When it comes to fasting, there are plenty of myths out there.
The idea that fasting is unnatural is one of those myths. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Let’s look at some facts that will hopefully help you to see that fasting is the most natural thing in the world.
The opposite is true
Eating around the clock is actually what is unnatural to the human body.
And this is why so many are suffering with obesity and metabolic diseases.
Because constant insulin spikes and a body that is always in fat storage mode is not natural at all.
The body already knows how to fast
When you go to sleep at night
You go all night long without eating while you’re sleeping.
So you’re already fasting for a big chunk of your 24 hour day.
That’s why we have the word breakfast … it literally means “to break your fast.”
And guess what? It’s natural.
When you’re not feeling well
Ever had a cold or a flu and you just couldn’t eat? The thought of food made you queasy.
You might have gone for days with little to no food, and yet you were fine.
This is because the body knows that you don’t need food at this time. You need healing.
Stressful situations
If you’ve ever been through a very emotional or stressful event, you might not have felt like eating.
You probably had to actually make yourself eat something eventually.
Again, that’s because fasting is a very natural thing and the body knows how to do it automatically.
Medical tests
At some point in your life you’ve had a medical test scheduled and been instructed not to eat for a certain amount of time prior to the test.
You might not have been happy about that, but guess what? You survived just fine.
Our ancestors didn’t eat around the clock
Our early ancestors had periods of feasting, followed by periods of fasting.
And that’s what our bodies have evolved to do.
But I hear you, that was then – we’re not living in caves anymore.
But even our not so distant ancestors weren’t constantly snacking.
That’s why you don’t see a lot of obese people in those black and white photos.
But these days people are constantly eating. Food is everywhere, it’s easy to get to.
We’re keeping insulin and blood sugar levels high, storing more and more fat, and doing more and more damage to the body.
And it’s utterly unnatural.
Take a hint from the animal kingdom
Look at animals in the wild.
They don’t get fat. They eat, and then they don’t eat. Sometimes they don’t eat for a long time.
And you would be hard pressed to find an animal in its natural habitat that is obese. It just doesn’t happen.
What you will find though, is that when an animal is domesticated, now you will start to see animals that are overweight.
Why?
Because now they’re being fed by humans who don’t even know how to feed themselves the way nature intended.
They’re not being allowed now to follow their natural feasting and fasting instincts.
We’re no different than animals in the sense that we have a built-in, natural instinct to feast, and then fast.
The problem is we’ve ignored that instinct to the point that it now feels unnatural to us.
Consider this
If fasting were so unnatural, why would people get the awesome results that they do?
Why would we see people reaching their weight loss goals?
Why would we see metabolic diseases improved and even reversed?
Why would people feel so good when they fast?
The body loves fasting because it is natural to the body! And that’s why we see those results.
You don’t have to be afraid of fasting
Keep in mind that most myths come from either fear or just a lack of knowledge.
And there’s no scientific data to back up the myth. That’s why it’s called a myth and not a fact.
We hope that you will incorporate some form of fasting into your lifestyle. Your body will thank you for it!
Author: Roo Black
Roo is a fasting coach with over 5 years of experience. She leads the admin team of the Official Fasting for Weight Loss Facebook group – one of the largest fasting communities on social media with over 125,000 members. We highly recommend this group for anyone who is looking for fasting advice or coaching.
