Can I drink alcohol while I detox?

It is best to abstain form alcohol, red meat, caffeine and tobacco if possible, to give the herbs a cleaner environment in which to work.

The Art of Fasting: Helping Your Body To Heal

Sakinah Bellamy Holistic Health News 0

The Art of Fasting. image of young man refusing food from his girlfriend, because he is fasting. — The Art of Fating: Nowadays, an increasing number of individuals are coming to understand the immense health advantages obtained by incorporating a fasting regimen into their lifestyle.

When it comes to health and wellness, there are many different techniques or arts, if you will, that can be incorporated into your life to assist the body in achieving homeostasis (balance and harmony). Of all these arts, one truly stands out above all the others—the Art of Fasting. Fasting not only strengthens your mind and spirit, but it also assists your body in burning fat, reducing inflammation, and reducing oxidative stress. Moreover, scientific studies have shown fasting may even aid in cancer prevention.

Benefits of Fasting

The Oxford Dictionary defines fasting as abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink. Fasting is like hitting the reset button on your health. It is the best way to restore balance to your immune system and entire body. When you fast, your body redirects the energy it would normally use to digest your food to heal and repair your body. According to Pradip Jamnadas, MD, the founder and medical director of Cardiovascular Interventions, fasting increases stem cell production. He explains that cells come from bone marrow, called refeeding reward, and replenish organs, changing machinery in those cells. According to Dr. Jamnadas, fasting also recycles the mitochondria. To learn more about mitochondria, check out my article: “Unlocking Mitochondria Secret: Energy Powerhouse Explained.”

Dr. Jamnadas further states that we even make new brain cells while fasting. I’m sure we all know a few people who can benefit from a few more brain cells.

Other Benefits of Fasting

Fasting has been a common practice for people seeking spiritual guidance and getting closer to the creator. However, it has recently gained immense popularity as a means of improving one’s health. The health benefits of fasting can be truly remarkable. Here are some of the amazing things that fasting does for the body:

Improves blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol levels
Promotes blood sugar control by reducing insulin resistance
Promotes better health by fighting inflammation
Prevent neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s
Improves gut health
Improves energy levels
Removing toxins from the body
Improves your mood
Increased weight loss by limiting calorie intake and boosting metabolism
Improved brain function
Improves liver health and function

Various Fasting Techniques

Intermittent fasting has surged in popularity as a method to enhance health through strategic eating patterns. This approach cycles between defined periods of fasting and regular eating, creating a dynamic rhythm that adapts to an individual’s lifestyle and goals. The essence of intermittent fasting lies in the customization of the fasting window—the duration when food is not consumed—and the eating window, where normal dietary habits resume. Variations in intermittent fasting methods stem from the length of these windows, the frequency of fasting cycles, and the inclusion of low-calorie meals during the fasting periods. Below, we delve into several widespread intermittent fasting protocols, each with its unique structure and benefits.

Time-restricted eating – Involves limiting the hours one can consume meals within 24 hours. You can pick a daily approach, such as 16/8, which means you will fast for 16 hours and only have an 8-hour window in which to eat. Many people who use this method will only eat two meals a day, and some will only eat once a day. For example, employing a 16/8 approach, one may eat their first meal at 11:00 a.m. and their last meal at 7:00 p.m.
Circadian rhythm fasting – Refers to the mental and physical change that occurs in your body over a 24-hour period. Dr. Satchin Panda popularized circadian rhythm fasting. This type of time-restricted fasting strongly emphasizes eating earlier in the day. The concept behind this fasting method is to synchronize your eating habits with the natural light and dark cycles of the day to maintain your body’s biological clock in harmony with the environment. With Circadian rhythm fasting, all meals are consumed within an 8- to 12-hour window during the day. For example, employing this eating pattern method, you would enjoy your first meal no later than 1 hour after waking up and consume your last meal at least 2-3 hours before planning to sleep.

Alternate-day fasting – This involves eating 25% of your calorie needs every other day and eating normally on non-fasting days. Several studies have proven that alternate-day fasting, created by nutrition professor Krista Vardy, is effective for weight loss.
5:2 fasting is one of the most popular forms of intermittent fasting. The fasting technique involves eating normally for five days a week and restricting your calorie intake to approximately 500 to 600 calories for the remaining two days. 5:2 fasting was made popular by Michael Mosley, a British journalist who published the book”The Fast Diet: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Live Longer with the Simple Secret of Intermittent Fasting” in 2013.

Eat Stop Eat – Brad Pilon popularized a flexible approach to fasting during the week in his book “Eat Stop Eat: Intermittent Fasting for Health and Weight Loss, The Shocking Truth that Makes Weight Loss Simple Again.” This unique method involves fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week and following a regular eating pattern on other days.

Benefits of Extended Fasting

There is no shortage of fasting techniques. If you want to incorporate this art into your lifestyle, finding a method that works for you is important. This may mean starting by only fasting for a few hours a day and gradually increasing your fasting window over time. While fasting for 12 hours can benefit the body, certain benefits, like autophagy and increased hormone growth, only occur after 18 hours or more of consecutive fasting.

Autophagy is a natural process by which cells break down old, damaged, unnecessary, or dysfunctional components within a cell and then repurpose those components for fuel and to build or maintain cells.
Fasting is also a safe and affordable way to increase human growth hormone production. Studies have shown that a two-day fast in men produced a 2000% increase in growth hormones and 1300% in women.

Safety First: Avoiding Fasting Misteps and Mistakes

While fasting has a wonderful reputation for healing the body, there can be a downfall in some circumstances. For people with diabetes, fasting can lead to spikes and crashes in blood sugar levels, which has the potential to be very dangerous. Therefore, It is recommended that individuals in this demographic seek professional medical advice before incorporating fasting into their routine. If you do not have access to a medical provider, Pradip Jamnadas, MD, and Dr. Jason Fung are excellent resources for fasting safely with diabetes, kidney, and other diseases. Also, Healthline recommends avoiding unsupervised fasting for underweight individuals, adolescents, and older adults.

In addition, many people make the mistake of believing they can eat whatever and however much they want when incorporating fasting into their lifestyle. However, I must warn you that this can be very dangerous. Eating unhealthy foods during your fasting regimen is counterproductive, and overeating–even healthy foods—before or after fasting makes your digestive system work harder, leaving less time for the healing and rejuvenation your body requires to perform at its best.

If you do choose too fast, be sure to stay well-hydrated. Additionally, when fasting for long periods it is best to minimize intense physical activity and get plenty of rest.

In Conclusion

Our bodies were designed to alternate between fasting and feasting for optimal health, allowing digestive systems much-needed rest. If you’re constantly eating, your body will not have enough energy to perform other functions, such as healing. In addition, fasting allows our cells to rejuvenate. In my article titled: “The Human Cell: Understanding Your Body at the Cellular Level,” I mentioned that our cells are the foundation of our bodies and that we cannot be healthy if our foundation is sick. Fasting is a wonderful and—scientifically proven method—to keep our foundation healthy. To learn more about cellular health, check out my Human Cell article here.

This article is your compass for navigating a transformative health journey through fasting. For those yet to embrace this rejuvenating practice, we hope the insights shared here spark your curiosity and motivate you to integrate fasting into your daily regimen. If fasting is already a cornerstone of your lifestyle, we invite you to reflect on the positive changes you’ve encountered and share your story. Furthermore, we encourage you to pass this article along to someone in your circle who might be grappling with health challenges and searching for a fresh start. Together, let’s explore the power of fasting to reset and revitalize our well-being. As always, take care of yourselves, and happy healing. See you next time, and God bless.