Fasting
O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint,-Al-Qu’ran Kareem, Surah Baqarah:183
As a physician trained in Islamic Medicine and Naturopathy, I was taught that fasting, the abstinence from food, is the best safeguard for illnesses of the soul, the heart and the mind. This was back in the 1990s now who would have thought scientific research would finally corroborate what we already knew.
When I starting writing this blog Aminah started looking into the history of fasting, how many meals we eat a day and if we always ate 3 meals or more. Well to her surprise breakfast did not exist throughout history. The Romans did not eat breakfast, in fact, they only ate 1 meal a day around noon.
“The Romans believed it was healthier to eat only one meal a day and felt eating more than 1 meal a day is a form of gluttony,” says food historian Caroline Yeldham.
In Islamic history, It was not the custom of the Muslims in the earliest times to eat three meals every day as people do nowadays. Rather the most they would have would be two meals: one at the beginning of the day and another in the evening.
During the Industrial Revolution, the working hours of the laborers necessitated the eating of an early meal to sustain them at work. All classes started to eat a meal before going to work, even the bosses. It seems as if we have always eaten less than we eat now and that we fasted more either out of necessity or for religious reasons.
In 2016, Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize in Medicine for his research on how cells recycle and renew their content, a process called autophagy. The word derives from the Greek auto (self) and phagein (to eat). So the word literally means to eat oneself.
Essentially, this is the body’s mechanism of getting rid of all the broken down, old cell machinery (organelles, proteins and cell membranes) when there’s no longer enough energy to sustain it. It is a regulated, orderly process to degrade and recycle cellular components.
After approximately 3 days of fasting and this could vary, fasting will activate autophagy, which helps improve your quality of life and overhauling your entire defense system.
Today naturopaths and functional physicians use dietary fasting in preventative medicine for the prevention and treatment of conditions like obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, cancer improve concentration, prevent Alzheimer’s and is a part of any healthy aging process.
In addition to autophagy, the process of fasting dissolves and softens excess humoral fluids that become obstructions in the intestines or that cannot be eliminated by the body. It can help control excessive desires of food and harmful substances and help restore balance. Others say “simply put fasting causes diseases to stand still.” It provides the necessary environment for the body to heal it self. This is why when you get sick you don’t want to eat. Your body is trying to tell you to stop eating, rest and let me do my job.
Currently you may hear the terms intermittent fasting, water fast, and dry fasting being used all over the internet. It is the new buzz word. People are also fasting to have more energy, to become sharper and more productive at work, in addition to all of the health benefits.
Periodic fasting can help clear up the mind and strengthen the body and the spirit. Ezra Taft Benson
It is the nature of man to lean toward excessiveness. If a little is good, more is better. In Islamic Medicine, we are taught that fasting is best when observed in moderation and intermittently and for religious purposes like the obligatory Ramadan fast observed by Muslims worldwide for over 1400 years. But fasting has been mentioned in the Bible, the Torah and practiced by the Prophets(saas*) and has been practiced by ancient people all over the world.
Fasting goes as far back as ancient man and ancient philosophers like Hippocrates(c 460 – c 370 BC) the father of modern medicine. He often prescribed fasting and apple cider vinegar. He wrote, “To eat when you are sick, is to feed your illness”. The ancient Greek writer and historian Plutarch (cAD46 – c AD 120) Plato and his student Aristotle were also staunch supporters of fasting.
In Buddhism, food is often consumed only in the morning, and followers fast from noon until the next morning daily. In addition to this, there may be various water-only fasts for days or weeks on end.
If you are new to dietary fasting you have made an important step toward improving your health. If you have a health condition you should contact me or your physician to get some guidance. Just remember that this is an old technique that has stood the test of time. It has been practiced by both women and men.
He who buries his head deep into a nosebag full of food cannot hope to see the invisible world. ~Al-Ghazali
Let’s start with some basics. For optimal health men should have only about a ½ an inch of skin that they can pinch near the belly button and women should only have about 1 inch. If you have this amount or less you should not complete long extended fast without assistance. (If you are in great health you can fast, just not long extended continuous fast over a week. If you are interested in doing more than a week you should work with a professional who has some experience in fasting.)
If you are pregnant, nursing or a child below puberty you should not fast. If you can pinch more than ½ inch to an inch at the waistline, depending on whether you are a male or a female, not on medication then fasting should be good for you unless your doctor has prevented you from fasting.
Most people look at weight when they think about fasting to determine if they should or not. I really prefer to use height to waistline ratio. Aim to keep your waist measurement less than half that of your height.
That means a 6ft (72 inch) tall man should aim to keep his waist less than 36 inches, while a 5ft 4in (64 inch) woman should keep hers under 32 inches. These measurements could still have you in the overweight category and you may not be bikini body ready so then look at BMI. (see link below in reference section)
Intermittent fasting is the most popular type of fasting in 2019. It is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. It does not restrict what you eat but when you eat. There are many methods of intermittent fasting splitting the day or the week into eating and fasting periods.
You can do this by skipping breakfast, eating your first meal at noon and your last meal at 8 pm.
Then you’re technically fasting for 16 hours every day, and restricting your eating to an 8-hour eating window. This is the most popular form of intermittent fasting, known as the 16/8 method. There is also 24 hr, 36hr, 42hr, 7 to 10 days and 21 to 30 days. The 24 to 42 hr fast are manageable for most people. The 7 days to 30 days many need guidance and assistance from someone familiar with the practice of fasting.
A 24-hour fast generally goes from dinner one day to dinner the next or lunch one day to lunch the next day. If you chose to eat the dinner meal then aim to finish your meal 3 hours before bedtime. Some people do this 3 times a week and on the non-fasting days, they go back to the 16/8 method of fasting. Others fast for 24 hrs without breaks in between but on the last two days of the week go to the 16/8 method.
Some people practice the 24 hr fast by eating food every 24 hrs, while others practice the 24 hr fast with fasting 20 hours and have meals in the last 4 hours. In the 36 hr fast, fasting starts at lunch or dinner one day and continues fasting the second day and the 3rd day fasting continues to the same lunch or dinner meal as the 1st day. Some will fast for 32 hours and eat meals in the last 4 hrs. The remaining fast from 42 hrs to 30 days continue in this pattern with the number of days with no food, increasing based on the number of hours of the fast.
Intermittent fasting is fairly easy. Many people report feeling better and having more energy during a fast. Hunger is usually not that big of an issue, although it can be a problem in the beginning, while your body is getting used to not eating.
By now you may be thinking I have an extra 30 lbs I have been carrying for ages. Maybe fasting could help me? Well, you could try exercise. As I have said before weight loss begins in the kitchen not the gym. You could try 1 of the many diets out there like paleo, keto, South Beach etc.
You can lose weight with most diets but at some point you either plateau or lose weight very slowly. And are these type diets something that you can do long term? Is it even healthy to do them long term?
This is where fasting shines. Some continue some type of fasting process until well in their 80’s and 90’s.
When fasting, the process of using and storing food energy that occurs when you eat goes into reverse. When you fast insulin levels drop, signaling the body to start burning stored energy glycogen which is the glucose that is stored in the liver.
Lowering your insulin regularly will cause your body to become more responsive to insulin. Electrolytes remain stable when you include fluids like water, coconut water and veggie broth, and metabolism speeds up.
Last but not least growth hormone goes up. Research shows that replacing growth hormone in older people with low levels has significant longevity benefits. But it is better and less expensive if it is the individuals own growth hormone which can be accomplished through fasting.
Fasting is the first principle of medicine; fast and see the strength of the spirit reveal itself. ~Rumi
Fasting is not a cure for everything; healthy eating is still very important. It’s the correct eating that follows the long term fasting that continues the process of your defense system being overhauled–autophagy.
Most people know what healthy eating means, a whole foods plant-based diet. Especially if you are a baby boomer like me. Use organics, whenever possible and no GMO’s.
Intermittent fasting can be very successful when implemented with either short fast less than 24 hours or longer fast more than 24 hours. Extended fasting more than 3 days can also be safely used for weight loss and other health benefits.
But what will fasting not do? It won’t increase your glucose, it won’t increase your blood pressure, it won’t put you at higher risk for cancer.
Actually, fasting has the opposite effect it lowers glucose, lowers blood pressure, lowers the risk of cancer plus you have all the benefits of increasing growth hormone. Fasting does not burn all of your muscle, it does not make you tired and there is no starvation mode. You don’t have to take my word for it look at all the religious people that have fast for centuries.
Now who should not start dietary fasting? 1. If you’re severely malnourished. 2. If underweight 3. Under 18 years of age 4. Pregnant women 5. Breastfeeding
If you have certain medical conditions like 1. Gout 2. Take medication 3. Type 1 or type 2 diabetes 4. Acid reflux, if you have any of these conditions check with a functional medicine physician, or naturopath.
Prep work for the fast- -Fasting can be easy for some and difficult for others. To minimize your discomfort and to maximize the effects of the fast look at what you are doing right now. What you eat and how you spend your free time.
Fasting impacts both. Plan to change your diet before and after the fast. Eat pure, fresh, organic whole foods. First learn about your fasting technique. Have your fast instructions readily available along with your schedule.
Educate yourself as much as you can about the fasting technique you are going to use. Have your “why” written down to get you past the more challenging days. Taper off and then stop any addictions.
Eliminate sugar, white flour, meats, dairy, eggs, and pastries. No fast or fried foods. Use olive or avocado oil no butter or margarine. Do your shopping for your first few days before the fast begins. Minimize your work schedule the first few days until you get used to the fast. Move to eating an organic plant based whole foods diet. Start drinking alkaline or spring water if you are not a water drinker.
Mild herbal teas twice a day can help support your body as you prepare and change your diet. Tea’s like lemon water, ginger, and green tea. Reduce salt intake and add spices in small amounts like turmeric, garlic, etc.
A fast is better than a bad meal. ~Irish Proverb
The night before the fast prepare all foods for the first day.
No food is allowed during the fasting period, but you can drink water, tea, and coffee if you must. Some people use homemade broth. You can add lemon or lime to flavor it, and orange slices, berries, cucumbers to your water. No artificial flavors and artificially sweetened drinks. Herb tea of all types are fine. Some people add coffee, salt water, and bone broth. I prefer veggie broth, chlorella, and spirulina.
Veggie Broth
For a 2 days supply cover with alkaline or spring water in a soup pot 3 to 4 carrots, 3 stalks celery, ½ a bunch of parsley, 2 potatoes with skins, ½ a head of cabbage, 1 onion and ½ a bunch of broccoli. Add 1 tbsp of organic vegetable broth powder. Simmer covered 30 minutes. Strain and discard solids. Store in the refrigerator in a covered glass container.
Taking supplements is generally allowed for example a multivitamin or/and multimineral. Herbal teas while fasting are also allowed, as long as they are zero calories. I like dandelion or nettles tea because of the high mineral content.
Exercise is allowed. If you are sedentary start slow and work your way up to 30 min a day. If you are obese sit in a chair to start to minimize injury and then gradually move out of the chair as your weight subsides and your body gets use to moving. If you are already in an exercise program aerobics for 30 min a day is excellent. Meditation, tai chi, qi gong, are also excellent practices. Get some sunlight every day and get some sleep at night. Elimination may slow down at first but should resume about 2 to 3 days into the fast if not plan on using some type of product to keep toxins moving out of your body. Some people opt for enema’s
Abstinence and fasting cure many a complaint. ~Danish Proverb
After the fast what should you eat? I strongly recommend a whole food plant based diet. Start with veggie broth as your 1st meal. Add fresh fruit and veggies then cooked veggies and whole grains. Move to 1 to 2 meals a day unless you have an active outside career. If you plan to do more fasting eating this way will make it easy for you to start fasting again. If you are doing longer fast like 7 days are more. The re-entry of food into the diet is a slower process. If you must eat meat or dairy then keep it to a minimum like special occasions, family gatherings and major holidays.
I have done several different types of detox, cleanses and fast so if you need some assistance contact me at team@lookbetterandfeelbetter.com
*Peace be upon them
References:
https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20243692
Dr Jason Fung – Benefits of Intermittent Fasting https://youtu.be/208p35d0XpA
Natural Healing with the Medicine of the Prophet by Muhammad Al-Akili
BMI Chart ://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm
https://www.dietdoctor.com/renew-body-fasting-autophagy
https://www.thelivingcentre.com/fasting-articles/how-to-prepare-yourself-for-a-fast