STARVE YOURSELF, FEED YOUR MIND

“Wet,” “dry,” “intermittent” or merely overnight, fasting is a centuries-old practice with physical, mental and spiritual benefits worth all the stomach-growling.

by

TIA KUTSCHERA FOX

The practice of fasting has been around for centuries. Plato fasted for “greater physical and mental efficiency,” while Benjamin Franklin believed “the best of all medicines are resting and fasting.” Fasting can be generally defined as purposely abstaining from food for a set period of time. However, there are multiple categories of fasting. A dry fast is defined as abstaining from food and water for a predetermined period of time, while a water fast is not eating any food but still drinking water. Finally, there is Intermittent Fasting (IF), which is simply not eating for a certain number of hours per day rather than going whole days without food. A common IF is referred to as 16/8—meaning fasting for 16 hours and eating only within the remaining eight-hour window. This means if you eat at 7 p.m. then you would wait until 11 a.m. the next day to eat again. .

People fast for physical, mental or spiritual reasons. Many religions

observe a period of fasting. There are approximately 20 distinctive reli- of healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle. I try to practice mindful eating. gions that encourage this ritual. Ramadan, Yom Kippur, and Fast Sundays When I do that, I find myself eating less anyways, but I’m trying to be are just a few examples. Each of these have their own rules and reasons, mindful of what I’m eating; I try to stop for a second, ask if I really need but in general religious fasting is for self-sacrifice or to become closer to this, am I really craving this, or is it just because I just saw a piece of cake? God. Sister Giles and Sister Kim, missionaries and lifelong members of the I try to be mindful in my own life.” Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS), share the significance of From the fully holistic perspective Hillaree Branoff, of the Four Pillars fasting in their church: “The purpose of fasting is showing our sacrifice and Healing Arts Center in California, does not think fasting and mindfulness showing that we really want to gain the blessings from our heavenly father,” go hand in hand. Branoff is an Ayurvedic practitioner. Ayurveda is a tradi explains Sister Kim. Like many religions, the LDS church has a certain tional Hindu system of medicine, which is based on the idea of balance in time for fasting. “The church sets aside the first Sunday of the month as a bodily systems and uses diet, herbal treatment, and yogic breathing. Not Fast Sunday. You don’t have to fast; it’s when you want, whenever you need surprisingly, Branoff believes the best way to take care of the body is to eat answers to prayers or spiritual strength,” adds Sister Giles. a balanced diet, and be healthy.

As a show of sacrifice and seriousness in getting “I think that fasting without supervision can be harmanswers, LDS members donate the money they would have used for food as a fast offering to the church. Accord“MINDFULNESS IS ful. It can be really damaging; it can turn people’s digestive fire off. What I have a hard time with is that fasting is ing to the LDS website, “Fast offerings are used for one KEY FOR MAKING becoming super trendy,” Branoff explains. She includes purpose only: to bless the lives of those in need. Every dollar given to the bishop as a fast offering goes to assist LIFE CHOICES. “IT’S trends like juice cleanses and soup diets in the fasting category, saying they aren’t healthy or sustainable. She the poor.” Sister Giles admits that it isn’t always easy, espe- THE MOST IMPORT- focuses heavily on mindfulness in conjunction with eatcially when she’s around friends or family who aren’t fasting. “I think you feel more hungry,” Sister Giles says with a ANT THING. IF YOU ing. To Branoff, mindfulness “[is] the awareness and ability to focus your mind and the power of your attention, so laugh, “because you are consciously making the decision FOLLOW A BUNCH we can be mindful while we wash the dishes, it’s not just not to eat but if you just miss a meal you don’t really notice about meditating.” She emphasizes that mindfulness is it as much.” Sister Kim adds, “I think as we fast we feel, not OF RULES BECAUSE key for making life choices. more hungry, but just the feeling that we need something, not just food.” LDS fasting begins with a purpose and a SOMEONE TOLD “It’s the most important thing. If you follow a bunch of rules just because someone told you to do it, you might prayer, and is finished with a prayer. YOU TO DO IT, YOU not reap the benefits, because you might not have the Negar Bayat, who is finishing her fifth year of a dietetics program in Vancouver, weighs in on intermittent fastMIGHT NOT REAP awareness.” Mindfulness can also be applied to many different ing, as it is particularly popular in the health community. THE BENEFITS, aspects of eating, not just during the actual meal. People “[So] many people are talking about doing intermittent fasting, and you can see so many different celebrities or BECAUSE YOU can focus on where their food comes from, whether the food has been processed or sprayed with chemicals, the even so many doctors, or so-called doctors,” Bayat chuckles, “who talk about fasting and its benefits.” MIGHT NOT HAVE conditions of the people harvesting the food, how far it was shipped to get to their table, whether animals were

Many in this community are very quick to talk about THE AWARENESS.” abused to produce the food, etc. Branoff mentions that the health benefits, but Bayat points out that the evidence isn’t conclusive. “There have been a few studies on inter–Hillaree Branoff an important aspect of being a holistic practitioner is to teach her patients how to be more aware of their own mittent fasting and the benefits on weight loss, cancer body. protection, heart health, diabetes, and even on cognition “Most of my life I had stomachaches after I ate; I and other things, and they have shown so many benefits of intermittent thought that was normal. I had to become mindful of what made my stomfasting, but it’s still not clear if it’s really effective,” Bayat explains. “In ach ache.” During meals an easy mindfulness practice is to focus on how most cases they think it might be because of the weight-loss aspect of it, the body feels during and after eating. Tiredness, aches, gas and bloating because it’s now evident that weight loss can improve diabetes or can help can all be signs of a food that is hurting more than helping the body. Trying you to improve your lipid profile. It’s still not clear if it’s because of the to eat healthy can be really complicated and stressful, which is why Branoff intermittent fasting eating pattern or because of the weight loss.” is an advocate for coaching. “I think everyone needs a coach—relationship

What is clear is that intermittent fasting does cause weight loss. This coaches, physical coaches, and I think we need food coaches too. People to is mainly because by limiting eating to a certain number of hours a day, help you become aware or mindful of when you eat certain things.” you will generally consumer fewer calories. This isn’t a miracle weight- Branoff has been practicing Ayurveda since 2010 with the help of loss solution however. “There are some health benefits with it, but it’s her own mentor Dr. Paul Dugliss, and it changed her life. “I was always really hard to tell if it’s effective for everyone,” Bayat says, “and there is sick before [Ayurveda]. I had acne and migraines and stomachaches and no data on the long-term safety of it. Dieticians don’t feel comfortable chronic lung infections; it just went on and on. Now I rarely get sick,” she recommending it to their clients. One thing dieticians like to promote reports. “I feel balanced and grounded and it feels really peaceful.” Branoff is eating in moderation; they don’t like a type of restriction with eating.” admits that if someone absolutely insists on trying a fast, an overnight one

There are potential short-term consequences, too. “The problem with is where to begin. “Start at 7 p.m and then eat again at 7 a.m. And that is intermittent fasting is it’s kind of risky because it can trigger eating dis- the most perfect fast you can do.” orders,” says Bayat. Dieticians tend to focus more on scientific evidence Whether someone is fasting to improve mind, body, or soul, it’s importand best practice when it comes to their patients, but mindfulness can ant to proceed carefully, eat a balanced diet, and to prioritize health over come into play on a more personal level. “I think mindfulness is a big part perfection. ■