A Question: Given that Spring has arrived and food groups available at the market are changing, could all of you give your opi

A Question: Given that Spring has arrived and food groups available at the market are changing, could ä you give your opinion on the importance of diet as well as fasting in some form, and it's importance on the healing process?

Fasting, which is depriving oneself of food and/or water, has a long history as a health and spiritual practice. From a spiritual and religious viewpoint, fasts are often used to mark or commemorate losses, atone for sins, strengthen the effectiveness of prayer, purify the body in preparation for ceremony and ritual, induce visions and altered states of consciousness, and much more. Some people believe that fasting allows us to "clear out" our minds and spirits, to get closer to the Creator, to a place of pure spirit, where food and water are not necessary.

From a medical and biological point of view, fasting is a primal stress for all organisms, including humans. When we are deprived of food, we continue to need energy, so we start using starch and fat stores, and we may also lose muscle tissue. This process is carefully regulated to have the least negative impact, to allow us to survive. Usually, this includes a lowering of the rate of metabolism, so we get more "miles to the gallon." Depending on the amount of fat tissue present, humans can live for weeks with no food. Deprivation of water is another matter. We can make some adaptive shifts to keep going without water, but most people will die of kidney and/or liver shutdown and circulatory collapse after 3-4 days of no water.

So, given this description, why would/should anyone fast? Some physicians and other authorities say that there is never a good reason to fast more than 16 hours or so, except possibly for the 24 hour fasts prescribed by some religions. Others, and many in the Naturopathic and other natural health fields, think otherwise.

It is fairly well understood that extreme food deprivation, including fasting, is not ultimately helpful in losing excess weight permanently. The body learns to conserve calories, and thus lose weight as slowly as possible. Then, when a usual "maintenance" diet is resumed, the person gains weight more readily. This leads to the yo-yo dieting phenomenon.

For some people, a limited, short-term fast for food can help to "jump-start" a weight loss plan, progressing into a more limited diet after 2-3 days. Some people find that periodic food fasting for 1-2 days at a time can help the body release accumulated toxins, which are often stored in the liver and fat tissue. Many will mark the changes of the seasons at the equinoxes and solstices, or the new moons by fasting, either totally, or relatively, often for spiritual reasons, as noted above. This may help the body and its Energy system to entrain with the shifting energies of the seasonal and light-dark change. Some relative fasts are done for detoxification. These usually involve ingestion of a mixture of water with lemon/lime juice, possibly maple syrup and honey added, and periodic ingestion of olive oil with or without steamed vegetables. This hypocaloric "diet" can be maintained for 5-10 days, followed by transition into a vegetarian, or other healthy diet plan.

It is possible that limited fasting can help the healing process in some cases. Fasting may shift liver detoxification reactions, and make them more effective; if a particular food is causing health problems, such as allergy and congestion, removing it during the fast, then putting it back in can clarify what the reactions might be; fasting stimulates the body to release fat tissue, and the toxic or unwanted substances stored in it, as the fat tissue is known to store steroid hormones, PCB's Dioxins, some insecticides, many carcinogens, and even some heavy metals. On the other hand, fasting will obstruct wound healing, where the body needs to build up tissue..