Fasting for Health: What’s behind the diet trend?

6 min

©westend61

By Alisa Voltermann
June 29, 2020

Why trust us?

Most people are quick to say “No, thank you” to giving up breakfast, lunch, and dinner in favor of drinking nothing but water, unsweetened teas, and the occasional glass of vegetable juice. But the so-called fasting cure is also said to have numerous positive effects – on both physical and mental health. Let’s get into what benefits fasting for health might have for you.

What is Fasting for Health?

A fasting cure is the term for giving up solid food for a fixed, limited period of time for health reasons. This might sound simple at first, but fasting cures also have some important rules. Just not eating for a while won’t do much of anything for your health. During the phase with no solid food, you must drink at least 2.5 liters a day, primarily water and unsweetened tea. In addition, you may consume small amounts of calories through fresh fruit and vegetable juices, as well as freshly made vegetable broth. Your recommended daily energy intake is about 500 calories per day during this phase.

There are different ways to approach a fasting cure: in-patient in a clinic, out-patient under professional supervision, or on your own. You should only do it on your own, however, if you already have some experience with food fasting.

By the way: fasting cures shouldn’t be confused with intermittent fasting, which has also been gaining traction for several years now. To fast intermittently, you alternate short periods of fasting with periods of eating. The most common intermittent fasting method says that a 16 hour fasting period should be followed by an 8 hour period of balanced meals. If you’re interested in this kind of nutritional plan, you can study up on it here: Intermittent Fasting.

Effects of Fasting Cures

A fluffy chocolate croissant in the cafe, cookies with gooey centers from the supermarket, the seemingly healthy granola bar from the shelves at the checkout – tempting snacks await us around every corner. For many people who fast, foregoing regular meals, which are available in abundance today, is a way to jump start a healthier lifestyle. The days in which your body isn’t getting its regular diet are like a reset button for your metabolism. When fasting, it’s important to listen to your body, and not refrain from eating, but also provide your body with the right amount of exercise and sufficient rest.

Wondering who’s the right candidate for a fasting for the health benefits? In fact, a range of people have used fasting cures – always with the aim of both improving their health and strengthening their inner balance. People with preexisting conditions should only fast while under medical supervision by a specialist.

Fasting experts believe that going without food can be beneficial for many people. For example, fasting is supposed to have a positive influence on the health of patients who are overweight and would otherwise develop type 2 diabetes. The list of diseases that fasting cures may help with includes the following:

Metabolic diseases (obesity, diabetes)
Skin diseases (eczema, acne, yeast infections)
Cardiovascular diseases (high blood pressure)
Digestive problems (stomach and intestinal problems such as constipation)
Thyroid gland diseases (hypothyroidism)
Chronic colds

Both men and women can fast. Many women report that a temporary change of diet also has an influence on menstrual disorders and may help alleviate menopausal symptoms.

Even though fasting under supervision isn’t dangerous, there are groups of people who shouldn’t do it. These include pregnant people or those who are breastfeeding, people who suffer from eating disorders, and patients experiencing liver failure.

Wondering how you’ll make it through your fast with nothing but water, tea, and little juice? No need for extra sugar or milk to make these cups of tea refreshing and delicious!

Fasting Process

Before you read any further: This section is not a complete set of instructions for fasting for the health benefits, it’s just designed to give you insight into the schedule involved in a fasting cure. If you really want to get started with fasting to improve your health, you need to talk to a doctor or other medical professional.

Introductory days: The start of a fast usually begins with two to three days of light food and reduced portions to ease the burden on your intestines. Foods appropriate for this phase are rice, oatmeal, steamed vegetables, and small amounts of fruit. Coffee and alcohol, however, are already banned.

Fasting days: During the fasting days, you’re only allowed to consume unsweetened herbal teas, non-carbonated water, and vegetable broth, as well as fruit and vegetable juices. Whole vegetables and fruit are not allowed. Exercise during these fasting days is important: not sweaty HIIT workouts, but relaxing walks instead.

Breaking the fast and reconstructive days: In order to end your fast properly, it’s important to ease your body into it. The fast is usually broken with a grated apple or a boiled potato, in order to avoid putting your gastrointestinal tract under too much strain. On the reconstructive days that follow, you can eat small portions of rice, vegetables, and fruit, so they’re similar to the introductory days. Of course, you’ll continue to drink water and tea as well.

Fasting: How often and, most importantly, for how long?

This is the most frequently asked question when people start to research fasting: How many days should one fast? There is no one answer to this question, because the answer depends on where each person who’s fasting is starting from. The average duration of a fasting cure is between two and four weeks. However, if a person has a low body weight, it might be better to do a cure that only lasts six to eight days – plus one introductory day and three reconstructive days. A one-week fasting period has also proven to be a good idea for healthy people who’re only fasting to give their body a targeted break.

And how often? This question doesn’t have just one answer either. Fasting experts recommend taking this type of break regularly: once a year, for example.

Fasting Cure to Lose Weight

You love your breakfast, can’t go without lunch, and definitely need something sweet before dinner? Food plays an important role in most of our lives. In addition to the extremely wide range of tasty foods, stress and a lack of exercise often gradually lead to becoming overweight. In the fight against putting on the pounds, many people opt for a diet and, for example, cut out carbs with a low-carb diet. It’s not uncommon for people who want to lose weight to see fasting as one way to get quick results. But does it really work? Fasting cures are not intended for weight loss. However, abstaining from food during a fast can inspire you to change your eating habits, so you can make more intuitive and healthier decisions after the fast is over.

As you can see, fasting is about much more than weight loss. If you want to get started on a path to reach your feel-good weight, a change in diet is an important step. But what does a healthy diet look like? And how do you implement changes for long-term weight loss? Get the answers to this and more in our article on how to change your diet.

Side Effects of Fasting

Ever forgotten your breakfast at home or skipped your lunch break because you didn’t have enough time? By the time your stomach is rumbling, at the very latest, you’ll feel slightly dizzy or in a bad mood, and know that you should eat something because your blood sugar may be getting low. During a fast, your body goes through this process for a longer period of time. In addition to the positive effects that fasting can have on your health, you may also experience physical as well as psychological side effects.

In addition to hunger and mood swings, reduced motivation and more listlessness often impacts how much you can get done during the day. For those who menstruate, it’s not uncommon for your cycle to be affected during a fast.

An overview of the side effects that frequently occur during fasting cures:

Dizziness
Mild to severe headaches
Bad breath
Chills
Dry skin
Weakened vision, blurred vision
Bloating due to water retention

Rare side effects that may occur:

Muscle cramps
Mild to severe back pain
Disturbances in electrolyte balance, low sodium levels especially (hyponatremia)
Very low blood sugar level (hypoglycemia)

Fasting: Conclusion

Yes, fasts can have a positive influence on your life and health. It’s not uncommon for people to develop a desire to lead a more balanced life during a fast, because you focus on your own needs and experience eating and drinking in a completely new way. Fasting cures of either several weeks or shorter periods of time may result in improved health, both mental and physical. But it’s also important to note that fasting cures are not for everyone. Before you decide to do a fasting cure, you should definitely consult a medical professional.

Sources for this article

We at foodspring use only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.