Is it healthy to fast?

Is it healthy to fast?

Fasting for cures, prevention, weight loss and longevity

If this is the first article you have read related to fasting and its relationship to health, let me help you with your research:

  • 80% or more of those who write about fasting have not fasted for much more than a day or two.
  • Most of those same authors copied their information from other “experts” who have never fasted and know nothing about the subject related to personal experience.

You can usually identify inexperienced authors by their opening statement, which usually consists of a positive comment followed by a leading question. The most common introduction seems to be: “Fasting has been practiced around the world for centuries… But can it really help prevent disease, help you lose weight, and make you healthier?” They treat fasting as if it were a medical procedure and one that needs to be practiced. The truth is that it is not a procedure that must be practiced, it is a decision that must be made.

Is it easy to fast? Definitely not, and for several reasons:

  • most Americans are in the habit of eating;
  • most enjoy eating rather than not eating;
  • many are addicted to food and eat too much;
  • if someone misses a meal, what do you say? “I’m starving!”
  • Americans are used to having food in their stomachs 24 hours a day;
  • most have never heard of the word “fast”;
  • those who have heard of it think that it is simply a religious exercise;
  • those who advocate fasting recommend it only for a couple of days;
  • or recommend fasting on juice instead of water;
  • most information on the web about fasting is negative;
  • most fasting attempts are thwarted or sabotaged by family or friends;
  • most doctors have no education/training in medical school and condemn fasting;
  • even advocates of fasting argue and disagree with each other about the benefits;
  • if you tell someone that you are fasting, you will get “The Look”.

Well, if you were possibly considering fasting, I may have already dissuaded you with my short list of “fasting challenges.” Read on for answers to the following four questions:

  1. Is fasting a safe way to lose weight?
  2. Can serious medical conditions be significantly improved by fasting?
  3. Is fasting healthy?
  4. Will fasting provide longevity?

Weight loss through fasting

To answer the question, Is fasting an effective weight loss tool? – we must first understand what fasting is, what it consists of, how our body will respond and what results can be expected during the specific duration of the fast.

Other important factors to consider:

  • Does the subject have any eating disorders, addictions to food, including drugs or alcohol?
  • How is the subject’s health? (If questionable, they should be under medical supervision.)
  • How old are you? (Those under 18 must require parental and/or medical supervision.)
  • How long is the fast? (It is important to set a reasonable lower goal.)
  • What are your expectations? (What do they hope to accomplish physically and mentally?)
  • Are they working during the fast? (at home or employed?)
  • Do they have the support of their family and friends?

They are concerns and questions that a health professional must ask the subject and know how to address them and respond to their answers. Unfortunately, there is a serious shortage of people who are trained and experienced in this area of ​​health care and preventive medicine.

Eating disorders

Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa and binge eating are defined as abnormal eating habits that may involve inappropriate or excessive consumption of food. They can eventually lead to serious physical and/or mental illness. Fasting for a person with one of these disorders can have very serious consequences. People with an eating disorder who break their fast can try to catch up on all the foods they abstained from during the fast in a matter of a few days. This experience could seriously exacerbate your eating disorder.

Your Overall Health

The general health of the subject should be evaluated before employing a fast. Fasting for a few days is rarely a problem; however, it can be a problem if you have previously been on a junk food diet. Also, if you currently have serious problems with your kidneys or liver, or possible problems with your immune system, or if you are taking prescription medications, then you should not attempt a long-term fast.

duration of the fast

The length of your first fast should not be a stressful experience. If you don’t feel like you can hold out for an extended period of time, start fasting for two days. The following week try three, and so on. This way your body and your brain will get used to this new experience. You can also try juice fasting for a couple of days and then switch to distilled water. My first fast was 19 days at age 25, working as a chef in my own restaurant and cooking 16 hours a day. Not everyone is capable of doing that, but start where you can and train your body little by little.

Motivation or expectations: a cure for gout

A fast is easier to accomplish if you are motivated by a goal or vision of what the results will be. My motivation for my fast was to rid my body of a very serious taste condition in my foot. My expectation was that it would happen. My doctor said it was the worst case he had ever seen in someone as young as me. He said that the 1000mg of Zyloprim he prescribed could have the side effect of eventually destroying my kidneys. A customer in the restaurant told me that he needed to read two books by Dr. Charles Bragg, “The Miracle of Fasting” and “The Shocking Truth About Water.” I found that the combination of drinking 1-1/2 gallons a day on an empty stomach would kill my taste! That was motivation enough for me to stick with the temptations 16 hours a day.

Within 15 days my taste was completely gone and I continued for four more days just to make sure. I continued to drink 1-1/2 gallons of distilled water daily and fasted a minimum of 21 days a year for the next 40+ years. As a result, I have never been sick or seen a doctor or taken medication for illness in over 40 years! Just a coincidence? I do not think.

40 day fast while working

Five years ago I fasted for 40 days on distilled water and worked every day in construction. On my thirty-fourth day of my fast, I wanted to prove a point to my crew. So I moved 5 tons of small basketball-sized stones from where they had been delivered on the street to the backyard of a residence using a wheelbarrow in just 1 hour. He had not eaten food for 34 days and was 59 years old. When you fast, several major organs can finally rest, and all the vital energy saved to process (digest) food can be used for other things. I think I proved my point.

Fasting to detoxify the body

When your body is undernourished with the proper nutrients, it can’t get rid of toxins. Since more than 50% of Americans’ diets consist of processed fast foods, they don’t get the adequate amount of antioxidants and phytochemicals needed to help protect our cells from damage. Toxins and waste accumulate in the cellular tissues; they are called advanced glycation end products (AGEs) that contribute to aging, diabetes, atherosclerosis, nerve damage, and organ deterioration, a common condition that is taught in basic science in all medical schools. Fasting along with a healthy diet is a solution to effectively remove AGE accumulation from cellular tissues.

When you fast from distilled water for more than a couple of days, your body runs out of carbs to burn energy, causing ketosis. In this condition your body must burn fat, and fat is where the body stores chemicals and toxins that it has absorbed from the environment and the food we eat.

Medical reasons for fasting

Most medical surgeries require the patient to fast before the operation to avoid complications when the body tries to digest food while under anesthesia. It is also required for certain medical procedures to check cholesterol, blood sugar, and various laboratory tests to help achieve accurate results.
Fasting to treat illnesses

Fasting has been shown to clear arthritis, lupus, skin conditions like eczema, and psoriasis. Additionally, digestive tract conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease have been cured by distilled water fasts. Even low blood pressure has been successfully treated with fasting.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and The Journal of Nutrition report studies showing that fasted mice had better insulin control, neuronal resistance to injury, and several other health benefits than calorie-restricted mice when they were forced to fast every other day. On the non-fasting day, give the mice twice the normal food portion.

Psychological benefits of fasting

Fasting is used to deal with stress and depression by leveling out chemical imbalances in the body.

Some people should not fast, including:

  • pregnant women;
  • anyone with any form of malnutrition;
  • people with heart problems; Y
  • people with liver or kidney failure.

fasting for longevity

Dozens of studies show that animals live longer when fed fewer calories.

For animals ranging from lizards to apes, when subjected to alternating cycles of extremely restricted-calorie diets and fasting, their lifespans increased. In contrast, human lives are shortened by high-calorie diets.

Live healthy and longer with intermittent fasting, daily exercise, 8 to 10 glasses of distilled water a day, and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet.

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