In ancient times fasting was introduced as a way to cleanse your body once in a while. Later it got transformed into something you do to show your devotion towards your God. Now it has been seen trending again. Since people have become health conscious seeing all the deteriorating environment they are becoming aware of the health issues and it is concerning.
We all love eating junk food, and even if it’s not junk food we all love good food. Food gives us the energy we need and the moods that need to be set right. You can’t imagine your life without food. But once in a while it becomes important to detox your body of all the toxins that have been irritating your body and deteriorating your body slowly from within. You may sometimes know instantly when some food is not setting right with your body but sometimes the body reacts to it slowly as if you have been eating outside food everyday which is fried, cheesy, spicy and fatty.
For that purpose your body also needs relaxation from all the junk you have consumed. To prevent your body from the toxins that have been building up in your body you can opt for fasting once in a while. Also people do fating nowadays for losing fat or for becoming skinny to adhere to those social norms of body goals. It is okay to consider fasting for that but you should not overdo these things and lose healthy fat from your body just for those social body goals as it may affect your body a lot.
How Fasting Should Be Done
Fasting as we all know means either you eat nothing in a day and just a glass of water and sometimes people don’t even have that if you eat fruits and salad but do not consume any solid food item. Either you eat light or you do not eat at all. You should never overdo fasting and it should be done under certain limitations. You should do this with care and consideration i.e. with due diligence. If you are older then you know your body well but if you are new to fasting then you should ease up on the fasting that is in reducing your food intake gradually not abruptly or suddenly as it may affect your body a lot as our body needs time to adapt to the changes. Thus to have a good and healthy effect of fasting on your body you should stop eating slowly.
Nowadays fasting is no longer done following the ancient methods of fasting where either you don’t eat at all or you eat light like fruits and salad but now the entire game of fasting has changed. Herein you should eat healthy , nutrient dense meals, protein rich meals. Hydrate yourself. You can also consult a healthcare professional for the same as well. Also you need to set intentions as to why you want to do fasting as it will help you in analysing how long you need to continue this.
What Happens To Your Body When You Fast
Fasting triggers lots of changes in your body including metabolic, hormonal and cellular. Once you start fasting your body would be mostly relying on the last meal you will be having. Your last meal must be something that supports energy and hydration. It should include complex carbohydrates like oatmeal, brown rice, whole wheat bread, quinoa, sweet potatoes etc., healthy fats like avocados, nuts, seeds etc., lean protein like fish, eggs etc. and drink plenty of water.
During Fasting your body metabolism shifts which starts burning through glucose and then burning ketones leading to weight loss. Your body calms down and heightens the sense to fight off autoimmune attacks, increase in natural appetite that is regulating your natural appetite leading to cellular renewal wherein the body will start cleaning up older and weaker cells while creating newer, healthier and stronger cells. This will further lead to increase in focus, clarity and maintaining good energy. Also it helps in regrowth of brain cells which enhance your thinking for better learning and memory.
For the early 12 hours since fasting you may feel hunger, irritability and mental fog and body relies on glycogen stored in liver and muscles. In the later hours from 12 – 24 hours, once the glycogen starts depleting the liver starts converting the fatty acids into ketone bodies leading to better mental clarity and reduced mental fog. In the later 24-48 hours the cellular cleanup begins and the body cells starts cleaning up an new growth of much more healthier and stronger cells takes place. For the next more than 48 hours the body keep on burning the fat for energy and the NAD (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide)
levels rise which boost cells growth and new neurons in the brain leading to healthy brain and body.
Thus, this is what goes in your bosy when you opt for fasting. So if you are a beginner to fasting or someone who is older to this method may read this for further knowledge and you will definitely see the result you want to see.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What happens to the body when you start fasting?
When you begin fasting, your body starts using stored energy instead of food from recent meals. Blood sugar and insulin levels gradually decrease.
2. What happens during the first few hours of fasting?
In the first 4–6 hours, the body mainly uses glucose from recently eaten food for energy.
3. What does the body use for energy after glucose is depleted?
Once stored glucose levels begin to drop, the body starts breaking down glycogen stored in the liver for energy.
4. What is ketosis during fasting?
Ketosis is a metabolic state where the body burns fat for fuel and produces ketones when carbohydrate stores become low.
5. Does fasting help burn fat?
Yes. During longer fasting periods, the body increasingly relies on stored fat for energy.
