The Benefits Of Intermitted Fasting

Yuri Elkaim, BPHE, CK, RHN & Amy Coates, RHN, BSc.

Intermittent fasting has been practiced the world over for some time now. We are all familiar with Muslim Ramadan, during which food is not eaten for the first 12 hours of the day. There is also Jewish Yom Kippur, one of four days for fasting. Catholics have lent, some Mormons fast every Sunday or every other Sunday. Sikhs, Hindus, Buddhists, all fast. Some fast for religion, some for protest, and, more recently, some for health. Although voluntary fasting and knowledge of its benefits have been around for a long time, we are just now proving, medically, that this practice is very good for our bodies and minds.

If you are not spiritual or political, don’t worry. This article is not about those benefits of fasting. What we want to share with you today is some of the amazing research that has shown intermittent fasting to be life-prolonging and beneficial. The LA Times recently published an article that said some very interesting things about the benefits of intermittent fasting. The article your reading now will tell you all about what was said, so stick with us, and we’ll provide you with a link for further research at the end.

What the LA Times reporter found out, is that people who fast intermittently have more mental and physical energy, lower cases of heart disease and diabetes, lower risk of cancer and Alzheimer’s, fewer Asthma and allergy symptoms, and longer lives. The article sights researchers from UC Berkley, The National Institute on Aging, The National Academy of Sciences, and more. All agree that calorie restriction and intermittent fasting increases the nutritional health of those who practice it. Researchers in the article also agreed that, when adjusted for diet and food preferences, intermittent fasting alone was the single factor in prolonging life and protecting health.

Fasting is the body’s natural way of relaxing and cleansing. Without food for a long time, we will die, but in short spurts, followed by adequate nutrition, the lack of food is replaced with greater energy and a cleaner, healthier body. Short fasting intervals also increase mental energy, focus, and clarity, as it frees the mind from processing and digesting the chemicals, both good and bad, that come from food. During a fast, your body metabolizes chemicals, dead cells, fat, and damaged tissue, clearing your system. When you return to eating, it is as though you have gained a whole new body.

Now that you have learned just some of the benefits of intermittent fasting (there are so many), we will leave you with a thought provoking quote that comes from an Egyptian pyramid inscription: “We live on one quarter of what we eat; our doctors live on the rest.”

Here is the link to the LA Times article on intermittent fasting: http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/02/health/he-fasting2?pg=3

Please feel free to do your own research on this ancient and beneficial practice.

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