Fasting
Fasting has been used as a healing practice for thousands of years. Hippocrates, Aristotle, Socrates & Plato all praised the benefits of fasting, and our Grandmothers encouraged us to starve a fever, feed a cold. Essentially, fasting, means abstaining from food. It can be a multiday fast, or it can be skipping a meal a couple of times a week. It can also include fasting on juices, raw foods, rice or broth. There is well-documented evidence that short term fasting conveys a number of health benefits: fat loss; reductions in inflammation, diabetes, ageing, cancer & heart disease; and improved cell longevity.
From an evolutionary perspective, the idea of 3 meals a day for our hunter-gatherer ancestors was unheard of. Food was never in such an abundant supply; humans would feast when it was plentiful, perhaps once a day, and fast the remainder of the time. Consequently, this selected the genes that stored fat, which was vital during times of fasting. Translate this to now, and the genes that promote fat storage are still working perfectly- only now we have three meals a day plus countless snacks to go with it. The end result is, of course, a huge rise in obesity.
Most of us eat too much, too often. We are stuck in a cycle of relying on sugars from carbohydrates as being the primary fuel source for our body, so we crave sugar every time our stores run low, usually every couple of hours. We need to switch to an alternative fuel source: FAT. Once we start burning fat for fuel, food cravings and hunger disappear, blood sugar levels stabilise, and energy levels are high. Fasting is an excellent way to get the body into fat-burning mode.
The main drawback for most people is that it is perceived as being tedious and difficult. However, it doesn’t have to be! Many people would be familiar with the Intermittent Fasting 5:2 diet (eat freely for 5 days, fast for 2) which has been well publicised & researched. I also suggest a version of this, whereby you simply reduce the window during which you eat; for example, between 9 am – 7 pm, providing a 14 hour fast each day, or from 10am- 6pm, giving a 16 hour fast each day. You need to find what works for you- if you’re naturally not hungry in the morning, then skipping breakfast is fine. Or perhaps it’s better for you to cease your day’s eating by 5 pm, and increase the time you’re fasting overnight.
Regardless of what type of fasting works for you, it is still important to choose the right foods when you do eat. Plenty of good fats from butter, avocado, egg yolk, olive & coconut oil, macadamias & seeds; regular protein from fish & meats; and loads of fresh, multi-coloured vegetables are key.