The Miracles of Fasting: The Benefits of Fasting. Health benefits of fasting What are the benefits of fasting?

Fasting is one of the most pressing and controversial topics among adherents of a healthy lifestyle. The method of food restriction was used in ancient times and has survived to this day in the form of ritual fasting, used to cleanse the body and soul. Another wave of discussions about the benefits and harms of fasting was caused by the craze for fasting in Silicon Valley - to improve performance and general health.

What is fasting

Fasting is the voluntary refusal to eat for a certain period of time. Used for therapeutic purposes, fasting is called fasting-dietary therapy (RDT), one of the main tasks of which is the prevention of human health.

The following principle works in the method of health fasting: when food stops entering the gastrointestinal tract, the body enters “recovery mode”: the endocrine system is activated, and the body begins to use its internal resources to maintain vital functions. This condition is called an acidotic crisis, which serves as a signal that the body has begun to engage deep healing mechanisms.

Those who regularly practice fasting claim that when done correctly, periodic fasting helps cleanse the body, rid it of the harm of accumulated waste and toxins, and also rejuvenate the body. With a competent approach beneficial features fasting can fully complement the complex of therapy for a number of diseases.

Types of fasting

Nutritionists distinguish several types of fasting, each of which has its own unique effect. The ability to distinguish between them will help you choose the most suitable option for yourself.

Medicinal

Therapeutic fasting is a complete refusal of any food, and sometimes liquid, for health purposes. To do this, throughout the entire period of fasting, a person completely limits himself to food intake - until the end of the appointed period, during which the set therapeutic goal is achieved.

An acidotic crisis does not occur immediately, but only with prolonged abstinence from food: its precursors are signs of increased irritability, weakness, constant feeling of hunger, bad breath, headache, dizziness and nausea in the fasting person. However, immediately after the crisis has passed, the state of health improves significantly, and the symptoms of transition gradually disappear. This type of fasting most actively causes changes in the functioning of the body, promoting the activation of the “self-healing” mode.

Due to the long period of therapeutic fasting, its benefits, as well as its purpose, will be individual in each case: much depends on the characteristics of the body, on the general state of health and resistance to hunger.

Medical

Medical fasting is practically no different from therapeutic fasting. The only difference is that in the first case, the procedure is carried out in clinics or sanatoriums under the strict supervision of a doctor. To achieve maximum benefit in accordance with the diagnosis, the fasting program includes additional healing methods: physical therapy, consumption mineral water, physical therapy, sauna, swimming, massage, etc.

Water

The basis of water fasting is the complete abstinence of solid and liquid food, as well as any drinks: only water is allowed to be consumed. The most beneficial intake will be distilled, melted, alkaline or structured water. The most popular option is a one-day water fast, which, if all the rules are followed, will provide invaluable benefits for the functioning of the liver and of cardio-vascular system.

Wet

Unlike water fasting, in wet fasting it is allowed to consume herbal decoctions and freshly squeezed juices without pulp. This option will be more gentle on the body, while the benefits for the body are preserved.

Dry

It is the most severe version of hunger. A person completely refuses to consume any dry or liquid food, as well as water. There are two variations of this method: without limiting external contact of the body with water or with a complete refusal of hygiene procedures throughout the entire period of fasting.

Interval

Intermittent fasting has become especially popular in the United States, where it is called fasting. There are even fasting communities in IT companies in Silicon Valley, whose members are confident that periodically refusing to eat helps not only achieve a new level of performance, but also prolong life.

With intermittent fasting, the day is usually divided into two “windows”, in one of which you need to put all meals for the day, and the second you need to leave for fasting. There are several options for window durations (12/12, 1/23, 10/14), but the most common is considered to be the 8/16 ratio - when food intake occurs only 8 hours a day, and the remaining 16 are given under the “hungry window”. This option of intermittent fasting has maximum efficiency and benefits, because then most of hunger occurs during sleep, and meals are distributed throughout the day.

Benefits of fasting

The main benefit of fasting is the rapid mobilization of all reserve reserves of the body, which helps improve the functioning of basic systems and organs, as well as lowering the level of “bad” cholesterol and blood sugar.

To restore energy reserves, the body begins to consume fats and ketone bodies. This helps enhance the production of adrenal hormones (corticosteroids), which have anti-inflammatory and restorative effects.

Fasting also stimulates the cleansing of the blood from harmful chemicals coming from outside.

In 2016, the University of Southern California conducted a study that proved the benefits of therapeutic fasting for the body of men: as part of the experiment, participants were asked to periodically fast from 2 to 4 days for six months. As a result, the effect of strengthening the immune system (several times) was revealed, as well as a significant improvement in sexual activity.

Interesting! Dry fasting has the most effective beneficial effect on the body's immune system. It is known that most microbes, viruses and protozoan bacteria are able to reproduce exclusively in a liquid aqueous environment. During temporary complete dehydration, active cells take all the water from the lipid (fat) layer of the body, and pathogenic microorganisms die.

For weight loss

Wanting to lose weight, many women turn to the fasting method, because periodically refusing to eat food has effective benefits for the female figure:

1. Even without receiving food from the outside, the body continues to spend calories to maintain its vital functions, while using up fat reserves.
2. By cleansing the body during periods of hunger, a woman’s metabolism is normalized, as a result of which the body begins to quickly get rid of extra pounds.
3. During fasting, the volume of the stomach decreases significantly. After you get out of hunger, you may notice that the feeling of fullness comes much faster.
4. Unlike the diet practiced by most women, fasting does not result in a rapid gain of lost weight. On the contrary, the body will continue to maintain the acquired weight; it is only important to follow all the recommendations after a long fast.

To cleanse the body

Indian yogis, who are considered the pioneers of therapeutic fasting, are confident: fasting is the most effective way to cleanse the body both physiologically and spiritually.

Often, all the food a person consumes does not have time to be completely digested by the body, as a result of which food stagnation forms in the stomach, which hunger helps remove.

In addition, fasting helps cleanse the body of toxins and poisons that accumulate in cells and organs throughout life. Fasting can be used as a separate cleansing method or combined with other techniques. By refusing to eat food, the gastrointestinal tract is unloaded, and the body activates self-cleaning mechanisms. Fasting has the greatest benefit for the liver, helping the body's natural filter to get rid of the harm of accumulated toxins and toxic substances.

You can find out more information about the benefits and harms of intermittent fasting, its beneficial properties and effects on the human body from the video:

How many days can you fast

Daily fasting once a week provides the fastest benefits and is the safest method for the body.

Over time, you can try fasting for a period of 2 to 4 days, which is considered more gentle than the option of a week-long fast. At the same time, in such a short period the body does not have time to completely rebuild itself and use all self-cleaning mechanisms. Therefore, for a therapeutic effect, after short-term fasting practices, it is recommended to carry out a procedure that includes the onset of an acidotic crisis - after consultation with a specialist.

The duration of such fasting depends entirely on the person's early experience. This is influenced by two main factors: the level of slagging in the body and resistance to starvation (those who have not had prior experience of unloading find hunger more difficult to bear). In a person with sufficient practice of fasting, an acidotic crisis occurs already on the 4th - 5th day of fasting, in a beginner - after 7 - 14 days.

Interesting! Doctors have recorded a world fasting record of 250 days. And ongoing studies have shown that the main cause of death during famine is not the lack of food, but psychological stress.

The benefits and harms of prolonged fasting

If you follow all the main rules, the benefits of prolonged fasting for the body will manifest themselves:

• in deep cleansing of the body from toxins and toxic substances;
• improving metabolism;
• reducing blood cholesterol levels;
• normalization of the body’s natural protective functions;
• strengthening the cardiovascular system;
• getting rid of defective (including cancer) cells;
• rejuvenation and healing of the body;
• active fat burning;
• reducing the risk of diabetes;
• eliminating stress and depression.

However, it is always worth remembering: any fasting causes serious stress to the body, and long-term fasting in particular. Under no circumstances should you go into prolonged fasting without prior preparation: this can cause irreparable harm to the body, in the form of metabolic disorders, liver and kidney function; as well as in the accumulation of poisons that negatively affect the cerebral cortex.

How to prepare for fasting

Before experiencing all the beneficial properties of fasting, you need to carefully familiarize yourself with the chosen method and its features: how to properly enter and exit such hunger, and what difficulties may arise.

It is important to think about the optimal period for fasting: holidays should not be scheduled at this time, when the temptation to relapse increases several times. The ideal time would be a vacation: it will be quite difficult to work with restricting yourself in food, since the body needs constant energy to work.

Equally important is the physical preparation of the body for the upcoming famine. A few days before fasting, it will be useful to gradually reduce the amount of portion consumed, giving the body the opportunity to readjust to new mode. Before entering into a fast, it is advisable to eat more vegetables and fruits: their fiber helps stimulate intestinal motility, which will prepare the digestive system.

How to fast properly

The benefits and harms of fasting are determined by a competent approach. To maximize the beneficial effect of the procedure, it is important to follow the main rules.

One-day fasting

1. You need to enter and exit hunger gradually and smoothly. You can’t eat enough at night and then immediately limit your food intake in the morning. Preparing for hunger should begin several days in advance, gradually eliminating the consumption of meat, fatty and heavy foods, as well as sugar.
2. Drinking water is a must because water helps remove toxins and poisons from the body.
3. Individual program. It will be quite difficult for a person accustomed to regularly eating food to immediately go without food for 24 hours. You need to start small: 8 hours, then 10 - with a gradual increase in duration. As a result, 24 or 36 hours without food will be much easier on the body.

Unlike the popular belief, during daily fasting, weight loss does not occur due to muscles: their growth, on the contrary, can be increased if moderate physical activity is added, and this can be usefully used by men during active training in the gym.

Three-day fasting

Researchers at the University of Southern California conducted another experiment, wanting to test the benefits of a three-day fast for the body. The result showed: the main benefit of a three-day fast on water is to renew the immune system. Stem cells begin to actively divide, which helps restore the body's defense system.

To avoid harm from possible negative consequences, you must follow the rules:

1. The first attempts at fasting should be done with drinking water - at least 2 liters per day. Severe dehydration can lead to negative consequences and the opposite result.
2. Physical activity is required. The load on the body during hunger accelerates the growth of muscle mass and provokes effective fat burning.
3. Coming out of fasting should take at least two days: during this time, you need to gradually return to your usual diet, starting with eating the foods that are easiest for the body - fruits and vegetables.

Seven-day fasting

The main benefits of long-term fasting are rapid weight loss and cleansing of the body. However, it is worth remembering the rules that help prevent harm to the procedure both for the digestive system and for the body as a whole.

1. 2-3 weeks before the seven-day fast, you need to completely eliminate from your diet all foods that are difficult for the stomach, flour and sweets, and gradually switch to vegetables and fruits.
2. The time to end the fast should be equal to the duration of the fast itself. The minimum period will be a week, but doctors recommend stretching this period to 10 - 14 days.
3. It is advisable to reduce your physical activity to a minimum. It is very important to go outside and breathe fresh air. However, you should be careful here: everyone tolerates hunger differently, so it is recommended to walk under the supervision of an accompanying person.

The right way out

Correct entry from the fasting mode will guarantee the prevention of risks of harm from the procedure. Breaking out of fasting is divided into several stages:

1. Follow a diet of freshly prepared vegetable and fruit juices. You can drink them every two hours, ¼ cup. Pineapples, citruses, pomegranates and grapes have the most beneficial cleansing effects.
2. Transition to the fruit and vegetable table, when vegetable soups, light salads and compotes begin to be gradually introduced into the menu. Meals should be taken in small portions without adding salt and sugar.
3. Return to the usual diet, which at first excludes heavy protein foods: meat and fish dishes, eggs and legumes.

The output characteristics also largely depend on the chosen feeding method:

1. Fast for up to 3 days. Upon recovery from short-term fasting, meals should be frequent, approximately 5-7 times a day in small portions. The first three days should be accompanied by the consumption of fruits and vegetables, then you can return to your normal diet.
2. Five day fast. On the first day of recovery from such hunger, you are allowed to drink only water and freshly squeezed juices; on the second and third days you can move on to the fruit and vegetable table. On the fourth and fifth days, dairy products and dried bread are introduced. In the following days there is a complete return to the usual diet.
   Important! For fasting to be as beneficial and effective as possible, you need to eat small portions after breaking it, chewing your food thoroughly.
3. Seven day fast. Restricting food for such a long period can be compared to a full-fledged medical procedure. At the end of such fasting, an acidotic crisis often occurs, accompanied by extremely unpleasant symptoms of cleansing the body. After the onset of a crisis, the starving person’s well-being returns to normal, but the way out of hunger must be carried out just as slowly.

How not to lose your temper

During the period of fasting, taste buds become more receptive to food, which is why the risk of food loss increases several times. There are several tips that will help distract your brain from thoughts about food and stay in a state of hunger for the entire necessary period:

1. Keep yourself busy with something that will help you redirect your attention and leave no time for thinking about a snack. This could be work, home life, relaxing procedures or moderate physical activity.
2. Water procedures or going to the bathhouse. In addition to distracting from food, the bath will enhance the beneficial properties and effectiveness of fasting: accumulated waste and toxins are removed through the skin along with sweat. Water procedures also help maintain body temperature, which can drop during periods of hunger.
3. Dedicate time to yourself: take a walk fresh air, do yoga or Pilates, read a book. Every person has a list of things that have been put aside. Refusal to eat can be used to bring them to life.
4. Recharge yourself with psychological support from those around you: these can be friends and relatives, as well as participants in various forums and groups dedicated to weight loss. Having felt moral support, it will be much easier for a person to go towards the goal, and the results of other people will create additional motivation.

Harm of fasting and contraindications

Despite all the beneficial properties, fasting has many negative aspects, neglecting which can cause serious harm to your body.

1. Prolonged hunger always entails severe stress, as the body begins to perceive the lack of food as a threat to life. In this regard, the amount of bad cholesterol increases rapidly, which increases the risk of thrombosis.
2. Prolonged fasting can harm your metabolism. In the absence of food, the body gradually rebuilds to a different level of maintaining vital functions, intensively storing fat reserves. The body also uses the first portions of food received to store fats in order to protect itself in the future.
3. Both the beneficial effect and the harm of fasting directly depend on a person’s physique. For thin people, for example, a more gentle fasting regime is needed.

Attention! Hunger is a serious procedure in which failure to comply with the basic rules of entry and exit can result in death. This is especially important during long fasts.

In addition, hunger has many contraindications. You should absolutely not go hungry:

• with severe encephalopathy;
• acute coronary heart disease;
• heart and kidney diseases;
• acute tuberculosis;
• diabetes;
• infectious polyarthritis;
• thyrotoxicosis.

Conclusion

The benefits and harms of fasting continue to be actively studied by scientists and nutritionists. Increasingly held Scientific research, studying the effects of prolonged fasting on the human body. The beneficial properties of temporarily refusing to eat in cleansing the body, strengthening the immune system and restoring it in general have been proven. However, to prevent harm, all this is possible only with strict adherence to safety rules - under the supervision of a medical specialist.

IN last years The practice of therapeutic fasting is becoming increasingly popular. Its supporters claim that almost any disease arises from excessive slagging in the body, and fasting, in turn, helps us get rid of accumulated waste and toxins.

There are many methods of fasting. Everyone can choose a suitable practice for themselves depending on endurance, health status and the results they want to get. Fasting can be divided into dry fasting (it is not recommended to practice more than a day) and fasting with water consumption, which can also be divided into types, depending on the duration: short (1-3 days), medium duration (3-10 days) and long fasting (more than 10 days).

Let's figure out what effect we can get by practicing the method of therapeutic fasting:

1. During fasting, rest occurs gastrointestinal tract. Fasting for one or two days will not lead to significant changes in the body, but will give the digestive organs an opportunity to take a break from the load. Energy usually directed towards the process of digesting food will go towards the process of renewal and restoration of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Boosting immunity. During fasting, the adrenal glands secrete increased amounts of glucocorticoids, anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory hormones, which help the body cope with colds faster.
3. Curing diseases. To date, the positive effect of fasting has been proven for diseases of the cardiovascular system, bones, diabetes, allergies, hormonal disorders and neuroses. Amazing fact: There are known cases where fasting helped get rid of cancer.

Also, during fasting, the body's reserve forces are mobilized, which leads to lower blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol and improve the functioning of the entire body as a whole. To the pleasant side effects fasting can result in rapid loss of extra pounds.

It must be remembered that for an unprepared person, even one-day fasting is very stressful, so it is recommended to prepare for this practice with all responsibility.

1. 2 days before the start, it is advisable to exclude animal products from the diet and try not to overeat.
2. It is necessary to get out of the state of fasting gradually.
3. On the first day after completion, it is better to refrain from foods that are difficult for the stomach, such as nuts and legumes.

Fasting not only brings undoubted physical benefits to the body, but also helps it cleanse itself on a mental level. Those who are interested not only in the physical but also in the spiritual benefits of fasting can begin fasting by observing Ekadyshi days. Ekadashi is the eleventh day after the full moon and new moon of each lunar month in the Hindu calendar. In Hinduism and Jainism, Ekadashi days are considered especially favorable for practicing self-restraint (asceticism). It is believed that in this way a person develops spiritually and accumulates energy to realize his desires.

However, those who decide to try the practice of therapeutic fasting should not forget that, in addition to its positive properties, fasting also has a number of contraindications. Therapeutic fasting is not recommended for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, kidney diseases, blood diseases, and tuberculosis. Fasting is also not recommended for pregnant and lactating women. The unpleasant consequences of fasting include an increased feeling of hunger. Often, after completing fasting, people strive to “catch up”; to avoid this, it is necessary to approach the practice of fasting extremely consciously.

Not everyone knows what fasting is. Many people are only familiar with this form of fasting, such as refusing food, which only causes discomfort. Doctors say that by skipping even one meal, we cause great harm to our health. We hear advice every day that we need to eat often, but little by little. So is it possible to fast for the benefit of the body? It turns out that in some cases it is even necessary.

The need for food is individual for each person. It cannot be said that everyone needs five meals a day, for example, an athlete needs one regimen, and a student another. There cannot be the same standards for the amount of food consumed.

Many predatory animals are able to remain without food for several days: this is how their body works. This is a necessity to survive in natural conditions, this contains miracles of fasting. The need for fasting is as important as the need for food. The human body is designed in a similar way. To cleanse your body of toxins, you need to make fasting a habit. In addition, a person can fast for about 40 days without threat to life.

And this is far from the longest period of abstinence from food among living beings. For example, a boa constrictor is capable of not eating for about two years. For both animals and people, the process of fasting is useful and necessary.

Of course, not everyone can starve. Currently, doctors are well aware of diseases that are incompatible with fasting. The rest should think about this seriously, because it is not only useful, but also necessary.

Fasting was introduced in 1877 by Dr. Edward Dewey, who first confirmed that benefits of fasting for the human body there is a place to be. Of course, many doctors were against these attempts and were bewildered by such forms of treatment, but therapeutic fasting nevertheless gained recognition back in the 19th century. The difference between therapeutic fasting and regular fasting is that it is caused not simply by the patient’s desire, but by a doctor’s prescription. Reasons for a doctor to prescribe therapeutic fasting may include poor lifestyle, excess weight, and poor diet.

One of the common stereotypes is the need for multiple meals. Magazine articles, nutritionists and friends tell us this. That is why, afraid of missing even one meal, we run to the nearest cafe during our lunch break to eat a couple of sandwiches or hamburgers. But isn't this harmful? And those who say that they haven’t eaten for a couple of days will probably cause horror in the eyes of their colleagues. But there is absolutely nothing wrong with this. Lack of food becomes a real torment for us. Smokers also suffer without another cigarette. They don’t sympathize with them and are in no hurry to offer them a smoke break. The feeling of hunger that a person experiences often has nothing to do with necessity. It depends on habits, mood or amount of food taken.

There are situations when fasting is unplanned, spontaneous:

1. State of illness. When a person falls into a critical condition, he is forced to fast involuntarily, and this is simply necessary for his recovery. Christians introduced the custom of fasting in ancient times. And if today people refuse certain types of food during fasting, then ancient people understood fasting as refusing any food.

2. Lack of food due to independent circumstances. For example, geography plays a big role here. People who live in places close to rivers and lakes have always had the opportunity to provide themselves with food. And those who were engaged in agriculture relied only on their own harvest. If the harvest failed, then hunger overtook the entire family. And starvation became a necessity to survive.

But it is worth noting that people often confuse concepts such as refusal to eat and fasting. After all, refusing to eat for just one day does not mean starving. You need to rely on the state of the human body, and not on the desire to eat. On the fourth day of fasting, an active process of burning fats and toxins occurs. The body is perfectly cleansed and returns to normal during this period. Those who are obese should first of all turn their attention to fasting. If there are no contraindications, then fasting is perfect for weight correction, as it cleanses the body and gives strength, and this is what miracles of fasting.

In order for food to be completely absorbed, the body needs to expend a huge amount of energy. Fasting helps the human body gain strength for further work. Anyone who resorts to fasting feels great and is constantly in a good mood.
Fasting is useful during illness, as recovery occurs faster and without medications.

Fasting is a kind of... During the absence of food, the body uses its fat reserves.
Fasting is not a dangerous process; it is dangerous to indulge in heavy food after fasting. This can cause serious problems. It is important to enter and exit fasting correctly.

According to many, fasting leads to depression and loss of performance. This is wrong. You think much faster and better on an empty stomach. A person becomes so dependent on food that if he misses a meal, he panics. At this rate, obesity is inevitable. Isn't this horror?

Those who resort to fasting experience a whole range of taste sensations. Such people value life, because they eat to live, and do not live to eat.

Despite the fact that the fasting technique has been used for a long time, doctors have not reached a common opinion regarding the safety of the procedure. Experts are divided into two camps, each of which has arguments for and against the hunger strike. Opponents of refusing food argue that fasting under stress is harmful to the body; supporters prove the opposite, citing the fact that, having experienced hunger, the body turns on all its reserve forces. Let's try to figure out what a person's refusal to eat can do, and when (if any) it is worth fasting.

What is fasting

Fasting is the avoidance of foods that is intended to lead to weight loss or have a therapeutic effect on health. When talking about fasting, the first thing you do is stop eating foods in order to prevent fats and carbohydrates from entering the body. A person who removes these components from his diet does not take into account their importance for the body. A lack of fats and carbohydrates will negatively affect the functioning of internal organs and the coherence of many systems. Carbohydrate deficiency causes loss of strength, reluctance to move actively, and a decrease in emotional level.

Refusal of products must be competent and thoughtful. Rational abstinence has a positive effect on the body. It is necessary to approach this issue thoughtfully and fast only after visiting a doctor, when he has ruled out a potential health hazard.

With food, energy enters our body, which is intended to maintain an optimal level of vital activity and activity of the body. We not only absorb healthy foods, which speed up metabolism and help remove waste accumulations. Incomplete food, on the contrary, fills the body with components that are deposited in the form of waste and clog the lumens of blood vessels and joints.

These deposits are difficult to remove; moreover, they poison the body and cause health problems.

Therapeutic fasting is a complete abstinence from food. As a result, the body rearranges its work and gets rid of dangerous accumulations, it activates hidden reserves and finds an alternative way of existing without food. Carbohydrate and fat reserves begin to be actively used, a person gets rid of excess weight and completely adapts to a more active way of existence. There is healing of tissues and self-destruction of harmful reserves, poisons, and some diseases at the cellular level.

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History of fasting techniques

Refusal to eat has been a practice for decades. Also in Ancient Greece fasting was widespread and actively used. Biblical heroes and prophets used hunger, and there are numerous references to it. Jesus and Moses went without food for forty days. Modern authors of the methods - Paul Breg and Herbert Shelton - offered their own options for refusing food, tried and tested on themselves. They argued that as a result of stagnation and slagging, full metabolism slows down. Fasting can trigger self-cleaning processes and speed up metabolism, which is slow.

If the course of abstinence is designed and carried out correctly, the result of fasting will be:

• cleansing the body at the cellular level;
• rejuvenation;
• improvement of general well-being;
• elimination of many pathologies;
• getting rid of extra pounds.

It is not for nothing that during illness the body subconsciously refuses food, indicating that food will only complicate recovery.

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

It has been scientifically proven that short periods of fasting are as effective as long periods of calorie restriction. Monitoring the intake of food into the body for a short time gives the following result:

• the oxidation process starts;
• insulin sensitivity increases;
• cholesterol levels decrease;
• the amount of antioxidants entering the blood increases;
• growth hormone is produced, which has a positive effect on general state health;
• the immune system is activated and resistance to diseases increases;
• recovery processes occur faster, cell regeneration improves;
• The liver is cleansed after just eight hours of fasting.

It is recommended to start fasting with a twelve-hour break between the first and last meals. Gradually, the distance between meals should be increased to eighteen hours. If health allows, the maximum period can be up to twenty-four hours. This method is practiced no more than once a week. Regular fasting allows you to balance blood sugar and cholesterol levels, get sick less and feel more energetic. As a result, the aging process will slow down.

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Features of proper fasting

Not every fast can be beneficial and help normalize the condition. Wrong organized process can harm health and cause malfunction of important organs. There are three main rules for not eating:

• it is necessary to choose the right method of fasting, which will take into account the individual characteristics of a person’s health and the experience of refusing food in the past;
• carrying out mandatory preparatory procedures before fasting begins: cleansing the body, reducing the amount of food consumed, increasing the intervals between meals;
• monitoring health status during restrictions, timely response to any possible negative manifestation, refusal of hunger if necessary.

Thus, fasting that is healthy must also be safe. It is worth noting that this technique will bring results only if you give up bad habits, lead a healthy lifestyle and engage in physical activity. Correct abstinence is only possible with active cooperation with a doctor, when he adjusts the action plan taking into account individual health characteristics. There are a number of rules for fasting:

1. The correct entry and exit must be carried out - smooth preparation of the body for restrictions and a gradual exit from hunger, and a return to a normal diet. This period should be equal to the period of refusal to eat. The diet is carefully reviewed: you need to give up heavy foods and increase the amount of plant foods.
2. Drinking regime is the key to a successful fasting course. Optimal water balance will make it as easy as possible to survive the stress of refusing food. Dry fasting is strictly not recommended; they only aggravate painful conditions, increasing the amount of slag accumulation.
3. It is not recommended to fast for more than a day. This is the most optimal time for positive changes.
4. During hunger, it is necessary to limit the load on the body. Physical or mental stress is equally difficult during this period. Any energy-consuming activities are not indicated.
5. During fasting, you can only drink water; no tea, much less coffee, can be taken. This is a categorical rule that cannot be broken.

So what is more: the harm or benefit of fasting?

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The benefits of healing methods are unconditional if the fasting person does everything correctly. Fasting can also cause some harm to health. We are talking about hunger that lasts more than a day.

If the rules of refusal to eat are violated, the following pathologies are observed:

• not fat, but protein accumulations are consumed, which leads to lethargy and sagging skin, premature formation of wrinkles;
• prolonged abstinence from food leads to malfunctions of the immune system and defenselessness against external attacks;
• the development of anemia is manifested by deterioration of well-being, rapid fatigue, and inability to concentrate;
• the supply of vitamins in the body decreases, which is manifested by poor condition of teeth, hair, nails, and decreased vitality.

Properly organized abstinence from food will give a positive result and help cope with many diseases; it is important to adhere to the recommendations of specialists and not to independently adjust the course of therapeutic fasting.

Fasting has been practiced for many centuries. But does it really help you lose weight and improve your health?

It would seem that everything is simple: you don’t need to choose foods, count calories, or cook. You just give up on food and sit on water and juices in anticipation of quick weight loss and other health benefits.

A recent example is actress Beyonce Knowles. For her role in the film Dreamgirls, she ate only water with lemon juice and cayenne pepper and lost 10 kilograms. But what about mere mortals? Let's figure it out:

Is fasting effective for weight loss?

Fasting and weight loss

Some people fast in order to get rid of obesity. But is fasting effective in helping you lose weight?

When the body does not receive food, it must produce glucose from its own resources. For this purpose, glycogen reserves in muscle tissue and liver begin to be used. This source is enough to last about a day. The body then begins to draw the glucose it needs from muscle tissue. Protein breakdown occurs, or more precisely, glycogenic amino acids.

Secondly, fats are used. Thus, about 30% of the weight lost during fasting is muscle tissue. Such weight loss cannot be called anything other than the process of muscular dystrophy.

After returning to a normal diet, it is necessary to restore lost muscle mass, which requires intense strength training. However, not all of yesterday’s starving people will exercise diligently, and not all of them know how to build muscle correctly. As a result, most of the weight lost after fasting is regained as fat. And usually new kilograms are gained with interest - often a person begins to weigh more after fasting than before.

Thus, it is a myth that fasting helps you lose weight. Fasting can rather be called a means of gaining weight.

Fasting for health purposes

Does fasting help remove harmful substances from the body? There is no clear answer to this question.

Some experts argue that the cleansing effect of fasting has not been scientifically proven. The very formulation of the question is biologically incorrect, since the body copes with the task of self-cleaning without special help. The natural center of such cleaning is the liver. The lungs, intestines, kidneys, lymph nodes and skin also help get rid of toxins.

Diet modern people mostly consists of processed foods that are poor in plant fibers and antioxidants. Because of this, waste accumulates in the cells of the body, which leads to the development of atherosclerosis, diabetes, disruption of the nervous system and other organs. Even first-year students in medical schools know about this.

Along with changing your diet, fasting is one of the radical ways to solve this problem. It allows the body to cleanse itself naturally. There is nothing unusual in refusing food - a person already goes hungry every night.

How is toxins removed from the body? Fasting for 1-2 days starts the process of ketosis. This means that in the absence of external carbohydrates, the body begins to burn its own fat to meet energy needs.

And a large number of toxins that enter the body from environment, accumulate precisely in adipose tissue.

Hungry days

The most optimal way of fasting is a 24-hour fast once every 2 weeks. It involves complete abstinence from food; you only need to drink boiled or distilled water, at least 1.5-2 liters. The next day, in the morning, you need to drink 1 glass of kefir or eat a small amount of fresh vegetable salad, preferably beets, to prevent constipation. It is advisable to eat light meals this day - cottage cheese, yogurt, steamed meat or fish, jelly.

During the fasting period, it is recommended to avoid heavy physical and mental stress, but at the same time you need to lead a normal lifestyle. This means that the day on which you fast should be free from activities in the pool, gym, it is better not to use massage or visit the bathhouse. Reflexology can help reduce your appetite. As for procedures such as light gymnastics, showers, even contrast showers, various breathing and meditative complexes - not only do they not need to be canceled, but, on the contrary, it is advisable to spend more time on them than on ordinary days. This will help cleanse not only the body, but also thoughts and feelings.

Breaking out of fasting

Throughout the day, it is advisable to eat light, healthy foods, such as cottage cheese, steamed meat and fish, soups, jelly, porridge, and salads.

Contraindications to therapeutic fasting

Even daily fasting is strictly contraindicated for women during pregnancy and breastfeeding, patients diabetes mellitus, people with stomach or duodenal ulcers, those who have been diagnosed with cancer, tuberculosis, kidney stones and purulent inflammation of internal organs.

People suffering from ischemic or hypertension diseases heart disease, arrhythmia and other cardiovascular diseases.