fasting

fasting,

partial or temporary abstinence from food, a widely used form of asceticismasceticism
, rejection of bodily pleasures through sustained self-denial and self-mortification, with the objective of strengthening spiritual life. Asceticism has been common in most major world religions, including Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Christianity: all of
..... Click the link for more information. . Among the stricter Jews the principal fast is the Day of Atonement, or Yom KippurYom Kippur
[Heb.,=day of atonement], in Judaism, the most sacred holy day, falling on the 10th day of the Jewish month of Tishri (usually late September or early October). It is a day of fasting and prayer for forgiveness for sins committed during the year.
..... Click the link for more information. ; in Islam the faithful fast all the daytime hours of the month of RamadanRamadan
, in Islam, the ninth month of the Muslim year, during which all Muslims must fast during the daylight hours. Indulgence of any sort is forbidden during the fast. There are only a few who are exempt, e.g., soldiers, the sick, and the young.
..... Click the link for more information. . Fasting is general in Christianity. The most widely observed fasts are LentLent
[Old Eng. lencten,=spring], Latin Quadragesima (meaning 40; thus the 40 days of Lent). In Christianity, Lent is a time of penance, prayer, preparation for or recollection of baptism, and preparation for the celebration of Easter.
..... Click the link for more information. and AdventAdvent
[Lat.,=coming], season of the Christian ecclesiastical year preceding Christmas, lasting in the West from the Sunday nearest Nov. 30 (St. Andrew's Day) until Christmas Eve.
..... Click the link for more information. . Both of these are preliminary to seasons of great rejoicing, and traditionally the vigilsvigil
[Lat.,=watch], in Christian calendars, eve of a feast, a day of penitential preparation. In ancient times worshipers gathered for vespers before a great feast and then waited outside the church until dawn for the liturgy (Mass).
..... Click the link for more information. of several feasts were also kept as fasts, e.g. (in the West), those of Christmas, Easter, Whitsunday, the Assumption, and All Saints. Ember daysember days,
in the Western Church, traditionally the Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday following the first Sunday in Lent; Whitsunday; Sept. 14 (Exaltation of the Cross); and Dec. 13 (St. Lucy's Day).
..... Click the link for more information. were also fasts in the West. Protestants have generally abandoned fasting, but in New England an annual Fast Day was proclaimed (in Massachusetts until the 20th cent.). In the late 1990s there was renewed interest among evangelical Christians in the United States in fasting and prayer as a means of spiritual revival. The Roman Catholic Church differentiates between fasting (eating only one full meal and little else in a day) and abstinence (eating no flesh meat). In 1966, Pope Paul VI issued Poenitemini, an apostolic constitution reorganizing the discipline of the Catholic Church. Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are now the only required days of fast. The observance of Fridays as days of abstinence is now urged rather than, as formerly, made a matter of obligation. Roman Catholics are asked to abstain from food and drink for one hour prior to receiving communion. Fasting and hunger strikes have also been used by various political and social activists to bring attention to the causes they support.

Fasting

(religion, spiritualism, and occult)

Fasting consists of voluntarily going without food for a period of time in order to sharpen the spiritual senses or prepare for religious ritual.

American Indian boys of some tribes would fast for four days as part of their vision quest, the ritual that earned them a new name and an adult's place in the tribe. Shamans of many indigenous traditions fasted before a particularly difficult healing or an important ritual involving the security of the tribe.

The Hebrew Day of Atonement is a prominent occasion for a public fast (Leviticus 16:9), and fasting (sawm) is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. During the month of Ramadan, Muslims are urged to refrain from food, drink, smoking, and sex during daylight hours.

Giving up something for Lent (see Christianity, Calendar of) is a time-honored Christian tradition designed to be a daily reminder to pray or meditate every time the urge arises for what was sacrificed.

Although Jesus spent a long time fasting in the wilderness in preparation for his public ministry, he spends very little time talking about the practice. In some cases he even seemed to discourage it (Matthew 6:16-18). This may account for the fact that the early Church doesn't seem to place nearly as much emphasis on fasting as the later Church does. (See Acts 13:2, 3 and 14:23 for the only examples of early Church fasting given in the Bible.) Undoubtedly the early Egyptian Monastic movement, with its emphasis on Christian asceticism (see Ascetic) gave fasting a jump-start in the developing Christian tradition.

Fasting

Fasting is the practice of purposely going without food or without certain kinds of food. Since ancient times many different cultural traditions throughout the world have encouraged people to fast, frequently for religious reasons. Often fasting occurs before initiation ceremonies, or as a means of opening oneself to communion with the Divine. In recent times fasting has also served as a form of political protest. In the ancient Mediterranean world into which Jesus was born, however, fasting was primarily religious in nature.

Christianity inherited the custom of fasting from Judaism. Nevertheless, early Christian leaders adapted the practice to suit the demands of the Christian religion. They identified appropriate occasions for fasting, creating a schedule of Christian fast days, and later modified the practice itself. By the fourth century many Christians had begun to observe an entire season devoted to fasting and prayer, known as Lent. These devotions prepared Christians to celebrate the Easter festival that followed. Today many Christians who fast at no other time of the year continue to fast during some or all of Lent.

From Judaism to Christianity

The ancient Hebrews fasted as a means of expressing grief, enhancing prayer, opening oneself to God, cultivating humility, and displaying repentance, that is, the desire to return to an upright way of life. These fasts required going without food and water for a specified period, often from sunrise to sunset. They might also involve going barefoot, sitting on the ground, wearing clothes made from a rough kind of material called sackcloth, and smudging one's head with ashes (see also Ash Wednesday). The ancient Jews also fasted on the afternoon preceding Passover, a religious holiday which begins at sundown on the fifteenth day of the Jewish month of Nisan. Some writers believe that the short fast that preceded early Christian Easter celebrations may have been modeled on this Jewish practice.

Christian scripture informs us that Jesus himself fasted. Nevertheless, he criticized those who made a public display of their fasting, identifying it as a form of bragging. Instead he recommended that those who fast act and dress as they would normally and direct their prayers privately to God (Matthew 6:16-17).

Early Christian Fasting

The early Christians fasted for a variety of religious purposes. Like the Jewish fasts which inspired them, these early Christian fasts involved going without food for all or part of the day. Christian scripture demonstrates that the devout fasted as a means of intensifying prayer (Acts 14:23). Fasting was also a common means of expressing repentance. Candidates for baptism, that is, initiation into the Christian faith, were expected to fast before undergoing the ritual. Other special religious occasions also called for fasting. Priests fasted before their ordination, the ritual whereby they were formally accepted as Christian ministers. By the fourth century many Christians had adopted the practice of fasting before receiving Holy Communion (see also Eucharist). In addition to fasting on special occasions, the early Christians established regular, weekly fast days. Evidence from as early as the year 100 A.D. shows that Christians fasted on Fridays, in commemoration of Jesus' crucifixion, and Wednesdays, in commemoration of his betrayal (see also Good Friday and Spy Wednesday). By the fourth century these weekly fast days had become widespread. Around the year 400 A.D., however, Christians living in western Europe abandoned the Wednesday fast and instead began to fast on Fridays and Saturdays. These fasts were modified over time and eventually eliminated. Christians from eastern Europe, the Middle East and north Africa, however, kept both the Wednesday and Friday fasts, practices which they maintain to this day.

The early Christians fasted in order to bring about a desired state of mind, heart, and spirit. More specifically they fasted as a means of cultivating repentance, of deepening prayer, and of identifying with the sufferings and sacrifice of Christ. These spiritual activities eventually came to be seen as the proper way to prepare for the annual Easter festival. Thus fasting became an important component of Lent, the forty-day period of preparation for Easter.

The Origins of Lenten Fasting

Historical evidence shows that some early Christian communities observed Holy Saturday, or both Holy Saturday and Good Friday, by fasting. These devotions prepared them for the Easter feast to come. Nevertheless, community leaders disagreed as to exactly how long the fast should last. Writing about Easter preparations in the year 190 A.D. a Christian leader named Irenaeus declared that "some think they ought to fast for one day, others for two days, and others even for several, while others reckon forty hours both of day and night to their fast." In some communities these fasts coincided with the fasts undertaken by catechumens in preparation for baptism at Easter time. In other communities Christians carried out forty-day fasts in commemoration of Jesus' forty days in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13). These forty-day fasts were scheduled in January and February, however. By the fourth century all of these customs had merged together giving rise to Lent, an approximately forty-day season of fasting and prayer preceding Easter which we now call Lent.

At roughly the same time Christian leaders began to emphasize the parallels between the observance of Lent and Jesus' fast in the desert at the start of his ministry. This comparison tended to increase the importance of fasting as a Lenten custom. Moreover, it inspired some Christian authorities to argue that the Lenten fast should last exactly forty days to mirror Christ's ordeal in the desert. In early times Christian communities showed little concern for the exact number of fast days contained in the six-week Lenten season. As fasting became a more important component of Lenten devotions, however, critics began to charge that beginning the fast on Quadragesima Sunday shortchanged the Lenten season. Quadragesima Sunday falls six Sundays, or forty-two days, before Easter. These critics also pointed out that Sundays couldn't count as true days of fast and penitence since they commemorate the resurrection of Christ. This left the season of Lent with only thirty-six days. Sometime during the seventh and eighth centuries Christian leaders across western Europe started to add four more days to the fast, expanding Lent from six to six and one-half weeks. This meant that Western Christians began Lent on the Wednesday following the seventh Sunday before Easter, a day which became known as Ash Wednesday. The Lenten fast ended with the late-night Easter Vigil service on Holy Saturday.

Lenten Fasting in Medieval Western Europe

During the Middle Ages a series of complex rules governed Lenten fasting in western Europe. Much later, in the eighteenth century, the Roman Catholic Church began to distinguish fasting from abstinence. Roman Catholic religious authorities defined fasting as going without food and abstinence as refraining from eating certain kinds of foods, such as meat. In everyday speech, however, people tend to refer to both of these practices as fasting.

In the early Middle Ages western European Christians observed Lent by going without food until after sundown or after vespers, the evening prayer service. Then they ate a meal that contained no meat or dairy products. This discipline proved too severe, however, since the fast lasted for forty days. Around the ninth century some communities began to eat their daily meal around 3:00 p.m., after the afternoon service called "nones." By the twelfth century the practice of eating one daily meal after nones had become commonplace. Yet those who engaged in physical labor, including monks and nuns, still found it difficult to wait until mid-afternoon to eat. So religious communities began offering the service of nones earlier and earlier in the day, until it followed the service called sext, scheduled for around 12:00 p.m. In fact, this practice explains the origins of the English word "noon." The word "nones" comes from the Latin word for nine, and refers to the fact that 3:00 p.m. was considered the ninth hour of the day. During Lent, when nones was moved to midday, people began to refer to that time of day as "noon." By the thirteenth century most Western Christians ate their one Lenten meal around noon.

In the late Middle Ages, people began to supplement the daily Lenten meal with snacks. This practice began in monasteries, whose inhabitants observed many more days of fasting throughout the year than did lay Christians. On monastic fast days, monks took a snack, called a collation, in the evening in addition to the daily meal. This snack consisted of a small amount of wine and a small portion of bread, fruit, or vegetables. Eventually the monks allowed themselves this privilege during Lent as well. Following their lead, lay Christians began to supplement their one daily meal with beverages at other times of the day. By the thirteenth century this practice had become commonplace. By the fourteenth century most Western Christians had begun to take an evening snack as well as a midday meal. In the sixteenth century Church authorities also approved a morning snack.

In western Europe the rules governing which foods could be eaten during Lent began to loosen around the ninth century. Some scholars believe that at the start of the Middle Ages Western Christians included fish in the list of foods forbidden during Lent. Others disagree. In any case it appears that fish was an acceptable Lenten food during the Middle Ages. By the ninth century dairy products were permitted in many locations as well, especially in areas where they were considered dietary staples. In other places people made a small donation to the church in return for the privilege of eating dairy foods during Lent. These donations were often used for building projects. This custom funded the construction of a magnificent cathedral in the city of Rouen, France. Even today one of its steeples is still called the "butter tower," since it was reportedly paid for by donations made by local people who wanted to eat butter and other dairy products during Lent.

Protestant Customs

During the sixteenth century a religious reform movement called the Reformation surged across western Europe, giving birth to the Protestant churches. The founder of this movement, Martin Luther, criticized Roman Catholic teachings on fasting, because he suspected that these teachings led people to think that they could cancel out their sins by depriving themselves of food. He also opposed indulgences, arrangements whereby certain sins were officially forgiven by the Church in exchange for a donation, such as those that funded the building of the Rouen Cathedral's butter tower. Nevertheless, Luther did not ban the Lenten fast.

In England civil laws as well as church law required citizens of the realm to fast during Lent. A 1570 Lenten law threatened those who broke the fast with three months in jail and a fine of sixty shillings. In the late seventeenth century, however, Londoners could obtain a license to eat meat from officials at St. Paul's Cathedral in exchange for a donation to the poor.

During the time of the Reformation people began to openly question the practice of Lenten fasting. In a poem entitled "To Keep a True Lent" English poet-priest Robert Herrick (1591-1674) expressed these sentiments concerning fasting and the observance of Lent:

…'tis a fast to dole Thy sheaf of wheat, And meat, Unto the hungry soul. It is to fast from strife, From old debate, And hate; To circumcize thy life.

To show a heart grief-rent; To starve thy sin, Not bin; And that's to keep thy Lent. (Myers, 60-61)

Today Protestant Christians vary in their Lenten observances. Most denominations do not officially require that their members fast, but rather leave such practices up to the individual. In the United States Episcopalians and Lutherans tend to be among those Protestants more likely to observe the Lenten fast.

Roman Catholic Customs

Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries Roman Catholics continued to relax the fasting rules they had inherited from medieval times. Until 1917 Roman Catholics were expected to fast throughout Lent, except on Sundays. This meant limiting food intake to one full meal per day. In practice, however, many faithful Catholics took an evening and morning snack in addition to the midday meal. Like the meal itself, however, these snacks must not contain meat, eggs, or milk products. Although meat was allowed on Sundays, it could not be combined with fish. What's more, observant Roman Catholics were expected to abstain from eating meat both on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year. Finally, fasting and abstinence were practiced on the eve of many feast days, and other days as well. The new code of Canon Law, adopted in 1918, changed some of these fast rules for Roman Catholics. For example, dairy products were no longer included in the list of foods from which Roman Catholics must abstain on fast days or days of abstinence, and Saturdays were no longer observed as fast days. Other major changes in the rules governing fasting occurred in the 1960s.

Today Roman Catholic authorities maintain that the faithful must fast only on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. They must also abstain from eating meat on these days, as well as on all Fridays during Lent. During the rest of the year, however, they are no longer required to forgo eating meat on Fridays. These changes encourage Roman Catholics to observe Lent by engaging in activities other than fasting and abstinence, especially charitable works, exercises of piety, and other activities likely to foster repentance and spiritual renewal. Still, many Roman Catholics, and some Protestants, choose to observe Lent by giving up a favorite food for the duration of the season.

Orthodox Customs

Orthodoxy is one of the three main branches of the Christian faith. Orthodox Christianity developed in eastern Europe and the countries surrounding the eastern half of the Mediterranean Sea. The Orthodox churches split apart from the Western Christian tradition about 1,000 years ago. They follow a different church calendar than that commonly followed by Western Christians, that is, Roman Catholics and Protestants. Since the Orthodox use a different set of rules to calculate the date of Easter, Western and Eastern Lent are out of synch with one another (see also Easter, Date of). In addition, Orthodox Christians developed their own distinctive Lenten fasting customs.

Sometime during the early Middle Ages Orthodox Christians expanded their Lenten fast from six to seven weeks. Many writers assert that in early medieval times, Eastern Christians fasted neither on Sundays nor on Saturdays, except on Holy Saturday. Thus Orthodox Christians decided to begin their fast somewhat earlier than did Western Christians, in order to fill the tally of forty days. Today Orthodox Lent begins on the evening of the seventh Sunday preceding Easter, called Forgiveness Sunday. The first full day of Lent falls on the following day, Clean Monday. Nevertheless, fasting begins a week before the start of Lent, with the removal of meat from the diet (see also Pre-Lent). Unlike Western Christians, Orthodox Christians have maintained the strict fasting rules they inherited from medieval times.

Contemporary Orthodox Christians fast by abstaining from eating certain foods rather than by going without food. Throughout Lent strictly observant Orthodox Christians will not consume meat, fish, eggs, dairy products, olive oil, and alcoholic beverages. The removal of meat products from the diet in the week before Lent gives Orthodox Christians an opportunity to ease into this regimen. Some Orthodox Church leaders assert that the faithful may relax the fast somewhat on Saturdays and Sundays, adding olive oil and alcoholic beverages to their diet on those days. The fast is also eased on the Feast of the Annunciation and sometimes also on Palm Sunday, when fish is permissible. In practice, however, not all Orthodox Christians follow this regimen throughout Lent. Many modify the fast in order to suit their own abilities and needs. For example, some shorten its duration by fasting only during the first week of Lent, all Wednesdays and Fridays during Lent, and Holy Week.

Creative Cuisine

Over the centuries creative cooks compiled a variety of recipes that satisfied the stomach as well as fulfilled the rules of the fast. Throughout southern Europe cooks depended on dried, salted cod to meet both of these requirements. Until the sixteenth century, when Europeans began to fish for cod in North America, fresh fish was difficult for many Europeans to obtain during winter. This made salt cod a real boon to Lenten cooks. The Portuguese developed more than 100 recipes for it and the French have more recipes for salt cod than they do for any other fish. Russian cooks invented mushroom pies to take the place of meat pies during Lent. To this day Russian cooks tend to view mushrooms as a meat substitute rather than a vegetable dish or garnish. Greek chefs served up vegetable pies, without the feta cheese that one finds in them during the rest of the year, as well as bean dishes. In addition they also invented taramosalata, a spread made with olive oil, fish eggs and garlic. Until the nineteenth century, pretzels were a favorite Lenten snack in Austria, Germany, and Poland. Italian bakers came up with a sweet, hard, almond cookie called can- tucci as a substitute for pastries during Lent. Somewhere along the way the people of Tuscany discovered that these cookies taste even more delicious when dipped in wine. They are still enjoyed this way today. In Malta the Lenten cookie kwarizemal, made with honey and almonds, bears a name that comes from the local word for Lent. As the hardships imposed by the Lenten fast declined, many of these dishes lost their association with the season and became year-round favorites.

Purpose of Lenten Fasting

Although Christians may differ in their fasting methods, all agree that fasting should be practiced as a means of achieving a spiritual goal, rather than as an end unto itself. In general Christians view Lenten fasting as an aid to mindfulness, that is, as a tool that keeps one's attention from wandering. Many also view it as a means of disciplining the body, thereby freeing the soul to attend to matters of the spirit. Thus the mild discomfort endured while fasting serves to remind fasters of their own limitations and errors, their commitment to ethical behavior and service to others, the need for prayer and communion with God, or the sacrifice and sufferings of Christ.

Further Reading

Clancy, P. M. J. "Fast and Abstinence." In New Catholic Encyclopedia. Volume 5. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967. "Fasting." In Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds. Dictionary of Biblical Imagery. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1998. "Fasts and Fasting." In E. A. Livingstone, ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Third edition. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1997. Gammie, John G. "Fasting." In Paul J. Achtemeier, ed. The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. New York: HarperCollins, 1996. Hinson, E. Glenn. "Fasting." In Everett Ferguson, ed. Encyclopedia of Early Christianity. Volume 1. New York: Garland, 1997. Hopko, Thomas. The Orthodox Faith. Volume Two, Worship. Syosset, NY: The Orthodox Church in America, 1997. Hopley, Claire. "Lenten Delights." The World and I 16, 3 (March 2001): 112. Lynch, J. E. "Fast and Abstinence." In New Catholic Encyclopedia. Volume 16. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967. Myers, Robert J. Celebrations: The Complete Book of American Holidays. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1972. Niemann, Paul J. The Lent, Triduum, and Easter Answer Book. San Jose, CA: Resource Publications, 1998. Rader, Rosemary. "Fasting." In Mircea Eliade, ed. The Encyclopedia of Religion. Volume 5. New York: Macmillan, 1987. Rogers, Eric N. Fasting: The Phenomenon of Self-Denial. New York: Thomas Nelson, 1976. Roth, Cecil, ed. "Fast." In his The Standard Jewish Encyclopedia. Garden City, NY: Doubleday and Company, 1959. Rouvelas, Marilyn. A Guide to Greek Traditions and Customs in America. Bethesda, MD: Nea Attiki Press, 1993. Smith-Christopher, Daniel J. "Fasting." In David Noel Freedman, ed. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 2000. Talley, Thomas J. The Origins of the Liturgical Year. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1986. "Wednesday." In E. A. Livingstone, ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church. Third edition. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press, 1997. Weiser, Francis X. The Easter Book. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, 1954. Wigoder, Geoffrey. "Fasting and Fast Days." In his Encyclopedia of Judaism. New York: Macmillan, 1989.

Web Sites

"Fasting," an essay by the Rev. George Mastrantonis describing Greek Orthodox fasting customs posted on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, New York, NY, web site at: "The Great Lent," an essay by the Rev. George Mastrantonis describing the history and customs of Lent in the Greek Orthodox Church, posted on the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, New York, NY, web site at:

"Great Lent," a page describing the beliefs and practices of Orthodox Christians concerning Lent, sponsored by the Orthodox Church in America:

fasting

Fasting

Definition

Fasting is voluntarily not eating food for varying lengths of time. Fasting is used as a medical therapy for many conditions. It is also a spiritual practice in many religions.

Purpose

Fasting can be used for nearly every chronic condition, including allergies, anxiety, arthritis, asthma, depression, diabetes, headaches, heart disease, high cholesterol, low blood sugar, digestive disorders, mental illness, and obesity. Fasting is an effective and safe weight loss method. It is frequently prescribed as a detoxification treatment for those with conditions that may be influenced by environmental factors, such as cancer and multiple chemical sensitivity. Fasting has been used successfully to help treat people who have been exposed to high levels of toxic materials due to accident or occupation. Fasting is thought to be beneficial as a preventative measure to increase overall health, vitality, and resistance to disease. Fasting is also used as a method of mental and spiritual rejuvenation.

Description

Origins

Used for thousands of years, fasting is one of the oldest therapies in medicine. Many of the great doctors of ancient times and many of the oldest healing systems have recommended it as an integral method of healing and prevention. Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, believed fasting enabled the body to heal itself. Paracelsus, another great healer in the Western tradition, wrote 500 years ago that "fasting is the greatest remedy, the physician within." Ayurvedic medicine, the world's oldest healing system, has long advocated fasting as a major treatment.Fasting has also been used in nearly every religion in the world, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, and Islam. Many of history's great spiritual leaders fasted for mental and spiritual clarity, including Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed. In one of the famous political acts of the last century, the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi fasted for 21 days to promote peace.Fasting has been used in Europe as a medical treatment for years. Many spas and treatment centers, particularly those in Germany, Sweden, and Russia, use medically supervised fasting. Fasting has gained popularity in American alternative medicine over the past several decades, and many doctors feel it is beneficial. Fasting is a central therapy in detoxification, a healing method founded on the principle that the build up of toxic substances in the body is responsible for many illnesses and conditions.The principle of fasting is simple. When the intake of food is temporarily stopped, many systems of the body are given a break from the hard work of digestion. The extra energy gives the body the chance to heal and restore itself, and burning stored calories gets rid of toxic substances stored in the body.The digestive tract is the part of the body most exposed to environmental threats, including bacteria, viruses, parasites, and toxins. It requires the most immune system support. When food is broken down in the intestines, it travels through the blood to the liver, the largest organ of the body's natural detoxification system. The liver breaks down and removes the toxic by-products produced by digestion, including natural ones and the chemicals now present in the food supply. During fasting, the liver and immune system are essentially freed to detoxify and heal other parts of the body.Many healers claim that fasting is a particularly useful therapy for Americans and for the modern lifestyle, subjected to heavy diets, overeating, and constant exposure to food additives and chemicals. Some alternative practitioners have gone so far as to estimate that the average American is carrying 5-10 pounds of toxic substances in their bodies, for which fasting is the quickest and most effective means of removal.

Physiology of fasting

Through evolution, the body became very efficient at storing energy and handling situations when no food was available. For many centuries, fasting was probably a normal occurrence for most people, and the body adapted to it. It is estimated that even very thin people can survive for 40 days or more without food. The body has a special mechanism that is initiated when no food is eaten. Fasting is not starvation, but rather the body's burning of stored energy. Starvation occurs when the body no longer has any stored energy and begins using essential tissues such as organs for an energy source. Therapeutic fasts are stopped long before this happens.Many physiological changes occur in the body during fasting. During the first day or so, the body uses its glycogen reserves, the sugars that are the basic energy supply. After these are depleted, the body begins using fat. However, the brain, which has high fuel requirements, still needs glucose (sugars converted from glycogen). To obtain glucose for the brain, the body begins to break down muscle tissue during the second day of the fast. Thus, during fasting some muscle loss will occur. To fuel the brain, the body would need to burn over a pound of muscle a day, but the body has developed another way to create energy that saves important muscle mass. This protein-sparing process is called ketosis, which occurs during the third day of a fast for men and the second day for women. In this highly efficient state, the liver begins converting stored fat and other nonessential tissues into ketones, which can be used by the brain, muscles, and heart as energy. It is at this point in the fast that sensations of hunger generally go away, and many people experience normal or even increased energy levels. Hormone levels and certain functions become more stable in this state as well. The goal of most fasts is to allow the body to reach the ketosis state in order to burn excess fat and unneeded or damaged tissue. Thus, fasts longer than three days are generally recommended as therapy.Weight loss occurs most rapidly during the first few days of a fast, up to 2 pounds per day. In following days, the figure drops to around 0.5 pound per day. An average weight loss of a pound a day for an entire fast can be expected.

Performing a fast

Fasts can be performed for varying lengths of time, depending on the person and his or her health requirements. For chronic conditions, therapists recommend from two to four weeks to get the most benefits. Seven-day fasts are also commonly performed. A popular fasting program for prevention and general health is a three-day fast taken four times per year, at the change of each season. These can be easily performed over long weekends. Preventative fasts of one day per week are used by many people as well.Juice fasts are also used by many people, although these are not technically fasts. Juice fasts are less intensive than water fasts because the body doesn't reach the ketosis stage. The advantage of juice fasts is that fruit and vegetable drinks can supply extra energy and nutrients. People can fit a few days of juice fasting into their normal schedules without significant drops in energy. Juice fasts are also said to have cleansing and detoxifying effects. The disadvantage of juice fasts is that the body never gets to the ketosis stage, so these fasters are thought to lack the deep detoxification and healing effects of the water fast.Medical supervision is recommended for any fast over three days. Most alternative medicine practitioners, such as homeopaths, naturopathic doctors, and ayurvedic doctors, can supervise and monitor patients during fasts. Those performing extended fasts and those with health conditions may require blood, urine, and other tests during fasting. There are many alternative health clinics that perform medically supervised fasts as well. Some conventional medical doctors may also supervise patients during fasts. Costs and insurance coverage vary, depending on the doctor, clinic, and requirements of the patient.

Preparations

Fasts must be entered and exited with care. To enter a fast, the diet should be gradually lightened over a few days. First, heavy foods such as meats and dairy products should be eliminated for a day or two. Grains, nuts, and beans should then be reduced for several days. The day before a fast, only easily digested foods like fruits, light salads, and soups should be eaten. During the fast, only pure water and occasional herbal teas should be drunk.Fasts should be ended as gradually as they are entered, going from lighter to heavier foods progressively. The diet after a fast should emphasize fresh, wholesome foods. Fasters should particularly take care not to overeat when they complete a fast.

Precautions

Fasting isn't appropriate for everyone and, in some cases, could be harmful. Any person undertaking a first fast longer than three days should seek medical supervision. Those with health conditions should always have medical support during fasting. Plenty of water should be taken by fasters since dehydration can occur. Saunas and sweating therapies are sometimes recommended to assist detoxification, but should be used sparingly. Those fasting should significantly slow down their lifestyles. Taking time off of work is helpful, or at least reducing the work load. Fasters should also get plenty of rest. Exercise should be kept light, such as walking and gentle stretching.

Side effects

Those fasting may experience side effects of fatigue, malaise, aches and pains, emotional duress, acne, headaches, allergies, swelling, vomiting, bad breath, and symptoms of colds and flu. These reactions are sometimes called healing crises, which are caused by temporarily increased levels of toxins in the body due to elimination and cleansing. Lower energy levels should be expected during a fast.

Research and general acceptance

The physiology of fasting has been widely studied and documented by medical science. Beneficial effects such as lowered cholesterol and improved general functioning have been shown. Fasting as a treatment for illness and disease has been studied less, although some studies around the world have shown beneficial results. A 1984 study showed that workers in Taiwan who had severe chemical poisoning had dramatic improvement after a ten-day fast. In Russia and Japan, studies have demonstrated fasting to be an effective treatment for mental illness. Fasting has been featured on the cover of medical journals, although mainstream medicine has generally ignored fasting and detoxification treatments as valid medical procedures.The majority of research that exists on fasting is testimonial, consisting of individual personal accounts of healing without statistics or controlled scientific experiments. In the alternative medical community, fasting is an essential and widely accepted treatment for many illnesses and chronic conditions.

Resources

Organizations

Fasting Center International. 32 West Anapurna St., #360, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. http://www.fasting.com.

Key terms

Ayurvedic medicine — A traditional healing system developed in India.Toxin — A substance that has poisonous effects on the body.

Alternative medicine A period of voluntary abstinence from foods and/or drinks; fasting is integral to many religions, as it is believed to purify the mind and spirit; fasting rests the GI tract, and may rid the body of toxins and undigested metabolites; fasting leads to a loss of water, Na+, and K+, resulting in postural hypotension, and decreased blood sugar resulting in depression, fatigue, decreased libido, and malaise, increased nitrogen in the circulation due to protein breakdown, and may result in premature childbirth—Yom Kippur effect
Contraindications Children, pregnancy, lactating women, in elderly, and in those with asthma, cancer, diabetes, eating disorders, schizophrenia, tuberculosis, ulcerative colitis
Lab medicine A period during which no food or beverages—often including water—is ingested for a period of 8 to 14 hours

fasting

V. refraining from taking food. So long as water is taken, reasonably well-nourished people can safely fast for several days. Once the fat stores are depleted, however, the voluntary muscles are consumed and soon become severely wasted. Many people find moderate regular fasting a useful aid to health.

Patient discussion about fasting

Q. Is it true that fasting (occasionally) is good for health? Many people say that fasting helps the body clean itself, it there a truth behind this?A. Fasting does help "clean" the intestine for a short period of time. I cannot say it is especially recommended medically-wise to fast every now and then, because our bodies are functioned to digest food and there is usually no problem doing so, and an occasional fast does not show any benefitial healthy effects on the GI system.

Q. how to loose a beer gutt fast! A. exercise by doing high intensity interval training and cut back on eating junk and drinking beer.

Q. What is a fast and effective way to get bigger biceps and triceps? I am one of the regular goers to gym for the past 6 months and I am very fond of disposing my biceps and triceps. What is a fast and effective way to get bigger biceps and triceps?A. I would not do any curls at all. Instead focus on multi joint, compound movements. Try back workouts, pull ups, chin ups, etc.
These will work your biceps. Make sure to go as heavy as possible without hurting yourself, and consume protein. The rest and drink alot of water. Sleep adequately.

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fasting

Fasting

Definition

Purpose

Description

Origins

Physiology of fasting

Performing a fast

Preparations

Precautions

Side effects

Research and general acceptance

Resources

Organizations

Key terms

fasting

Patient discussion about fasting

fasting

Synonyms for fasting

noun abstaining from food

Synonyms

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fasting

fast 1

fast 2

fasting

fast2

fasting

fasting,

Fasting

Fasting

fasting

Fasting

Definition

Purpose

Description

Origins

Physiology of fasting

Performing a fast

Preparations

Precautions

Side effects

Research and general acceptance

Resources

Organizations

Key terms

fasting

Patient discussion about fasting

fasting

Synonyms for fasting

noun abstaining from food

Synonyms

Related Words

fast¹

fast²

fast²