Are you looking to try fasting for the first time? Fasting might be trending now, but it has actually been a cultural and health practice for hundreds of years.
Not everyone should try fasting. But to find out if it is right for you, keep reading for a list of nine miraculous benefits of fasting.
1. Fasting Helps with Inflammation
Chronic inflammation can have dire effects on your health. It may even contribute to the development of several life-threatening diseases. These diseases include heart disease and cancer.
But studies show that intermittent fasting can help decrease chronic inflammation over time. Making a change as simple as fasting for twelve hours per day can literally save your life.
2. Decrease Blood Sugar Levels
When you eat, your body releases insulin to convert the food into usable energy. If you keep eating, your body keeps releasing insulin.
Constant insulin release can result in insulin resistance. Insulin resistance basically means your body doesn’t respond to normal amounts of insulin.
Intermittent fasting or alternate-day fasting can give your body breaks in between bouts of insulin release. This can help your body stay sensitive to insulin.
Ultimately, it can help control your blood sugar levels. This is very important for people at risk for Type II Diabetes.
3. Helps with Weight Loss
Studies indicate that one of the benefits of fasting is that it can help people lose weight. This is because it boosts metabolism.
When your body runs out of food for energy, it will turn to stores of fat. By not consuming food for 12-16 hours per day, you give your body time to start burning that extra fat.
4. Increases Secretion of HGH
HGH stands for Human Growth Hormone. HGH is really important for your health. It is integral to muscle development, growth, and metabolism.
Occasional fasting or alternate-day fasting can help increase your HGH levels. This contributes to your overall health.
5. Boosts Brain Health
Intermittent fasting could actually improve both your brain function and your brain structure.
Some studies suggest that fasting can boost the production of nerve cells. This can improve your cognitive function.
More research is needed to show the full effects of fasting on your brain. But it is likely that these benefits to your brain could improve the outcomes of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.
6. Improves Longevity
Fasting has been shown to increase longevity in animal studies. There still needs to be more research done on how fasting can improve the human lifespan. But it is very likely that intermittent fasting could make you live longer.
7. It is the Ultimate Detox
Some people refer to fasting as a way of cleansing your body. In other words, it can give your body some time to rid itself of toxins.
As mentioned above, when your body stops food intake, it starts burning stores of fat. This releases chemicals from the extra fat, allowing them to be processed by the body. This is a great detoxification for your body.
Many people who have embraced other health strategies often wonder if they ever contradict each other. Many have asked, can I put sugar in my tea while I fast? Does bulletproof coffee break a fast?
To successfully detox, you should not ingest any food substance during the time of your fast. This includes additives in your beverages like sugar and milk.
8. Speeds Up Healing
Intermittent fasting can speed up healing. When you are consuming food, your body has to focus on digestion. When you stop ingesting food for 12-16 hours or more, your body can focus on other tasks.
These tasks can include immune system needs or metabolic activity. This makes fasting a boon for your overall health.
9. Natural Skin Care
Who would have thought that the path to clear, flawless skin would actually be through fasting? But it is true.
Fasting promotes autophagy. Autophagy is the process through which old cellular components are recycled and new healthy ones are created.
This means that fasting is good for the overall health of your body tissue. It also means that it can result in glowing, healthy skin.
Fasting is often recommended as an acne treatment. As mentioned above, when you consume food your body releases insulin. More insulin typically results in more acne.
By fasting, you increase your body’s sensitivity to insulin, helping you battle acne and achieve healthier skin.
How to Get Started
Fasting isn’t right for everyone. If you are pregnant or malnourished, you will want to talk to your doctor about other alternatives to addressing health problems.
Fasting also isn’t recommended for people who have a history of suffering from eating disorders. Remember, fasting is meant to be a healthy practice.
Either way, it is always best to consult your doctor before you begin a fasting plan. Most people begin by coming up with an intermittent fasting strategy. This can mean not eating for 12-16 hours per day.
For example, many people only eat from noon until 8 pm. At the start, fasting can bring on intense hunger or irritability. If practiced with patience and regularity, these symptoms will dissipate after a few months.
The Miraculous Benefits of Fasting
It may seem strange, but there is a reason that fasting has never gone out of style. The benefits of fasting are many. It can help you address specific issues you struggle with, or it can be a boon to your overall health.
Whether you are specifically trying to fix a problem or just want to live a healthier life, fasting may hold the answers you are looking for. Always consult your doctor before implementing a fasting strategy, as they can help you do it successfully. If this article was helpful, check out our Health section for more information.
