Fasting...."I Can't!"....She Whined
I started fasting from time to time years ago. Since then its gained some popularity. When I first discovered fasting and researched all of its truly amazing benefits, it all started with an excellent online PDF. Eat. Stop. Eat. Its still available online if you'd like to read what got me hooked. As the years have gone by, I've since seen countless articles written on the topic and even had my ND fully support my choice. At the end of this post, I have included a very recent excellent article.
I have discussed the amazing benefits and the 'how to's' with countless clients over the years, friends and family. Once common thread I hear over and over, "I CAN'T!", "I get dizzy", "I get angry" ,"I NEED food". No you don't. If the human body NEEDED food every few hours, the human race would have died off years ago. Yes, the first time you do it, it sucks. I thought I was going to die, I was angry, then I was ok. I thought my stomach was eating itself. My belly made all sorts of crazy noises. I even drank a Coke Zero! But as you do it more often, it really does get easier.
So how do you do it? Why do you want to do it? There are few different options, some include limited calories in a day (great for weight loss, but you don't receive all of the other health benefits). So my most fav versions - the ones that grant you both the weight loss and the immune boosting benefits - there are two. One, a full 24 hour fast. Eat dinner on Sunday night, then don't eat again until Monday night. Thats it - its that easy. You can drink all of the black coffee, black tea, herbal tea, sparkling water and even Coke Zero that you want. Hot drinks and fizzy drinks help to fill the belly. Just so long as its zero calories. I don't EVER recommend Coke Zero (its gut flora killing garbage), but do what you need to do to get through your first 24 hours. The second time that you do it and on, you won't need it, the fasting just gets easier. My second fav option - 8/16 rule. I try to live this way. I can eat for 8 hours in a day, and don't eat for the remaining 16 hours. Just stop eating in the evening and pay attention to the time. Bring your breakfast to work (this is real easy if you make breakfast a green smoothie!) and drink/eat up after 16 hours from your last meal has passed.
The benefits of doing this (a 24 hour fast once a week or once a month) are literally countless. Weight loss, immune boosting, system reset, develop a new relationship with food, the list goes on. I have attached a few links to articles listing them. You can do it. You might feel a bit dizzy, it might be uncomfortable. You won't faint (unless you have a medical condition, if you do, speak with your doctor or better yet, an ND about fasting), you certainly won't die. You might be cranky on the first round or two, but your friends love you and will forgive you. Its so very worth the discomfort for the countless benefits. Read about them to get motivated!
As always, feel free to message me with comments on this articles, or future topics you'd like to see a blog on.
With love, Dana Smith DO(MP)
https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/health-benefits-of-fasting/
https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/10-benefits-of-fasting-that-will-surprise-you.html
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting