Fasting for Health

 
Does fasting serve any benefit?

A. Almost every religious tradition recommends fasting for healing and spiritual advantages. Fasting enhances health and brings about a change in mental attitude. All of us need to fast at least once a week and give our digestive systems, a break from our daily schedules of three fancy meals, laced with in-between snacks. 

Lifeless food like chocolates, pastas, pastries, burgers, sweetened colas and strong coffee tax our digestive system and hampers the functioning of all our body organs. Such excessive meals clog the body and affect performance in everything we do, right from exercising to thinking.

As the body slows down, we start taking stimulants in the day to meet the daily demanding needs and sedatives in the night to try and get a sound sleep. A negative state of mind due to anger, jealousy, greed or anxiety further ruins the equilibrium between the body and mind leading to mental stress.

Fasting for health

Our parents or grand parents, typically fast once a week on nothing more than water or more than once a week on fruit juices and fruits.  Fasting is a natural and ancient remedy for healing and purification. After a cleansing fast, you will become more centered, creative and may feel light and energetic. Individual reactions to fasting vary according to the condition of the body. For some it may prove to be very intense, whereas others may find it energizing and uplifting.

• I suggest you should do juice fasting (Having only juices during the fast) instead of water fasting as it supports the body nutritionally with a lot of antioxidants while cleansing it at the same time. Also, it helps maintain energy levels while still allowing elimination of toxins.
• People with any kind of medical complications should not fast or should only fast under medical supervision.

Fasting helps to cleanse and purify the body and brings about mental clarity and self-discipline. Overall it can be a very uplifting experience.