March is Nutrition month in North America so why am I writing about fasting?
Consider this – what we eat has a huge impact on our health so we can use fasting as a powerful tool to move us away from disease and towards optimal health.
Fasting, which is defined as abstinence from eating, has been practised for centuries by many cultures around the world. We may associate it with the season of Lent or Ramadan, but some cultures fast for non-religious reasons as well. While the duration, practice, and specific reasons differ, all fasts have the similar goals of showing sacrifice and cleansing oneself.
What happens to your body when you fast?
When you don’t consume food or calories, the body looks for other ways to generate energy, such as drawing on glucose i.e., sugar stores. Once the glucose is significantly used up, the body’s metabolism changes and the body begins to burn fatty acids from stored fat for energy. When this transition to burning fat for energy is made, the body begins producing keytones and is said to be in a state of “ketosis”.
Once you reach a state of ketosis, many of the benefits of fasting start to kick in. The specific benefits vary depending on how many hours you have been fasting.
Benefits of Fasting
Fasting can provide health benefits for a variety of health issues, symptoms and conditions. Because fasting works to repair and heal on a cellular level, research suggests that it can help with a multitue of conditions like:
- Triggering autophagy (cleaning up of damaged cells)
- Stem cells generation
- Stabilising blood sugar
- Boosting the immune system
- Reducing depression and anxiety
- Supporting detoxification
- Boosting weight loss and improving metabolic function
- Slowing the aging process
- Helping autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and Type I Diabetes
- Lowering blood pressure
- Supporting Thyroid conditions
- Reducing chronic pain
- Lowering blood pressure
- Managing symptoms of menopause and perimenopause
- Increasing memory and mood
- Improving biomarkers of disease
- Reducing inflammation and lessen free radical damage
- Lowering triglyceride levels
- Boosting brain power by stimulating BDNF (a brain-boosting hormone) by 400%
- Supporting the treatment and prevention of cancer
Types of Fasting
There are several different types of fasting including:
- Intermittent Fasting (IF)
- Autophagy Fasting
- Dinner-to-Dinner
- Dry Fasting
- 36-48 Hour Water Fasting
- 3-5 Day Water Fasting
- Fast Mimicking Diet
Which Fast Is Best For You?
Each of these 7 types of fasts have slightly different benefits and parameters on how they work. So if you’re wondering which fast is best for you, the answer is it will depend on what benefit you are trying to achieve.
I’m trained in the art and science of fasting and enjoy helping my clients integrate this powerful tool into their lives.
Contact me if you’d like to see how fasting can improve your health and your life.
© ONFORM coaching 2023