The Benefits of Fasting &
How it Can Transform Your Life
Give your life a healthy reboot!
What is Fasting?
Intensive agriculture and modern food production methods contribute to our Western diet which is high in calories but low in nutrients.
When we combine this with food excesses, lack of physical activity, environmental pollutants and the pervasiveness of stress, we have all the ingredients to poison our bodies and slow down their natural functions. This dangerous cocktail forms the ground in which chronic diseases grow and thrive. This in turn creates a rising need for doctors’ visits, prescription pills and sometimes even surgery.
So, at a time when more and more people are complaining of declining health and vitality and are turning to natural medicines, we, at The Fast Way to Detox, offer retreats and programs which use a purely natural, non-chemical approach that is scientifically documented and which has been proven over and over again to be effective – FASTING!
FASTING, which is the abstinence from all solid food (or lack of digestion) for several days, is undoubtedly one of the oldest approaches to eliminating toxins and regenerating our cells. It is a practice that has existed since the dawn of time and is a true “survival program” which forces the body that is temporarily starved from external food sources, to draw on its own stored reserves.
FASTING is a great way to “REBOOT” our bodies. It is a natural “no-pills” approach to cleanse, rejuvenate, rest, and heal our entire body systems and mind, with very often immediate results on our general health and well-being. This “REBOOT” optimises the function of our excretory organs (intestine, liver, kidneys, skin and lungs).
Furthermore, if when we resume eating, we limit the excesses of our food intake, whilst optimising its quality, focusing on more plant-based, organic, fresh, unprocessed, varied local foods, we can strengthen our health and well-being for months and even years to come.
“Fasting is the single greatest natural healing therapy. It is nature’s ancient, universal ‘remedy’ for many problems. Animals instinctively fast when ill.”
What benefits can you expect from a fast?
Detox of body and mind,
Increased mental clarity,
Improved sleep,
Blood sugar and hormone regulation,
Reduction of inflammation,
Improved condition of skin, nails, hair,
Increased energy,
Stimulation of the self-healing power of our body via autophagy (a detox process our body undergoes to clean out damaged cells and generate new ones),
Weight loss,
Breaking of bad habits - smoking, sugar addictions,
A complete Reboot in the physical and psychological sense – a chance to start a healthier lifestyle,
And so much more …
After watching this 36 minutes documentary called “Fasting: The Most Powerful Ancient Healing Method” I hope you will be convinced of the wonderful effects a fast can have on the body and mind.
What is Intermittent Fasting ?
As previously mentioned, humans have practiced fasting since the dawn of time. Today, fasting and detoxes of all kinds have become fashionable and sometimes even controversial.
Intermittent fasting (IF) is a dietary pattern that consists of alternating periods of fasting (food abstinence) and periods of normal eating. You fast for a certain number of hours in order to put your body at rest. For example, you prolong your night fast to 16 hours by skipping breakfast. Throughout the fasting window, you continue to hydrate with water, tea, herbal teas, and even coffee, but without sugar or milk.
How do you practice Intermittent Fasting (IF)?
As mentioned above, IF involves fasting for a short period of time. Not eating for say 12 to 16 hours extending your night fast, puts the often over-stressed body "on pause". Take the liver for example. It plays a key role in body detox during sleep by filtering the blood to remove toxins. Disrupted sleep patterns may affect the liver's natural metabolic clock, putting the liver at a higher risk of harmful medical conditions. Liver detoxification is a major job, which can sometimes be made difficult by overeating, eating too late at night and/or eating too rich a meal. IF can allow you to reset the counters to zero whilst teaching you to better manage your appetite.
IF is very simple to practice. Just stop eating say at around 8 p.m. after a very light dinner, and start eating again the next day around 12 or 1 p.m. During this time, be sure to stay hydrated by drinking lots of water or herbal teas without sugar. If the simplest is to practice IF at night, each individual can adapt it to his needs and lifestyle. What is most important is to listen to your body and adapt IF to suit it. For example, for people who are very active and need a solid breakfast, eating nothing in the morning can be complicated. In that case, it is perhaps better for that person to skip dinner instead and have a normal breakfast upon waking. Everyone can adapt IF as they see fit, in relation to their own lifestyle. The important thing about IF is to put your body to rest for at least 14 hours, at the most opportune time of the day.
The most popular IF options
The 16/8 method (also 17/7, 18/6, 19/5 etc.) involves daily fasts of 16 hours. Each day you’ll restrict your eating to an 8 or less hours “eating window” where you can fit in 2 or 3 meals.
The 5:2 diet involves eating 500-600 calories for two days out of the week and eating normally the other 5 days.
Eat-Stop-Eat is an intermittent fasting program with one or two 24-hour fasts per week.
Alternate-day fasting means fasting every other day, either by not eating anything or only eating a few hundred calories.
The Warrior Diet is about eating only small amounts of vegetables and fruits during the day and eating one huge meal at night.
OMAD or One Meal A Day diet is just as it says, you fast for 23 hours and eat in the same 1-hour window each day. It is recommended you consume your one meal after your most active part of the day.
Another more "natural" way to do intermittent fasting is to simply skip one or two meals when you don't feel hungry or don't have time to eat.
Dr. Saldmann, (a french cardiologist and nutritionist) said that when fasting remains very occasional, "the results are amazing". "Fasting is a way of strengthening DNA, and therefore, of reducing the risks of developing cancer. We also observe a decrease in fatigue with a renewed energy, a decrease in allergies, asthma and rheumatism. IF helps to better eliminate metabolic waste and reduce inflammation. Finally, the latest studies point out that fasting also helps boost our immune defences".
However, it is important to note that if IF has many advantages if it can help to feel better in many ways, it is not intended to cure any pathologies. Dr. Saldmann insists on this point: "We are in the field of prevention with IF, not treatment. The idea is to give our bodies the opportunity to take a break and promote well-being".
Even if IF is not difficult to implement and does not present a health risk, it is not recommended for people who suffer from hypoglycemia, for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or for people taking certain drugs. If you are unsure IF is for you, it is best to seek advice from your doctor, regardless of your physical condition and general state of health.
