Fasting (temporarily) is a way to do gut detox without green juices. And then appreciate preferred foods like a berry smoothie… with beet that (for me) can’t be beat.
Fasting is a practice that I’m proud of.
…I no longer freak out when I haven’t eaten. I look at not eating differently than my younger self would have.
I now know it’s healthy detox.
So now it’s my choice to fast occasionally.
And fasting is a form of empowerment.
(…And it can be for you too if you choose).
It’s a smart move.
Because living today, we are exposed to so many daily toxins like microplastics, bacteria, and pesticides.
And they end up in our gut and food.
That wreaks havoc on our gut health and how we daily feel.
So an easy way to at-home detox is to simply fast: to not eat temporarily and occasionally.
Fasting is countercultural to western world upbringings where we eat, eat, eat. And snack, snack, snack.
…Which never gives our bodies a break.
But fasting once a week or even once a month does a world of good for the body.
If you choose a day to stop eating at a certain time like 4 pm (like I do) and then resume back at 9 am the next day in time for breakfast (to break the fast), you’ll have turned your body into a healthy cleaning machine.
And it’s really not that difficult from a discipline perspective since you’re sleeping (and not eating anyway) for most the time.
It’s more about breaking old habits and mindsets.
You probably (surprisingly!) won’t even be hungry in the AM… and could even go to the afternoon or 24 hours if you had a reason.
Those additional hours of fasting reaps even more healthy body benefits.
But I find that a 16-17 hour fast is the sweet spot, doing wonders, and doesn’t disrupt my life.
Around that 17th hour mark (that’s more or less for some people), the body switches energy sources from glucose (blood sugar) to fat.
You may have heard of this process (ketosis) from the Keto Diet. But fasting is not about a Diet (with a capital “d”). Because in fasting, you’re simply not eating, temporarily.
Then when you start eating again, it’s about resuming regular eating… hopefully with healthy foods like in an anti-inflammatory food diet.
…Where the type of healthy food matters most (when eating)… much more than counting fat and protein calories, and avoiding high carbs that can cause a yo-yo diet effect.
You lose weight from not eating at all temporarily (when fasting) and not because you’re eating less carbs and calories.
And while fasting is helpful for losing weight, I don’t fast to lose weight… I do it for the healthy benefits.
It’s good for anyone.
Even thinner people (aka Vatas) like me.
…It’s like doing some cardio is good for anyone with a beating heart.
And fasting is part of a healthy lifestyle.
…And one that’s changed my life.
I no longer freak out when I haven’t eaten for some hours on a day I choose to fast.
I look at not eating totally different than I was taught growing up.
And if I have low blood sugar during the day when I’m not fasting, but because I don’t have anything in my stomach or I forgot to pack a snack, I know I’ll be fine.
…Because I know I do the same thing when I purposefully fast.
I’m not eating in both cases.
But the body doesn’t know if I’m choosing to be hungry for fasting healthy reasons or if I forgot to pack a snack.
But my calmed mind does. And I do.
As long as my mind and I know, that’s all that matters. And my body is happy with me.
I’m letting it do its full reset and cleaning job, uninterrupted.
Then the next morning, my body rewards me.
I wake up feeling refreshed… like I’d slept for days.
That’s when I’m humbly reminded of how it feels to have energy without needing cups of coffee to get going!
Without missing a beat, I’m never more excited to taste a beet smoothie and start my day.
And I know I’m not the only one. 😊