Melondy Phillips
Staff Writer
Fasting, or periods of abstaining from eating, has been a normal part of cultures worldwide throughout history. Only in perhaps the last hundred years has it fallen to the wayside. The more science reveals the health benefits of giving our digestive system a rest from eating, the more trending modern-day fasting becomes.
Over the years, I have engaged in intermitted fasting before I even knew there was a name for it. Now-a-days there must be a name for everything – 12:12, 14:10, 16:8, OMDA (only one meal a day), 2 day fast, 7-10 day fast, dirty fasting, and the list goes on.
In addition to common intermitted fasting, I have also completed 1 day, 2 day, and 3 day fasts, all of which had desired positive results. This time I thought I would go longer since I had read so much about how easy it is after the second to third day when ketosis has been fully reached. Once ketosis and autophagy are fully reached, the body starts to pull from reserved fat stores and recycles damaged cells, working more efficiently, which greatly reduces the need to eat throughout the day. Some of the benefits of this stage of fasting are clarity of thought, fewer to no hunger pains, reduced inflammation, better focus, as well as many others. But not everything goes as expected.
To determine what was “officially” considered fasting, I did quite a bit of research. Some experts say any calorie intake will break a fast while others allow up to 200 calories per day, referred to as “dirty fasting.” The overwhelming majority of studies completed seem to reveal that around 10 calories per day is such a minute amount that it will not break a fast as long as it is nearly zero in carbohydrates. This allows those who are fasting to have plain coffee, tea, or a bit of lemon juice in their water, for a splash of flavor and electrolytes.
Day 1:
I woke up and attended to my normal chores and routine with the exception of one. Since plain coffee is commonly acceptable during a fast, I made a cup. I do enjoy adding things to my coffee and was not very fond of the taste. I tried watering it down a little since it was bitter but that didn’t work either, so I ended up only drinking about a fourth of a cup.
It isn’t uncommon for me to skip all food until mid-day at which time I’ll turn into a “grazer,” eating a small amount of food multiple times throughout the day and ending with a large (for me) dinner.
Around 12:30 p.m., my stomach was ready for its normal snack but didn’t receive any. It protested by growling at me. Earlier that day we had harvested some grapes which I started washing and turning into juice. There were also some jars of beans that had been canned the night before and needed washing and labeling. Needless to say, I had food in front of me wherever I turned. Some mental aerobics went into reminding myself that I was on a fast instead of giving into the habit of snacking.
Drinking plenty of water is essential to preventing dehydration, especially while fasting. However, drinking a lot of water can flush crucial electrolytes from the body. The magnesium supplement I normally use is sweetened with stevia and I didn’t want to take a chance that it would slow down or prevent me from achieving ketosis, so I did not use any. Instead, I used a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of aluminum free baking soda to my water. The taste was surprisingly pleasant.
While my family fended for themselves for dinner, I hid in another room with a handheld game device trying to distract myself from the ever-increasing protest from of my stomach. Later, while settling into bed, my loving husband showed me pictures of some delicious looking meals he had found online.
Day 2:
I woke up with a bit of a headache which was most likely due to a major reduction in coffee the day before. Other than that, day two began about the same as day one except I didn’t want the nasty plain coffee at all.
There were still grapes left from the day before, so we went to finish harvesting them. About two hours into the day, my stomach began audibly telling me it wasn’t happy that it had been forgotten the day before. How dare I forget! After returning home, I had a small amount of the plain watered down coffee (eww) which quickly dissipated the hunger pangs.
My stomach growled off and on several times though the day but the biggest challenges were withdrawal cravings and the habit of snacking.
By the evening of day two, I started crashing, bad. Even though I could barely keep my eyes open, there was still work to do. As dinner time approached, the hunger pangs grew in intensity and my eyes were beckoned to every bit of delectable morsel nearby.
The taste of my toothpaste was the highlight and comfort of my day.
Day 3:
Detoxing started to kick in on day three; weak, extreme tiredness, nauseous, shaky, irritability, chest hurting, and out of breath every time I stood up. This is when it is good to just rest, let the body heal. However, my husband wanted me to go ginseng hunting with him since the season was nearly over.
While driving around we stopped at a store to pick up a few minor supplies. While there, he bought some donuts. My favorite Amish donuts! Really? The smell lingered in the air, beckoning me.
Once we got to a location for hunting the ginseng, we walked downhill for about 30 minutes. The whole time I was thinking, “I haven’t eaten in 3 days. I’m already exhausted, cranky, hungry, and short of breath. It’s going to take forever to get back up the steep incline. How long do we need to be here? How many donuts did he just eat? On a good note, this was our first ginseng hunt and we did find some! Woohoo!
This was a difficult day.
During this time, I was also doing some additional research about fasting. Honestly, I was looking for anything that I might be able to enjoy without “breaking the fast.” Here are some things I learned.
While some experts say anything other than water will break a fast, many others suggest that up to 200 calories a day is ok since it would be quickly used up. With that said, the overwhelming majority of opinions fall around 10-50 calories and less than 2 grams of carbohydrates being ok for staying on a fast.
People fast for several different reasons. My goal during this was to achieve autophagy. According to Dr. Berg, the biggest trigger of autophagy is fasting but there are several other ways to initiate it as well. In one of his videos, he also states that if you consume vegetables rich in phytochemicals that it will enhance autophagy, not inhibit it.
Sulforaphane, found in cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, is a powerful phytonutrient. Cabbage only has about 13 calories and one gram of carbohydrates per cup. Once cabbage is turned into homemade sauerkraut (store bought is usually pasteurized and dead) the phytonutrients become more bioavailable and are known for their anti-cancer properties.
Combining the powerhouse of non-pasteurized homemade sauerkraut with fasting multiplies the effects as they work in synergy.
Calculated out about 1/2 cup of sauerkraut has around 13 calories and 3 grams of carbohydrates. If 1/2 cup equals 8 tablespoons that means 1 tablespoon has around 2 calories and less than 1/2 gram of carbohydrates. This is well under the 10 calorie and 2 grams of carbohydrate limit to stay within a fast.
I have homemade sauerkraut in the refrigerator so at around the 72 hour mark I got about a teaspoon of it (1/3 of a tablespoon). I savored each and every individual strand. It was amazing!
Day 4:
Other than a bit of a headache and some leg cramps I woke up much more refreshed. Instead of coffee, I made an herbal tea with hibiscus and dandelion leaf. The dandelion has always helped with my leg cramps due to the potassium. It doesn’t taste very good on its own without honey, so the hibiscus helped a lot with flavor. Hibiscus also has many medicinal properties.
We headed to a family member’s home to celebrate an early birthday, complete with birthday cake. On the drive there we stopped at a convenience store. Everyone, but me, bought sour cream and onion chips. It smelled up the whole car! I love sour cream and onion. Although my stomach was no longer growling and I was not actually hungry, I ate two strands of the sauerkraut I had brought with me to pacify the food craving.
Late that night around the 100-hour mark and just before bed, I broke the fast with some homemade bone broth. It was sensational and I delighted in every tiny sip.
What I learned:
• I realized that hunger is not the main driving force for most of my eating. I am just addicted to food and in the habit of eating. This is an issue I will need to address.
• Not every fast is suited for every person. There are many different types of fasting with a range of benefits for each. Just a few are 12:12, 16:8, 20:4 (the Warrior Diet), and OMAD (one meal a day). The first time frame of each is a fasting window where you only consume water. The second number is the hours each day you can eat. Some help mainly with weight loss while others help digestion and support the mitochondrial well-being and brain health.
• I think I’ll stick to intermitted fasting and focus on high quality healthy homemade foods. Foods like lacto-fermented vegetables, breads made with freshly ground flour, and raw milk from reliable sources are high on the list. I love making all kinds of breads and pastries with freshly milled grains. Not only do they taste superior to store bought items but my body thanks me for the high nutritional load they deliver. Also, there load they deliver. Also, there are not many things that can beat the taste of home canned foods made from fresh produce from local sources or being able to collect farm eggs, honey and fresh herbs from the back yard. There is something very peaceful about that type of lifestyle even though it can be more work. A simple life isn’t always “simple.”
• When fasting, not only does metabolism drop but thyroid function may also slow down. With a change in routine, I forgot to take my thyroid medicine for two days in a row which may be the biggest reason why I felt so tired. I have completed three-day water only fasts before and not felt as tired. If you have thyroid issues, I suggest caution with fasting.
• Drink a lot of water with a pinch of sea salt and aluminum free baking soda. On day 5 both of my ears were clogged due to getting dehydrated. They both cleared about an hour after drinking a pint of that mixture.
• Detoxing may continue for a few days after completing the fast.
• Just for the record, my husband was not intentionally tormenting me with food. He is just addicted to food as well and felt bad every time he forgot that I was fasting. He is also doing well at losing weight on his own kind of diet.
