FASTING
WHAT IS FASTING?
In nature, animals fast. They have to, as there are times of both feast and famine. The same applies to our ancestors, when a time of feast presented itself, we would eat till satiety, lay about for a bit, then hunt some more. Rinse, repeat, perhaps having good luck and finding (successfully hunting) the next feast or perhaps having to go long periods without having anything to eat. (obviously this is where agricultural comes in, but that is a topic for another page).
Nowadays food is available on demand. If we need to go hunting, we go to the local "hunting grounds" to the supermarket and we choose from a wide range of available options, some good for us, some bad for us. Not only that, but we have the capability to eat all the time, continually if we chose too.
The advent of processed food has allowed for food to be stored for extended periods of time, far beyond its intended "it's best that you eat this before it goes off" date. It has revolutionised the way and the where of our eating. But that accessibility comes at a price. Modern science (and not just the scientific evidence, but anecdotal evidence as well) tells us that this "constant" eating is bad. Obesity and the consequential diseases that stem from that, are at an all time high and all future projections have this epidemic continuing to grow larger, no pun intended.
So we eat, and we eat and we eat. What we want, when we want it. And that's NOT how we were designed to work. The "three meals a day with morning tea and afternoon tea" routine is a consequence of 18th Century Factory Work. That is, the early factory production lines required everyone to be working all at once. To have any part of the assembly chain "take a break" resulted in a back log in the work and slowing down of production. Everyone took a break at the same time! So the concept of eating before starting your shift, then eating at your morning tea, then eating at your lunch break and so on became the norm for a large part of society.
Fasting, or simply being hungry for food, became a thing of the past, as people became accustomed to eating (snacking) five times a day, or more! Back then, parents told their children "Don't eat between meals" because five servings of food a day was more than enough. Yet now, the packet of chips with the fruity flavoured soda drink is common place on office workers desks, labourers breaks and on the dashboard of those driving enabling snacking whenever and wherever they want.
Nowadays food is available on demand. If we need to go hunting, we go to the local "hunting grounds" to the supermarket and we choose from a wide range of available options, some good for us, some bad for us. Not only that, but we have the capability to eat all the time, continually if we chose too.
The advent of processed food has allowed for food to be stored for extended periods of time, far beyond its intended "it's best that you eat this before it goes off" date. It has revolutionised the way and the where of our eating. But that accessibility comes at a price. Modern science (and not just the scientific evidence, but anecdotal evidence as well) tells us that this "constant" eating is bad. Obesity and the consequential diseases that stem from that, are at an all time high and all future projections have this epidemic continuing to grow larger, no pun intended.
So we eat, and we eat and we eat. What we want, when we want it. And that's NOT how we were designed to work. The "three meals a day with morning tea and afternoon tea" routine is a consequence of 18th Century Factory Work. That is, the early factory production lines required everyone to be working all at once. To have any part of the assembly chain "take a break" resulted in a back log in the work and slowing down of production. Everyone took a break at the same time! So the concept of eating before starting your shift, then eating at your morning tea, then eating at your lunch break and so on became the norm for a large part of society.
Fasting, or simply being hungry for food, became a thing of the past, as people became accustomed to eating (snacking) five times a day, or more! Back then, parents told their children "Don't eat between meals" because five servings of food a day was more than enough. Yet now, the packet of chips with the fruity flavoured soda drink is common place on office workers desks, labourers breaks and on the dashboard of those driving enabling snacking whenever and wherever they want.
Breaking Your (Overnight) Fast
Breakfast or "Breaking your fast" (your overnight fast) was not a thing until the 13th century. Whereby your local baker, (up at 4am to bake!) provided you with the chance to eat fresh bread daily, your local greengrocer (Costermonger) provided you with fruits and vegetables so that a morning trip to the "markets" could allow you to eat in the morning.
Or, if you were not local to a market, or had accumulated enough stores of food or developed storage processes (salting, smoking, wrapping, drying, picking, etc) that allowed you to eat upon rising for the day and "break your fast." Curiously enough, the old meaning for "Dinner" is reference to "breaking one's fast" as well. Perhaps those OMAD Dinner eaters knew a secret or two back then as well!
But back to the early centuries! Markets had been around for thousands of years, but you typically "broke your fast" based on convenience and timing. i.e. are you hungry enough to eat? It was not forced upon us by the time we were expected to "clock in" at work (Remember time sheets and punch cards?) We ate when it suited us. We ate when we were hungry.
If you rose for the day and did not feel hungry, you did not eat, you did not "break your fast" and it is ony of recent times (1900's) that we have seen the rise of convenience breakfast foods.
So where does this "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" saying come from? The answer is: Marketing! Yes Marketing, from one very clever group of breakfast cereals manufacturers. Kelloggs. Yep, good old Kelloggs is responsible for possibly the single most damaging thing that has occurred in our diets since processed foods arrived. Breakfast Cereals.
What does any manufacturer of a producer want? They want to sell more of their product. So what do they need? Good advertising, great slogans and catchy jingles. So this phrase is a great way to sell more cereal, but when related to cereals as health advice, is simply and utterly false. Having a carbohydrates based breakfast with high ratios of available sugars increases the risk of metabolic syndrome, or to put it simply, it will make you fat (read:unwell).
Why Fast?
Certainly there are many children and adults with differing metabolisms that drive many to wake hungry or even famished. Some eat early, and they burn it off fast, and never put weight on, never such from hypertension, never suffer from "brain fog," and then there are those that do. They eat carefully, they "watch their weight" and "count their calories" but are unwell and suffering from many a "dis-ease."
In today's fast paced world, we see such a variety of diets and beliefs (many simply uninformed or misinformed by their research or "training") that we are constantly at loggerheads with others beliefs. A shift in our beliefs is hard, it requires admitting that you are wrong and learning new things, both of which are difficult. But there is one key attribute of your physiology that you can "Hack" no matter your dietary beliefs; Fasting.
Fasting, no matter your diet, brings about a state of Autophagy. To learn more about Autophagy, click here to read our page on it. But in short, Autophagy is a detoxification process whereby your body "cleans out" old and damaged cells and regenerates new one.
What this means is no matter how much physical or mental damage you have done or are doing due to your diet (You are what you eat!) fasting allows you to slow the tide of decrepitude and clean yourself up! This autophagy state is one that you are in constantly, it carries on quietly in the background, constantly cleaning up as you make a mess (consuming foods and beverages or medications that are not as beneficial for you as they could be). This system, like all systems, can become overloaded. Think about your last hangover, that's a great example of your system being unable to process the material you put into your body faster than it can eliminate it. You suffer for an hour or two and then you "come right." No more headache, not more queasy stomach, you system has processed all the "toxins" out.
Autophagy is always occuring, but not always as efficiently as it could be. Fasting allows for this process to jump into overdrive and increase its efficiency and effectiveness.
When fasting, some may see a weight loss, some may see visible lines or wrinkle reduction, some will see blood pressure improvements and lean muscle mass gains.
All this is "measurable" but it is the unquantifiable and non measurable gains that are the most prominent. Reduced inflammation from inflammatory food sources, an increased mental clarity from a reduction of synapse inflammation (Reduction in synaptic dysfunction), increases in norepinephrine and HGH (Human Growth Hormone), reduced insulin secretion (Insulin Resistance Management), cellular repair and regrowth, not to mention to better quality sleep and improved breathing function that occurs as inflammation is reduced and minimised whilst fasting.
The outcome of these fasting benefits is almost immeasurable for many as they are quality of life improvements with many "Fasters" stating that they "feel better than they have felt in years" or "have never had the level of clear thinking" they have during a fast.
So how do you do it?
Fasting How To's
There are four main types of Fasting:
Time Restricted Feeding
Intermittent
OMAD (One Meal A Day)
Extended
These are all explained by clicking the links.
Who Should Fast?
Almost all of us can fast, but should all of us? Well, just like all things, sometimes a little is bad for you, sometimes a lot is as well. If you are clinically malnourished or underweight, pregnant or breastfeeding you should consult with your medical professionals before fasting to determine timing and potential effects the fast may have based on your current conditions (if any). Other conditions to consider are: gout, type I or II diabetes, if you are on any medications (as the lowered volume of material in your digestive system will affect the absorption rate of the medicine) or if you have any gasto disorders/disease.
If this is not you, then fasting may be an option for you. Remember, fasting is about reducing the intake of material and thusly reducing the time that your system spends processing said material. This means your fast should be a clean as possible. Plain water is a good fluid as it does not affect the system negatively and can stave off those pesky waves of hunger if they occur.
Drink plenty of it, enough to stay hydrated, drink when thirsty, but not to excess as, without the consumption of carbohydrates, your body will use less fluid to process them (Yes, you need "hydrates" to process "carbohydrates").
An extended fast may involve the consumption of protein content such as a bone broth or a chicken, beef or vegetable broth dependant on your dietary choices.
With any fast, be wary of altering any medication and or supplements and watch for nausea after consumption. You may need to check the labelling and requirement to "consume with food" and alter any fasting plans to support your medical or supplementation needs. Please talk with your medical professional about this.
Breakfast or "Breaking your fast" (your overnight fast) was not a thing until the 13th century. Whereby your local baker, (up at 4am to bake!) provided you with the chance to eat fresh bread daily, your local greengrocer (Costermonger) provided you with fruits and vegetables so that a morning trip to the "markets" could allow you to eat in the morning.
Or, if you were not local to a market, or had accumulated enough stores of food or developed storage processes (salting, smoking, wrapping, drying, picking, etc) that allowed you to eat upon rising for the day and "break your fast." Curiously enough, the old meaning for "Dinner" is reference to "breaking one's fast" as well. Perhaps those OMAD Dinner eaters knew a secret or two back then as well!
But back to the early centuries! Markets had been around for thousands of years, but you typically "broke your fast" based on convenience and timing. i.e. are you hungry enough to eat? It was not forced upon us by the time we were expected to "clock in" at work (Remember time sheets and punch cards?) We ate when it suited us. We ate when we were hungry.
If you rose for the day and did not feel hungry, you did not eat, you did not "break your fast" and it is ony of recent times (1900's) that we have seen the rise of convenience breakfast foods.
So where does this "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" saying come from? The answer is: Marketing! Yes Marketing, from one very clever group of breakfast cereals manufacturers. Kelloggs. Yep, good old Kelloggs is responsible for possibly the single most damaging thing that has occurred in our diets since processed foods arrived. Breakfast Cereals.
What does any manufacturer of a producer want? They want to sell more of their product. So what do they need? Good advertising, great slogans and catchy jingles. So this phrase is a great way to sell more cereal, but when related to cereals as health advice, is simply and utterly false. Having a carbohydrates based breakfast with high ratios of available sugars increases the risk of metabolic syndrome, or to put it simply, it will make you fat (read:unwell).
Why Fast?
Certainly there are many children and adults with differing metabolisms that drive many to wake hungry or even famished. Some eat early, and they burn it off fast, and never put weight on, never such from hypertension, never suffer from "brain fog," and then there are those that do. They eat carefully, they "watch their weight" and "count their calories" but are unwell and suffering from many a "dis-ease."
In today's fast paced world, we see such a variety of diets and beliefs (many simply uninformed or misinformed by their research or "training") that we are constantly at loggerheads with others beliefs. A shift in our beliefs is hard, it requires admitting that you are wrong and learning new things, both of which are difficult. But there is one key attribute of your physiology that you can "Hack" no matter your dietary beliefs; Fasting.
Fasting, no matter your diet, brings about a state of Autophagy. To learn more about Autophagy, click here to read our page on it. But in short, Autophagy is a detoxification process whereby your body "cleans out" old and damaged cells and regenerates new one.
What this means is no matter how much physical or mental damage you have done or are doing due to your diet (You are what you eat!) fasting allows you to slow the tide of decrepitude and clean yourself up! This autophagy state is one that you are in constantly, it carries on quietly in the background, constantly cleaning up as you make a mess (consuming foods and beverages or medications that are not as beneficial for you as they could be). This system, like all systems, can become overloaded. Think about your last hangover, that's a great example of your system being unable to process the material you put into your body faster than it can eliminate it. You suffer for an hour or two and then you "come right." No more headache, not more queasy stomach, you system has processed all the "toxins" out.
Autophagy is always occuring, but not always as efficiently as it could be. Fasting allows for this process to jump into overdrive and increase its efficiency and effectiveness.
When fasting, some may see a weight loss, some may see visible lines or wrinkle reduction, some will see blood pressure improvements and lean muscle mass gains.
All this is "measurable" but it is the unquantifiable and non measurable gains that are the most prominent. Reduced inflammation from inflammatory food sources, an increased mental clarity from a reduction of synapse inflammation (Reduction in synaptic dysfunction), increases in norepinephrine and HGH (Human Growth Hormone), reduced insulin secretion (Insulin Resistance Management), cellular repair and regrowth, not to mention to better quality sleep and improved breathing function that occurs as inflammation is reduced and minimised whilst fasting.
The outcome of these fasting benefits is almost immeasurable for many as they are quality of life improvements with many "Fasters" stating that they "feel better than they have felt in years" or "have never had the level of clear thinking" they have during a fast.
So how do you do it?
Fasting How To's
There are four main types of Fasting:
Time Restricted Feeding
Intermittent
OMAD (One Meal A Day)
Extended
These are all explained by clicking the links.
Who Should Fast?
Almost all of us can fast, but should all of us? Well, just like all things, sometimes a little is bad for you, sometimes a lot is as well. If you are clinically malnourished or underweight, pregnant or breastfeeding you should consult with your medical professionals before fasting to determine timing and potential effects the fast may have based on your current conditions (if any). Other conditions to consider are: gout, type I or II diabetes, if you are on any medications (as the lowered volume of material in your digestive system will affect the absorption rate of the medicine) or if you have any gasto disorders/disease.
If this is not you, then fasting may be an option for you. Remember, fasting is about reducing the intake of material and thusly reducing the time that your system spends processing said material. This means your fast should be a clean as possible. Plain water is a good fluid as it does not affect the system negatively and can stave off those pesky waves of hunger if they occur.
Drink plenty of it, enough to stay hydrated, drink when thirsty, but not to excess as, without the consumption of carbohydrates, your body will use less fluid to process them (Yes, you need "hydrates" to process "carbohydrates").
An extended fast may involve the consumption of protein content such as a bone broth or a chicken, beef or vegetable broth dependant on your dietary choices.
With any fast, be wary of altering any medication and or supplements and watch for nausea after consumption. You may need to check the labelling and requirement to "consume with food" and alter any fasting plans to support your medical or supplementation needs. Please talk with your medical professional about this.