The art of fasting is an ancient tradition practiced for thousands of years for curing illness of all kinds, rejuvenation, clarity and decision making, cleansing and strengthening.
Fasting as it is, means different things to different people. For others, it may mean giving up a favorite food for a period of time or not eating food at certain times of the day or year out of respect for various religious holidays.
Some people even termed fasting as a period of dropping old habits, being sober or leaving one's luxurious way of life to humble oneself, as seen among the Israelites, who wear sacks and sit in ashes during fasting.
Fasting involves abstinence from food and/or drinks for a specified period of time.
Strictly speaking, it is the voluntary absence of food and or drink.
While the idea of missing one meal might put most people in misery, fasting does have many benefits for the body.
Health benefit of fasting
Have you noticed that when you’re sick, your appetite diminishes? Similarly, when animals are ill, they lie down and often don’t eat or drink. Energy goes towards healing our bodies instead of digesting food.
Our digestive system is very busy and hard-working, which requires high amounts of energy; in fact, the digestive system can even drain energy needed for healing, repair and general maintenance of the body. Therefore, it makes sense to give it a vacation once in awhile.
Have you noticed that when you eat a whole lot if carbohydrate or heavy foods such as pounded yam, Eba, yam and beans e.t..c, you feel sleepy afterwards? This is because a whole lot of blood is redirected to the digestive system to supply and also absorb nutrients, thus cutting other organs', including the brain, blood supply and hence dizziness or sleepiness.
Fasting also allows for the body’s enzyme system to focus on detoxifying and breaking down toxins in the body quickly and efficiently without the job of heavy food digestion. During fasts, toxins are being circulated in the body in order for our organs to de-arm (neutralize) them. Therefore, it’s not always wise to detoxify quickly because a flood of toxins being released at once can cause serious distress to the body that can do more harm than good.
During a fast, the body is starved. When the body is starved of food, it starts to burn fat so that it can make energy. This can lead to weight loss. This is an added advantage as it helps to maintain an healthy weight. However, if you fast for too long your body will eventually start breaking down muscle protein for energy, which is unhealthy. Fasting thus should not be embarked on with the thought of it being an opportunity to lose weight, though it has physical benefits as well.
The use of fat for energy helps weight loss. It preserves the muscles, reduces your cholesterol level, helps in better control of diabetes and reduces blood pressure.
Endorphins are substances produced in the body. They are hormones secreted within the brain and nervous system and which have a number of physiological functions including analgesic effect. These endorphins increases in the blood after a few days of fast, making you more alert and giving you an overall feeling of general well being.
Effective fasting/Healthy fasting.
As you fast for religious or personal reasons, it is always good to keep your health in check. As much as fasting can improve your health, cut cancer rusk by detoxifying toxins and reduce/prevent heart disease; it can also lead to terrible side effects.
when your fast is not effective, perhaps you fast for too long a time, your body may burn too much fat which may cause the blood to be acidic due to increased ketone (byproduct of fat breakdown) in the blood, and this may lead to severe diseases such as ketoacidosis which may in turn cause bad breadth, fatigue and other unpleasant symptoms. Long-term, it can lead to kidney and liver damage.
Thus, it is imperative to note the following points:-
° Don't fast with the aim of losing weight.
°Eat a lot of fruit and adequate diet when you want to break your fast (balanced diet is very vital in maintaining health).
°Drink plenty of water.
°Do not over exhaust yourself when fasting..
°See a holistic nutritionist if you have any health condition and you want to fast.
°Listen to your body, this doesn't mean you should fall for desire for food of the body. But, be sensitive enough to know your peak point to avoid exhaustion.
°Don't imitate or compare yourself another person, there's always a difference between two people.
Fasting is a message to your body that you’re embarking on a new beginning, flushing out the old and bringing in the new. Fasting is the perfect way to introduce new healthy habits and foods into your life. It can give you that jump-start, boost clarity, and clear your body toward shifting things in a positive direction.
