In case you are not familiar with it, fasting is the practice of abstaining from food or any drinks for a period of time for religion, health or spiritual purposes. Mostly, that time is then replaced with prayers. However, this practice isn’t limited only to food and drinks. People also give up things in their lives or anything that distract them from God. Each year, millions of Muslims refrain from eating or drinking from sunrise (Sahur) to sunset (Iftar) during the holy month of Ramadan, which lasts between 28 and 30 days. The feast periods and fast periods of Ramadan fasting are each 12 hours in length on average. Fasting isn’t a means by which individuals judge their own spirituality against those in a community. It’s not a measuring stick of how spiritual a person is or isn’t. It is a commitment to spend time with God. It’s a means of seeking God’s guidance and to develop the quality of righteousness (taqwa), inwardly and outwardly, by abstaining from sinful deeds and training ourselves to control our thoughts and desires. Accordingly, fasting is a deeply spiritual practice that is meant to benefit us in body, mind, and heart. I came to learn that during fasting we must be especially careful to guard ourselves against all kinds of sin. Like for example, we should abandon unbeneficial speech, any sexual intercourse and specifically arguing with others. If anyone tries to argue with us while we are fasting, we should simply respond by saying we are fasting.

When one of you awakes in the morning for fasting, then he should not use obscene language or behave ignorantly. If anyone slanders him or tries to argue with him, he should say: Indeed, I am fasting. Indeed, I am fasting. — Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim 1151, Grade: Sahih — the Prohpet.

Is fasting bad for your health?

Sure, fasting is spiritually good for you but does it do more harm, at least physically than good?

Well, during a period without food, the body starts using up its energy reserves in a bid to keep itself working. “The body needs glucose for energy,” — says nutrition scientist Anna Denny.

“During a fast, the first thing that happens is that you use all the available glucose in your body. When your breakfast is digested, the glucose is released into your bloodstream, while the rest will be stored as glycogen. If you don’t eat again, the glycogen reserves will be broken down. After this, you would move on to breaking down your fat reserves and that’s when people lose weight, although this is unlikely to happen in the 12 hours of the fast.” It is reasonable that after fasting all day, there is a tendency to pile food onto the plate. Which can make for uncomfortable health problems. Sales of antacids reach an all-time high during Ramadan. While technically there is no danger to healthy people who fast during Ramadan, many people still feel sluggish without regular food. Research has, not surprisingly, also linked the lack of food and water to increased irritability, changes in mood, and a lack of concentration.

“You may feel headachy, light-headed and lethargic,” — says Denny.

The key to solving the problem is choosing the right foods. — says Nutritionist Andang Gunawan.

Actually, your first choice should always be juices, fruits, and vegetables and then, finally, a normal size dinner. Fasting all day only to over-indulge at night defeats the purpose.

“They’re not fasting actually. They don’t eat at daytime, but they eat a lot in the evening. So, it’s not good, it’s not healthy,” — Gunawan told CNN.

Fasting, she says, is about increasing awareness, savoring the food you eat and appreciating God — not an excuse to overeat.

I fasted for a whole week during the holy month of Ramadan and this is my experience!

Well, I am not a religious person myself, I mean only to promote awareness and acceptance of cultures and practices that may differ from the reader’s personal life. The intention of this article is to be as respectful and honest as possible. The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the words intermittent fasting (IF) is deprivation. It sounds virtually unappealing to a food lover like myself. After doing extensive research, I quickly learned there’s a broad range of benefits associated with trying this fast such as weight loss (especially stubborn lower-belly fat), lowering blood sugar, improving cognitive health and memory, decreasing inflammation, increasing energy, curbing sugar cravings, and better sleep in general.

“If we’re constantly eating, then our body will always be in the ‘fed’ state, which tells our brain we don’t need to use our stored energy aka burn fat. It’s also great to take a break from eating so often so our bodies can focus on other processes, like regulating hormones, decreasing stress, and reducing inflammation”. — says Sydney Axelrod, an NYC registered dietitian at Mount Sinai.

Below is a personal account of my week-long intermittent fasting experience:

Day 1: The strongest headache of my life. I woke up at 7 a.m. this morning out of pure angst at the thought of not being able to eat until the evening. I continued with my daily tasks like always with a decision to utilize my time wisely. In the beginning, I felt a little lightheaded, but I will say it did help calm my mind and take things slowly. After having to take two tests that same day I began to have a strong headache which got only worst but I still kept it through and made it till the end. When It came time to me eating, I ate a Thai peanut chicken salad, chugged water religiously, and snacked while binge watching Netflix the whole evening. I finished my night off by taking some vitamins. And so the first day was accomplished.

Day 2: Extremely thirsty. I woke up at 6:40 a.m. my lips were all chapped and my throat was extremely dry. I was very dedicated in this, so I washed my teeth and used a mouth Freshener which, as weird as it may sound, it worked very well. I felt more refreshed and ready. That day I ate Baked Cheddar Sweet Potato Fritters and drank at least one gallon of water. I had a smoothie as a snack (I am weird, I am a weirdo, okay). I didn’t feel as hungry today as I did yesterday. I made it through day two, I was so proud of myself.

Day 3: Feeling good. I woke up today feeling good! I felt refreshed and well-rested. No headache, no hunger pains. I kept through with my days, feeling all positive like never before. I only saw the positive side of things around me. The fact that I hadn’t had a single urge to eat was impressive enough for me. I broke fast in the evening with a vegetarian full meal- roasted brussels sprout polenta bowls. — YUM — and a lot of water. Lots of it!

Day 4: I was exhausted. I woke up at 5 a.m. (which I usually never do) in so much stomach pain. So much pain, that only made me more annoyed because I was getting up out of my bed every five minutes to use the bathroom. I washed my teeth and called one of my Muslims friends on the phone. I wanted to do something nice and pray for once because it wouldn’t be fair if I never tried it even once. So, he came over, and he told me everything step by step. We prayed and I felt so calm and relaxed. I proceeded with my day as usual and believe it or not I still managed it through. I ate a Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup with Kale, a lot of snacks and drank at least two gallons of water. I felt decent and relaxed.

Day 5: Feeling just fine. I woke up at 6 a.m. with a good feeling. I went for a walk. Continued with my day. I was amazed at how everything was going so smoothly. I was able to increase my weight with no problem, I felt good and positive. No lightheartedness, no faint feeling at all. I’ve drunk a lot this week which is pretty impressive. I had more respect and appreciation for people who do this for weeks than ever, which speaks volumes. Feeling just fine. I broke fast by eating Skinny Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Dip.

Day 6–7: Everything went very smooth Now I felt like everything was under control, it went rather smoothly. The vibes were all positive and I felt lighter and good. I’m more mindful of what and when I eat, which is a game changer. I’ve learned how to control my desires and stay disciplined. I’m enjoying waking up and waiting a little bit before I consume food. There’s something about having an empty stomach for just a little while that makes me more alive and conscious of what I’m eating throughout the day. I also think it’s helped me enjoy my food more. My body is a lot leaner and more toned. I’m sleeping better as well. I can totally understand why fasting has become one of the biggest events in the world because the amazing results are there — there’s no denying it.I am very thankful to God and myself, that at the end of the day I had something to put in my stomach but realizing that there are people in the world who have no options just makes me very sad. So I want to use this article for something positive, every penny which will be made out of this blog/article will be donated for a good cause. You can also donate to End the Hunger right here: https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/donate/save-lives-end-hunger

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