The Path to a pill free life
Extended Fasting to reverse chronic ailments!
Are you dependent on daily pills to regulate your blood sugar, high BP or cholesterol? Struggling to lose that stubborn belly weight or the fat in your liver? Managing symptoms of IBS, IBD, colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, Parkinson’s with drugs? Tired of frequent blood tests & doctor visits…
Did a diagnosis of a disabling autoimmune disease like Multiple sclerosis, lupus or dementia change your life? It’s time to say goodbye to the incurable chronic disease you have been labelled with!
Next ‘Go to Doctor’: You tube
Sweating on a tread mill, cardio, long walks, vitamins & supplements, protein powders, the quinoa-tofu salads, the multigrain & oats, chia seeds & avocados, the Supergod- Omega 3s and much more.…!
If you have done it all and not achieved desired results, this is the most effective, yet underutilized remedy- Extended Fasting!
The secret is not about what to eat, rather- When to eat! Just sprinkle some food discipline in life, the outcome will be phenomenal.
What is Extended fasting?
A water fast that lasts longer than 24 hours.
Benefits of Fasting in Chronic Diseases:
Types of Water fast based on duration:
- 24 hr fast/ One meal a day (OMAD diet): Just have one meal at the same time every day. Can be done continuously for few days.
- 36 hr water fast: Early dinner on day 1, no meal on day 2, breakfast on day 3.
- 48 hr: 2-day complete water fast. Breakfast on day 1, no meal on day 2, have breakfast on day 3.
- 72 hr: 3-day complete water fast
- Longer fasts: 5 to 7 days, upto 21 days
What to consume during a Water Fast:
- Water
- Herbal tea (caffeine free): Boil any of these- mint leaves, curry leaves, lemon grass, moringa or kitchen spices like whole coriander seeds, cumin, fennel (CCF) and make a decoction out of it.
Caffeinated drinks, sweeteners, fruits, juices should not be consumed.
Understanding Hunger: It’s the peak of Ghrelin (hunger hormone) in your blood which makes you feel hungry at the same time every day. If you chose not to eat, it fades automatically within 20–30 minutes.
Having water or herbal tea helps surpass the hunger wave and also aids in detoxification during a fast. Going for a walk & engaging in some activity helps distract the mind from food.
Precautions during a fast:
- Must Exercise: Do not rest on the day of fast. BMR goes up and you have more energy on the day of fast. Exercise boosts the metabolism further.
- If you have a headache: Pinch of rock salt in a glass of water helps, it supplements the missing electrolytes.
- Dizziness: is usually a result of low blood pressure and not because of low blood sugar. Drink more water.
Blood Glucose does not fall even after a 5 day water fast! Body has sufficient compensatory mechanisms to regulate it.
How to break a fast? With cooked easily digestible low carb meal!
The way you feel going back to work after a week-long holiday on a beach, similarly the digestive system is on a resting mode after a day of fast. Consuming fried, fatty, sugary or carbohydrate rich meal or overeating after you break a fast burdens the gut machinery. It triggers a sharp rise of glucose & insulin and deprives you of all the benefit.
Who benefits from a Fast?
Everyone.
Who should not Fast?
Pregnant and Lactating women, growing children, malnourished, critically ill patients, type 1 diabetics
Practical Fasting tips for beginners:
- Start with a low carbohydrate diet, eliminate white sugar, white flour, processed foods.
- Begin with intermittent fasting (16:8) or time restricted eating. (Read previous blog on how to do intermittent fasting
3. Attempt a 24 hour fast (OMAD) once every few days. Then try a 36 hour fast once every week.
4. Once comfortable with above, one can move to 48hr fast and so on.
5. People on medications, diabetics & hypertensives are advised to do it under guidance of treating physician.
Personal experience: Once you are comfortable with Intermittent fasting, 24 hr fasts are the simplest to begin with once a week. A significant positive impact can be noticed after a single day of fast in terms of improved energy, sleep quality, concentration, efficiency and functioning of the digestive system.
Just like you take a break from work on the weekend, give your body one day every week to rest and rejuvenate itself.
Fasting rejuvenates an aging body. If you are stuck with a chronic health ailment, extended fasting can open new avenues of healing. It offers a promising adjunctive approach in treating modern day chronic lifestyle diseases.