“Fast Every Day”

A health tip that is more attainable than you may think, with tremendous benefits

Good for Every Human Being…

I was recently gifted a book by Vani Hari that offers some interesting information and thoughts on fasting. Fasting, as you may know, is a foundational practice in the yogic lifestyle; and there are many ways to fast. There is water fasting, fruit fasting, dry fasting, juice fasting, and nowadays some in the US have taken to doing intermittent fasting. So there are various types of fasts. What Ms Hari offers here is something quite approachable.

With heightened interest in fasting, research is mounting about its benefits. One key point is how fasting gives the cells of the body a chance to “houseclean”, i.e. autophagy. Specifically, autophagy is how cells recycle old or damaged parts. So fasting is a wonderful practice that works all the way down to the cellular level – amidst a grand array of other benefits. So in some manner, all are encouraged to find a way to fast. The following might be an approachable avenue for you to incorporate fasting into your life…

Excerpt From Vani Hari’s Book / Website

Habit #3 – Fast Every Single Day – At least 12 hours from the time you eat your last meal until the time you “break” the “fast” with breakfast.

Adopting this habit can be so rewarding, restorative to your health, ultimate youth and beauty!

After reading several studies and chapters on detoxification from Dr. Gabriel Cousens and Dr. Alenjandro Junger – I now understand it takes at least 8 hours for your body to completely digest it’s meals from the day. If you add in another 4 hours to that time without introducing more food to digest, the body actually goes into detoxification mode and has more time to remove dead and dying cells from the body. During this “idle” time, the body also stimulates the development and regeneration of new cells. “Aging occurs when we have more cells die than are being produced.”

Allowing your body sufficient time every single day to digest, eliminate dying cells and develop new cells is a habit that will get you closer to drinking straight out of the fountain of youth!

More Incredible Benefits of “Intermittent” Fasting –

Improved Fat Burning – When you fast for 12 hours, your body has to use up stored glucose for fuel, burning excess fat off your body.
The Brain Can Fight Stress Better – 12-hour fasts give the brain a chance to fight the chemical byproducts of stress. They also help the mind to re-focus and improve memory and sensory perception. Also, short fasts promote the production of beta-hydroxybutyrate, which is a protective brain chemical that can make you less sensitive to excitotoxins like MSG.
Promotes Heart Health – 12-hour fasts lower the body temperature, the blood pressure, and the heart rate and increase your good cholesterol.

Following this habit is extremely easy for me and can be easy for you too – I try to keep my dinner time somewhere between 7pm and 8pm, go to sleep around 11pm, then wake up early to work out and then I “break the fast” at or about 8:30am or 9am. Finding the right time frames might be different for you based on your schedule – but if you are eating lots of whole non-processed foods this habit should be sustainable for life.

One of the most amazing things I immediately noticed after I adopted this habit was that I woke up with more energy and was better rested. If you’ve ever gone to bed with a full stomach, you know what I mean!

Courtesy of Fasting Every Day or in her book The Food Babe, Part II, Chapter 6, Day 20