Breaking a Fast

Fasting is a complex topic. The most basic thing we could say about fasting is "don't eat till you're hungry". The primary mechanism of fasting is to give the digestive system a rest. Digestion requires a lot of energy, which is why when we "eat heavy" we can suddenly get sleepy and tired. So much energy is diverted to the work of digestion the body begins to conserve energy in other ways, and just wants to go to sleep.

Sleep and fasting are related activities. When I was a kid I used to wish I never had to sleep, it seemed a big waste of time. But we know what happens when we don't sleep, we get dingy. Staying awake indefinitely is not possible, the body will just lose consciousness at some point. Before that point is reached we will begin to hallucinate because our body is no longer being cleared of toxins as quickly as they are built up. These toxins flood our brain in a process called "autointoxication", or self-poisoning resulting from retention of the waste products of metabolism. Experiments with lab animals kept awake ends in death...these toxins are real.

So yep sleep is a good thing, and so is fasting. We do it every night, and end that fast with "break fast". It's like a miracle cure to rid ourselves of toxins faster than we produce them. And we never stop producing them, cells regenerate continuously, and the die-off has to go somewhere.

There are a couple of things we can do that increase our health and vitality quickly. One is to get plenty of sleep (it's better to sleep without an alarm if possible), and the other is to extend the nightly period of fasting. We can do that in two ways: one by not eating anything a few hours before bed, and the other to wait for the first meal of the day. Or both.

Skipping breakfast is probably the easiest way to do "intermittent fasting", and once we become accustomed, it's not difficult. Drinking as much water as desired in that period helps to become accustomed.

If we have that "jittery feeling" when we don't eat, it's telling us something...we are experiencing abnormally large blood sugar swings caused by the condition called "insulin resistance", which occurs when we introduce carbohydrates into a diet high in animal products and fats. Did you know for example that eggs are 35.5% protein, 2.6% carbs, but 61.9% fat (cronometer.com)? One of the primary benefits of a whole foods plant based diet can be an end to insulin resistance (and the tyranny of ravenous hunger).

Fasting also affords another healthful opportunity, which is to "reprogram" our taste buds to better food choices. If we wait to eat until we're hungry, almost anything we eat tastes better. My first meal of the day is typically about noon (second one is veggies for dinner), and frequently looks something like this: half a papaya, half a pineapple, one orange, one pear and about half a cup blueberries.

Or this: half cantaloupe, two pears, two bananas and a half cup blueberries.

It's hard to miss with fruit, and you know what? I've even come to the point I think it tastes better than croissants, bacon and eggs. It sure is easier to digest!