Dr Jason Fung has just written a very interesting article about fasting:
" Fasting is a time tested and ancient tradition. It has been used not only for weight loss, but to improve concentration, extend life, prevent Alzheimers, prevent insulin resistance and even reverse the entire aging process. There is much to talk about here so we begin a new subsection “Fasting”.
There is nothing new, except what has been forgotten – Marie Antoinette
So the forgotten question of weight loss is “When should we eat?” We don’t ignore the question of frequency anywhere else. Falling from a building 1000 feet off the ground once will likely kill us. But is this the same as falling from a 1-foot wall 1000 times? Absolutely not. Yet the total distance fallen is still 1000 feet. "
All foods will increase insulin levels to some degree. Eating the proper foods will prevent high levels, but won’t do much to lower levels. Some foods that are better than others, but all foods still increase insulin. The key to prevention of resistance is to periodically sustain very low levels of insulin. If all foods raise insulin, then the only answer is the complete voluntary abstinence of food. The answer we are looking for is, in a word, fasting.
The answer to this vexing problem lies not in the latest and greatest diet trend, but in the tried and true. Instead of searching for some exotic, never-before-tried diet miracle, we should focus on ancient healing traditions of the past. The waaaayyyy past. Fasting is one of the most ancient healing traditions in human history. This solution has been practiced by virtually every culture and religion on earth.
Whenever fasting is mentioned, there is always the same eye-rolling response. Starvation? That’s the answer? No. Fasting is completely different beast. Starvation is the involuntary absence of food. It is neither deliberate, nor controlled. Starving people have no idea when and where their next meal will come from. Fasting, on the other hand is the voluntary withholding of food for spiritual, health, or other reasons. It is the difference between suicide and dying of old age. The two terms should never be confused with each other. Fasting may be done for any period of time, from a few hours to months on end. In a sense, fasting is part of everyday life. The term ‘break fast’ is the meal that breaks the fast – which is done daily.
Fasting is one of the most ancient and widespread healing traditions in the world. Hippocrates of Cos (c 460 – c370 BC) is widely considered the father of modern medicine. Among the treatments that he prescribed and championed was the practice of fasting, and the consumption of apple cider vinegar."
Read more of this interesting article here:
https://intensivedietarymanagement.com/fasting-a-history-part-i/
All the best Jan