When an animal is sick, it stops eating. This seems to be a natural instinct. Why?
Because we use the majority of our energy for digesting our food, maybe around 70 percent of our available energy.
Basically if you don't use most of your energy for recycling food in your system, it can be used in another way: for healing and addressing all kinds of health issues, removing toxins.
If the system is working uninterruptedly and never gets a break, it doesn't have the necessary energy to tackle deeper problems, it can barely try to maintain the process of digestion.
And you have to bear in mind that usually we always accumulate toxins, from all kinds of sources outside and inside, some caused by the sheer overcapacity of our system and organs and others from environmental toxins, toxins contained in food or a disadvantageous diet.
And, when we are mentally and emotionally unstable or unhappy, the organs and cells themselves produce toxins. It is as if the poisons of the mind also manifest in a physical way and affect our physical wellbeing, our body and organs.
If we live for a longer time with suppressed emotions or unhappily, this can lead to chronic diseases, physical problems and organs not working properly.
Our body and organs are more than mere matter or physical material. Actually and also in my experience the body and the organs like liver, kidneys, guts etc. store information, especially unresolved and traumatic experiences.
These traumatic informations are connected to these organs and cells and will stay there until they are resolved.
And when they are resolved, physical and mental healing can occur simultaneously.
So as an approach for healing I think it makes sense to address these problems from two sides, from a mental/emotional standpoint and at the same time from a physical standpoint, applying the right diet, not overeating and exercising.
Our body is an amazing healer if we let it do its job. When we give the body a break, when we give the digestion system a break, the body will address and tackle many health issues and remove toxins. Even chronic illnesses can be overcome, especially if there is a growing awareness of which food the body really wants and which diet is rather harmful for you.
The purpose of fasting is not to punish yourself or to abstain from tasty food. That would be quite useless!
So it took me nearly 40 years to give my body a break and interrupt the endless cycle of eating and digesting and to develop more awareness of the relationship between food and my wellbeing. For me this was quite a special experience! When I fasted, I could definitely feel the extra energy and vitality after the initial sensation of hunger was overcome. And I could also feel that my body was grateful to me for being more considerate and listening to its signals.
Understanding what the body really wants and needs is very important. This kind of clarity and sensitivity can be easily obscured by eating habits and attachments to certain types of taste.
After my experience of a few times fasting and after reconsidering what I really like, my notion of what is tasty has definitely changed.
Once I had experienced the profound effect of food on the body, energy levels and the mind ( this includes also the right amount and timing of eating), foods that are pure, fresh and nutricious seemed more attractive and foods that made me feel heavy, unbalanced and tired gradually seem less interesting.
If healthy, happy and tasty go hand in hand, this is ideal!
And finally, after mentioning the connection between food, digestion, energy, health and emotions, I think there is also a connection to spirituality.
A healthy, happy being can also be open in a spiritual way, to god, the universe, the absolute, however you call it.
Sickness, a disturbed mind and weakness tend to narrow our minds and we concentrate too much onto ourselves.
Basically, if you want, think about it and experience for yourself!