Fasting is not new. People have been doing it for eons – some by choice, others were forced. Think about it. Our ancestors didn’t always eat. They ate when they could. They worked hard, fished, and hunted ALL WITHOUT FOOD. They survived and lived far healthier lives than we do today. They didn’t die of diseases. Well, some did but the diseases they died of were not caused by their bodies turning on them because of their diet. Instead, the diseases were foreign to them and brought to them from external sources. So it’s safe to deduce that they lived FAR healthier lives than we live today.
When you look at what doctors and mainstream media have said about fasting, you’d probably cower in fear. Here are some things we’ve been taught.
SKIPPING BREAKFAST WILL MAKE YOU FAT
There are benefits to eating early, but think, what does the word breakfast mean? This word is comprised of the words ‘break’ and ‘fast’. When you eat your first meal, you are breaking the fast. That’s it. What fast you may ask. The fast you started when you ate your last meal the day before until you eat your first meal…well, whenever you actually eat it. When you eat, you break your fast.
So what are the benefits of eating early? Well, for the undisciplined, it means you won’t binge or gorge when you finally break the fast. There’s also the benefit that you won’t go to bed full which gives your body more time to continue digesting. Allowing gaps between eating is a grand idea for your overall health. That will be covered in another issue at another time.
EATING A BUNCH OF TINY MEALS IS WHAT YOUR BODY NEEDS
If you have ever done a prolonged fast, you will notice some nights, you cannot sleep. Why is this? Well, your body expends a TON of calories (energy) digesting and figuring out what to do with the nutrients you took in. Eating five meals with 600 calories is no different than eating it all at one time. What should be noted is calories in and calories out is all that counts. Research it. Read the studies. You’ll see!
You’ll also learn that fasting does not interfere with the metabolic rate. Calories deficiency does. Look at your calorie count over a course of days rather than each day. Also understanding the metabolic rate and how it affects your body is something you should look into further.
YOUR BRAIN NEEDS A CONSTANT SUPPLY OF GLUCOSE
Nope! Not true. What your brain needs is energy and God made your temple to meet your needs efficiently. Glycogen is created when you eat carbohydrates. This is why you feel awful when you are on a low carb or carb-restrictive diet. Your body may feel like it’s shutting down and you may feel super depressed or low, but the body will adjust. First, your body’s liver will produce glucose from what it has stored. Once used up, your body will create more glucose via gluconeogenesis. Look up this term because there are studies on this that prove that your body is self-sufficient for long periods of time.
Once the glucose is used up, your fat cells will open and release fat (and everything else that’s been stored in them) to be broken down. The process, called ketosis, creates a cleaner energy source for the brain to use. It causes euphoria and fosters a keen sense of focus. Your brain LOVES ketones. Your body (and your mirror) rejoices at the fact that you have less fat. This is the true definition of fat loss.
EATING OFTEN IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH
As mentioned above, your body needs a break from eating. When it is not digesting, it’s repairing and healing. How can you repair and heal if you are always eating? The 8-10 hours through the night is not enough, for we have spent our entire lives destroying our bodies? Taking a break from eating is the only way to fix the years of mess your body is in.
On a cellular level, autophagy can only happen if you eat less frequently. Autophagy is the body’s Department of Waste Management. Now, this isn’t referring to the waste that is removed via the digestive system. Instead, it takes old cells and reuses them by eating them up. I guess you can say it’s the recycling system of the body. It wastes nothing and reuses everything to be a stronger cell.
FASTING IS THE SAME AS STARVATION
Starvation is going long periods of time with a reduction in calories for weight-loss. Fasting is going periods of time (long or short) with NO calories which will result in weight-loss (because there is fat to lose). They aren’t the same. When you are reducing calories, your body is doing all it can to hang on to do stuff that requires calories, like digestion. When you are in a fasting state, your body is doing what it is designed to do which is heal. It doesn’t require energy to be consumed to do this. It will use what’s in the body already to efficiently do this. Simple as that. Didn’t I say the Creator made our bodies perfectly!
This list can go on and on and on and on… There are so many myths to be debunked when it comes to fasting. Please believe, if there is a myth, there is most likely a reputable study that shows that it’s not true. Just think about it, who makes money if you aren’t eating! Have you considered what amount of money is spent to ensure that people have information that encourages them to keep spending money? You spend, they make more, and they have more to spend to make you spend. The cycle doesn’t end with them. So you end it. Just stop eating!
Miss-Lou Health & Wellness will be featuring more articles as it relates to fasting and the benefits of this lifestyle. Stay tuned for more.
