Just about everybody likes to eat enjoys doing so, yet there are sometimes advantages to going without food.
Fasting is the abstention from eating and sometimes drinking.
Many people fast as part of a medical procedure or a check-up, such as preceding surgery, or before certain medical tests.
Intermittent fasting is a technique sometimes used for weight loss that incorporates regular fasting into a person’s dietary schedule.
Fasting may also be part of a religious ritual often associated with specifically scheduled fast days, as determined by the religion.
“There’s ample evidence which indicates that timed periods of fasting are a good thing,” said Nathan Hewitt, prominent author on health and weight loss nutrition.
Fasting has become increasingly popular over the years, especially among the health community.
Most health practitioners are afraid to recommend eating less due to the stigma involved, Hewitt said. “However, it still doesn’t alleviate the incredible benefits of fasting when used sensibly.”
Hewitt listed ten benefits of fasting.
Fasting can be a safe way to lose weight as many studies have shown. Intermittent fasting is controlled fasting within a set number of hours. It allows the body to burn through fat cells more effectively than just regular dieting.
Intermittent fasting allows the body to use fat as its primary source of energy instead of sugar. Many athletes now use fasting as means to hitting low body fat percentages for competitions.
Fasting has shown to have a positive effect on insulin sensitivity, allowing the body to tolerate carbohydrates better than not fasting. A study showed that after periods of fasting, insulin becomes more effective in telling cells to take up glucose from blood.
Intermittent fasting gives your digestive system a rest, and this can energize the metabolism to burn through calories more efficiently. If digestion is poor, this can enhance the ability to metabolize food and burn fat. Intermittent fasts can regulate the digestion and promote healthy bowel function.
Believe it or not, the less people eat the longer they will live, Hewitt said. Studies have shown how the lifespan of people in certain cultures increased due to their diets.
“However, we don’t need to live amongst a foreign community to reap the benefits of fasting,” Hewitt said.
One of the primary effects of ageing is a slower metabolism, the younger the body is, the faster and more efficient the metabolism. The less one eats, the less toll it takes on the digestive system.
Fasting helps to regulate the hormones in the body to experience what true hunger is.
Think of fasting as a reset button. The longer one fasts, the more the body can regulate itself to release the correct hormones to experience what real hunger is. When hormones are working correctly, a person gets get full quicker.
Fasting can be a helpful practice for those who suffer with binge eating, and for those who find it difficult to establish a correct eating pattern due to work and other priorities.
Fasting has shown to improve brain function because it boosts the production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).
BDNF activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons, and triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health. This protein also protects the brain cells from changes associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
Intermittent fasting improves the immune system because it reduces free radical damage, regulates inflammatory conditions in the body and starves off cancer cell formation.[9]
In nature, when animals get sick they stop eating and instead focus on resting. This is a primal instinct to reduce stress on their internal system so their body can fight off infection. Humans are the only species who look for food when ill, even when not needed
Fasting has helped many people feel more connected to life during the practices reading, meditation, yoga and martial arts etc. With no food in the digestive system, this makes room for more energy in the bod. Th digestive is one of the most energy absorbing systems in the body.
Fasting for self-enlightenment allows a person to feel better both consciously and physically. With a lighter body and a clearer mind people become more aware and grateful for the things around them.
Fasting can help clear the skin because with the body temporarily freed from digestion, it’s able to focus its regenerative energies on other systems.
Not eating anything for just one day has shown to help the body clean up the toxins and regulate the functioning of other organs of the body like liver, kidneys and other parts.
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