Intermittent fasting: something new?

We find it fascinating when something gets introduced to us from a foreign land. Be it fashion, culture, a trend, or a diet! The pride in being local is yet to thrive in us. The Prime Minister of the country called in us to be Vocal for Local. The call is not just a voice, it’s a cry for long standing dues for the richness of our practices, our arts, our culture and most importantly for the pride in our own people for what we were and what we are.

Intermittent fasting in its various shades & colours have are being received with wide eyes in India.  Intermittent fasting is not new to us; every religion in India has age old practises of fasting either for a day in a month, or for couple of days in a week, or for a whole month!

I first evidenced intermittent fasting as a child, when I saw my grannies and my parents fast on certain days of the month or change their routine and eat at stipulated time either post seeing moon or eat restricted food items throughout the day.  Ekadashi was one such day in Hindu calendar that we fast entirely and eat meal only next morning! This comes every month and kept all the diseases at bay along with spiritual detox! Similarly, we see a different type of intermittent fasting during Ramzan and Lent month followed by other communities.

There is various type intermittent fasting like 16:8 type where you eat within 8 hrs in a day and fast for 16 long hours, the other type is alternate day fasting with total fasting followed by a normal routine. Another type of fasting is skipping meal in a day with normal routine etc…

Internet is filled with benefits of fasting, yet let me tell you! At a cell level, it helps in a process called autophagy(self-eating) and reduce stress causing agents and increases life span. Well this was ‘discovered’ and given a noble prize. We can imagine our ancestors turning in their grave looking at things being ‘discovered’ after they learnt and followed it for thousands of years! Wish we had taken interest in researching into our own long followed traditions and documenting it to show the world that they owed this and many more things to us!

 Let us take country like Japan and China, they have highest number of people above the age of 100. This is because they use traditional medicine, document it and teach to their next generation. This trend is not so cool among our current generation and for every small health variation we rush to the doctors or self-medicate. We don’t let the body learn to heal with what it can, and end up consuming quick heal medicines which traps us in a cycle of ‘fall sick-quick heal-fall sick’!

Fasting is best done as per the individual’s convenience and with right guidance than influence of internet! Follow the type of fasting done in your religion but not with feast and then fast nor with fast and then feast or take the right guidance.

Our country has the treasure that we never cared to dig in. Our ancestors lived close to nature and discovered ways to heal and deal with the requirement of human body, soul and mind. The real cure for our mind and body is to get back to our roots and find the right medicine or just the right way to live. That includes to a great extent to listening to the body and its vital signs on an everyday basis, rather than when the mirror shows a remarkable change or when we let our body go for a spin thinking that it can handle everything we stuff inside!

Do ask your queries and let me know your opinion!

Let food be thy medicine.

Achi