What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is fasting that takes into account and encourages a long time gap spent between meals. In fact, there are multiple ways intermittent fasting can be done: fasting or reduced food intake every other day or time-limited eating where you would fast from the evening until the morning the next day.

Imagine animals when they’re sick: they usually choose to shun food and spend their time fasting in solitude. This is because the animal body is wise and knows it needs a break from food to preserve all the energy it usually utilizes for digestion. In fact, when the body is sick, it needs all the energy it can get, and consuming food interferes with that process by “stealing energy” through the digestion and assimilation process.

Our bodies know intuitively how to preserve their energy in the most efficient way and act similarly to an energetic battery that is placed in hibernation mode. But, fasting does not only help heal any of our outstanding health issues, but when conducted correctly, it can regenerate tissues and improve genetic weaknesses.

Overall, the type of fast you decide to undergo should work with your personality and lifestyle and should be the type of fast that is sustainable long-term. The most effective fasts also work around reducing food intake of dairy, meats, processed sugar, salt, vegetable oils, protein, and fried foods.

Intermittent Fasting for Weight Management

Intermittent fasting is wonderful for health, since it provides the body with a break from digestion, which is very energy-exhausting. In fact, over 70% of daily energy reserves are spent on digestion, assimilation, and elimination of food and its byproducts. This energy could be used to strengthen cellular and organ function, have better mental clarity and performance, and heal underlying health issues.

Fasting gives the body an opportunity to redirect its energy for healing and regeneration, and this includes the maintenance of proper body weight. This may not be very well known, but much of the body weight around the abdomen is caused by inflammation in the gut. Perhaps the gut flora is dysregulated, the bowel is irritated due to acidic foods and lifestyle, or there are leaky gut issues present. To protect the area, the body creates a lipid barrier that seals off the inflammation and helps protect it from further damage.

When we fast intermittently, we can lower overall inflammation levels in the body, improving organ and metabolic function, and lowering overall fat and cholesterol production. It is not only about calories when it comes to gaining weight but more so about the nature of the food consumed - primarily whether it is acidic or alkaline. Acids cause corrosion of tissue, inflammation, and high cholesterol and fat production meant to protect the vital organs!

Are There Spiritual Benefits to Fasting?

From a spiritual perspective, the physical-mind-spirit triad is connected, and any improvement you see in your physical health also translates to better mental health and spiritual awareness. When the body is empty from food and obstructions, the cells and organs rest and become more receptive to the external environment, which is ripe with ideas, serendipity, and other illuminations. In other words, when a vessel is empty, it has more room to take in physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It is a reset that disrupts the regular state of affairs and helps the body pause and recalibrate.

This freeing of obstructions in the body further enables the energy vortexes (or the chakras) to better communicate with one another, uplighting our life force potential. The energy can then better flow to the essential meridians of the body, alleviating pain and disease symptoms over time.

In the Vedic tradition, the body’s chakras correspond to the endocrine glands of the body - the vital managers of all communication in the body and the producers of hormones. When we correct our body’s communication network, we can feel healthier, more energized, and more vital.

What Are the Risks Associated with Intermittent Fasting?

There are no risks associated with intermittent fasting, although one can feel detoxification symptoms as part of the body’s overall healing crisis. That is why starting intermittent fasting should be preceded by doing a proper alkaline diet cleanse that involves eliminating packaged foods, dairy, meat, and other artificial foods and preservatives.

Then, probably a month before starting the fast, it is advisable to eat a clean diet that consists of plenty of raw fruits and vegetables. This will prepare the body for fewer detoxification symptoms during intermittent fasting and will only help with the overall healing and natural weight loss process.

Final Thoughts

From Rumi and the Buddhist tradition to the Abrahamic religions, monthly or yearly fasting periods have always been lauded as a necessary physical and spiritual cleanse on this physical and spiritual journey called life. Similarly, in our modern world, intermittent fasting can adapt some of these spiritual qualities to help us become more connected to ourselves, our communities, and our environment.

Fasting not only strives to do that, but juice fasting and fruit fasting provide more energy to the body without needing to be digested, since juicing eliminates digestion-heavy fiber and provides the body with additional nutrients, while fruit is the highest energy food found in nature.

Elevating energy in the body is key to healing any ailment. Since the body is self-healing, when it has surplus energy and vitality, it will use it to regenerate some of its weakest areas. This is most effectively done with intermittent fasting alongside a detoxification protocol that consists of organic cold-pressed juices and fruits. To your health!