Fasting : Good or Bad??
Is fasting good or bad??
Will fasting deprive my body of essential nutrients?
Fasting is good only for weight loss?
Many such questions arise in our minds when it comes to fasting. Let us understand fasting better to clarify our doubts.
In India, people celebrate festivals by fasting, feasting, or both. “Upavaasa,” a Sanskrit word for fasting, is formed from “upa” which means near and “vaasa” which means to stay, i.e., to stay near God. India is a land of many religions, all of which have fasting as an integral part of life. Gandhiji used fasting as a formidable tool to protest against British rule.
Hindus and Jains do fast in the month of Shravana (10th month of the Hindu calendar) and Paryushana respectively.
Fasting in recent times has acquired a global phenomenon in the form of Intermittent Fasting.
Intermittent fasting is a situation in which you don’t eat for anywhere between 12-18 hours in a day.
Apart from spiritual and religious gains, Fasting also has many scientific benefits which I would like to share, specifically, how fasting can serve as a healing process for our body and mind .
Scientific research provides ample evidence that fasting is actually beneficial for the body’s rejuvenation.
1. Fat loss
So what happens when we stop eating?
The body first uses up the glycogen stores in the liver. That might take 12 hours or 24 hours. Afterward, the body will have to use proteins (muscles) or lipids (fats) to produce the energy (glucose) it needs. The body is programmed to avoid breaking down muscle, and so the liver turns into a factory to manufacture ketones for fuel. Body uses the excess fat reserves for energy.
2. Get rid of toxic cells
Sick cells even potential cancerous cells , old cells, decomposed tissues, are burned away, essentially detoxifying our bodies. This mechanism is called “autophagy”.
3. Hormonal balance
When we are constantly eating, certain important hormones such as insulin and glucagon remain elevated causing our body to become desensitized to them and stop recognizing them altogether. Fasting creates restoration of this hormonal imbalance and provides control over hunger.
5. Better gut health
Our gut health is also significantly improved when we are in a fasting-state, where fasting allows resident gut bacteria to restore its metabolic functions including proper digestion and absorption of the food particles within the gut .
6. Glowing skin
Acne, pimples and other skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis clears up faster when a person fasts. Brings a glow to the skin and makes skin radiant.
7. Delay onset of chronic diseases
Fasting has been shown to delay the onset of age-related diseases such as cancer, Type 2 diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease .
8. Good memory
Fasting has also been shown to enhance learning and memory as well as to increase one’s overall life span
9. Complete physical and mental rest
Helps in complete rest to the physical, physiological, mental and sensory system.
10.Improves and strengthens the immune system.
Scientific research provides ample evidence that fasting is actually beneficial for the body’s rejuvenation.
Though fasting has numerous benefits, proper nutrition is important for survival, and we cannot rely on not eating to sustain ourselves. Therefore, while fasting is a great way to keep our body in-check, it is also equally important to eat healthy food, which includes a balanced and nutritious diet that consists of fruits and vegetables.
Fasting in intervals of few days or intermittent fasting is better way to fast.
People suffering from Kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus, weak patients with low blood pressure, Epilepsy, schizophrenia, pregnancy, lactation, protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) during the antibiotic course should undertake to fast under the guidance of their doctor /guide.
*Fasting is to be practiced according to own capacity. Excessive fasting could be fatal. So be careful and consult experts.
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