Your ultimate guide to effective fasting

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Ramadan recently ended for the Islamic community, and now the Christian community is anticipating Holy Week.  Many of us are reminded to fast around this time for the observance of spiritual practices. Some avoid eating meat on specific days. Others go on a more restrictive fast that can range from one meal a day to a water fast. 

Fasting as a spiritual discipline has been observed since ancient times. But did you know that fasting has tremendous benefits on your overall health? Intermittent fasting has gained so much popularity. Science proves that it has health benefits. Unfortunately, many are misguided as to how to healthily fast intermittently. 

Fasting from food will not only make you lose weight and body fat through caloric restriction. It will also reduce inflammatory markers in the body that are related to chronic illnesses like insulin resistance and diabetes, cancer, autoimmune disease, and more. Fasting for 24 hours can make your body, specifically the cells in the intestines, produce stem cells naturally. Stem cells play a huge role in repairing damaged tissues in the body. Therefore, fasting can help in rejuvenation.

It is important to ensure that the fasting period is aligned with your circadian rhythm or body clock. Studies have shown that eating late at night increases one’s risk of developing insulin resistance, cancer, obesity, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. On the other hand, skipping meals up to lunchtime will increase the risk of elevated cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood insulin levels. Excess insulin in the blood stimulates the body to store up more fat. This is the reason why I advise my patients to have their first solid meal to break the fast anytime in the morning or before noon and to fast for 12 to 16 hours toward the latter part of the day, all through the night. Water is allowed during the fasting period. Even plain coffee or tea will not disrupt the fasting process. If you’re on insulin injections, this is not for you to try.

Aside from the timing of the fasting period, what you consume during the eating period is very important so as not to cancel the health benefits that you gained during the fast. If you eat food that is pro-inflammatory such as fast food, animal meat, dairy, refined sugars and unhealthy fats, while forgoing fruits, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, then you will just bring back the inflammation that you were supposed to have quelled during the fasting hours. Even if you don’t want to go one hundred percent plant based, make sure that you get your fruits, vegetables, and whole grains more than the other pro-inflammatory food sources.

Dr. Valter Longo, the expert behind the development of the Fasting Mimicking Diet and the Director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, researched a revolutionary five-day nutrition program that mimics the effects of a prolonged water fast but still allows the intake of nourishment through plant food sources. At the end of the five-day program, participants in the studies have decreased abdominal or visceral fat, improved metabolic markers, healthier skin, improved energy level, mental clarity, and better emotional and behavioral wellbeing. 

If you’re someone who is hesitant to go cold turkey, then you can transition into a lifestyle of fasting without technically going on a very restrictive water fast. It is all about deciding and being intentional about what aspects of your diet you need and want to work on. For example, if you are used to having three square meals a day and snacks in between, you can begin by entirely skipping the snack and just hydrating with fluids that do not include sugar. If that is too extreme, then you can opt to choose a healthier snack like fresh fruits instead of processed snacks. Furthermore, you can replace snack times with productive activities like taking a walk. That will make you burn more calories and divert your attention from having to eat even if you aren’t hungry. Most of the time, we are not exactly hungry. We are just used to eating many times or we’re thirsty that’s why we feel the need to have a snack.

As you consume more life-giving food, your cravings for unhealthy choices will decrease. This will then make you progress into being able to begin fasting for at least one meal a day. If skipping one meal is challenging, try to ease into it by making one meal vegetarian. Eat your rice if you must, but make sure that you’re loading up on vegetables, including legumes like soy and chickpeas for protein. 

There are many ways to incorporate fasting into one’s lifestyle. You do not need to wait for the Lenten season to come. You can choose to fast for 12 to 18 hours at night; skip one meal a day preferably later in the afternoon or dinner time; have only one meal a day preferably anytime until noon; do a water or liquid fast once a week; eat only wholesome plant sources of food on selected days; or do a 24-hour water or liquid fast. There are various options.

The most important thing is to be intentional in wanting to do the fast, schedule it, and make sure that you do not have much physical and mental activities for those days and times to prevent getting headache or fatigue. 

If you are still contemplating whether a lifestyle of fasting is for you, why don’t you try to fast from treats like pastries, desserts, sweet treats, dairy, or meat for starters? Instead of having that cake, eat a fruit or drink a fruit smoothie. Perhaps limit your treats to once or twice on a weekend and fast from these treats on regular days. Making small changes consistently will go a long way toward making you healthier and feeling better. 

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