Fasting and What it Means for Your Health!

Fasting can be very helpful to cleanse the body of toxic buildup and can help the cells rejuvenate.  I personally believe that fasting can rid the body of disease in that it gets rid of toxic stuff and allows the cells of the body to rejuvenate and re-set themselves.  It is truly like a re-set button.  In my experiences fasting: unless the fast is < or = to 24 hours, there needs to be preparation before the fasting begins, and when the fast is broken.  A fast longer than a day requires periods of rest and peace as well as sunshine, clean water, and fresh air.  Overall, fasting is very beneficial in that it can help a number of ailments of the mind and body, although it should be done with care and respect for the process.

Fasting is proven to help decrease inflammation.  It helps in the quality and quantity of good bowel flora, decreases toxins in the gut and tissues of the body, decreases blood sugar, helps insulin resistance, can decrease blood lipid levels and can improve cellular repair.  Because of all of these things, fasting leads to longevity.  With that in mind, it is important to be aware that fasting is contraindicated for children (they need nutrients and calories for growing), pregnancy, lactation, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes (need doctor supervision), those with kidney failure, hyperthyroidism and AIDS.  It is also important for people that are dehydrated or malnourished to avoid fasting as it can make these imbalances worse.

Like I mentioned above, it is important to plan out and prepare for a fast, especially if it is to last more than one day.  To prepare the body by slowly cutting out processed foods and animal products for 2 weeks can help the process not be such a shock to the body.  It is very important to have clean and pure water (distilled is best while fasting) to flush out toxins.  If a faster is not drinking enough water, toxins will build up in the blood and overtax the kidneys and liver.  It is important to avoid stress while fasting and other activities that require intense activity.  Stress will raise cortisol and epinephrine levels which generally raise blood sugar for the fight or flight response.  While fasting, reserves and intakes are not as high as usual and this can severely deplete the body.  The body needs physical rest so that it can do its job and cleanse itself.  While fasting, it may be important to focus on breathing exercises.  These not only balance PH in the body but they also help calm the mind through the often difficult process of fasting.