One-day fasting: benefits and harms, features and rules

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Recently, it is widely believed that one-day fasting once a week helps to cleanse the body and even reduce biological age. It is believed that such fasting can help treat diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, arthritis and other autoimmune problems, as well as lose weight. Is it really so?

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": cleansing the body

Proponents of this system argue that the body accumulates a lot of toxic substances over the years, but the body has little opportunity to focus on clearing them. Refusal of food one day a week contributes to this process: the absence of food allows the internal organs to use their limited energy to remove accumulated toxins. This is due to the fact that usually the functionality of the body is only enough to process incoming food, and in its absence, there are opportunities to performother 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 a one-day fast, previously accumulated chemicals, nitrates and pharmaceuticals that are used regularly will be actively excreted. These toxins interfere with mental and physical performance, make the body older, and harm your body.

One-day fasting: rules and consequences

A he althy lifestyle should start with daily exercise, proper nutrition and a weekly one-day fast. 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 appreciate food when he abstains from it for some time. When one-day fasting is practiced, a feeling of hunger sets in, and the assessment of food consumed changes seriously. The stomach, as well as our consciousness from an early age, is programmed to eat three times a day, regardless of whether enough calories are burned, 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 shrinks 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 through the fluid and food consumed, enter the bloodstream and spread to all organs. Therefore, during one-day fasting, it is important to drink only purified distilled water. It contains no inorganic minerals or chemicals, unlike drinking tap water or even filtered tap water.

When drinking undistilled or unpurified water, the body begins to accumulate inert inorganic substances that it cannot absorb. Hard, calcified compounds begin to replace the synovial fluid in the joints, which can cause discomfort and pain with movement.

Psychological theory

Another theory in favor of one-day fasts is due to the psychological factor. All the diets used today are basically not very effective because people tend to focus on the value of whole food consumption instead of focusing on healing and cleansing the body. Revisiting some values can have much more positive results as 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 personfeels unwell, he goes to the doctor, listens to negative information and then takes drugs that contain toxins. If you set yourself up in a positive way and imagine in detail the mechanism of self-purification, then therapeutic fasting can lead to good results. One-day fasting, reviews of which are positive from supporters of alternative medicine, is often also called a system of cure for various diseases.

Hunger advocates also argue that fasting days can effectively address serious he alth problems, from arthritis and colitis to heart disease and depression. Some alternative medicine practitioners report that improving the diet, along with not eating one day a week, helps reduce the symptoms of lupus, arthritis, and chronic skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema. There is also an opinion that such a diet helps to improve the condition of people suffering from ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.

However, all the above arguments are given by supporters of alternative medicine, to which the attitude is ambiguous. In any case, everyone should decide for himself what methods of recovery seem acceptable to him.

If you decide on a one-day water fast

The rules will be quite simple, but mandatory. Do not overeat the day before fasting. On the contrary, reduce your diet and lighten it. Eat lighter, cleaner foods (preferably organic): fruits, vegetables, nuts, nut butters, and sprouted grains. If you love meat, give it a try.limit its consumption in previous days and eat it 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 avoid alcohol or caffeinated drinks.

The essence of a one-day fast is to not eat for 24 hours after the last meal, while drinking plenty of water.

Cons: Potential He alth Risks

However, most medical experts agree on one thing: not eating is not a he althy 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 later eating even less food will contribute to fat storage.

One-day fasting also carries other he alth risks. Refusal of food during the day is rarely a problem if a person is he althy. However, this can be very dangerous if the daily diet is not he althy and balanced, or if there are problems with the liver or kidneys. In addition, fasting can cause some disturbances in the immune system.

Psychological problem

In addition, the weekly refusal of food for a day distracts people from real actions aimed at cleansing the body and fighting excess weight. A person ceases to think that on an ongoing basis it is necessary to consume less fat,increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in the diet, drink clean water and limit yourself to coffee and sugary drinks, desserts and so on. The belief that a one-day fast will cleanse the body and get rid of problems is false and does not favor the formation of he althy habits. First of all, you need to review your constant nutrition system, and also start walking 30 minutes a day and sleeping more.

Unwanted concomitant practices that one-day fasting entails

Harm from alternative medicine can be caused by other methods, which are often combined with cleansing fasting. These procedures carry their own risks.

Without 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 gut. When a person changes this balance, dysbacteriosis can begin to develop.

According to medical researchers, there is no scientific evidence that fasting will detoxify the body. Such a scheme has no biological basis, because the 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 beforesurgery.

Fasting is also required to get accurate results on some medical tests. So, a short-term refusal to eat is indicated before taking tests for cholesterol and blood sugar.

Final conclusions

Thus, fasting is not recommended for everyone. Absolutely he althy people, as well as patients who cannot be helped by official medicine, can practice four fasting days a month - weekly. However, this can only be beneficial and help to improve well-being if such fasting days are combined with good nutrition before and after it. It goes without saying that the exit from a one-day fast 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.
• Anorexic or regularly malnourished.
• Having manifestations of cardiac arrhythmias.
• Patients with liver or kidney failure.