<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Exploring uncharted waters &#187; fasting</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.karthikrajg.com/tag/fasting/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.karthikrajg.com</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sun, 28 Aug 2011 15:19:50 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1</generator>
		<item>
		<title>What juice fasting doesn&#8217;t do!</title>
		<link>http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/11/what-juice-fasting-doesnt-do/</link>
		<comments>http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/11/what-juice-fasting-doesnt-do/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:22:20 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Well being]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fasting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.karthikrajg.com/?p=604</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Detox Diets! There are a growing number of people who get sucked into the so-called &#8220;detox diets&#8221;. The concept of detox diets is to remove toxins by following a prescribed method in a period of a few days/weeks. There are a number of procedures that can be followed, for example following a diet regime, eating specific herbs and herb supplements, chelation to name a few. Juice fasting is also considered by many as an excellent method of detoxing the body of its impurities and enable the body to return to its original state! Juice Fasting &#8211; The positives Juice fasting is a novel idea which would work for people who have an addiction towards alcohol, smoking and substance abuse, caffeine, etc. People who feast on chocolates and ice cream, and even people who have a very unhealthy eating pattern and lifestyle can give this a try. The idea of juice fasting is that during the fasting period, the person is allowed to drink only fruit juices of around 1 &#8211; 2 litres a day and is not allowed to eat anything solid. People who advocate this idea claim that this reduces the burden on the digestive system, as fruit / vegetable juice is digested much more easily, thereby reducing strain on the digestive system and diverting that extra energy to other parts of the body. A juice fast would probably help addicts to get rid of their habit &#8211; purely because they mentally believe in it. But considering juice fasting as an alternate therapy to get rid of all toxins that we have built for a year, in a few days/weeks is tough. It is more likely that people who have a very bad lifestyle and eating style, will be interested in detoxing their body using such quick fix detoxing methods. And, these people are more likely to return to their original ways after the detox period is over! Juice Fasting &#8211; The negatives Juice fasting fails in many areas. Fruit juices are naturally very high in sugar and by drinking up to 2 litres of fruit juice a day, one might take in far more sugar than what the body can cope, putting heavy strain on the pancreas to release insulin. Since our daily diets nowadays is fat and carbohydrate rich, juice fasting stresses the system and potentially increases the risk of getting diabetes. The other disadvantage of juice fasting is the lack of vitamins and minerals. Not all vitamins and minerals are found in fruit juices and by just drinking fruit juices for days, our body can run out of essential vitamins and minerals easily. Fibre is yet another important ingredient for bowel movement and is found in raw fruits. The process of extracting the juice, gets rid of fibre completely thereby getting rid of the benefits as well. Further problems associated with prolonged juice fasting include calcium and protein deficiency. Some people could develop kidney problems and other temporary symptoms like vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration, dizziness and low blood pressure. What critics say! Many critics argue that our body is designed to detox itself automatically, for example, when we sleep and there is no real need to detox the body using external means. Some physicists call detox diet as a marketing gimmick, which uses the hastiness of people to lose weight and to be fit in few days! Any better alternates? A better alternate to juice fasting is water fasting for 18-24 hours once every month! The carbohydrate reserve is utilised in this case and that helps the body to start rebuilding the reserves again. By stopping food, the digestive system takes rest while the other parts get more energy. There is no stress on any particular organ during a water fast and at the same time doesn&#8217;t overload the body with sugar. Water helps flush toxins through urine, which is very similar to what fruit juices would do! With juice fasting, there may be hunger, but not weakness, as the body still gets enough energy. Remember &#8211; A litre of juice can provide 500 calories of energy and having 2 litres a day is around 1000 calories per day &#8211; all from sugar and carbohydrates!! The Bottom Line: The only point favour of juice fasting is that we could potentially end up taking in less calories per day, which would then translate to weight loss over a period of time. But if juice fasting is tried for a few days only, then that benefit cannot be seen either. A water fast, on the other hand, for a shorter period of time is a much better alternate to juice fasting for a week. One might lose weight due to the lower calories intake per day by resorting to a juice fast, but remember all the calories taken in are completely made up of sugar. Related posts:The real benefits of fasting51 simple steps to go &#8216;green&#8217;I need some Sleep!!


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/09/the-real-benefits-of-fasting/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: The real benefits of fasting'>The real benefits of fasting</a></li><li><a href='http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/11/51-simple-steps-to-be-green/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: 51 simple steps to go &#8216;green&#8217;'>51 simple steps to go &#8216;green&#8217;</a></li><li><a href='http://www.karthikrajg.com/2010/05/i-need-some-sleep/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: I need some Sleep!!'>I need some Sleep!!</a></li></ol>]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/11/what-juice-fasting-doesnt-do/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The real benefits of fasting</title>
		<link>http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/09/the-real-benefits-of-fasting/</link>
		<comments>http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/09/the-real-benefits-of-fasting/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:14:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Well being]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fasting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Development]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.karthikrajg.com/?p=66</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As science and technology improved in the past 50 years many old beliefs turned irrational in our opinion. That included the concept of fasting or in general terms abstinence from food. But surprisingly there has been shift in the past decade or so &#8211; one reason could be the interest of weight loss programs to promote controlled fasting to their customers. But, people in general are getting more aware of what fasting is and are more interested in understanding how it helps them lead a healthy life. There have been many studies funded to understand the effects of fasting on human body and most of them have provided very promising results. So where did it start? Almost all early texts related to various religions &#8211; the Bible for the Christians, the Quran for the Muslims and the Gita for the Hindus &#8211; carry references to fasting. Each of the religions prescribe a set of rules to be followed while fasting. The spiritual benefits of fasting are soul cleansing and a feeling of togetherness with god. People feel emotionally attached towards god when they fast and they feel that they have surrendered their body to the holy spirit. This, many feel, helps and enables them to learn more about life and its purpose. Biological Benefits: It is not just the spiritual benefits that make people fast nowadays as there are many biological benefits associated with it. When one starts fasting, the digestive system shuts down as there is nothing to digest and all the energy that is generally used by the organs that digest is available for free to the rest of the body. The body after sensing that there is no food input, switches to conservation mode and runs slower than it generally does. The metabolism rate comes down so does the heart rate. I have measured heart rates of 50 beats per minute just before i finish a fast. The body temperature comes down as well so that more energy is saved in order to keep the body going for long. Another important thing that happens is the discharge of glucose reserves. The body stores glucose in the liver and the muscles as a back-up so that the internal organs will not starve when there is no food. As many of us eat 3 (or more) times a day, the liver and the muscles do not get the opportunity to burn the stored glucose. This stored glucose is released during fasting and is rebuilt again as we start eating food the next day. Remember, the glucose store is like a battery. One needs to discharge and recharge a battery regularly to be assured of longevity &#8211; same applies to the human body. // Fasting also helps release toxins in the body, de-clogs arteries and helps in delaying diabetes and slows down cell ageing. Providing the mental strength to control hunger is an additional benefit of fasting. How to do it? There are many suggested ways to follow it especially if you follow a religion. But biologically fasting can be very useful if done for 18-24 hours without any food but with lots of water. Water is very important to keep the body hydrated. I once tried fasting without having any water for 20 hours and my blood pressure shot up when i completed the fast. You don&#8217;t want that to happen and so take in as much water as possible. Water also helps flush toxins through urine. Typical frequency of fasting is once a month while i have seen people do it once a week. I think it is a subject of preference. I prefer to fast once a month and believe that my body rebuilds its reserves for the rest 29 days. But if you think you would feel comfortable by fasting once a week then go for it. How not to do it? Not getting too excited about fasting and having a sudden change in eating patterns must be avoided. Fasting should be considered as a normal activity and not something that is special and so no specific change in living patterns are required. But, one should monitor the body for symptoms such as high blood pressure and dizziness constantly and try compensate for it. If you think you body cannot take 18 hours of fasting (especially the first few times) then break the fast immediately. Try increasing the time slowly month by month till you achieve 18 &#8211; 24 hours with ease.  I generally try and conserve energy while I fast by not doing heavy physical exercise and that has always helped me. How to complete a fast? Also one of the things I learned the hard way was to finish a fast. Never eat anything heavy while completing the fast. The digestive system would have been shut down during the fast and when there is a sudden inflow of food to digest, the blood pressure shoots up. Ensure that more vitamins and minerals are eaten along with good amount of carbohydrates  and protein. It is always alluring to eat more when one completes a fast but try not to overeat. Who should not fast? People with medical conditions and pregnant women should not try to fast without the opinion of their doctor / practitioner. Diabetics &#8211; especially Type I diabetics are affected by minor changes in the blood glucose level and should avoid fasting. It is always better to check with your doctor before you start this habit to ensure it will not do any harm to your body. Related posts:What juice fasting doesn&#8217;t do!Blood Donation &#8211; Is that for me?I need some Sleep!!


Related posts:<ol><li><a href='http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/11/what-juice-fasting-doesnt-do/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: What juice fasting doesn&#8217;t do!'>What juice fasting doesn&#8217;t do!</a></li><li><a href='http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/10/blood-donation-is-that-for-me/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: Blood Donation &#8211; Is that for me?'>Blood Donation &#8211; Is that for me?</a></li><li><a href='http://www.karthikrajg.com/2010/05/i-need-some-sleep/' rel='bookmark' title='Permanent Link: I need some Sleep!!'>I need some Sleep!!</a></li></ol>]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.karthikrajg.com/2009/09/the-real-benefits-of-fasting/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>6</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>

