Fasting for Health - Discussion and Benefits

Although some people fast for religious purposes, fasting for health is becoming popular when it comes to finding natural health cures and solutions.

There are good ways and bad ways to fast for health reasons, however, and it's very important that you are safe about it if it's something that you would like to consider.

To begin with, fasting and starvation are not the same thing. When you are going on a fast for health purposes, it is only done for a short period of time, and you have to take care not to get dehydrated as well as ensure that you are getting the essential vitamins and minerals that you need.

Some types of fasting for health should only be done for 24 hours. Water fasting is very popular for patients who are going to have certain types of surgeries. This is important because it clears out the digestive tract so that complications don't develop while the patient is under anesthesia.

According to some, fasting for health should never be carried out for more than a week. Any longer than that and you are not going to experience any health benefits, but you might instead suffer some bad side effects and actually cause damage to your health. Your body needs certain vitamins and minerals, along with proteins, in order to function. If you don't consume protein, then your body will find other ways to get it - namely by breaking down your muscles.

The liver is the organ that acts as the body's detoxification system. The kidneys, skin, and lungs can also remove harmful toxins from our bodies as well.

Some people find themselves with a lot of energy after fasting. However, others find themselves feeling fatigued, achy, and even depressed. These are usually the people who did not consume enough proteins, vitamins, minerals, and calories during the fasting for health protocol.

So can you lose weight using a fasting diet? This very much depends on what diet you choose to use. Although it might feel as though you are losing weight at first, most of the pounds will be from water. If you drink a lot of water and don't eat much, then you will need to urinate a lot. This can help reduce water retention, which can account for a few pounds. If you consume fewer calories, then you can also lose a few pounds.

However, if you fast for too long, then instead of losing weight, you might even find yourself gaining weight, as your body begins to store fat for energy. While that fat might have been burned off in the past, if your body thinks that it won't be getting much in the future, it might try to hold on to what it has.

The idea behind fasting for health is that the body will get rid of harmful toxins, damaged tissues, and dead cells. This will help the immune system and reset your metabolism. Some people also believe that the detoxification process will cleanse the system and repair the digestive tract.

Fasting for health programs have reportedly been helpful for such conditions as arthritis, chronic fatigue, lupus, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and high blood pressure (hypertension). However, if you are considering a fasting diet, then you should consider consulting with your health care practitioner, because it can have adverse affects on some conditions, such as cancer of the liver.

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