Fasting: Because Hippocrates Said So!

 "Everyone has a physician inside him or her; we just have to help it in its work.  The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.  Our food should be our medicine.  Our medicine should be our food.  But to eat when you are sick is to feed your sickness."
                                               - Hippocrates

Many people ask me about fasting, althought mostly as a weight loss method. Although it is a decent way to lose weight - not to starve yourself, but to 'reset' your appetite - there are many other benefits to fasting that are often overlooked.

The energy that we use to break down food, sometimes up to 70% of our daily energy expenditure, can be used for other bodily functions when we limit the constant intake of food that we usually have. In todays world we are constantly exposed to options for food. If we feel hungry, we eat. But this constant intake does not allow our body to metabolise and eliminate excess intake. By abstaining from food we can shift our metabolism to the breakdown of toxins and wastes. Allowing our system to run better.

There are many known benefits to fasting. Research has shown fasting to be a way to increase the healing power of our body. By removing the focus on the breakdown of food, we are able to devote this energy to healing. Many people talk about the clarity they feel when they are fasting. Also, many people experience an increase in energy.

Before engaging in a fast, do your research. Find a method that will work for you. And trust your body, learn to listen to it.

Perhaps the best outcome of my fasting experiences has been the confidence I have gained in the ability to muster the willpower to not eat all of the delicious things I think about when I am hungry. Learning to put aside the impulse to eat, and focusing on the benefits I am trying to obtain has been a practice of discipline that has helped in my daily diet.

Overall, fasting can be a wonderful experience which can help us get in tune with our body while eliminating waste and disease. Definitely worth trying!