Fasting benefits - emotional (mental) physical and spiritual
/Is fasting beneficial for Physical, Emotional Spiritual well-being?
We as a species, especially in the western world, are dealing with so many diseases, obesity and health issues more than ever in our history.
We also crave a sense of belonging, a sense of community that is part of it. But for many, it goes so much deeper than that. We want a deeper understanding of belonging. More than ever before, we are looking for a sense of purpose. What’s it all about, is a saying that comes to mind.
In our world, mental health issues such as depression and anxiety are growing at alarming rates. We are seeing people in such a wrong way emotionally that we could be lulled into thinking that it is beyond our control. However, all of this could be helped using a tool that we humans have used for well over 1000 years, probably for the whole time humans have been on this planet. Fasting!
First up, let us look into fasting for our emotional wellbeing
Fasting for mental health is a winning combination! Let’s dive deeper!
According to the CDC statistics - These are official stats that I am sure have increased since this time
Between 2013 and 2016, 8.1% of American adults aged 20 and over had depression in any two weeks.
Nearly 80% of adults with depression and anxiety said it affected their work, home and social life
Women were almost twice as likely as men to suffer from depression and anxiety (10.4% and 5.5%, respectively)
We have to ask the question - Why are so many people of all ages struggling with depression and anxiety? I believe these problems are just symptoms: your body is trying to tell you something! Something is wrong, and it needs to be looked at.
Unfortunately, as a society, we tend to focus on the symptoms. Instead of trying to find the root cause of the problem, your doctor, and often your naturopath, will prescribe medicines that suppress those symptoms. In other words, they offer a short-term fix instead of a long-term solution.
This is a big mistake and a considerable part of the problem. Instead of helping people, they’d instead prescribe antidepressants and other medications that do nothing to treat what’s causing these health issues in the first place. You are suppressing your emotions - I feel that emotions are meant to be felt and expressed as we are emotional beings. For example, we tend to hide anger or grief as society tends to frown on the face.
However, fasting for mental health may be beneficial in so many ways. It allows the release of cellular memory in your cells, which you may or may not feel. But it can and will be released if given the right internal environment.
As a western society, we are always looking for a quick fix; take an aspirin for a headache, for example, rather than ask why you feel like this - it could be you need some water or rest.
The use of antidepressants prescribed is on the rise. The increase from 2005 to 2018 increased by 400% and rising!!
Plus, this isn’t just for a short period, those who take these medications, 60% of them are likely to take for two years or more. Some of my clients have been on this medication for over 15 years!!
This isn’t good news.
So, instead of reaching for that tablet or visiting the doctor. Our first port of call is to look at our diets and lifestyles first!
Of course, suppose you are taking anti-depressants already. In that case, you can work on reducing the symptoms and then, when you are ready, stop taking them altogether -this is something you need to work with a practitioner who has experience slowly reducing as the side effects of withdrawal can be crippling!
Instead of reaching for medication first, it’s time to get to the root cause of the issue. One way to do that is by fixing your cells. If you cleanse the cells, you will get well!
Fasting can help your mental health - there is a link between food and depression!
There are many possible reasons for depression and anxiety, but one potential that doesn’t get the attention it deserves is the food we eat. For example, studies indicate there is a link between gluten and depression:
Gluten and other lectin-containing foods can cause allergies, which may cause malabsorption, which is the inability to absorb nutrients properly. As a result, brain functions may be compromised.
There is a theory that gluten might affect the amount of tryptophan and serotonin in the body, which gives feelings of happiness
If you or someone you love are suffering from depression and anxiety, it would be a good idea to look at the foods you eat.
So Many foods can contain gluten:- In fact, there are so many more than you think as they are often hidden in foods you would never believe, like potato crisps, corn chips, bread, pasta, sauces, soy sauce, most restaurant meals - not all but the majority. - You need to become a detective for your health and well-being
Removing gluten is one step in removing this potentially harmful ingredient from your diet. Doing so could be vital in alleviating symptoms of depression and anxiety, and other mental health issues. However, you will very often need to detox to help alleviate the root of the problem.
Not just gluten can be a problem; there are many, many other problem foods out there, as there are foods that contain oxalates, phytates, silicates, lectins, plus so much more. It can be a minefield for anyone who wants to improve their mental and physical well-being.
We use a dietary exclusion program as part of our Fast Track To Health and Ultimate Detox programs.
As a creator of programs, I used intermittent fasting as an essential part of the Fast Track program; we started doing this in 2010 as it simply worked - this was before science caught up.
In our Fast Track Program, the eating window is a maximum of 9 hours, eating between 11 am to 8 pm - this works so well for many.
In our New Ultimate Detox program, we recommend fasting for 24 + hours once a week, if you desire - the reason why is straightforward but oh so exciting. Many of us on trial for this program did anything from 4 to 6 days on the fast!
With intermittent and longer-term Fasting, you will probably be aware of the physical benefits - Like
Weight loss, speeding up detoxification, anti-ageing etc. If you would like more info, you can visit my blog Here.
We will cover a bit more about the overall benefits of fasting.
Fasting for emotional/mental Health
Before I recommend that you fast, I'd like to explain why it would benefit you. So let’s have a look.
Many of the foods we eat today are loaded with sugars, preservatives, and food colourings, plus they contain other ingredients like gluten and other natural chemical ingredients. Other toxic elements include flavourings, food additives, preservatives, and GM foods.
Since the addition of these in our food chain, there has been a significant rise in health issues such as obesity, mental health issues, autism, ADHD and autoimmune disorders. These ingredients make us sick in ways people never imagined 30 years ago.
Did you know fasting is the oldest health solution we have used for at least a thousand years?
It is used by nearly every religion as a way of connecting to a higher source. Fasting doesn’t just heal someone physically, spiritually, and emotionally.
When we use intermittent fasting like on our Fast Track program, we aren’t eating for 15 hours or more.
This means that we aren’t eating foods that could make us sick in the first place and allowing our bodies to heal from the inside out.
Then by removing foods that could add to the problem and only eating less inflammatory foods - like the list in Fast Track, Ultimate Detox and, of course, the Carnivore Diet. You are giving your body even more time to heal, as it no longer has to work so hard by dealing with the cycle of inflammation and then dis-ease. It can put the energy into healing at the root of the problem.
When you stop eating these foods, your body can produce what it needs to help us be physically and emotionally healthier. With emotional well-being, for example, your body will be able to make more of the feel-good hormones - tryptophan and serotonin - if you do this, you will no longer need the medication that gives you a chemical version.
When we fast, we can also remove toxic residue from the cell. It does this through Autophagy, which means that your body will eat the bad cells and tissues as energy before using the good cells.
When we look deeper, our damaged and unwanted cells cannot use fat as energy; they begin to die off and become food for the body. This is why fasting for your mental health is so valuable.
Unlike allopathic medicines, which suppress symptoms of anxiety and depression, fasting goes directly to attacking the bad cells, which may be linked to mental health issues. This is the foundation of healthy living and our programmes.
Did you know that In 2014, $14.51 Billion US was spent on antidepressants, with $16.80 billion expected to be sold by 2020? Unlike this potentially damaging medicine, fasting costs nothing. Even if you purchase some support products, you will be saving money! For example, if you cut out eating breakfast every day for 365 days a year, well, let's say 313 - you might want breakfast once a week for a treat. Your breakfast might cost you for ease of maths - not my strong point $5, you can save $1565 per year, or you could put that towards better foods through the rest of the day.
Many people are hesitant to try intermittent fasting for mental health because they are not used to not eating for an extended period. However, those feelings of doubt are quickly diminished when you try it, as it does have excellent health benefits. It is straightforward when you feel and see the results.
Give intermittent fasting for mental health a try. Your body will thank you!
Now intermittent Fasting is fantastic - but why not take it a step further and fast for 24 or more hours?
What we have found, once we get started on our Ultimate Detox program, you get on a roll, and 24 hours turn into 48. 72, and even more?
When we introduced the more extended fasting version of our program, using support products to help your body eliminate toxic residue - emotional and physical. Then the results spoke for themselves.
Everyone who participated in our first trial. I just loved the way the fasting made them feel. They loved the weight drop and the feeling of lightness in their body.
But most of all, apart from the weight loss - which for many was substantial, the most common theme of the feedback was that they felt much better emotionally.
Feelings of positivity became commonplace; mental clarity was the order of the day. All of this, in time, becomes habitual, and bad days become fewer, and I would say, if you follow our regime, you won’t recognise yourself after a few months.
Plus, after a prolonged fast of 4 days or more, the other benefit was feeling more connected with the source - whatever that might be for you - God, Jesus, Allah, Buddha, etc. This is why many religions use fasting as a religious practice.
I FELT MORE CONNECTED WITH MY SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE when I did my long fast on the 5th day of a six-day fast (I can only speak for myself on this).
I picked up more information spiritually and got to know my purpose. My guides have been sharing more; my connection is a prominent channel.
Since then, the connection has become more substantial. Then all that you attract is in alignment with your energy, which brings you to create a positive energy vortex that helps you see why we are here, what our purpose is, and also helps you find direction. Plus, as a by-product, you attract more abundance. Of all things!
What is the purpose of sharing this? I know that Fasting has a considerable place in health and well-being, and I want to shout this from the rooftops as I know how good it feels when you do it!
Do you need any special tools?
For intermittent fasting, No.
To get the best out of your fasting, yes, have some minerals, and ensure you are topped up with electrolytes, magnesium and other minerals, which are vital foundations to excellent health - no, not the commercial stuff with lots of flavours. Good Quality salt can do it.
If you get cravings, then I would recommend signing up for our Fast Track To Health program as it has the products to help you on your way - the Spray helps with the cravings (plus helps with allowing your body to get out of stress mode and into using Fat as energy - Blog on that soon) The magnesium helps on so many levels - info Here.
Prolonged Fasting?
When we talk of prolonged, as opposed to Intermittent fasting, we talk about 24 hours or more.
When you fast, traditionally, we tend to talk about water fasting. This, for many, is a hard ask, especially if you cannot go away and rest for some time.
You could go on a juice fast, but this has its problems, too, as most of the liquids contain lots of sugars, so you can be out of the frying pan and into the fire as far as cravings and symptoms are concerned. I know this because I have been there; I did many fasts with Juices, the longest being 40 days. I quickly returned to old habits, and then all my symptoms would return.
This is why I haven’t, until June this year - 2022 - taken clients through fasting - I took hundreds through the juice fast, and most clients found the same as I did.
So, earlier this year, I started researching. I knew there was something out there to help my clients struggling with what was happening in the world. Each time I began to look at what would help, then fasting popped up.
I knew that for many, water fasting was not feasible. Then I remembered research I had done ten years ago when I was looking to improve my Fast Track To Health program, which came up with beef bone broth. At the time, powdered broth was unavailable, especially ones that didn't contain ingredients that I knew would be detrimental. So I recommended that clients add good quality gelatine to the program, which helped with so many.
After remembering about broth, I was guided to create Ultimate Detox.
It is a step-by-step guide to get you started on longer-term fasting. Plus, it gives you support remedies and products to help keep your body. So that it can remove debris with ease, as opposed to having severe detox reactions, which many people can experience. Plus, you have the benefit of having some nutrients that will encourage your body to have even healthier cells and, therefore, a healthier body. My blog about fasting takes you into the benefits of fasting with Broth.
Why do products go alongside?
This is a question that is commonly asked, and I understand why.
Suppose we lived in a world, like 150 years ago, where there were very few pollutants, and our food came from the field to the table. Then the need for fasting was only occasional. You would typically do fasting because you had a fever, which would be the natural course of action or because of your religious belief. So you would probably have a loved one feeding you water and the occasional broth while you were recovering.
In today’s world, we are exposed to toxins every minute of every day. The food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe, and even the energy field contain toxins from wifi and phones. We are also bombarded with negative news and hear about negativity from nearly every angle.
So for our bodies to do all the work is an uphill battle, which can be challenging. At least it might make you feel a bit off-colour. However, sometimes some organs are so overloaded that they can break down. So providing support makes so much sense. Look at our programme Ultimate Detox; if you are interested in the benefits of long-term fasting - click Here.
If you want to get into intermittent fasting, lose some excess fat, and gain other tremendous benefits, click Here.
Before creating the Ultimate Detox, I felt stagnant and lacking in direction. Even though I knew I was helping many people with their health and well-being, I knew I needed more; I needed to detox all that wasn’t serving me emotionally and physically. But little did I realise when I embarked on the journey with 12 other brave souls who jumped at the chance to try my new program. How much would I change? How my life would change, and we have only just started!!
Since I first wrote this, we have taken many more lovely clients through the Ultimate Detox program, and I am excited to say that the results are still amazing.
