A Complete Guide of Fasting - The Pros and Cons

Fasting Benefits 

Since time immemorial, fasting has been in practice all around the world. Fasting is different from starving yourself, which is what most people believe when they come across the word ‘fasting’. Rather fasting is about avoiding specific food items while eating mindfully and consciously choosing smaller portion sizes. Fasting is also about having lighter and fewer meals that include simple food items like fruits, milk, etc.

While certain fasts demands for a single meal during the day, you may also arrange a specific timing when you will eat during the day. Based on the particular fast, you might have your meal during the early morning hours or after the sunset. However, certain fasts permit people to consume light snacks like milk and fruits at least.

  

However, what exactly fasting stands for and why it is being practiced even in the modern age? Well, the answer lies in the detoxifying nature of fast something that is championed by different religions. On religious occasions, fasting is widely undertaken by a large number of people. The underlying spiritual significance of fasting cannot be undermined.

At first glance, it seems the only decision to make is when to eat. However, there is much more to it. In case, you have decided to approach this practice you must follow it with extreme caution and acknowledge the ramifications it could have on your body. Fasting has its own share of benefits and adverse effects. Here we have discussed all that you need to know about fasting:

Fasting Benefits 

Pros of Fasting:

v  Fasting has been linked to making your body more sensitive to insulin. It is the time when your body more efficiently uses the food you consume. Fasting reduces insulin resistance and thereby helps lower blood sugar levels and the risk of type2 diabetes.

v  Fasting completely changes your hormone levels while releasing fat-burning hormones at a higher rate while normalizing levels of ghrelin (the hunger hormone). It can also boost metabolism up to fourteen percent.

v  Fasting is a flexible and simple way to shed weight and promote health. It also advocates a more mindful way of eating which automatically helps you choose healthier foods and portion sizes even on regular days.

v  Fasting is significantly believed to lessen the levels of IGF-1 in your blood (a growth hormone that seems to fasten the aging process and reduce cancer-inducing cell divisions).

Cons of fasting:

]  One of the major side effects of fasting is the loss of water and muscle tissue, as your body does not get enough hydration. The body begins to lose its water content, creating a false sense of weight loss. The significant cut in calories leads to a loss of muscle tissue as well.

]  It takes a little time to get used to being in a state of fasting. In addition, by the time you adapt, you might experience some uncomfortable symptoms like lightheadedness. These are not typically dangerous, merely nuisances that keep bothering you for quite a long.

]  The desire to binge on tempting food after fasting is the biggest problem you will face every time. Moreover, your dedication to staying on an empty stomach during that period will be ruined with the extra calories you might end up taking at the end. To negate this disadvantage, try with shorter fasting and gradually extend as your body become more used to it.

]  Long-term fasting leads to electrolyte imbalance and thinning of hair associated with eating disorders. Extended fasting also results in renal failure, cardiac arrhythmia, and starvation hampering your body functioning. Importantly, fasting during some medical conditions can possibly cause dangerous health complications.

Things to keep in mind while fasting:

1. Consume fresh fruits and juice during fasting that keeps a balance in your body and keeps it nutritious. Because you are limiting your intake, your food choices provide essential and important nutrients now more than ever.
2. Keep yourself replenished and drink enough water to avoid dehydration. The water you consume must depend on your the requirement, activity level, and body size.
3. If you have certain health conditions like you are medically unfit, pregnant or if you are undergoing some medications, you need to speak with your doctor or nutritionist about how to fast without having an adverse effect on your health.
4. How you break, a fast is also an important the thing in itself. Break it with some fruits and vegetables, veggie soups but avoid breaking with a heavy meal as this can lead to stomach cramps and other digestive issues.

Words of wisdom:

By fasting safely, you can definitely open up your body’s restorative and healing powers, can create clarity in your thoughts and emotions and reboot your body functioning. Begin with fasting for shorter durations, schedule your meal plan, stay hydrated and do not stop eating completely. In addition, if you have any health or medical condition consult with your doctor first and then make a final decision.