3 Reasons Why You Should Try Fasting
AND HOW OUR 72 HOUR FAST HELPED US RESET
Before we get into the “meaty” part of this blog about fasting, I want to explain the context of why we did our most recent fast and how it went.
Vanuatu was not what we expected. And part of the problem was that we did not plan enough for our trip there nor did we think about it being summertime for Australia in the dead of winter (well, obviously our winter).
Our intentions of going to this country made up of small islands in the South Pacific Ocean were multifaceted and diverse but we truly thought we would at least be spending 2-3 months there. After 10 months of traveling almost non stop and being homeless (we sold our car, apartment, and stored stuff with my in-laws), we were ready to take it slow while we figured out what was next.
We had just spent 6 months traveling in Greece, France, Thailand, and Australia and we did a roadtrip in each of the last two countries and even slept in our car one time… needless to say we were ready to STOP MOVING.
Our expectations were pretty high because have you seen any pictures, videos, or movies of what the South Pacific Islands look like??? Think Fiji! Not that we were there to travel around constantly and be tourists AGAIN - we wanted to find a nice place to settle down a bit, recenter, find a sense of grounding and belonging once more, and just work and enjoy island life.
But once we arrived (I repeat that we did not do our research), we soon realized that it was going to be rough. It was the hottest and most humid country we had been to yet - having previously traveled in Guatemala, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica during the rainy season. But we love warm weather and I much prefer being hot than cold. ANYDAY.
And then we made more discoveries that made us realize this was a country to struggle in (as residents, not tourists):
A French company has a monopoly on the control of the island’s (Port Vila) generator that provides electricity so you have an exorbitant electric bill at the end of the month
Almost all of the food is imported from nearby countries that are expensive themselves (ie Australia, New Zealand, etc)
During the pandemic, many cars and especially the motorcycles previously rented to tourists were sold so the supply-demand ratio for transportation was terrible with “rich” Australians and New Zealanders coming and paying ridiculously high prices for car rentals because they can and anyway what choice do they have?
The public bus system consists of flagging down any random bus going in the direction you want to go and hoping they will take you where you need to go. There are no fixed hours, no guarantee, and it’s the same rigamarole for going back the way you came. So no guarantee you can get back as easily and it also depends on what time it is. Sundays are especially difficult as this is when most people are having their day off so not many options for travel that day!
The country, culture, and people run on island time meaning that you can wait 45 minutes for a taxi that was supposed to arrive in just 15 minutes so you risk missing your appointment
God help us all if there’s a cyclone coming through…
In a nutshell, we struggled. And we struggled haaaaard. The worst part was that we felt like we weren’t in the right place, we questioned so many things, we struggled to get out of bed in the morning and stick to our morning routines that we love and cherish normally, we weren’t sure of much anymore, and we were mentally exhausted.
But we are glad we went through it because it was a solid month of struggling out of our cocooning comfort zone and once we finally broke free and accepted that we had to go through a hard time, we realized that we had grown. But now we needed to rest and allow our wings to slowly unfurl and spread out.
That is what we wished for our return to Koh Lanta, Thailand - the place we fell in love with months before when we first arrived in Thailand. And we knew that we needed a fast so badly to reset our emotions, our bodies, and our spiritual lives. Because we felt low. And I mean low, low, low.
The Fast and How it Went
So we decided on a 3 day or 72 hour fast. We started out with just drinking water and some juice and as we progressed in our fast and started feeling better we realized how weak we were because we had to have fruit our last 24 hours. And I say this not because it was a bad thing to need to eat fruit during the fast, but because normally we don’t need it.
In fact, during our time in Costa Rica several months prior, we created our own spiritual retreat for the two of us in which we fasted on water and grape juice for an entire week - yes, 7 days of nothing solid in our bellies. And we made it through with incredible mental, physical, and spiritual results. But that’s a story for another time…
So not being able to go 72 hours without solid food was a big wake up call that was necessary because it helped us realize just how low we were and that we needed to be kind and gentle with ourselves. Compassion and self care were on the menu after that.
Once we finished our 3 day fast we felt rejuvenated, refreshed, more self aware, and more in tune with our own bodies and minds. We could listen better to what we needed each day and had an easier time telling if we could push harder or had to take it easy.
Our bodies are absolutely incredible and so good at adapting and resetting when they need it. But for most of us, we struggle with being able to listen to the body’s signals when it wants to tell us that it needs a reset or that it needs something different than what we’ve been doing.
And this is why fasting is such an amazing tool for learning to listen to our bodies which will then help us make the right decisions and do what’s best for our health and wellbeing.
So what even is fasting?
There are many different types of fasting and just as many different reasons to do it. Here are some of them:
Water fast (only drinking water)
Dry fast (not eating or drinking anything)
Juice fast (only drinking pure fruit juice)
Fruit fast (only eating fruit, drinking liquids)
Intermittent fasting (only eating during an 8 hour period of the day and fasting for 16 hours, ie eating dinner and then not eating until the next day at lunch)
Daniel diet (from the Biblical account of the prophet Daniel who only ate fruit, vegetables, legumes, nuts, grains, seeds, and water when he was taken captive by the king of Babylon and was shown to be in better physical & mental health than the other captives who ate the king’s diet)
24 hrs
48 hrs
72 hrs
5 days
7 days
3 weeks
40 days (any number of days really)
And the reasons for fasting are also many:
Physical cleansing of the digestive system (and other systems)
Spiritual reconnection
Non violent action as a protest to injustice (ex: Gandhi)
Enhancing mental clarity
Detoxing after quitting substance abuse
As you can see, the word “fasting” can mean many different things for different people, but the general idea is that you are abstaining from your regular food for a certain period of time.
So why should you try it?
Reason #1: Unbelievable Physical Benefits*
It reduces blood sugar levels and helps with insulin resistance, meaning the body becomes more sensitive to insulin and more readily transports glucose from your bloodstream into your cells. This means you’ll have less spikes and crashes in your blood sugar levels.
It can also improve your cardiac health by lowering blood pressure, triglycerides, and cholesterol. When you fast, you are allowing your whole body to reset and not only the digestive system finds relief.
Although fasting is not a sustainable or beneficial way to lose weight or “diet”, it does help with weight loss because it can boost your metabolism by producing a neurotransmitter called norepinephrine (linked to weight loss) and it also limits caloric intake which is the best overall way to lose weight.
My husband and I have noticed that after a period of fasting, usually one lasting more than 24 hours, our appetites have decreased (your stomach shrinks), we appreciate the taste of our food more, and we have a better body awareness and sense of how much food we actually eat. After a fast we always tell each other, “wow, we really eat more than we need on a daily basis without realizing it!”
Here is what one researcher** says about it: “There are several theories about why fasting provides physiological benefits. The one that we’ve studied a lot, and designed experiments to test, is the hypothesis that during the fasting period, cells are under a mild stress. And they respond to the stress adaptively by enhancing their ability to cope with stress and, maybe, to resist disease. Though the word ‘stress’ is often used in a negative sense, taxing the body and mind has benefits. Consider vigorous exercise, which stresses, in particular, muscles and the cardiovascular system. As long as you give your body time to recover, it will grow stronger. There is considerable similarity between how cells respond to the stress of exercise and how cells respond to intermittent fasting.”
Reason #2: Mental Rejuvenation
During and after fasting, our mental clarity, emotion and stress management, and brain function are always improved. There have been studies done on animals (poor things…) that show fasting has a positive effect on the regeneration of nerve cells which is correlated with neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimers. Once again, allowing your digestive system to rest and reset affects other systems because everything is interconnected.
And this is especially true with the gut-mind connection. Health specialists are realizing this more and more as studies are showing that what goes on in the microbiome of your gut*** (trillions of microorganisms residing in your small and large intestines) directly affects what happens in your mind.
Meaning your emotions, how you deal with stressors, what you believe about yourself and the world around you, coping mechanisms, etc. When you fast, you’re allowing your gut to find that balance between the naughty and nice microorganisms in your gut.
If you especially struggle with gut issues, I would highly recommend taking probiotics not only when you fast but regularly in your daily life in order to promote a healthy balance in your gut.
Reason #3: Spiritual Refreshment
Buckle up. The list is long for this one!
After a period of fasting, I feel like new life has been breathed into my spiritual experience. This “tool” is and has been used in many different cultures and religions for thousands of years for this very purpose (among others). It is a tried and true method that brings about noticeable changes. But how? Why?
As we previously mentioned, your digestive system (or gut or 2nd brain) is clearer and not burdened with its normal heavy load and as we know the mind-body connection is very intimate. So when one is affected, the other is too. And in this case the demand for blood flow and energy that usually goes into digesting our meals is now available for other systems to be used - namely the brain. Our spiritual pathways are clearer and more open. Our brain is able to harness and access that extra energy and blood flow for other purposes.
We also have more time for prayer, meditation, and spiritual nourishment - all that time you spend preparing, eating, and cleaning up after your meals is now available for other activities. And replacing physical nourishment with a spiritual one is absolutely key if you are fasting with spiritual intentions. In our many fasting experiences, the times where we are very hungry and start to think about food more are easily overcome through spiritual nourishment.
I believe this reason to be that as God is the Source of Life, when we spend time in His presence, in true connection with that Divine Love, Light, and Life, we don’t need physical nourishment anymore. Because what is the purpose of food? To renew our energy and our life! So if they are renewed through spiritual means, the purpose has been fulfilled and physical food isn’t necessary anymore in that moment. (Don’t believe me? Reread the story of Moses on Mount Sinai!)
I also believe that we are more than just our physical bodies - we have a spiritual life and being that is housed within this temple that is our flesh and bone. And when our soul is connected with God, our soul temple (the body) is restored and renewed along with our spiritual being.
And when we fast and that spiritual connection is restored, we are reminded of our total dependence on God and a spirit of humility is cultivated. Because when you take in much less or zero food, you realize how weak the body can become and how quickly. It makes you reflect on how blessed we are to have access to all that we need each day for nourishment. This hopefully awakens a thought and a burden for the struggles of those who do not have this unlimited access to food that we do. And maybe that thought will turn into an action of mercy and love to help someone in need and bring physical and spiritual refreshment to them through your action of love.
Fasting makes it very difficult for the ego to be in control. The ego is put back in its small little place within the mind where it should be, because when you fast you are denying self - the flesh. You are denying self satisfaction and reminding your brain and your ego that YOU are in control and YOU make the decisions around here. This in itself is a very healthy practice for your mental and spiritual wellness.
But the list goes on! Fasting also provides a wonderful opportunity to detox from outside negative influences that generate so much clutter and confusing thoughts in the mind. It’s the perfect time to disconnect from social media, the news, anything that drains your mental and spiritual energy and affects a true connection with the real world.
I’ve also found after a fast that I have more interest for and a greater desire for spending time and directing mental energy into spiritual matters. I find myself seeking more spiritual nourishment post-fast by listening to spiritual discussions through sermons and podcasts, and spending time reading and contemplating God’s Word.
And last but not least, fasting increases sensitivity to hearing God’s voice. As I previously mentioned, when we fast the physical and spiritual pathways are cleared, thus making it easier to find a spiritual connection because the body isn’t as heavy and occupied with other things, making more room and energy for other systems to operate. And the spiritual connection I talk about isn’t a one-way street. Through prayer we speak to God, but he wants to speak with us too. If only we would listen.
And the key to listening to God is being still and silent. Meditation is just that. All it takes is sitting down in a semi-relaxed position and asking God to speak to you. In my experience, sometimes He does speak through thoughts and words that just come in and flood my mind and I experience such peace and encouragement from them. It’s not an audible voice I hear, rather it’s God speaking to me within my own mind.
And sometimes He doesn’t speak. I just feel His presence, His love, His arms enveloping me, His light surrounding me and filling me, reaching into every cell of my body and restoring me, letting me know that He is there and He is so happy that I’ve made myself available to spend time with Him. It’s an incredibly powerful and moving experience.
Now that you know about all of these benefits to your physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing, why not give it a try?
If you do, please reach out and let me know how it went and if you have any questions at all please email, comment, or message me on one of my social media platforms! (FYI, I get on Instagram a lot more frequently than the others!)
Have a wonderful, blessed day full of love and joy!
Caroline
* Here is the link to an article which provides links to the studies done to obtain this information - https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fasting-benefits#brain-function
** Click here for more information on their findings: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680567/
*** Check out this article for more information on your microbiome - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/microbiome/#what-is-microbiome
