DO YOU NEED TO FAST?

Fasting is one the the oldest tricks in the book!

Even religion, a large part of traditional lifestyle, includes fasting.

When we look at traditional balanced diets, we don't generally see an avoidance of foods like meat, dairy or grains, we see proper preparation methods and bouts of fasting to allow the body to fully digest and recover.

Many of us eat before the last meal has moved on- from the stomach even! For example check out this chart, courtesy of this Youtube channel.

Now, obviously this varies from person to person and how active we have been.

Animal foods are similar to the grain section, they can even reach 22 hours to leave the system.

THINK ABOUT YOUR OWN LIFESTYLE

• Do you eat 3 times per day?

• How late do you finish?

• What sorts of food do you consume later in the day?

• Are your foods digesting during your sleep?

• Are you ever, not digesting?

• Do YOU have ama? (lingering waste)

TRY THIS?

• Try a simple fast by eating an early dinner and then a late breakfast on the following day.

• Separate your meals by fast, aka NO SNACKING! This is a great way to make sure your meals are getting a chance to digest without disturbance.

• Try getting outside as early as possible in the morning to fuel your body with fresh air, get your blood circulating.

• Try a fasted workout in the morning to ensure the waste from the previous day has had a complete chance to evacuate.

• Watch-out consuming too much caffeine during your fasts, it can put our body in a nitrogen imbalance (protein deficiency) when consumed in excess.

• Check out information and ask around about intermittent fasting, the idea where you allow yourself a period/window of time to eat and the rest of the time just water.

HOW FASTING HAS IMPACTED MY LIFE:

Fasting has changed my perspective on meal consumption. Being an athlete my whole life, I am known to have a BIG appetite!

One day, I decided to give intermittent fasting a go. This made me think twice about the food on my plate, because if my meals weren't balanced and wholesome, I was starving during my fasting hours. This taught me how to fast without stressing my body. Raising cortisol in a fasting window is not healthy for your body! It defeats the purpose!

With a longer fasting window in between meals, and especially a fasted workout in the mornings, I was able to consume more protein-dense and fat-dense meals. It has also helped me understand how carbohydrates fuel my body with immediate energy, eventual long-term energy, but also have the power to crash me physically and emotionally.

Over time it has become easier for me to identify real food and spot the other "foodstuff" that just fills the space and tastes good, but provides less nutritional value.

Above all, I have taken the opportunity to master homemaking skills like crafting health foods such as yogurt, kombucha, and homemade sprouts. We have learned how to ferment our favorite veggies as garnish, prepare our sauces, dips, and dressings, and ultimately pull together the love of preparing our own meals from scratch.

Please note, I do not intermittent fast every day! I like fasted morning workouts sometimes when my schedule allows for it. I love a late full coursed brunch! That being said, I do not snack in between meals, except for after bouts of intense physical activity. We eat 2-3 balanced meals per day, and with the last meal, I sometimes have dessert.

-Samantha