables to avoid agricultural chemicals like pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers that can harm your body.

Just remember: if you’re pregnant or nursing, or if you are a diabetic, a juice fast is not recommended. Other cleansing methods such as diet-specific detoxes would be more suitable for you. Before beginning a fruit detox diet, consult with your doctor first, especially if you are on any medications or have any medical problems.