I am currently delving into the world of fasting – juice fasting, water fasting, herb fasting and all the other types of fasting out there. I am curious and interested in whether all those types of fasts out there are beneficial or just someone trying to sell you something. I am also interested in fasting myself if there is some validation in it, after I am done nursing my son. My research is a work in progress but I shall have some blog entries up soon about fasting and its benefits and negatives for health and weight loss. So we shall see if it works out.

Anyway, this morning I came across an article on The Independent website about fasting (water fasting specifically).

According to the article fasting one day a month can provide you with huge health benefits and add years to your life.

Dr Mark Mattson, of the National Institue of Ageing, an American Research body, has done a numerous amount of studies involving rats and mice. He explains that putting mice and rats on fasting diets resulted in the them living longer, developing fewer cancers and showing reduce cognitive decline in aging, compared to animals with continuous access to food.

There have also been some studies with humans that appear to back this up and I certainly have read my fair few stories about the benefits of fasting (water fasting as opposed to others).

The article suggests not only fasting to be beneficial but also calorie restriction to be benficial.

“According to Dr Marc Hellerstein, a professor of endocrinology, metabolism and nutrition at the University of California at Berkeley, our bodies are “brilliant” at reacting to not eating. “We’re not good at responding to too many calories, but we are very good at responding to fasting. Fasting, in itself, is not an unhealthy process.”

The article then goes on to talk about how difficult it can be for one to fast and have the self-control to be able to do so. I agree with this, but only because most of us have physiological addictions to foods that can prevent us from having the self-control we need. If we are binge eating as well, I don’t think fasting would be helpful unless it was supervised, controlled and for a more extended period of time. Once one has done this intitial bout of fasting (to rid ourselves of the physical addiction to certain foods such as sugar, dairy) – adding fasting in once a month may then be plausible and great.

Anyone considering a fast though should get a consultation with a professional to see if they are “suitable” for one. Not everyone is suitable so its worth making sure you are.  You should also do the fast on a day where you can rest as opposed to one where you are running about.  Your body is given digestive rest but it is also beneficial to give complete physical rest too.

I think fasting once a month is a great idea because it can teach us self control and discipline. This is what is often lacking in one’s life who overeats or is overweight, so fasting could be a healthy thing to incorporate in one’s life, ONCE they have started making good progress in their weight loss endeavours.

To read the full article:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-wellbeing/features/the-nofood-diet-1635808.html

 

Previous Post: Nutritious Snacks: Healthy Snacks for Someone Trying to Lose Weight