Recently, it is widely believed that one-day fasting once a week helps to cleanse the body and even reduce the biological age. It is believed that such abstinence from food can help in the treatment of diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, arthritis and other autoimmune problems, as well as lose weight. Is it really?
Despite the fact that this practice has existed for many years, and some doctors advocate one-day fasting, the benefits and harms of such restrictions are ambiguous. What causes controversy?
Arguments for: body cleansing
Proponents of this system claim that many toxic substances accumulate in the body over the years, but the body has little opportunity to concentrate on cleansing them. Refusal of food one day a week contributes to this process: lack of food allows internal organs to use their limited energy to remove accumulated toxins. This is due to the fact that usually the body’s functionality is enough only for processing incoming food, and in its absence there are opportunities for other functions.
"Rejuvenation"
One-day fasting, the benefit of which is to cleanse the internal organs, can also rejuvenate. It is believed that you can “change” your biological age by removing toxins from the body. During one-day fasting, previously accumulated chemicals, nitrates and pharmaceuticals that are regularly consumed will be actively removed. These toxins interfere with mental and physical performance, make the body older and harm your body.
One-day fasting: rules and consequences
A healthy lifestyle should begin with daily exercises, proper nutrition, and weekly fasting for one day. Such a cleansing of the body will give a lot of energy and vigor and, as already mentioned, even slightly rejuvenate. Proponents of this system claim that your skin will look better, you will lose excess weight, think more clearly and live longer.
A person begins to especially value food when he abstains from it for some time. When one-day fasting is practiced, a feeling of hunger sets in, and the estimate of food intake changes dramatically. The stomach, as well as our minds from an early age, are programmed to eat three times a day, regardless of whether enough calories are burned, if there is true hunger or not. One-day fasting allows you to learn to distinguish the true need for food from a programmed habit. If you practice this "diet" weekly, the stomach contracts to its natural size, and further overeating will become difficult.
The importance of drinking water
The previously mentioned toxins and inorganic (insoluble) minerals that enter the body with consumed liquid and food enter the bloodstream and are distributed to all organs. Therefore, with one-day fasting, it is important to drink only purified distilled water. It does not contain inorganic minerals or chemicals, unlike drinking tap water or even purified with special filters.
When drinking untreated or untreated water, the body begins to accumulate inert inorganic substances that it cannot absorb. Solid calcified compounds begin to replace the synovial fluid in the joints, which may cause discomfort and pain during movement.
Psychological theory
Another theory in favor of one-day fasting is explained by a psychological factor. All diets used today are generally not very effective, because people tend to focus on the value of eating whole foods, rather than focusing on healing and cleansing the body. Revision of some values can have much more positive results, because the body can begin to heal itself. The meaning of the whole concept can be expressed in one short phrase: "Less is more." When a person feels unwell, he goes to the doctor, listens to negative information and then takes medications that contain toxins. If you set yourself in a positive mood and imagine in detail the mechanism of self-cleaning, then therapeutic fasting can lead to good results. One-day fasting, reviews of which are positive from supporters of alternative medicine, is often called a cure for various diseases.
Famine advocates also argue that fasting days can effectively address serious health problems, from arthritis and colitis to heart disease and depression. Some adherents of alternative medicine report that improving the diet along with refusing food for one day a week helps to reduce the manifestations of lupus, arthritis and chronic skin diseases (psoriasis and eczema). There is also an opinion that such a nutrition system helps to improve the condition of people suffering from ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.
However, all of the above arguments are advocates of alternative medicine, to which the attitude is ambiguous. In any case, everyone must decide for himself which healing methods seem acceptable to him.
If you decide on a one-day fasting on the water
The rules will be quite simple, but binding. Do not overeat the day before discharge. On the contrary, reduce your diet and make it easier. Eat lighter and cleaner foods (preferably organic): fruits, vegetables, nuts, peanut butter and sprouted grains. If you like meat, try to limit its consumption in previous days and eat in the morning. After lunch, foods that are easy to digest are recommended. For example, leafy greens, vegetables, fruits, and nuts. Drink plenty of water (preferably distilled or purified) and do not drink alcohol or caffeinated drinks.
The essence of one-day fasting is not to eat 24 hours after the last meal, consuming at the same time a lot of water.
Cons Arguments: Possible Health Risks
However, most medical experts agree on one thing: refusing food is not a healthy tool for weight loss and body cleansing. One-day fasting, the benefits and harms of which have been studied for many years, slows down the metabolism. This means that subsequently eating even less food will contribute to the deposition of fat.
One-day fasting also carries other health risks. Refusing food during the day is rarely a problem if a person is healthy. However, this can be very dangerous if the daily diet is not healthy and balanced, or if there are problems in the liver or kidneys. In addition, starvation can cause some disturbances in the immune system.
Psychological problem
In addition, a weekly refusal of food for a day distracts people from real actions aimed at cleansing the body and fighting overweight. A person stops thinking that it is necessary to consume less fat on an ongoing basis, increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in the diet, drinking clean water and restricting oneself to coffee and sweet drinks, desserts, and so on. The belief that one-day fasting will cleanse the body and get rid of problems is false and does not favor the formation of healthy habits. First of all, you need to review your permanent nutrition system, and also start walking 30 minutes a day and sleep more.
Undesirable concomitant methods that lead to one-day fasting
The harm from alternative medicine can be caused by other methods that often go in conjunction with cleansing fasting. These procedures carry their own risks.
Refusing food is sometimes accompanied by enemas to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract, and this can be very dangerous, doctors say. There are many beneficial bacteria in the intestines. When a person changes this balance, dysbiosis can begin to develop.
According to medical researchers, there is no scientific evidence that during fasting the body will detoxify. Such a scheme does not have a biological basis, because internal organs perform the necessary functions on their own. So, the liver is a natural detox center, the lungs, large intestine, kidneys, lymph nodes and skin also have certain functions that help get rid of toxins.
Medical indications
However, there are medical indications for one-day fasting. For example, refusal of food is necessary during the day before surgery.
Starvation is also required to get accurate results from some medical tests. So, a short-term refusal of food is indicated before taking tests for cholesterol and blood sugar.
Final conclusions
Thus, fasting is not recommended for everyone. Absolutely healthy people, as well as patients who cannot be helped by official medicine, can practice four fasting days a month - weekly. However, this can be beneficial and contribute to the improvement of well-being only if such fasting days are combined with good nutrition before and after it. It goes without saying that the way out of one-day fasting should also be smooth and accurate.
In addition, there are groups of people who are extremely undesirable to follow such therapeutic diets. These include:
- Pregnant women.
- Suffering from anorexia or undergoing regular malnutrition.
- Having manifestations of cardiac arrhythmias.
- Patients with hepatic or renal failure.