Helpful benefits of intermittent and periodic fasting

Fasting(or intermittent fasting) and gut health are the two all nutritionists, doctors etc are talking off late. Let us discuss what does this mean to common man without medical terminology.

We need to go to past and understand our physiology before understanding the new world medications and health solutions. 

Let us go back to a millennium down the calendar and try to understand.

Humans are built up through centuries using the struggle for food and shelter through out their living. They do not have ready made processed foods, readily available water, housing etc. They need to hunt the animals or have to harvest the food waiting for weeks or months for food to grow. In mean time they have to keep hungry, till they get the food in next cycle. They used to keep hungry before they can feast their next meal. The body of than human through out the centuries should have got accustomed to store energy when they eat and use that energy when they do not have food.

When we get back to today's world we get food readily and eat daily which our body is still not accustomed to such practice. Perhaps it may take few 100's of years or centuries so that it can get used to such phenomenon.

Do not fast because of fear or someone is saying to do so. Understand your body and what it is saying to you, it can be sugar in your body(diabetes), fast pumping of blood(BP), Obesity(fat on your belly)

Why I have to fast?

Imagine you with all those unhealthy foods taking. They are accumulated in your body as fats, bad cells, much work for your organs. 

How do you clean them?

You can not wash them or rinse them as you do with utensils or clothes right. Your body is very impressive and has ability to clean itself only if you give it time to heal.

Fasting is the mechanism where you give body time, to heal itself.

Burn those extra fat

We are eating and when body does not need those energy it keeps them in your blood as triglycerides(much easy for it to pass to any organ does it need), belly(very nearer to liver so that it can use it when needed) and at other places. When you fast it does not get energy from out side(you are not eating) so it starts looking for other sources which is fat in your body.

Give rest

What do you do when you work tirelessly for 18 hours in a day. You say I have worked so much I need rest. What does your car say when you drive continuously(Its engines heats up) it says I need some rest. You eat till midnight or drink overnight and than sleep or hung up on bed.

When did you have given the rest to your stomach, gut, liver, pancreas, kidney or the parts of your body(Answer yourself before moving forward)?

They need some rest right. 

Imagine how you work after getting some rest and you feel, it is same for your organs too.

Cleanness or repair the body

This is not last thing we have to talk. This is the best thing what body does it gets some rest. 

You have a busy week and keep everything pending right of your personal, it may be groceries, spending time with your near and dear, doing your favorite things you missed and so on which makes you happy and get back to work next week with full energy.

When did we have given time to our body to clean itself(Answer your self thinking for a minute)?

Body does wonders when it gets time. Let us see what happens when you fast below.

Stages of fasting

What happens when you fast for 6 to 8 hours?

All the food you have eaten would leave your stomach and intestine. This means that all the food is being digested. The glucose levels in your body may still in raise as the intestine would have digested and the nutrients, minerals, glucose is all passed to your body. Your stomach and intestines get rest and time to repair themself.

What happens when you fast for 12 hours?

• You would be mostly in fasting state. 
• There would be drop of insulin levels now as there is no sugar in your body. Your pancreas get rest.
• There is no food in your body to digest or process through intestine, your stomach and intestine gets rest.
• There is no glucose or sugar in your body, so your body would trigger the production of Ketones, an efficient energy.
• What does the body use to product Ketones, your fat. This is where you would probably reversing the obesity
• These in return stimulate the production of neurons and their connections in brain, known for long term memory and should decrease the possibility of Alzheimer disease. Basically your brain function improves.

What happens when you fast for 20 hours?

• Your body starts producing the endogenous antioxidants, they would be helpful in reducing the inflammation in your body and is know for lot of health benefits^[1].
• Your Autophangy(Greek word meaning self healing) kicks in. The process starts to eat your cells which are old and damaged, thus helping you cleanse your body. This old and damaged cells are may be of cancer or other bad cells, thus reducing the chances of getting cancer or other ailments^[2].
• You would be basically in self healing mode.

What happens when you fast for around 48 hours?

Your body would start releasing the growth hormone stimulating the muscle growth and cell repair.

You may be thinking what on earth can make me to repair my body, reduce inflammation, make my brain more active, increase my muscle when I am fasting.

There is a possibly reason for it. If you remember the start of the article, we are old version of ours. The body from millennia prepares your body for your next hunt, that is the reason it makes your more intuitive by making your mind more active and making your muscle more stronger. All the above are being cited and told by doctors, researches, investigated. 

Here is the great video by Dr. Pradip Jamandas(I am not owner of this video) which talks about fasting. It is a great video you have to view.

What is intermittent fasting and why should I do that?

General window of intermittent fasting is being told between 12 to 18 hours. If you see above explanation, all of the food you have eaten by this time would be completely absorbed by your body. For next energy source your body starts burning your fat.

In simple words in a day you have open a eating window of 6 to 10 hours only. That is half of the day mostly right. 

You do not want to eat whole day right?

You generally sleep 10 hours around right, it is only those 2 to 8 hours which you should not eat. 

Remaining time you just do not eat.

What are benefits, you give your body rest so that it can repair itself and make you healthy.

Periodic Fasting

All the above fasting tips we have given is the make you healthy and to understand the benefits. 

How many times I have to do fasting, once in a week, once in a month, once in a year?

It depends on what you are dealing with

• Obesity, you may frequently do it
• Diabetes, may be once a week
• No problems, may be once in a month
• Before starting you may need to talk to your doctor always

Seriously you have to listed to your body.

It is ok to drink normal water but not energy drinks with all sugar, which would defeat the purpose.

Conclusion: Every one needs rest including your body. Fasting is the means or easy way by which you can revive your body, give some rest, cure yourself etc. You have to listen to your body, listen what it says to you. 

Note: Please consult your doctor before taking any steps or start it slow and see how your body responds.