Health Benefits of Fasting

Fasting is the weapon of choice that Nature Cure wields in the battle against all acute or severe diseases. And it has proved to be infallible.

Diseases can invade the body only if there is an accumulation of acids and toxic substances in it. The efforts of the body to get rid of these harmful substances are what we deem to be the symptoms of diseases. When the poisons accumulate beyond the normal limits in the body, the body makes strenuous and violent efforts to eliminate them. It is these constructive efforts that are mistakenly regarded as acute diseases. The body concentrates all its energies on the process of healing. In these circumstances, the body has no need for, and does not welcome food. This results in loss of appetite, and there is a bad taste in the mouth. If food is taken at such a time, the energy of the body gets diverted to the process of digestion. Consequently the elimination of poisons is stalled, and the disease either intensifies or becomes chronic.

In our country, there has been a tradition of fasting from time immemorial. But these days fasting has become a little difficult. A patient suffering from fever may declare unequivocally that he is not hungry, that he has not the slightest desire for food, and there is a bitter taste in his mouth. But family members, friends and neighbours keep on insisting, “You must have something to sustain you – tea, coffee, milk, fruit juice, porridge – take whatever you find acceptable. But take something you must, otherwise you will become weak.” They keep urging things on the patient, and do not rest till he takes something. The patient is thus compelled to eat, despite his completed inclination. The food remains undigested, adds to the burden on the system, and illness is prolonged. In fact, man is the only animal that continues to eat even when indisposed, and even when he has no appetite. It is an incontrovertible fact that no other animal eats when ill.

Some people are convinced that if they forgo even one meal in a day, they will become undernourished and death will snap them up in its jaws. This notion is ridiculous. We would be well advised to remember Dr Dewey’s words: Food taken in illness nourishes the illness, not the patient.

A little planning and study before undertaking a fast would be helpful later on. For instance, those who are accustomed to make do occasionally with only one meal a day would find fasting for one or two days quite easy. Similarly those who are accustomed to fasting for one or two days from time to time will not be deterred or inconvenienced by four or five day’s fast – or even more prolonged ones. Influenza, fever, cold, cough and most other similar diseases are cured by only two to three days’ fasting. Where long standing or chronic diseases are concerned, fasting should be planned with some care and foresight, as longer periods of fasting are necessary. In such cases, one must take a light uncooked or liquid diet for three to four days prior to the commencement of the fasting period. This initiates the process of the purification of the blood. Moreover, reserves of vitamins and minerals obtained from the raw foods begin to be built up in the body, which prove to be useful later during the period of fasting.

It is not possible to estimate beforehand the period of fasting required in cases of longstanding and pernicious disorders. It is, therefore, advisable that fasting for extended periods be supervised by an expert. For really long periods of fasting, it is necessary to check the blood and urine of the patient frequently. If ketones are found to be present in the urine or the amount of urea in the blood is found to exceed 45 mg per cent, termination of the fast becomes imperative.

It is also important to see that fasts are terminated in the proper manner: perhaps more important than the fast itself. The digestive organs have become relaxed during the fast. If discretion is not exercised in the quality and quantity of food after a fast, the inevitable result is that the digestive system is unable to cope with the sudden increase in the intake of food, and the digestive process remains incomplete, leading to the generation of toxic substances. This would be a fresh invitation to disease. After a day’s fasting, only fruit juices should be taken the next morning, followed by some fruits during the day, and a chapatti with some boiled vegetables in the evening. Normal diet can be resumed on the third day. After a fast of two days, only fruit juices should be taken on the third day, followed on the fourth day by fruit juice in the morning, fruit during the day, and chapattis with vegetables in the evening. Normal diet can be resumed on the fifth day. In fact, light and liquid diet should be taken after a fast for as many days as the days of fasting.

If this rule is not strictly observed, the fast itself may prove futile, and may even cause harm. Fasting becomes necessary in the first place only because of failure to maintain regularity, propriety and proportion in food habits. If the same irregularity, impropriety and thoughtlessness are to be indulged in after a fast as before it, the body can once again become a storehouse of poisons, and therefore subject to the consequent disorders.

Fasting for one day every ten or twelve days even when one is in good health, purifies the body, and thus can prevent the inception of diseases.