To Fast or Not To Fast
By Dr. Lori
We do our best to make our monthly newsletter theme pertinent in some way to the month in which we are writing. This month, being February and our Mardi Gras Vital Living Mini Series Concert coming up on Saturday 2/22/25, I thought we could explore fasting, which traditionally follows Mardi Gras Celebrations. For a little background, Mardi Gras (which is French for Fat Tuesday, the last day before Lent) is historically when people ate “all the fats in the home” in preparation for the fasting and abstinence which comes with Lent. Since January 6, New Orleans Mardi Gras celebrations have been in full swing and in countries such as Brazil and Italy the festival known as Carnival will also be beginning soon. These festivities regardless of when they start, will end on March 4th this year, the last day before Lent begins.
In Catholic traditions on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday and all Fridays during Lent (a time of prayer, fasting and almsgiving to develop a closer relationship with God), people 14 years and older abstain from eating meat and commonly also avoid alcohol, sweets, other animal products and fast food. In addition, people 18-59 completely fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday unless they have a medical reason which exempts them. Lent is forty days of reflection, service and prayer, a time to slow down and explore one’s faith and belief systems. At approximately the same time billions of Muslims around the world will be observing Ramadan (exact dates are determined by the lunar Islamic calendar, crescent moon to the following crescent moon), this year around 2/28-3/29. Ramadan is a month-long commitment to fasting from dawn to sunset, not just from food and drink, also tobacco products, sexual relations and sinful behaviors. It is a time of spiritual reflection, self-improvement, and heightened devotion and worship.
Clearly fasting is an important part of traditions around the world, and as we look through the hourglass of time, we see traditions fast becoming fads and real reasons for participating in these practices becoming distorted or even forgotten. Clients and friends often ask me if fasting would be good for their specific health condition. Intermittent fasting and a wide collection of fasting challenges have become very popular these days. I first clarify that there are many different types of fasting and my answer would depend entirely on what kind of fast they were considering, how long they were considering fasting for and what their intention for the fast truly was. In my opinion, fasting is a spiritual process as it always has been in traditional times, a time to slow down, reflect, and rejuvenate, allowing your digestive system to rest, your nervous system to unwind, and the rat race of your world to calm down so you can connect to your spirit deep within. Yes, it can be a good detox, yes it can support a serious condition, yes it might help you lose weight, balance your blood sugar, improve your skin, give you more energy and yes it could also aggravate a serious condition, throw your blood sugar off, make you irritable, and give you headaches and other undesirable detox symptoms. Therefore, if you have the time or are willing to create the time to slow down and connect with spirit, reflect more and think less, then maybe it is a perfect time to fast!
In all of my fasting experiences, my most memorable fast was a ten-day water fast on Kauai. I had just graduated from Naturopathic Medical School, an extremely intense time of learning with very little sleep, moved back to Hawaii after living away for nine years, had recently married, and realized I had been in school since I was four years old, meaning 23 years straight of institutional learning. Phew! I definitely needed time to slow down and reflect before the next phase of my life. I stayed in a little side room in the house my mother was born in and for 10 days didn’t talk and didn’t eat or drink anything except water. I walked the beach, wrote, played with watercolor art and spent long hours simply watching my breath and reflecting on my life, and on the fourth day started going to a yoga class. I wore a sign saying “practicing silence” so there wasn’t any awkwardness around why I wasn’t talking. The first few days weren’t easy due to non-stop thinking about food, then fairly suddenly around day four I shifted into a deep calm and felt perhaps the best I have ever felt in my life. The bags under my eyes were gone, I had so much energy, my mind was crystal clear and it was as if a huge weight had been lifted from my life. Honestly as much as I loved food, I almost didn’t want to start eating again. It was a time in my life when I needed a serious reset and that fast probably saved my life.
Whether you’ve decided intermittent fasting or a fasting challenge is for you, or you’re still deciding, exploring your deeper intentions are essential. Overdoing it and then compensating by fasting may not be the best decision. Fasting to lose weight or cure an eating disorder could lead to further problems down the road. Fasting in the middle of work deadlines and stressful situations is probably not supportive. Realizing, on the other hand, how much your whole being needs a little rest, time for reflection and precious reset, and giving yourself this gift, could be a vital choice in your health adventure. I suggest consulting someone familiar with fasting to guide you in combining the modern science with the wisdom of ancient traditions. Whether it’s intermittent fasting, a 24 hour rest or a longer fast, a good coach can support you in making wise decisions about why, when, and how to best explore the wonders of fasting! |
