The Joy of Fasting

The quick answer:  Though we eat to live, fasting can improve our health as well as the quality of of our lives.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Scripture

Of the three oracles that inform this blog, one is Scripture.  The other two are Science, and Tradition.  I like the idea of teaming Scripture—discredited in many a laboratory—with Science to create a more profound answer.  In the last post the Genesis account of the Creation led to an intriguing question:  Are the 92 elements of which the earth was formed all essential to health?   Our knowledge of Science is too incomplete to give an answer yet in Genesis 3:19 we’re told “. . . for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”  I’m led to believe the 92 elements, as found in the soil that grows our food, each play a necessary role.  The very idea inspires reverence for the Creation—and for food in its natural form.

While we turn to Scripture, we avoid religious jargon.  Our hope is people of every belief will feel welcome, and comfortable enough to share their nutrition experience.  That said, we’d like to discuss a religious practice common to many faiths:  fasting.

Fasting

In the Mormon faith, fasting is done monthly.  Typically this means skipping two meals (the money saved is given to a special fund for the poor).  This is done for spiritual, rather than health, reasons but fasting does have health benefits.

The N. Y. Times ran an article last year, “Regular Fasting May Boost Heart Health.”  The article cited a study that found regular fasting among Mormons was associated with a 58% reduction in heart disease.   Other lifestyle factors may contribute, but no medicine, to my knowledge, yields such a benefit. 

The same doctors then took blood samples from people undergoing a 24-hour fast.  Among other benefits, there was a surge of human growth hormone after fasting—a 20-fold increase for men, 13 times for women.  Human growth hormone is released during starvation to promote burning of fat and protect muscle and other lean tissue.  Want to reduce your fat level?  Ask your doctor of fasting is right for you.  Because excess fat is such a problem in our society, I’m surprised this benefit isn’t more discussed.

A recent study by the National Institute on Aging found that weekly fasting protected the brain from the effects of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other diseases.  The study suggested two days of minimal calories each week, followed by five days of normal eating.  However you do it, there seems to be a benefit to fasting.

Dr. Joel Fuhrman

Dr. Fuhrman writes regularly on nutrition and preventative health.  Fasting is recommended in his book, Fasting and Eating for Health: A Medical Doctor’s Program for Conquering Disease.  I discussed his book in this post.  Dr. Fuhrman recommends that your doctor supervise fasts longer than three days, you should know.  Fuhrman found so many health benefits to fasting that I decided to try a three day fast.  Here is what I learned:

• Much of my eating, mainly snacking, is driven by boredom rather than hunger.  If you want to improve your health, replace snacking with . . ., well, a moment of jump-roping or a Sudoku puzzle.
• After the first day, I wasn’t really hungry.  Hunger diminishes as the fast progresses. 
• Your mental focus improves during fasting—as the physical appetites diminish, you get a better view of what’s important.  Fuhrman notes that people giving up addictions, like smoking, do better if they fast. 

Please comment:  Share your experience with fasting.

Need a reminder? Download our Healthy Change reminder card. Print and fold, then place in your kitchen or on your bathroom mirror to help you remember the Healthy Change of the week.

Comments

[Dee]

Really interesting information.
I have enjoyed fasting one Sunday per month, for two meals. It was really strange to give it up while pregnant because it had become an important part of my life (the spiritual aspect as I haven't considered the health benefits too much).
I don't know about a 3 day fast. I think as soon as it started I'd start planning and dreaming about what food I would eat to break the fast! :)

[Lindsey]

I have really come to appreciate fasting and no longer see it as torture :)

I wanted to comment about something that has helped with our son's eating. We were having a hard time getting our son to eat much at meals and dinner was turning into a negative experience for all of us. After reading the book Secrets of Feeding a Healthy Family (as a side note, I think her dietary advice is abominable) we implemented a new plan: no more grazing between meals... we have three meals and three snacks (sit down, mom chooses the food) per day. At meals our son gets to choose what he eats (from what is on the table) and how much with no interference from us. While it has been hard to watch when he chooses not to eat his vegetables, his has made our mealtimes so much more pleasant and he is actually eating more and hopefully developing a healthier attitude about food.

[ST]

Skip, I'm wondering if you continued to drink water during your 3-day fast.

[ST]

Nevermind, I just need to read more closely!