Hunger is an instinct that is given to the human body by nature. Fasting for health produces amazing results. It allows not only to cleanse the body, put all systems into operation, but also save a person from a depressive state, nervous overstrain. To get the result, you need a reasonable approach.

Beneficial Fasting Criteria

The benefits of fasting are undeniable. It has been proven by many scientists and nutritionists. In 2016, a Japanese scientist was awarded nobel prize for research on the fasting process. They carried out experiments on yeast. The scientist proved that during fasting, cell renewal occurs and the aging of the body slows down.

The benefits of fasting are undeniable

Autophagy (the process of absorbing unnecessary cells) begins to develop in the body system. That is, the body begins to eat itself, while destroying dead and damaged cells.

People are most often interested not only in what fasting cures, but also on what day of fasting fat begins to be burned.

The fasting system is used not only for the purpose of losing weight, but also for gaining muscle mass. This is especially true for men who build muscle. One of the fasting systems was developed by a bodybuilding trainer. The power scheme is called "16/8". It consists in observing a hunger strike for 16 hours several times a week. At the same time, you need to train on an empty stomach.

How to fast for the benefit of the body

Important! Fasting is incompatible with mental and physical stress. They require the consumption of glucose, and, consequently, the consumption of food. In this regard, separate days should be allocated for fasting.

Many nutritionists argue that refusing food for more than three days can be harmful to health. Instead of a positive effect, there will be a decrease in immunity, a disruption in the functioning of internal organs.

To begin with, it is recommended to refuse food for 24 hours. It should be done no more than once a week. If you refuse food, a person will experience not only hunger, but also weakness, dizziness. It is important at this moment to remember about motivation, to distract yourself with reading, walking.

What cures fasting

For those who monitor their health, it is useful to know what diseases are treated by fasting. Therapeutic starvation improves a person's condition during an exacerbation of chronic diseases. The right approach to refusing food allows you to get rid of many pathologies forever. Medical fasting is recommended in the following cases:

The right approach to refusing food allows you to get rid of many pathologies.

• With diseases of the musculoskeletal system, osteochondrosis.
• Hypertension, the initial stages of vegetative-vascular dystonia, cardiac pathologies.
• Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, gastritis, colitis.
• In cases with many gynecological diseases. This includes such as infertility, chronic inflammation.
• Manifestations of allergic reactions, bronchial asthma.

The benefits of fasting also affect the psychological state of the body. A person gets rid of a constant feeling of anxiety, gets out of depression, nervous overstrain, which is associated with constant stress.

The purpose of therapeutic fasting is to cleanse the body of toxins and toxins. After that, lightness, spiritual clarity and inner purity appear. When the body does not receive food from the outside, it begins to absorb its own reserves. This includes carbohydrates, fats, proteins, diseased tissues, tumors, adhesions, everything that the body does not need.

During fasting, the body is completely cleansed of toxic substances that accumulate as a result of taking medications, tobacco, malnutrition and alcohol. Together with the stimulation of vital processes, relaxation and rest of the most important systems of the human body occur.

Important! You can not engage in therapeutic fasting without consulting a doctor. Despite the benefits of the procedure, it is contraindicated in a number of diseases. Hunger is strictly prohibited during the period of exacerbation of oncological pathologies, acute infections, they cannot be cured in this way.

Starvation and longevity

Scientists have found that fasting can not only heal a person, give him additional strength, but also increase life expectancy. Regular, even short-term, hunger strikes are the way to rejuvenate the body, renew cells. Starvation and longevity are closely related. One day of restriction in food intake prolongs life by three days.

Patients were treated with fasting Ancient Greece. The process is able to launch such mechanisms in the human body that have a stimulating effect on the metabolism and prevent the aging of the body.

Starvation and longevity are closely linked

Fasting against aging

cause of aging human body is cell hyperstimulation. The body does not have time to cleanse itself of accumulated toxins and toxins. If he is not given a break, all systems will begin to fail. In this regard, fasting against aging is considered a powerful weapon.

Note! American scientists have found that the secret to longevity lies in the activation of mitochondria, which occurs during the fasting period. Mitochondria are responsible for cellular respiration.

The benefits of intermittent fasting

Constantly starving is harmful to the body, the benefit will be if we are talking about short-term fasting. It not only helps to cleanse the body and rapid weight loss, but also strengthens the immune system, natural cell renewal.

The benefits of intermittent fasting are as follows:

• lowering cholesterol levels;
• improving metabolism;
• increased elimination of toxins;
• getting rid of extra pounds;
• body rejuvenation;
• strengthening the immune system.

Short-term fasting affects not only health, but also the mental activity of a person. The outlook is changing. People are beginning to distinguish the natural need for food from habit. If you practice a weekly one-day diet, the stomach shrinks to its natural size and overeating will be difficult in the future.

Note! Short-term fasting is carried out primarily to unload and cleanse the body, but at the same time it turns out to reduce weight.

Despite the benefits of short-term fasting, there is a category of people for whom this method is not suitable. These include:

• pregnant women;
• people suffering from kidney and liver failure;
• suffering from cardiovascular diseases;
• diabetics.

Starvation is stressful for the body, and therefore some diseases can worsen against its background. Migraine attacks are often provoked by hunger. In this regard, you need to prepare for the procedure.

Detailed guide: how to prepare, properly enter and exit fasting

The benefits of fasting for the body will be noticeable if it is carried out correctly from beginning to end. A hunger strike should not be spontaneous. You need to properly prepare for it.

Healing fasting can last 1, 3 and 7 days. Beginners are not recommended to limit themselves to eating more than one day. It is best to start the procedure with once a week. Then you can gradually move on to 3 days. There are several tips on how preparation should be organized, the process of fasting itself and the correct way out of it.

Healing fasting can last 1, 3 and 7 days

Nutritionists distinguish two types of fasting:

• Dry, which involves a complete rejection of both water and food.
• On the water. This is the most gentle way in which a person limits the use of products, but at the same time observes drinking regimen. You need to drink every hour, at least 250 ml of water.

How to enter

Note! Starting a healthy fast, it is important to know how to observe it correctly. This is necessary to achieve an effective result and not to harm the body.

Even short-term fasting should begin with proper preparation. It should take as many days as the procedure itself will take. It is best to do this as early as possible, for example, 10 days in advance. The preparation rules are as follows:

• During this period, sugar is completely excluded from the diet.
• Three days before the start, do not eat meat, fish, stop drinking alcohol.
• Two days before the hunger strike, eat only vegetables, drink freshly squeezed juices.
• Before going to bed, it is recommended to put a cleansing enema.

Hunger period

Nutritionists recommend spending the first days of a hunger strike at home, it is best if they fall on the weekend. Unaccustomed to hunger, you may feel dizzy, fatigue may appear. This will significantly affect performance.

During fasting, the following conditions must be observed:

Drink at least two liters of water per day

• Drinking mode. Water should be drunk at least two liters per day. It is recommended to drink in small portions, but not less than one glass per hour.
• You can not drink fruit drinks and teas. In this case, it will not be a hunger strike, but a simple diet with the exclusion of food. It will not bring any healing effect.
• If a person develops poor health, strong headache you can add a few drops to the water lemon juice. This will help to cope with the load on the organs due to the elimination of toxins.

Important! In the process of hunger strike, you need to carefully monitor your condition, you need to accustom the body to hunger gradually.

How to get out

The number of days out should be equal to the duration of the hunger strike itself. The procedure can restart the work of all body systems, plus the immune process is restored. It is very important to plan the exit from fasting correctly so as not to disturb the positive changes that have arisen.

A person needs to follow a diet in the first days of the exit. At first, you can start drinking vegetable juices of 50 ml every hour. On the second day, vegetables, salads, fruits are added to the diet. Salt and sugar should be excluded.

Note! The transition to daily nutrition should be gradual, in small portions. In the process of fasting, the stomach has decreased in size, so it is important to avoid overeating.

An inspirational example of therapeutic fasting

The example of the girl Sophia can induce to start fasting both for weight loss and for healing the body. At 33, she had a tumor accompanied by other diseases, and weighed 110 kg.

The girl decided to leave for a hunting lodge after undergoing multiple hormone therapy, which only worsened her health. Sophia kept a diary for the entire period of her stay in the hunting lodge.

Fasting according to her method lasted 69 days. The result was the complete disappearance of the tumor, skin renewal. Pigment spots completely disappeared on the body, eyes brightened. The girl felt 10 years younger. For 69 days, she managed to get rid of 54 kilograms excess weight.

Note! It is very dangerous to decide on cardinal fasting periods without medical supervision.

This example shows how proper fasting helps to get rid of incurable diseases and completely change lives.

Starting fasting is important to realize that this is a complex process that requires proper preparation in physical and psychological terms. A competent approach will help not only get rid of excess weight, but also rejuvenate the body, improve health.

A feature of the human digestive system is that it can work in two modes. The first mode is the digestion of food. Everything is clear here. However, more interesting is the second mode of the digestive system - cleansing. This is the mode of operation when the digestive system begins to cleanse itself and, as a result, cleanse the entire body. And the peculiarity of these two modes of operation is that they cannot occur in parallel. The digestive system is either busy digesting food or cleansing the body. And in order to start the regime of cleansing the body, you need to skip at least two meals. That is, if we skipped breakfast and lunch, only after that the digestive system is reorganized into a mode of operation aimed at cleansing the body, and the self-purification of the digestive organs, blood purification, and so on begins.

Fasting: good or bad?

There is an opinion that 80% of the energy of our body is spent on the digestion of food. The remaining ten are spent on physical activity and the remaining ten are spent on mental activity. That is, for all the activities that we do, only one-fifth of all the energy that we have is spent. And the rest is spent on the digestion of food. And such a percentage in the event that our diet is more or less balanced - we do not overeat, do not mix incompatible products, and so on. And if we get up from the table in such a way that, due to the filling of the stomach, we cannot breathe in deeply, then with such a load, all our energy is spent on digesting food. And after such a hearty dinner, we resemble a boa constrictor that has swallowed food, and then lies down, and there is barely enough strength only to breathe. But if for a boa constrictor such behavior is the norm (after all, then he does not eat anything for a long time, using the energy of the food he has absorbed), then for a person the recommended dose of one meal is the amount that fits in our palms. How many of us today limit ourselves to this amount of food at one meal?

And in order to give the body a rest and start the processes of self-purification, fasting is practiced. Even one-day fasting, which is practiced at least a couple of times a month on the so-called, already has a healing and rejuvenating effect on our body. Of course, the practice of fasting alone cannot cover up malnutrition in general. Therefore, the issue of nutrition must be approached comprehensively: gradually abandon harmful products such as meat, fish, eggs and various refined products such as baked goods, refined sugar, coffee and so on. It is also recommended to refrain from onions, garlic and mushrooms. Contrary to popular beliefs that these products are useful, they have an extremely negative effect on the mind. Yes, onions and garlic are excellent antibiotics, but think for yourself: do we take antibiotics as food, constantly and uncontrollably? Not at all.

Antibiotics should only be taken as a last resort. And then, it’s worth thinking logically: if bacteria die from onions and garlic, then these plants are poisonous. A poisonous plants are unlikely to be harmless to our body. There is information that pilots are even forbidden to consume garlic a few days before departure, because it adversely affects the brain. Thus, in addition to the practice of fasting, it is necessary to generally regulate your diet and try to exclude harmful foods from it. Then the approach to the issue of health will be complex.

You should also pay attention to the amount of food consumed. It often happens that a person practices a long fast, for example, a week, and after leaving it, he eats more in three days than he would have eaten in the previous week. This is called the "pendulum principle". If you pull the pendulum too far in one direction, it can swing violently in the other direction. How to avoid it? Do not immediately impose too severe austerities on yourself. It is not recommended to immediately practice long fasting. Start with a one-day fast, track your condition. It will be much more useful to starve for one day, and then properly get out of fasting, without overeating and harmful foods, than to starve for a week, and then “catch up” in three days.

To avoid the negative effects of fasting, it is recommended to start practicing fasting with short periods. That is, one or three days of fasting. How to determine the most comfortable fasting period for yourself? Very simple. A person's capabilities in terms of the duration of fasting are determined by the alkaline environment of the body. And you can determine this indicator by holding your breath. If holding your breath on exhalation (exactly on exhalation - this is fundamentally important) is less than 30 seconds, then the fasting period that is most comfortable for you is 1-3 days. If you hold your breath on exhalation for up to one minute, then fasting within one week will be comfortable. If the breath is held on exhalation for more than one minute, then long fasting can be practiced: 10, 20, 30 days.

Is fasting harmful?

Can fasting be harmful? With the wrong approach - maybe. As mentioned above, it is important to determine for yourself a comfortable fasting period and not immediately start long fasting without prior practice. It is also worth mentioning dry fasting separately: despite the fact that this type of fasting is much more effective in terms of cleansing the body, it can be dangerous for people who have problems with the kidneys or the cardiovascular system. And here it is worth noting that if a person “nothing hurts”, this does not mean at all that there are no problems with these organs. Perhaps there is a problem, but it has not yet manifested itself enough to cause any tangible discomfort. Therefore, dry fasting should be approached very carefully.

If the body already has serious disorders, instead of fasting, you can arrange fasting days, that is, replace your usual food with raw vegetables, fruits, juices. However, it is worth noting that the fasting day is designed to rest the body, so you should not overeat even light food. Try to eat only as much as you need to satisfy your hunger.

In general, fasting has a very positive effect on the body, and only some serious chronic diseases that can worsen during fasting can be a contraindication to it. For most people, fasting for a period of one to three days will only have a positive effect. But it is worth recalling that the way out of fasting is perhaps much more important than fasting itself. If you get out of fasting incorrectly, which is called “with a breakdown”, then this will not only cross out all the positive aspects of fasting, but also cause additional harm to the body. Therefore, if you feel that for you attachment to food is still topical issue, you should not apply too severe austerities to yourself.

Soviet psychiatrist Yuri Sergeevich Nikolaev, during his work in a psychiatric hospital, noticed one interesting feature. Patients with schizophrenia and other mental disorders during periods of exacerbation of their illness completely refused food. And Nikolaev decided to go in an unconventional way: not to force-feed them, “through a tube” (as is customary to do in such cases), but simply not to interfere and observe what would happen to the patients. And the results of the observations were simply stunning.

Patients who, during the period of exacerbation of their disease, refused food and arranged such a fast for themselves, suddenly went on the mend. Nikolaev noted that in patients who abstain from food, the symptoms of exacerbated mental conditions weaken, their consciousness clears up and, in general, it becomes much easier for them. Seeing such results of fasting, Nikolaev decided to study this issue in detail. And he began to deliberately treat by fasting patients who were no longer helped by any medicine. And again, the incredible happened: even the most hopeless patients who suffered from a severe form of schizophrenia, with an almost complete personality defect, were on the mend.

Studying this issue, Professor Nikolaev came to a revolutionary conclusion in psychiatry that the cause of schizophrenia is brain aminotoxicosis, that is, poisoning of brain tissues with amines - ammonia breakdown products. Simply put, the cause of schizophrenia is the poisoning of brain tissues with pus formed as a result of malnutrition, mainly food of animal origin. Having come to this conclusion, Professor Nikolaev developed the concept of "unloading and dietary therapy." The professor deliberately avoided the word “starvation”, since in the post-war years everything that in one way or another reminded of hunger caused a negative reaction. And Nikolaev's patients, in fact, were on the mend.

Symptoms of even severe psychotic states disappeared literally before our eyes. And the delusional ideas of those suffering from schizophrenia crumbled like a house of cards, and patients gained a clear view of things. The success of Professor Nikolaev allowed him to defend his doctoral dissertation on the topic "Unloading and dietary therapy for schizophrenia and its physiological rationale" back in 1960. Why did the successes of Professor Nikolaev not affect modern psychiatry in any way? Everything is very simple. The pharmaceutical business has long surpassed the drug business in terms of profits. And the successful treatment of people by simple fasting will allow millions of people around the world to give up expensive antipsychotics, tranquilizers and other pharmaceutical poisons that do more harm than good to a person.

The losses of pharmaceutical corporations in this situation would be simply incompatible with life. Therefore, it was decided to curtail the research of Professor Nikolaev, and all the results of his research remained letters on paper. And tens of thousands of people today continue their so-called treatment in psychiatric hospitals, where they are simply turned into "vegetables" instead of applying Professor Nikolaev's method of unloading therapy.

Thus, the benefits of fasting were scientifically proven by Professor Nikolaev, who empirically came to the conclusion that fasting is effective in treating even severe forms of schizophrenia, which - from the point of view of official medicine - is generally an incurable disease. So what can we say about milder diseases, such as, for example, seasonal allergies, which are nothing more than slagging of the body. And instead of poisoning your body with antihistamines that literally kill our liver, it is better to try fasting practices that effectively cleanse the body. And, of course, it is worth gradually excluding meat food from the diet. After all, the study of Professor Nikolaev clearly demonstrates to us that slagging of the body with the breakdown products of ammonia, which is formed in the body as a result of eating meat, leads to serious diseases.

IN last years The practice of therapeutic fasting is gaining more and more popularity. Its supporters argue that almost any disease arises from excessive slagging of the body, and fasting, in turn, helps us get rid of accumulated toxins and toxins.

There are many fasting methods. Everyone can choose the right practice for themselves, depending on endurance, health status and the results they want to get. Fasting can be divided into dry (it is not recommended to practice more than a day) and fasting with the use of water, which can also be divided into types, depending on the duration: short (1-3 days), medium duration (3-10 days) and long-term fasting (more than 10 days).

Let's see what effect we can get by practicing the method of curative fasting:

1. During fasting, the gastrointestinal tract rests. Fasting for one or two days will not lead to significant changes in the body, but will allow the digestive organs to rest from the load. The energy usually directed to the process of digestion of food will go to the process of renewal and restoration of the gastrointestinal tract.
2. Immunity boost. During fasting, the adrenal glands secrete an increased amount of glucocorticoids, anti-inflammatory and immune-regulating hormones, which help the body cope with colds faster.
3. The cure of diseases. To date, the positive effect of fasting in diseases has been proven. of cardio-vascular system, bones, diabetes, allergies, hormonal disorders and neuroses. Amazing Fact: there are cases when fasting helped get rid of cancer.

Also, during fasting, the reserve forces of the body are mobilized, which leads to a decrease in blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol and an improvement in the functioning of the whole organism as a whole. To pleasant side effects fasting can be attributed to the rapid loss of extra pounds.

It must be remembered that for an unprepared person, even one-day fasting is a lot of stress, so it is recommended to prepare for this practice with all responsibility.

1. 2 days before the start, it is advisable to exclude animal products from the diet and try not to overeat.
2. It is necessary to get out of the state of fasting gradually.
3. On the first day after completion, it is better to refrain from foods that are difficult for the stomach, such as nuts and legumes.

Fasting brings not only undoubted physical benefits to the body, but also helps it to cleanse itself at the mental level. Those who are interested in not only the physical, but also the spiritual benefits of fasting, can start fasting by observing Ekadisha days. Ekadashi is the eleventh day after the full moon and new moon of each lunar month in the Hindu calendar. In Hinduism and Jainism, Ekadashi days are considered especially favorable for performing self-restraint practices (austerities). It is believed that in this way a person develops spiritually and accumulates energy to realize his desires.

However, those who decide to try the practice of therapeutic fasting should not forget that, in addition to positive properties, fasting also has a number of contraindications. Therapeutic fasting is not recommended for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, diseases of the kidneys, blood, tuberculosis. Also, fasting is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women. An increased feeling of hunger can be attributed to the unpleasant consequences of fasting. Often people after the end of fasting, tend to "catch up", in order to avoid this, it is necessary to approach the practice of fasting very consciously.

Despite the fact that the fasting technique has been used for a long time, doctors have not come to a consensus regarding the safety of the procedure. Experts are divided into two camps, each of which has arguments "for" and "against" the hunger strike. Opponents of refusing food claim that the harm of fasting in stress for the body, supporters prove the opposite, arguing that, having experienced hunger, the body turns on all its reserve forces. Let's try to figure out what the refusal of food can give a person, and when it is worth (if it is worth) to starve.

What is fasting

Fasting is the refusal of food, which should lead to weight loss or have a therapeutic effect on health. When they talk about fasting, they first of all stop eating foods in order to exclude fats and carbohydrates from entering the body. A person who removes these components from his diet does not take into account their importance for the body. The lack of fats and carbohydrates will adversely affect the functioning of internal organs, the coherence of the action of many systems. Carbohydrate deficiency causes a breakdown, unwillingness to actively move, there is a decrease in the emotional level.

Refusal of products should be competent and thoughtful. Rational abstinence has a positive effect on the body. It is necessary to deliberately approach this issue and fast only after visiting a doctor, when he excludes a potential hazard to health.

With food, energy enters our body, which is intended to maintain an optimal level of vitality and activity of the body. We absorb not only healthy foods that speed up metabolism and help remove slag accumulations. Inadequate food, on the contrary, fills the body with components that are deposited in the form of toxins, clog the lumen of blood vessels, joints.

These deposits are difficult to remove, moreover, they poison the body and cause health problems.

Therapeutic fasting is a complete refusal of food. As a result, the body rebuilds its work and gets rid of dangerous accumulations, it activates hidden reserves and finds an alternative way of existence without food. Carbohydrate and fat reserves begin to be actively used, a person gets rid of excess weight and completely rebuilds to a more active way of existence. There is healing of tissues and self-delivery from harmful reserves, poisons, some diseases at the cell level.

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History of fasting technique

Refusal to eat has been a practice for decades. Even in ancient Greece, fasting was widespread and actively used. Biblical heroes and prophets used famine, and there are numerous references to this. Jesus, Moses went without food for forty days. Modern authors of the methods - Paul Breg and Herbert Shelton offered their own options for refusing food, tried and tested on themselves. They argued that as a result of stagnation and slagging, a full-fledged metabolism slows down. Fasting can start the processes of self-purification and speed up the metabolism, which is slowed down.

If the course of abstinence is designed and carried out correctly, the result of fasting will be:

• cleansing the body at the cellular level;
• rejuvenation;
• improvement of general well-being;
• elimination of many pathologies;
• getting rid of extra pounds.

It is not for nothing that during an illness the body subconsciously refuses food, showing that food will only complicate recovery.

Benefits of intermittent fasting

It has been scientifically proven that short-term fasting is equivalent in effectiveness to an extended period of calorie restriction. Monitoring the intake of food in the body for a short time gives the following result:

• the oxidation process starts;
• increased sensitivity to insulin;
• lowers cholesterol levels;
• the amount of antioxidants entering the blood increases;
• growth hormone is produced, which has a positive effect on overall health;
• the work of the immune system is activated and resistance to diseases increases;
• recovery processes occur faster, cell regeneration improves;
• there is a cleansing of the liver after eight hours of fasting.

It is recommended to start fasting with a twelve-hour break between the first and last meals. Gradually, the distance between meals should be increased to eighteen hours. If health permits, the maximum interval can be up to twenty-four hours. This method is practiced no more than once a week. Regularly spending hungry days allows you to balance the level of sugar and cholesterol in the blood, to get sick less and feel more cheerful. As a result, the aging process will slow down.

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Features of proper fasting

Not every fasting can be beneficial and help normalize the condition. An improperly organized process can harm health and cause malfunction of important organs. There are three main rules for not eating:

• it is necessary to choose the right method of fasting, which will take into account the individual characteristics of human health and the experience of refusing food in the past;
• carrying out mandatory preparatory procedures before the start of fasting: cleansing the body, reducing the amount of food consumed, increasing the intervals between meals;
• control over the state of health in the process of restrictions, timely response to any possible negative manifestation, refusal of hunger if necessary.

Thus, healthy fasting should also be safe. It should be noted that this technique will bring results only in case of refusal bad habits leading a healthy lifestyle and being physically active. Proper abstinence is possible only with active cooperation with the doctor, when he corrects the action plan, taking into account individual health characteristics. There are a number of fasting rules:

1. The correct entry and exit must be carried out - a smooth preparation of the body for restrictions and a gradual exit from hunger, and a return to a normal diet. This period should be equal to the period of refusal of food. The diet is being carefully reviewed: you need to give up heavy food and increase the amount of plant foods.
2. Drinking regimen is the key to a successful fasting course. An optimal water balance will make it as easy as possible to survive the stress of refusing food. Dry fasting is categorically not recommended, they only exacerbate painful conditions, increasing the amount of slag accumulations.
3. It is not recommended to fast for more than a day. This is the most optimal time for positive changes.
4. During hunger, it is necessary to limit the load on the body. Equally hard during this period are given physical or mental stress. Any energy-consuming actions are not shown.
5. During fasting, you can only drink water, no tea, let alone coffee, can be taken. This is a categorical rule that cannot be broken.

So what is more: the harm or the benefits of fasting?

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The benefits of healing methods are unconditional if the starving person does everything right. Fasting can also cause some harm to health. We are talking about hunger, which lasts more than a day.

If you violate the rules for refusing food, the following pathologies are observed:

• not fat, but protein accumulations are consumed, which leads to lethargy and flabbiness of the skin, premature formation of wrinkles;
• prolonged abstinence from food leads to malfunctions of the immune system and defenselessness against attacks from outside;
• the development of anemia is manifested by a deterioration in well-being, fatigue, inability to concentrate;
• the supply of vitamins in the body decreases, which is manifested by the poor condition of the teeth, hair, nails, and a decrease in vitality.

Properly organized abstinence from food will give a positive result and help to cope with many diseases, it is important to follow the recommendations of specialists and not adjust the course of therapeutic fasting on your own.

Nutritionists and naturopaths - Paul Bragg and comrades - persistently promote fasting as a medical procedure: "it helps us always and from all diseases." It is impossible to completely deny this postulate, but it is not recommended and unconditionally trust it. Let's look at the intricacies of fasting:

1. What happens in the body when it does not enter.
2. Which internal organs suffer from prolonged fasting.
3. Under what diseases fasting is prohibited.
4. How to prepare the body for therapeutic fasting.
5. What water to drink.
6. Does fasting have a rejuvenating effect.
7. Is it possible to lose weight by fasting from time to time.
8. How long do adherents of therapeutic starvation live.

Hunger - a healing procedure?

Historical facts, scientific sources testify that fasting is a habitual physiological process of living beings. The body moves from a state of comfort to extreme conditions: nutrients do not enter the digestive tract. Defense mechanisms are activated to overcome the discomfort. Food does not enter the stomach - the body is forced to “produce” nutrients from “old reserves”. This process is not endless and not safe. In the process of synthesis, which is unusual for the body - from the inside, and not from the outside - decay products are formed. Adherents of “miraculous starvation” mistakenly call these by-products “toxins and waste products that accumulate in the body when food is received, deposited in storerooms.” In fact, these harmful substances are not formed BEFORE fasting, A IN PROGRESS. Cause, sometimes irreversible damage to the body.

The body's response to fasting

Consider the mechanism of the impact of fasting, one-day and long.

1. "Starving" nerve cells want to get glucose - only on it they can work. Otherwise, they die without regeneration. The “extraction” of sugar during fasting, first of all, occurs during the breakdown of glycogen, the internal supply of which is located in the liver and muscles. As a rule, the amount necessary to maintain the body dries up on the second day.
2. Further, the need for glucose is satisfied by "non-carbohydrate" components. Squirrels are on the move. Proteins are made up of amino acids and break down into sulfur and nitrogen compounds. They, leaving the body, stain the natural secretions "in an unhealthy color." This is where the myth about the notorious "toxins and slags" comes from.
3. Fat cells break down last and poison the body with ketone bodies. In a starving body, there is a deficiency of insulin. If so, fats are oxidized, and not completely processed. “Acidified” fat breakdown products lead to acidosis: the level of ketone cells in the blood rises, the starving person exhales air with a distinct smell of acetone. Ketone bodies disrupt respiratory function, blood circulation, and the work of the central nervous system. Instead of a healing effect, a person starving for two or three days gets intoxication of the body.

The response of the body to a long cessation of supply nutrients- negative. Instead of the declared “purification and rejuvenation”, the reverse process begins - the production and absorption of harmful products of “unnatural” synthesis.

Remember, the human body is not inclined to accumulate metabolic products in the cells, toxins after entering the blood are promptly excreted by the kidneys and liver. They are responsible for cleansing the body, not starvation.

Unloading days: pleasant and useful

Now that you know about the mechanism of "withdrawal" of energy from "reserve" substances unsuitable for this, let's talk about the benefits of short-term fasting - fasting days. The time without food lasts - no more than 24-36 hours. Voluntary refusal of food, according to doctors, is useful for a number of diseases:

1. SARS, influenza. When nutrients are not supplied to the infected organism, its response is the production of interferon, which acts on viruses.
2. Allergic diseases. The digestive tract is cleared of pathogenic bacteria, the activity of leukocytes increases - the immune system does not respond to external stimuli.
3. Arthrosis, osteochondrosis. Fasting days mobilize the reserve forces of the body, reducing pain.
4. Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The mucous membrane of the intestines and stomach is restored - no food, no problems.
5. Chronic pancreatitis. A short-term lack of food frees the pancreas from work. It does not produce digestive enzymes to digest food in the duodenum.
6. Hyperthyroidism and autoimmune diseases associated with increased thyroid function. Fasting leads to a balance of hormones produced by the gland, the synthesis of glucose and protein is restored.

How to prepare for a fasting diet

The algorithm does not fit here: “decided - done”. Get ready for fasting days in a week. Only a psychological attitude is not enough, limit the intake of fatty protein foods, replacing them with dairy and vegetable. As a fasting day, choose one when you do not have physical work. It's better if it's a day off.

Observe the drinking regime. Nutritionists are advised to drink 2.5 liters of fluid on a fasting day. Not ordinary water, but alkaline mineral water, for example, Borjomi room temperature. Leave the bottle open so that gas bubbles come out.

When starving, do not spare yourself, falling on the sofa - unhurried walks in the forest, park, near water bodies are necessary. You will get endorphins - "hormones of joy", not by eating food, but by contemplating beauty - there is a "replacement" therapy. In this mood, fasting gives you less discomfort and mobilizes the body's defenses.

Who is contraindicated fasting

People tolerate short-term voluntary refusal of food individually, but there are risk groups who should not stress themselves. It is forbidden to spend fasting days for diseases:

1. Diabetes mellitus of the first type - patients need a uniform intake of carbohydrates, from which glucose is “extracted”. This is the "correct" synthesis of the necessary energy.
2. Cancer tumors - they deplete the body, so a balanced, wholesome diet is shown to cancer patients.
3. Brain damage - the first blow during fasting receives the central nervous system: nerve cells glucose is needed. With this group of diseases, a person does not have enough strength to respond to a stressful situation.
4. Atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease - in conditions of lack of nutrients, the body increases the production of lipoproteins, which prevent the vessels from transporting enriched blood.

At risk are people over 60, teenagers, pregnant women and those who want to lose weight. Paradoxically, fasting does not lead to permanent weight normalization. Weight loss is due to a decrease in muscle mass, not adipose tissue. A third of the weight lost is the extraction of proteins from the internal reserve, the destruction of muscle tissue. If you don’t train your muscles after fasting, fat will take their place. Such a "substitution" leads to the disfigurement of the figure.

Fasting and sports

Athletes successfully use the muscle dystrophy that occurs after the second day of fasting to gain weight. This is important for power all-around. If for a long time it is not possible to build up mass, even using steroids, it is recommended to fast for 2-3 days. Immediately after this, the weight will decrease by 4-5 kilograms, but, after two months, the kilograms will return, taking with them the same amount. Sports doctors refer to this mass-building mechanism as "natural anabolic steroids".

Trainers recommend doing strength exercises on an empty stomach, using "zero levels" of glucose and glycogen. Physical activity during a short fast causes the body to produce somatotropin, a natural growth hormone. Hormone effect:

• creates an optimal level of energy sources;
• gives an increase in body weight;
• provides growth and strength of the skeleton;
• promotes metabolism;
• reduces fat reserves;
• increases the mass of proteins.

Athletes know these qualities of growth hormone - if it is not produced enough, they resort to injections of a synthetic drug.

Conclusion

Fasting does not cure diseases, it acts as a healing method, mobilizing the body's defenses. In some cases, it harms a person. Before making a decision to refuse food, analyze the mechanism of the effect of hunger on body functions. Consult with your doctor to benefit from fasting. healthy person will require advice from a nutritionist to take full advantage of the benefits unloading days. Armed with knowledge, decide whether you need to fast or adhere to the principles of a reasonable diet.