Fasting is something we all have heard of and most of us usually practice it on either some religious occasion or to give a little rest to our system. Fasting can be categorized into Normal Fasting and Intermittent Fasting. We talked to Dr. Bulusu Sitaram, Professor in the Department of Dravyaguna, TTD’s S.V. Ayurvedic College, Tirupati, and here is what he explained.
Normal Fasting refers to complete omission of any type of solid food, however, liquids like water, fresh fruit juice, buttermilk, etc. can be consumed. However, there are people who cannot go for such a long duration without consuming solids. Therefore, Intermittent Fasting can be practiced.
Intermittent fasting can be done in several ways, depending upon one’s convenience. Two of those types are:
- First, where a person takes light food in the morning, very light food in the afternoon, and no food at night.
- Second, where the person completely skips solid food once or twice a week.
“Fasting is meant to make the body feel light. Eliminate the morbid materials off the body and keep us healthy,” says Dr. Sitaram. However, since every coin has two faces, fasting too has its own advantages and disadvantages. Here are some of them as explained by our expert.
Advantages
- Weight Loss
Fasting is known to aid weight loss by increasing the metabolism in the body. It also decreases the load on the heart and other vital organs. Hence giving them some time to rest and work properly. - Longevity
Since the vital organs like heart, liver, kidneys get to rest when one is fasting, they work better and for a longer time, which promotes longer life. Therefore, frequent fasting can help a person live longer. - Detoxifies
Usually, many harmful substances are retained in our body, like excess sodium, heavy metals, or non-metabolized products. Thus, fasting is helpful in eliminating these harmful products from our body, which can hinder the normal process of the vital organs. - Boosts Memory
Fasting is also good for increasing memory. Regular fasting at regular intervals is beneficial. Certain harmful substances accumulated in the body can affect the brain as well.
Disadvantages
- Kidney Functions
Unnecessary or prolonged fasting can lead to the disintegration of proteins stored in the body, hampering the kidney functions. This causes a load on the kidneys and impacting them in a negative manner. - Pancreatic Functions
Too much fasting can also disable certain pancreatic functions in the body, which may result in increasing the sugar levels. It can also result in chronic diabetes. - Lowered Body Fats
Body fats are very necessary for the proper functioning of the body. Over fasting can cause depletion of stored fats, mainly affecting the skin and the brain. Skin becomes dry and wrinkled, there will be hair loss and brain functions will be hampered, causing memory loss.
Therefore, fasting can be very beneficial if followed in a proper manner. Dr. Sitaram suggests fasting for not more than 24 hours. However, people with other health issues should consult a doctor before considering fasting.
