Dear Anne,
Should I fast?
Love,
Spring Cleaning
Dear Spring Cleaning,
Fasts can be a superb way to cleanse the body, and are perfect for preparing for a more healthy lifestyle. First, though, know the facts about digestion, and more importantly, OBSERVE YOUR digestion to know if a fast is appropriate for you.
Think of the stomach as a campfire.
Keep a good fire, manage it not too hot or too cold (too spicy=too hot, too cold and damp.i.e. icecream puts out the fire).
What should you put on the fire (eat)?
Some woods burn longer (some foods take longer to digest). Eating foods that take a long time to digest (red meat, ice cream) the fire gets bogged down, the body gets sluggish, and has to work like hell to restart the fire...meanwhile, the rest of the body has difficulty because it's waiting for the nutrients to come up from the fire.....like the smoke rising up.
Optimum Digestion (fire)
The best way to keep digestion operating, is to slowly add to the fire, add already warmed items, no cold drinks, or ice cream, don't extinquish your fire. That being said, your question is about fasting, but it's very important to understand digestion, in order to truly understand taking a vow not to feed your fire. There are many ways to fast, and most are fads with very little or no actual proof behind them.
When thinking about fasting:
1. Consider why you are fasting. What needs are you trying to meet? Detox? Are you trying to find out what foods are aggrivating you? Are you looking to cleanse the system? The type, amount and duration of the fast depend on your goal. If you're not sure of your goal, don't fast. It's a quick way to kick your metabolism in the guts, pardon the pun.
2. Choose a fast that meets your needs. For example, if you already have irritable bowel syndrome, don't choose a fast that contains foods to aggrivate it. Stay away from juices, and other acidic (think common sensically: acid=burning). I actually believe that the best fasts are fasts from certain types of foods, so that you may see your body's reaction, when all other things are equal. For example, you could fast from Dairy, a known-irritable bowl aggrivator, for 2 weeks to 20 days, just to see how it affects you, positive, negative, or not at all. It's helpful to keep a journal during that time, writing down how you feel after you eat certain foods. EX: Lunch: cheeseburger, felt headache, heavy, tired, etc. Dinner, had steel cut oatmeal, felt calm, energized, good.
****BONUS POOP FACTS:
Check your poop. Everybody poops!
Normal Poop: is regular color, easy to pass, well-formed and in an S shape, arriving in about the same time/way 1-2 times a day.
Poop from too much/too sweet/too toxic/ too greasy/not nourishing food: sticky, hard to pass, a feeling like you're not fully done pooping
Poop from too little, or too easily digested food: hard, dry, like the fire burnt up all the softness, brittle, constipation.
Poop from too easily to be digested food (a diet poor in protien) or emotional stress: diharrea with undigested food in it*****
3. Spiritual Fasting. Some people fast to "cleanse the vessel" for spiritual growth. I know a guy, and worked with him for 3 years, not into yoga or anything, just a Christian guy who fasted for 40 days and claims to now be able to read the truth about people on their faces! No lie! He's not even a whacko! While this may be a strong case, restriction from food reveals much about one's own relationship to food. One also notices clearer mind, when the body is free from the bog of constant digestion. There are actually some forms of diet that people subscribe to, that are extremely small meals, intermittent throughout the day, no larger than a handful or less at each sitting. These people report excellent energy, longer life, and clearer minds, generally free from depression. This is anecdotal information, but just plain makes sense when thinking about the fire analogy.
4. There's the maple syrup fast. This one perplexes me. It's comprised of sugar for energy, and lemon for appetite control. Though many swear by it, it doesn't make common sense to me. How can I cleanse my body, by getting it addicted to sugar? Ideally, a perfect diet would contain no refined sugar, or fructose syrup, which are addictive, habit forming, and not conducive to good digestion.
5. Other than that, I totally suggest eating everything organic, especially meat, and vegitables, and NEVER drinking diet sodas. If one must have a soda, have a regular soda. The aspartame in diet soda along with other, genetically modified contents are not digestible by the body, they will cause stomach problems. In addition, the sugar replacement actually acts as an appetite increasor. Yipe~ Organic vegitables are better because they are grown in absence of harsh toxic chemicles that destroy cells and cause cancer in the body, this is why we have more cancer now than ever before. Our bodies can fight off toxins, but not if their continually added in on a daily basis, and we get enough through the air, thank you.
So overall, I suggest fasting from some types of food, specifically dairy, eating tiny, frequent meals, no larger than your fist, like stoking the fire, nurturing it.
Or just take it from my friend Swami Beyondananda who said, "Why does everybody want to fast? The world's already too fast. I want to Slow. I like to start out each slow by waking up, and practicing getting out of bed slow, like one molecule at a time."
Rock Loud, Long, and Healthy,
Anne
