Fasting has a very negative connotation for me. It conjures up images of starvation, being weak and shaky, feeling lethargic and nauseous. Call it Fastophobia, but I just don’t think I could do a full-out fast.
I have read for years about all of the benefits, both physical and spiritual, and something about depriving my very needy body of food for even a few hours gives me the shakes. Maybe if I was concerned about weight loss I would be more motivated to fast, as that is touted as one of the benefits of fasting. And then there is the question, if you eat well enough all of the time, is there really anything from which to detox?
The information in a new article I read , though, is fascinating, all about how fasting puts the body in survival mode and can even increase life spans up to forty percent. Not enough for you? Well, how about reducing free radicals, preventing diabetes and heart disease? Believe me, this article is worth the read to see all the amazing things fasting can do for your body.
The article nicely outlines The Master Cleanse as well as some other detox diets, too, so you can get an idea of the different types of fasting that can be done. It was good to see that you don’t necessarily have to eat nothing for days on end; there are other ways to do partial fasts.
Am I convinced of the benefits of fasting? Clearly. Will I fast? Probably not, especially not while I am still nursing my son. But there will come a day when my body is my own again and I may think about restricting certain foods for two weeks, or even trying a modified version of the every-other-day plan outlined in the article.
Have any of you had any success with fasting? How did it make you feel? Would you do it again? Help me defeat my Fastophobia!
Author by Debra McDuffee
