Fasting, when done correctly and in moderation, can be beneficial to you physically, mentally and even spiritually. Fasting has been in the news a lot in recent years due to the number of celebrities who use it as a way to quickly drop a few pounds. While fasting does promote some weight loss, that is not it’s actual purpose. Fasting is meant as a way to temporarily allow your body to rest and re-energize. Any weight loss that may occur is a side benefit and should not be the reason to try fasting. For the purpose of this article when we refer to fasting we are referring to an average 3-5 day fast. If you think you might be interested here are 7 benefits of fasting that make it worth looking into:
- It gives your body a chance to rest: When we think about food we often think of it as being fuel for our bodies and the source of our energy. While food does give us energy it also take a lot of energy. The acts of digesting, assimilating and metabolizing can use up over 65% of our body’s energy, which is focused on our digestive tracts. That can leave your body feeling overworked and your organs stressed. Fasting lets your body take a break from it’s otherwise constant digestive duties, allowing it time to focus on other bodily functions.
- It detoxify’s your body: Since your body is not focused on processing incoming food it can take care of other issues it was ignoring, a kind of house cleaning that it could not perform before. People will say fasting cures disease, but in actuality fasting frees up the energy necessary for your body to recognize and fight any diseases that might be present. When you fast your body can deal with stored toxins that it couldn’t handle sooner.
- It can help you kick the habit: Fasting gives your body time to get used to having unhealthy foods, mainly carbohydrates, fats foods, processed foods, sugars and flours in your system, freeing you to eat better. It also gives you time to get used to not having these foods, so when yo are done fasting you can adopt a healthier lifestyle and eat more grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats. Many unhealthy foods, like sugars and dairy are known to be quite addictive, so this is a way to ease your body away from them.
- Fasting energizes you: When you fast it gives your body a period of rest, where it performs minimal processes, leaving you with more energy. Your cells store all that unused energy, making you feel awake and ready to go when your done fasting. On a daily basis if you let 12 hours pass between dinner and breakfast you can be re-energized everyday. For example, if you eat dinner at 7 P.M., don’t eat breakfast until 7 A.M. the next morning. It’s an easy way to give your energy a boost.
- It eases the digestive process: Fasting between meals (no snacks) can also benefit your body. If you don’t snack it gives your body time to properly digest and get rid of it’s wastes. It also gives your body time to rest before it’s next meal. These mini-fasts are a great way to clean out your system so you digest your food the right way.
- Fasting can give you inner peace: When you fast you often are able to get in touch more with your emotional and spiritual side, since you are not focusing on food. It is not a matter of religion, rather it’s a matter of allowing your body to be ruled by desires that are more spiritual in nature as opposed to base instincts.
- Fasting builds character: It may sound strange but it’s true: fasting teaches you discipline and shoes you how to focus. It also teaches you that there are ways to make yourself more healthy without hurting yourself. There are many different fasts and many include juices or only require a 24 hour no eating phase, which shows you can fast safely and effectively.
Fasting can do a lot of good for your body and mind, as long as you are doing it for the right reasons. Before performing any sort of fast you should sit down with your physician to make sure you are medically okay and to make sure you are doing it correctly. Fasting can leave you healthier, stronger and full of life, so choose the one that’s right for your weight.
