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Holistic Regeneration Center

Fasting

My first use of ‘fasting’ was in referring to the religious observance practiced on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday in which food consumption was reduced to one full meal and two reduced ones, with no deserts or snacks. Abstinence from meat was also practiced these two days, as well as all Fridays of Lent.

Fasting as I initially undertook in the Fast-5 program to control my weight through calorie intake and allowing glucose rest, meant abstaining from all food and calorie-containing drinks for a period of 18 or so hours, done periodically, several, most, or all days of the week. Short term fasting is also called intermittent fasting.

Long term fasting for healing is most often understood as water-only fasting, in which only waster is consumed for a number of days: 10, 20, 40, or even longer. There are a number of physiological reasons why only water is consumed. Other drinks, such as tea, can perturb the body from its balance much more readily than when one is consuming food regularly. Since the body is not processing any other food or drink, there is no buffering effect available, and when caffeine or herbs are consumed, it has a greater impact. Long term fasting can be performed for weight loss, but its principal benefit is its healing effect. It is also called therapeutic fasting.

Some people will refer to “juice fasts” when abstaining from solid food for a number of days and only consuming juices or smoothies, most typically fresh fruit and vegetable juices. To me, these are better described as “juice diets.” Nutritional sustenance is still being consumed and the digestive system is still processing it. It’s just that the sustenance and energy is in a liquid rather than solid form.

In short, the term “fasting” can vary considerably in meaning, but the intended meaning can usually be discerned from the context.

More on fruit fasting!   More on water fasting!

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