Fasting is a powerful practice with many benefits to the human body. In this article we will discuss why fasting is good for us and how to do it safely.
Fasting has been used therapeutically since at least the 5th century BC, when the Greek physician Hippocrates recommended fasting for patients who were ill. Fasting is also used traditionally in many world religions as a spiritual practice.
Simply, fasting is the absence of food to purify the body. The length of fasting can be short like in intermittent fasting (IF) or longer for a day or multiple days.
Recently, IF has become quite popular. This is when a person restricts their eating window. For example, eating lunch and dinner but not breakfast. It doesn’t mean reducing the amount of food a person eats, it just means eating all the food in a six-to-eight-hour period.
Longer water fasts can be done for a day or multiple days.
The benefits of fasting are well established. Fasting promotes healthy blood sugar by reducing insulin resistance. It reduces inflammation. It improves blood pressure and fat levels in the blood. It improves brain function. It helps with weight loss. It increases growth hormone secretion and spares muscle loss. It helps heal metabolic dysregulation. It helps digestion and increases the diversity of helpful bacteria in the gut microbiome.
To safely fast it is very important to include minerals with the water you consume. The body needs minerals to facilitate healthy function during a fast. A high-quality unrefined sea salt or a nutritional supplement like Trace Minerals B-12 is excellent for this. Staying hydrated and breaking the fast gently with nourishing foods are key parts of a safe fasting experience. Some individuals should approach fasting with extra care. Consulting with a qualified healthcare practitioner can help to ensure fasting is appropriate and tailored to your personal needs.
Fasting is a great time for reflection and setting one’s intention. It’s important to listen to your body as it heals during this time. When fasting, gentle exercise is fine but making time for rest and relaxation should be a priority.
During a fast the body will digest the cells that aren’t functioning at their best. This is called autophagy. Unburdened by digestion the body will detox and generate new healthy tissues.
In the beginning of a fast, the body will first use all the sugar that’s available for energy. Then it will switch to burning fat for fuel. This is called ketosis. When the body switches fuel sources a person can feel a little tired but once they are burning only fat, a surge of energy occurs. This usually happens around day three of a fast. Everyone is different, but this is usually when hunger greatly diminishes also.
I have experienced fasting’s profound benefits, and you can too. When I fast, my mood improves, I lose weight and I feel a sense of accomplishment. Fasting is a powerful act of self-care that supports long-term health and wellbeing.
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