Prolonged Fasting: The correct way and its benefits
Fasting has incredible benefits. Contrary to popular belief and eating habits being followed in modern society which says never miss breakfast and eat small meals several times a day, always eat at the same time everyday etc, the truth may be quite different and these beliefs may be adding to health issues instead of keeping you away from them.
Intermittent fasting, fasting and prolonged fasting are all ways by which the body heals itself and if we want to enjoy optimum health benefits, we must not eat unless we are hungry. Just because it is 8 am and it is breakfast time or because you will be hungry after 3 hours if you do not eat now, is a wrong mindset. Intermittent fasting is therefore a way of eating less frequently and without snacking in between meals. Fasting is when we do not eat for a complete day or 24 hours and finally we have the prolonged fasting where one might go without eating for 3-5 days or even longer. Then there is the advanced stage of prolonged fasting which is called the dry fast where even water is not allowed but that is a very advanced stage and unadvisable for most people unless they have really understood and have actually practised prolonged fasting multiple times.
Prolonged fasting is therefore a stage when one has already done intermittent fasting and the body has already started to heal. Most importantly, the body has learnt that the store of fat in the body is meant to be used when you do not eat and it has no difficulty in switching between fat burning and glucose burning to provide the needed energy because otherwise as happens in crash diets, the body senses a lack, and lowers its metabolism to conserve energy which in turn makes you lethargic and constantly hungry. When the body learns to burn fat however, a quite opposite phenomenon occurs. Fat being a more stable energy source, provides ketones which is a preferred fuel by our brain, the constant hunger disappears and we are hungry less often, our brain starts to function better and our mood improves. Of course there are a plethora of benefits of fasting as well as prolonged fasting which can even result in a cure for Cancer if done correctly. Prolonged fasting also activates something called Autophagy where the body starts to recycle damaged cells and proteins. It removes damaged mitochondria which are replaced by new ones. It has such incredible benefits that can serve to prolong healthy life and reverse many diseases like diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis, heart and kidney disease and liver function. Perhaps the most incredible benefit is the increase in energy and the upliftment of mood which lets one enjoy a better way of living. There are some basic procedures required to be followed to get optimum benefits like replenishing salts and electrolytes which are essential for the proper functioning of the body. Initially, it will be best to start under supervision of a healthcare provider unless you have enough knowledge of the bodily functions.
Vibhuti Misra
Holistic Health Specialist
+91 813 088 2160
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