Fasting: what are your thoughts?

[berta_the_aspie]

uhm... for how long are you gonna fast? just because something isn't proven to be unhealthy doesn't mean it is healthy...
and wait.. i thought a vegan diet automatically had no toxins...?

[frank language]

and wait.. i thought a vegan diet automatically had no toxins...?
A vegan diet may have fewer toxins than the omnivore's diet, but no diet is toxin-free--unless you're a breath-arian, and even that's debatable.

[Roxy]

Well I have considered doing a fast, but to be honest I just don't think I'd have the will-power to do it. For me, I think I'd have to do it in a controlled environment such as a health retreat.

[eve]

I used to do 10-day fasts years ago, but now I'm just not into it. I also believe that to fast (and I mean water fasts, not taking fruit juices etc), it makes one put on weight, because although there is weight loss at the time, as soon as eating starts, the body grabs every single kilojoule in preparation for another famine!

[scarlett]

I can't go for more than a couple of hours without eating, I feel horribly sick and light headed if I don't eat regularly so I don't think that I could ever fast ! I don't know how people do it !

[Noogle]

I've considered fasting, but if I haven't eaten in, say, 4 hours, I will get very sleepy and weak. I've been to the doctors about this before and all they told me is that it's not diabetes or aneamia. I'd love to try fasting, but without knowing what problem I have, I wouldn't want to risk my health.

[BlackCats]

I would really like to try a juice fast/cleanse but I know I wouldn't be able to do it.:rolleyes:
For it to happen, I would have be forcibly restrained and starved.:p I don't think I have enough will power on my own.

I read a book (which I do not remember the name of, it was 14 years ago) and the doctor that wrote it said animals fast to get rid of illnesses/disease from their bodies. I thought fasting was good as it allowed your body to digest food? I'm not sure if this is true. :confused:

I'm sure someone will jump in with their opinion anyway, ha ha.:D

[Hemlock]

I like the idea of a week long spa fast with colonic irrigation but haven't got the will power to do it at home.
I can imagine it makes you feel fantastic and would be a good way to give up coffee and deal with the resulting toxins.

[cedarblue]

from what i understand, it's best to do a fast over a weekend when you can relax or over a holiday period when you don't have to keep to a schedule and can rest when you need to.

[Annie]

I've heard so many conflicting things about fasting...I've heard that it's good for you and flushes out toxins and all that. But I've also heard that it's bad for you, slows down your metabolism and forces your body to start eating itself...

I could never do a fast. I love food way too much...I think the closest thing I could do to a fast was just eating raw for a week haha

[sugarmouse]

Closest I get to fasting is just having cabbage water, salads and broths for a few days but even then I cheat slightly (have coffee etc sometimes)
I guess having anorexia was a fast wasnt it lol

[foxytina_69]

i used to be anorexic sugarmouse. it was definitely like a fast but so unhealthy. the difference for me was that i was hurting myself and was constantly fasting to lose weight and used it as a way to control my thoughts. but fasting in a healthy way, for a short period of time, for health and spirituality, and to help myself rather than hurt myself are great for me. it also helps me to retrain my eating habits so i eat healthy foods and feel good about myself and i feel so happy and cleansed and serene after a fast and really connect myself to my body and feel good about food and eating.

[xrodolfox]

I don't know much about fasting. Sounds interesting... but right now, not interesting enough to do it.

Perhaps I will one day, especially if I get some compelling information about its helpfulness. I'm excited about reading this thread.

[herbwormwood]

It would probably be unhealthy and maybe dangerous for anyone with a history of restrictive type eating disorder.
Also anyone with blood sugar problems.

[absentmindedfan]

All I know is I feel awful if I don't eat. If my body is unable to 'cleanse' itself with my high GI, wholegrain, mixed fruit and veg, low fat, no refined flour or sugar vegan diet then I evolved wrong. If you're worried about being 'cleansed' eat raw, don't stop eating altogether.

Plus fasting sounds like it buys into the food=evil mentality that is held by alot of people who punish their bodies with food (either by eating too much, the wrong things or starving themselves), and that isn't healthy physically or psychologically.

[foxytina_69]

your body IS able to cleanse itself on a healthy diet, the point of a cleanse is to rid your body of toxins you were exposed to throughout your life, and fasting cleanses your body further.

people arent fasting because food is evil. people fast to cleanse their bodies. and the people i know that fast on a regular basis most definitely do not have a bad relationship with food at all. they eat very healthy and are in tune with their bodies. i personally love food and love to eat, but me fasting doesnt mean i hate food at all.

it is also really good for people who are "addicted" to certain foods, as after the fast, your relationship to food is much different and all you want is healthy food.

eating raw is really cleansing yes. but juice fasts or better yet water fasts, cleanse you at a much deeper level, cleansing not only your body but also your spirituality and mind.

fasting is definitely cleansing for me, because if i do a fast versus eat healthy, when having the flu, it goes away in 2 days, compared to 2 weeks while still eating a healthy diet.

but of course, everyones allowed to have their own opinions! :)

[harpy]

There may be something to be said for not eating for a short period when you have certain types of illness - in fact you sometimes don't feel like eating anyway do you?(although with me the appetite is the last thing to go :p )

Here's some research about it http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1777.html

I don't really see the point of it at other times though - like amf I tend to feel much better if I eat as regularly as poss. AIUI your digestive system is able to deal with a certain amount of toxins.

[foxytina_69]

well, fasting is definitely not for everyone! (and most people do feel crappy whilst fasting from not eating, but if you can do it long enough, then you will see the benefits. after a few days of fasting, your energy level goes up dramatically and you feel great. most people dont understand the benefits of fasting because they think it makes them feel bad to not eat and then stop, but havent really done it long enough to see the benefits.)

thanks for the article harpy.

[Michael Benis]

It's fine once in a while. I've been on fasts of from 3 to 10 days. Everyone should try fasting at least once. It can be quite an eye opener.

The tricky bit is how to reintroduce food. It needs to be done gradually.

Some people can over-use it as a cure-all, which is not in my opinion generally a very good idea. I'd only recommend it as something to do occasionally.

Cheers

Mike

[John]

I can see fasting to save money or if you are somewhere where there isn't much food but I don't see any positive reason to do so otherwise.

[Gorilla]

my body's not suited to fasting. i need regular food to function, and maybe it does take a while to get over the bad side-effects of going without food, but i don't feel it's worth it for me. even if i've been eating badly for a while, my body still needs food to keep going - i just eat more healthily.

[Risker]

I find the benefits of fasting to be far too anecdotal for my liking, eating good food is medically proven to be healthy however so I shall continue to eat on a regular basis.

[Lazuli]

Diet isn't the only place we pick up toxins. If one isn't clean inside and flowing well, we can poison ourselves. Also our air is full of toxins as well as water, etc. Then we have all kinds of incoherent influences such as emf from cell phones, wifi, etc all having a negative and additive impact on ones health. Cleansing is a very useful tool in reducing one's "total load." Along with dietary cleansing one can also sauna, exercise, and utilize various baths such as clay baths which will help to pull toxins out. Colonics are also quite good in aiding the large intestine and liver in reducing any toxic burdons. There are different kinds of fasts for different people in different situations. There is no wide brush suitable for everyone here.

[Gryffin]

Quick add -

Be conscious of WHAT you fast on. Choose fluids that will not break havok on your blood sugars, such as green juices.

[applebaby]

i got really really sick the last couple days and lost my appetite, had fruit at breakfast and a bit of rice at lunch and nothing for dinner and woke up and am starting to feel a looooot better when going to sleep last night i had a total fever. when you get sick and lose your appetite i think your body wants to fast to be able to have a chance to heal itself and such, seemed to work for me.

i also did like a one-day fast before, only one day. so nothing majorly ground breaking. but i would love to try a longer fast someday! of course you have to do it like when you're on vacation or something because you will definitely need to relax! a lot !