HEALTHY LIVING Fasting as a means of detoxification

Fasting is a spiritual practice primarily instituted to seek proximity to God. In the strict dietary sense, fasting is the complete abstinence from all substances, except water, in an environment of total rest.

When you go on a fast, you are giving your body a complete break from food. And since much of our daily energy goes into digesting the foods we eat, your body will have a lot more of freed up energy when you are fasting. It will use this extra energy to work on things it normally doesn’t have enough time for, such as healing old wounds and removing built-up toxins that have been in your body for years.

There are a few things fasting does to your body according to Dr. Aisha Wada of Nisa Hospital, Abuja, which can be beneficial to our body’s immunity. It reduces inflammation, speeds up our metabolism, and has been scientifically proven to help treat many illnesses such as Parkinson, stroke and other moto-neuron diseases. Fasting is known to have beneficial effects on health.

Fasting is as effective as continuous calorie restriction for improving weight loss, insulin sensitivity and other metabolic disease risk markers. It is slightly better for reducing insulin resistance. Your body will go to its fat stores for energy, and fatty acids called ketones will be released into the bloodstream. This has been shown to protect memory and learning functionality, as well as slow disease processes in the brain.

Fasting assists our body to get rid of old sludge and excesses accumulated in your tissues over the years. It gives a good rest to your organs, especially your overworked digestive system.

You can help rejuvenate your body by fasting, cutting yourself off from a variety of solid foods. Your body will soon adapt, and after a week or so, it should become a normal habit without any major hunger pang. Detoxification is like giving your body an internal spring clean at a cellular level. You can break your fast with vegetables and drinking fresh juices or water.