How fasting ‘once a week or a month’ can be beneficial for health

Heart health

When we fast, our body uses up all our glucose, fat, ketones and reserves. This “helps in reducing inflammation in our body, fighting heart-related disorders, triglycerides, cholesterol, and even insulin resistance and lifestyle disorders.” According to Dr Jangda, fasting also gives a break to the liver, which is the largest detoxifying organ of our body.

“Fasting gives a break to the liver from digestion and allows it to focus on detoxification. Your liver represents the human body’s primary filtration system, converting toxins into waste products, cleansing your blood, and metabolizing nutrients and medications to provide the body with some of its most important proteins,” she explained.

Brain function

Did you know that fasting can also help boost your brain health? This is because our brain activities are heightened and improved on an empty stomach or when the food is fully digested, “as more blood flow is available to the brain”.

Fasting also allows our body to regenerate “a new immune system”, she said (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

As such, according to the expert, “fasting improves your ability to focus and generate new ideas. Also, the gut which is directly connected to the brain, which usually sends messages every micro million seconds, is now on a Resting period, allowing the brain to focus. This is why many successful men and women said, “stay hungry, stay poor..” to allow maximum creativity and problem-solving.”

Immune system

Fasting also allows our body to regenerate “a new immune system“, she said. “It has been recently proven by the University of California, that 72-hour fasting has powerful health benefits as it helps in triggering stem cell-based regeneration in our body. Fasting breaks down a large number of white blood cells (WBC) in our body, which signals the body to restore and build a brand new immune system.”

Dr Jangda concluded by saying that no matter what fasting method you choose — intermittent fasting, water fasting, dry fasting, fruit fasting, salt-free fasting, one-meal fasting, etc — “ensure to get started!”

Vikas Chawla, Ayurveda Expert, Vedas Cure, added, “Fasting once a week or a month has far more significant benefits than just weight loss. It helps lower blood pressure, and also has a positive effect on hormones like ghrelin and leptin, which regulate hunger. Further, it increases our capacity to feel full while eating less. Fasting improves insulin sensitivity, too. It is responsible for the body’s capability to tolerate carbohydrates better. Fasting for a day converts fats into energy, which further facilitates weight loss. Fasting once a week or month rejuvenates our cells, boosts our immunity systems, boosts our tolerance levels, and also increases our life expectancy. It bolsters the process of autophagy and keeps people who fast at a stronger foot to enjoy a longer and more youthful life.”

Agreeing, Aman Puri, Founder, Steadfast Nutrition said that fasting can be extremely beneficial. “It helps manage blood sugar and blood pressure levels by improving insulin sensitivity (the body’s ability to tolerate carbohydrates); it can lower chronic inflammation, associated with several chronic diseases, including arthritis and osteoporosis,” he said.

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