The Amazing Benefits of Fasting (intermittent vs prolonged fasting)

Have you ever tried skipping a meal? What about skipping 3 meals? Or the entire week…

Does this sound crazy to you?

Actually, more and more studies are showing the benefits of fasting.

And the scientists are recommending it to prevent and cure different illnesses… Here’s why…

In our modern societies, we typically consume three big meals daily, plus snacks.

We do not always choose nutrient dense ingredients, and we tend to go for large portions.

There is so much food available to us.. with mega superstores and restaurants at every corner!

You’ll agree that this overabundance leads to an overconsumption of food, which also leads to our modern diseases…

Insulin resistance (Type 2 diabetes), excessive accumulation of fat, and cardiovascular disease are a few good examples of the symptoms of the standard American diet.

Because humans first evolved in environments where food was not always available, they developed numerous adaptations that allowed them to function in a food-deprived state.

No, we did not always have access to all that food! We used to hunt and hope to find something to eat…

Some scientists believe that reducing our food intake and practicing fasting can be highly beneficial to our health.

So let’s explore this subject further…

 

The Amazing Benefits of Fasting

The benefits of fasting are very broad. Abstaining from eating food for a short period of time can have such a great impact in so many aspects of our lives.

Fasting rests the digestive system and allows the cleansing and detoxification process to begin…

Energy levels can rise, and physical lightness can be felt…

Fasting also heals emotional blockages and promotes mental clarity…

The list of physical conditions that can be improved by fasting is long. This is why this ancient healing method is often referred as the miracle cure.

Because fasting initiates our body’s self-healing power, it is not surprising to see any ailment showing some improvement…

The benefits of fasting may include healing allergies, skin problems like acne and psoriasis, digestive disorders, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and many more conditions.

So let’s see how it happens…

In this video, Mark Mattson explains why fasting boosts brain power and protects us from degenerative disorders. Mattson is a professor of Neuroscience at The Johns Hopkins University and is the current Chief of the Laboratory of Neurosciences at the National Institute on Aging.

 

Resting the digestive system

By resting the digestive system, fasting allows the body’s energy to be used elsewhere… This is when healing can begin.

Fasting is the perfect remedy for our over-indulgences. All the food we consume daily must be processed by our digestive organs and sometimes, it can create a burden.

We could compare this to a situation in a hospital where a nurse is getting more patients than she can deal with on her own…

She knows that this is too much for her to handle today. But it is still her job to take care of these patients.

So, she will manage her time and efforts by deciding which patients are sicker than others and must be dealt with urgently… The others will have to wait in the waiting room.

The problem is that every hour, more patients come in the hospital and more ambulances arrive at her door.

More patients are sent to the waiting room with the other ones that were already waiting, while the most important cases are handled by the nurse.

The same thing happens in our bodies!

We deal with the present meal, absorb nutrients and store toxins away…

We never really detoxify because our energy is put towards digestion.

And the more unnatural the diet is, the more difficult it is for the body to completely detoxify.

This is why fasting is such a great vacation for our overworked digestive system.

We normally think of food as what is giving us energy, right?

But once you have experienced fasting, you realize how digesting food actually requires so much energy!

Just think of how you usually feel after a meal…

You just want to lay on the couch, unbutton your pants, and take a nap!

After a big meal, about 60% of our body’s efforts must be directed towards digestion.

Metabolizing nutrients requires a lot of energy!

One of the benefits of fasting is that all this energy can be focussed elsewhere, for recuperation and healing.

Cells, tissues and organs can be repaired…

Toxins from pollution, heavy metals, pesticides and other pollutants can be eliminated.

It’s just like a spring cleaning…

Fasting gives you the opportunity to catch up and clean up the mess that has been accumulating in your body.

After 24 hours of fasting, your reserves of glycogen in your liver will be depleted. This will force your body to look elsewhere for energy.

At that moment, fat cells will be burnt and the liver will start producing ketones to feed the central nervous system…

In our fat cells reside all sorts of toxins that your body has stored during all those years.

Those poisonous substances will be released and eliminated from the body through the skin, urination and defecation… Note that there are usually no bowel movements during a fast, so performing an enema is a wise idea.

Fasting to fight diseases

Fasting can be a great tool to fight the chronic diseases that are plaguing our populations.

In lab studies, scientists have observed the benefits of fasting on mice and they found profound beneficial effects on different aspects of their health.

They said that fasting could counteract the processes of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancers, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

In his book “Fasting and Eating for Health”, Dr. Fuhrman explains how he was able to get amazing results with fasting patients suffering from diabetes, autoimmune diseases, heart disease, hypoglycemia, obesity and headaches.

He presents supervised therapeutic fasting as a true method of healing.

Buy Fasting and Eating for Health on Amazon

 

The Benefits of Fasting

Conditions that can be improved by fasting

Fasting for weight loss

Even if fasting should be practiced for the purpose of becoming healthier rather than thinner, weight loss is still one of the amazing benefits of fasting.

For some of us, weight loss is actually the greatest benefit of fasting…

Abstaining from food for a prolonged period of time can help you understand eating patterns and recognize unhealthy habits.

Making dietary changes is much easier after a fast!

Your cravings for junk might be gone and your taste buds may want more natural foods.

Once you’ve detoxed from chemicals and unnatural foods, you will have the ability to enjoy the food and its true flavours. Foods you thought to be less appealing may look interesting to you in the future.

You might realize that processed foods don’t taste so good after all…

Take this as a good time to break off emotional attachments to sugary and fatty foods, and begin a new chapter of your life.

Fasting is the best way to kick-start a weight loss program. However, a serious commitment to lifestyle changes must be made in order to maintain your new ideal weight.

Fasting will permit rapid weight loss, but if you go back to the same eating patterns, the weight will eventually come back.

Weight loss will vary from one person to another, depending on different factors: your gender, your age, your body weight, your physical condition, the length of the fast, etc.

It is common to see people lose 20 pounds in a week. Others may only lose 10 pounds, more or less. It is impossible to predict the results of a fast for weight loss.

How to fast

There are two ways to do this: intermittent fasting or prolonged fasting.

Intermittent fasting means that you will eat during specific hours, allowing you longer periods of fasting daily.

Prolonged fasting means that you will abstain from eating food for a longer period of time, from 3 to 40 days.

Both methods are effective for weight loss and healing the body…

Although, prolonged fasts will procure amazing results faster than intermittent fasts do.

Intermittent fasting

The practice of intermittent fasting involves eating between certain hours.

Common methods involve 16 hours of fasting daily, or a full 24 hours of fasting weekly. For example, people may choose to skip breakfast, have their first meal around 11 am and their last meal before 7 pm. That represents an 8-hour eating window and a 16-hour fasting period.

During eating hours, you can eat normally and consume your daily 2000 calories.

Keep in mind that eating junk defeats the purpose of intermittent fasting for health.

We see many people using this weight loss technique without adopting a healthy diet.

Fasting will allow them to burn some of the fat they eat daily, but the benefits of fasting won’t be as amazing as they could be on a cleaner diet.

Intermittent fasting is truly a lifestyle.

At first, it can be a bit difficult to adjust to shorter eating windows. You may feel hungry during the first few days, but it will pass. Our internal clock can get used to this new schedule quite rapidly.

It then becomes natural and easy to have food only at lunch time.

Practicing intermittent fasting along with a healthy diet and an exercise plan can procure impressive results. It is possible to reach your weight loss goals way faster than with a diet alone.

Many people will choose to exercise in the morning while fasting, to use their last reserves of glucose and force the body to use fat for energy.

Here are a few body builders and influencers that use intermittent fasting for weight loss:

Prolonged fasting

Water fasting and juice fasting are two great methods of healing. They can go on for days or even weeks if done correctly.

Fasting is an art that must be done carefully and safely.

Water fasting means that you will only drink water during a given amount of time…

Any water fast that goes on for more than 3 days should be supervised by a professional. There are water fasting centers that can accommodate you, like the TrueNorth Health Center, founded by Dr. Alan Goldhamer.

A juice fast is much easier than a water fast, because juices provide your body with a minimum of calories…

Detox symptoms are less intense, and the risk of developing a deficiency is almost non-existent.

Juice fasting is a great way to lose weight fast.

Even if you are not water fasting, your body will still have to turn to fat for energy. This mechanism called ketosis will happen at a slower pace than it would during water fasting, but it will still happen…

If you wish to experience the benefits of water fasting without having to be supervised by a professional, we recommend that you do our 7-day detox program.

You will be provided with nutritional supplements to support you during your complete fast, along with intestinal cleansers and probiotic replacement.

This will allow you to have a safer experience and get amazing results!

Know that you can get great results, whatever fasting method you choose. Cleansing once or twice a year can only benefit you, whether you are into juice fasting, water fasting, intermittent or prolonged fasts.

sources:

Impact of intermittent fasting on health and disease processes.
Mattson MP, Longo VD, Harvie M. Ageing Res Rev. 2016 Oct 31. pii: S1568-1637(16)30251-3. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.10.005. Review.

Effects of A One-week Fasting Therapy in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus and Metabolic Syndrome – A Randomized Controlled Explorative Study. Institute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité University Medical Center, Berlin. 2017 Apr 13. doi: 10.1055/s-0043-101700.

Effects of intermittent fasting on glucose and lipid metabolism.
Antoni R, Johnston KL, Collins AL, Robertson MD. 2017 Jan 16:1-8. doi: 10.1017/S0029665116002986.