Fasting

Fasting is nothing new, and its practice has played a central role in many religions and cultures for centuries. Fasting, by definition, is going without food and drink for a period of time. Usually, fasting is done for religious reasons and includes abstaining from food and drink, but it also hides its secrets, including the body's healing through the organism itself.

Simply put, it means you stop eating completely, or almost completely, for a certain period. Simple fasting usually lasts 12 to 24 hours, but some fasting types can continue for days. Sometimes, you may be allowed water, tea, coffee or even a tiny amount of food during the “fasting period.”

Fasting is common in almost every major religious tradition, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. In ancient Greece, Hippocrates believed it helped the body heal itself. During Ramadan, many Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset every day for a month. This has provided scientists with much information about what happens to your body when you fast; the news is mostly good.

Besides religious practice, there are several health reasons. The first is weight loss, and research shows that certain types of fasting may help improve your cholesterol, blood pressure, glucose levels, insulin sensitivity, and other health issues.

It is the most powerful, natural healing solution ever. One that's used by all cultures worldwide and virtually forgotten today! Fasting is the controlled voluntary abstinence of food, and you can do it for different reasons, like spiritual or health reasons, political protest and so on, and you still can call it fasting. Going back through the recorded human histories, you will see that people always fasted. Let's start with the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates. He very famously said:

"Our food should be our medicine, and our medicine should be our food

but to eat when you are sick is to feed your sickness."

Here directly and on this idea, comes the fasting instinct, and that is something that we instinctually do. For example, when you get a cold or flu, the last thing that comes to mind is food. So, as you can see, it naturally comes to us, showing that our bodies are designed to fast. It's designed to store food in times of availability and during times of scarcity to release it, and that's what comes naturally to us, and it's not just us, but all animals have the same ability. Take, for example, your dog! When a dog on another animal gets sick or hurt, they get somewhere quiet, relax to serve energy and drink only water which leaves the body to heal itself! Here it comes in mind something that Benjamin Franklin very wisely said:

“The best of all medicines are fasting and resting”

Can you see the naturalness of fasting? That's very deep! Think about it a little more carefully! Resting is the release of stress and relaxation and, combined with fasting, is designed to cleanse the system, formerly called a cleanser or purification.

As you can see, these are the two best natural remedies, not pharmaceutical solutions or surgeries, rest and fasting in its most natural form. In ancient history, Aristotle asked his student to fast for 40 days before accepting him to his academy. Don't go far, you can read in the Bible that Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days.

Mahatma Gandhi maintained that genuine fasting purifies the body, mind and soul. Buddhist monks do the same thing but do it every day. Very typically, they will fast from noon until sunrise the next day, so each day, there is a very extended period of fasting, what we now call intermittent fasting, in addition to that, they also have periods throughout the year when they'll have water fasting only to help them cleanse themselves.

The Muslim faith also has very profound believers in fasting. They have a month of part fasting called the holy month of Ramadan, and during that period, they would fast from sunrise until sundown every day for the entire month.

These religions did not prescribe fasting to their believers because they wanted to harm them. That's intrinsically beneficial, and we know from the science that there are many benefits like weight loss, insulin sensitivity, type 2 diabetes, liver disease, heart disease, and even cancer and also to feel better for mental clarity.

So, as you can see, fasting is not something unnatural, and it is not something we are just trying to force on our bodies, and when my clients, after I've explained all the previous stuff, still asked me.

- Can we do it? And my answer is always the same...

- Why not! Millions of people do it for their entire adult life, so why not you?

People that don't want you to fast is the fast-food industry because they are going to lose money, and then the medicine companies because they base their proven in the unhealthy condition, and that's why they have created doubt through doctors & nutritionists (thank God some exceptions fight the rest of them), media and so on!

Ultimately, you must ask yourself who you will trust regarding your health and well-being.

We often fear what we do not understand and become against it! Our best defence should be knowledge...not fear!

Is It Safe?

Brief fasting isn’t likely to hurt you if you’re a healthy adult, whether your weight is average or heavier. Still, your body needs good nutrition and fuel to thrive. So, talk to your doctor first, especially if you have health problems or take medication. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or have a history of eating disorders, you should avoid fasting. Kids and teens shouldn’t fast either.

However, during fasting, this process changes. After about 8 hours of fasting, the liver will use the last glucose stores. At this point, the body enters a state called gluconeogenesis, signalling the body's transition into a fasting state.

Studies have shown that gluconeogenesis increases the number of calories the body burns. Without carbohydrates, the body creates glucose using fat and a small use of muscle mass.

At this point, a person's metabolism slows down, and their body begins to burn muscle tissue for energy, but fortunately not for long because the liver, through internal conversions, creates a more prosperous energy currency called ketones, a derivative of fat.

At 48 hours, the fasting function begins to yield high energy levels, burning nine calories per gram of fat.

Although it's a well-known term in diet culture, the proper way to starve only occurs after several days or weeks without food. So for those who break their fast after 24 hours, it is generally safe to go without food for a day unless other conditions are present.

Benefits of Fasting, Backed by Science

Fasting Improves Insulin Sensitivity

Fasting has been shown to positively affect insulin sensitivity allowing the body to tolerate carbohydrates (sugar) better than if you didn't fast. After periods of fasting, insulin becomes more effective in telling cells to take up glucose from the blood.

Fasting Speeds Up the Metabolism

Fasting gives your digestive system a rest, which can energize the metabolism to burn calories more efficiently. If your digestion system is poor, this can affect your ability to metabolize food and burn fat. Fasting can regulate your digestion and improve your metabolic function.

Fasting Helps Weight Loss

Fasting can be a safe way to lose weight and allows the body to burn through fat cells more effectively than just regular dieting. Fasting allows the body to use fat instead of sugar as its primary energy source. Many athletes now use fasting to hit low body fat percentages for competition.

Fasting Improves Hunger

With fasting actually, you can improve the experience of real hunger. Ask yourself what kind of hunger you can have when you eat a meal every 3 – 4 hours. Of course, you can't understand unless you try fasting. Fasting helps to regulate the hormones in your body so that you experience true hunger. Think of fasting as a reset button, the longer you fast, the more your body can regulate itself with the correct hormones, and when your hormones are working, you get full quicker.

Fasting Improves Your Eating Patterns

Fasting can be a helpful practice for those who suffer from binge eating disorders, allowing you to eat at a set time that fits your lifestyle.

Fasting Improves Your Brain Function

Fasting has been shown to improve brain function because it boosts the production of a protein called Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF = Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). BDNF activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons and triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health. This protein also protects your brain from changes associated with Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.

Fasting Improves Your Immune System

Fasting improves the immune system by reducing free radical damage, regulating inflammatory conditions in the body and starving off cancer cell formation. In nature, when animals get sick, they stop eating and instead focus on resting. This is a primal instinct to reduce stress on their internal system so their body can fight infection.

Humans are the only species who look for food when we are ill, even when we don't need it.

Fasting Contributes to Self - Enlightenment

Fasting has helped many people feel more connected to life during practices like reading, meditation, martial arts, etc.

No food in the digestive system makes room for more energy in the body. The digestive system is one of the most energy-absorbing systems in the body. Fasting for self – enlightenment allows us to feel consciously and physically better. With a lighter body and a clearer mind, we become aware and grateful for the things around us.

Fasting Helps Clear The Skin and Prevent Acne

Fasting can help clear the skin by focusing its regenerative energies on the other systems, with the body temporarily freed from digestion.

Not eating anything for just one day has been shown to help the body clean up the toxins and regulate the functioning of other body organs like the liver, kidneys and other parts.

Fasting Promotes Longevity

Believe it or not, the less you eat, the longer you leave. One of the primary effects of ageing is a slower metabolism. The younger your body is, the faster and more efficient your metabolism. The less you eat, the less toll it takes on your digestive system.

Summary

As you will finally understand, fasting is not foreign to the human body. Take, for example, the prehistoric man who wandered for hours and often days to find food. If the human system was not designed to store energy and use it during periods of scarcity, then it would not be able to go hunting on an empty stomach and have the energy it needed until it found food.

The fat we store is, for this reason, to cover energy intake. This, as well as many other primitive instincts, exist in the subconscious and are controlled by the body itself when it enters any defensive situation. In short, when it operates under poor control, it is precisely in this way that it can heal itself. So with fasting, we lead the body to defend itself and start functioning in its natural form, and the purpose here is self-healing.