Reasons for fasting can range from religious conventions to health related fasts for weight loss. Fasting is defined by abstinence from foods and drinks for a set period. Some fasts allow small amounts of food or drinks, while others are more extreme. Fast specifications may include specific rules about eating or breaking the fast, to protect a person whose health could suffer as a result of fasting. In some cases, snacking during a fast may be permitted, depending on the circumstances and health of the individual. Check with your doctor before attempting a fast, especially if you have health problems.
Religious Fasting
Certain fasts are intermittent, occurring only during set times. Most religions include fasting as a form of worship, cleansing and attainment of a heightened spiritual state. Religious fasting may take the form of abstaining from food each day after the noon meal until breakfast the next morning, as in some types of Buddhism, or fasting for an entire month from dawn to dusk during Ramadan for Muslims.
Depending on the rites of the religion and fast, participants may or may not be allowed to snack during fasting periods. For example, Muslims are not allowed any food or drink, including water, during the fasting period. Hindu devotees who fast on Tuesdays in honor of the Lord Hanuman abstain from sunrise to sunset, but are allowed fruit and milk during those hours.
Cancer Prevention
Reducing caloric intake by about 5 percent -- or 100 calories -- and eating intermittently, fasting every other day, might reduce the proliferation of cancer cells in obese individuals, according to a report on Worldhealth.net. For obese, cancer-prone people, this could be a solution to help protect themselves from cellular proliferation and developing cancer or other degenerative diseases. Because most people are likely not willing or able to fast every other day for their entire life, a small meal or snack, totaling no more than 20 percent of their daily caloric intake, could reduce the stress of fasting and make this eating regimen more bearable. Check with your doctor before fasting or changing your diet, especially if you have health problems.
Fasting Health Benefits
Fasting to gain spiritual enlightenment has been a practice around the world for centuries. Short fasts have been shown to improve various bodily functions such as reducing insulin sensitivity, lowering the risk of heart disease and reducing oxidative stress in cells, which causes inflammation, according to the Nutrition Diva. Reducing inflammation in the cells helps to repair DNA damaged by production of free radicals, one of the side effects of cellular inflammation. Additionally, reducing cellular inflammation might delay aging and extend an individual's life.
Snacks
Although fasting should include no food, certain situations may override this dictum. All religions have rules to protect the health of the individual first, and when fasting would hurt someone's health, a total fast is forbidden. In these cases, snacking and eating small meals during a fast are permitted. In the case of fasting for health reasons, the same thing applies. If, for example, a person becomes hypoglycemic during a fast, small snacks to balance the blood sugar may be recommended. These snacks might include foods that don't cause wild swings in blood sugar, such as cherries, bananas, sweet potatoes, whole grains, nuts and green leafy vegetables. Some fasts do not require complete abstinence from eating or drinking, and allow the individual fruit juices, water and other drinks to keep energy up and protect against severe dehydration.
Precautions
While fasting may provide a sense of spiritual elevation and help cleanse the body of toxins, it can also be dangerous for many people. Ask your doctor before starting a fast to make sure it is safe for you.
References
- University of California: Fasting Every Other Day, While Cutting Few Calories, May Reduce Cancer Risk
- WorldHealth.net: Every Other Day Fasting May Reduce Cancer Risk
- The Buddhist Monk's Discipline: Some Points Explained for Laypeople
- Nutrition Diva: What are the Health Benefits of Fasting?
- www.ramadan.co.uk: Rulings Pertaining to the Intention for Fasting
