Introduction

In contrast to people today, our human ancestors did not consume three regularly spaced, large meals, plus snacks, every day, nor did they live a sedentary life. This is one of the key factors as to why in the last 40 years, we have seen an unprecedented increase in disease. When we first start to understand how health, and its opposite disease, work, it can be difficult to accept that for the most part, we are the creators of our own ill health, however this is not our fault! We’re not taught the true impact that inherited and environmental toxicity have on our body.

Nor are we told how detrimental eating (especially processed food) throughout the day can be. Rather than getting to the root cause of our health issue, we are often prescribed medication and told to carry on with our lives without making any lifestyle changes. All of this means you’re not in a position to heal yourself and there is nothing more disempowering than the belief that you cannot help yourself. We’re being called to understand the true causes of disease as well as explore ways of healing ourselves. This is so we need not be reliant on the medical system or pharmaceutical medication. While these are helpful in emergency situations, they are not a sustainable form of healthcare.

Fasting as a line of treatment against disease

The New England Journal of Medicine reviewed over 1,500 different peer reviewed articles. These looked at the effects of intermittent fasting on health, ageing, and disease. All studies show that intermittent fasting improves cognitive and physical performance, positively affects general health, and slows and reverses ageing and disease of all kinds. It concluded that intermittent fasting is a legitimate treatment for conditions like cardiovascular disease, cancer, alzheimers and dementia, obesity and diabetes, asthma, MS, arthritis, and recovery from surgical procedures.

What is fasting?

Fasting is an eating plan that switches between fasting for a period of time, and eating during a specific eating window.

What happens when I fast?

Humans, like other animals, have evolved to function well with intermittent fasting. Studies have shown that intermittent fasting helps: 

• Reduce free-radical production
• Increase energy levels
• Lowers oxidative stress
• Burns fat
• Resets gut microbiome
• Triggers autophagy
• Improves glucose regulation
• Increases stress resistance
• Resets dopamine receptors
• Produces stem cells which help to heal damaged cells
• Suppresses inflammation

Inflammation is the root cause of many diseases such as:

• Arthritis and body aches
• Heart disease
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Stroke
• Asthma
• Eczema
• Autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, & lupus
• Crohn’s Disease and Colitis
• Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
• Parkinson’s disease

6 Different length water fasts

Fasting for different lengths of time have proved to trigger different biological responses, all of which have healing benefits on the Spirit-Mind-Body connection. I’ve broken down the 6 main fasting lengths below so you can choose which length would suit you based on your specific health goals.

15 hours — Cell Regeneration Fast

• Blood sugar stablises
• Body starts to burn fat rather than sugar (ketosis)
• Growth hormone improves which stimulates cell reproduction, and regeneration
• Natural testosterone increases which improves energy levels

17 hours — Autophagy Fast

• Autophagy means your strong cells start eating your weak (disease) cells
• This is great for those with pre-existing diseases as your strong cells will naturally ‘eat’ your weakened cells, helping you to heal
• This is also fantastic for immunity so when virus’ come in, they can’t replicate

24 hours — Gut Repair Fast

• Your intestinal stem cells reboot and start repairing the inner mucosal lining of your gut
• This is great for people with ‘leaky gut’, for those who have taken antibiotics and those who have been on hormonal contraception for years. Please read my article Hidden Dangers of Hormonal Contraception to learn more.
• It’s also good for people who have simply eaten a lot of processed food over the years and want to reset their gut microbiome

36 hours — Fat Burner Fast

• Your body gets into a deeper state of ketosis so this length is great for weight loss
• If you’re ‘weight loss resistant’, this is the fast you want to do every once in a while

48 hours — Dopamine Reset Fast

• You start to reset dopamine receptors, new dopamine receptors are created and a whole dopamine pathway is established
• This is great for people who are experiencing lack of joy in their lives, those with depression, anxiety and to improve happiness

72 hours — Immune Reset

• Your whole immune system is rebooted at 72 hours
• Old white blood cells reduce and a massive influx of stem cells are produced which goes to weakened cells
• This is fantastic for those with cancer as it resets their whole immune system, clearing cancer cells and creating healthier cells
• Great for people with muscular skeletal and chronic injuries as the stem cells will go to the weakened cells to repair them

Longer Fasts  —  7, 14, 21, 28 & 40 days

Once you have experience with 3-day fasts and they have become easy for you, you may be ready to explore long fasts for deeper healing. Fasting up to 7 days by yourself should be fine, but if you intend to fast for longer, I would suggest speaking to your medical professional first. Have them check your vitals and that you’re in a position to carry out longer fasts. It would also be helpful for you seek support and guidance from someone with experience in fasting, which I also offer in my consultations.

When you get into the longer fasts, this can radically transform your life. People have overcome, reversed and cured many common but chronic lifestyle diseases as well as come off medication completely. These longer fasts also open the door to a deeper state of meditation and strengthen your spiritual connection. Longer water fasts are incredible for those with a terminal illness or for those who have had experience in fasting for spiritual reasons and wish to dive deeper.

Bonus – Dry Fasting

Dry fasting eliminates food and water from your diet for a set period. It means you can’t have food or water or even come into contact with water for the duration of your dry fast. Dry fasting allows your immune system to have a complete reset. Without the stress of digestion, your immune system only has to focus on taking care of healing parts of your body that need it. Dry fasting is a more advanced fasting method that only people who have previous experience with water fasts should attempt. In order to carry out a dry fast, you must be fully hydrated at a cellular level before you start dry fasting so you don’t become dehydrated during the dry fast. If you feel ready to embark on dry fasting for deeper healing, I’d like to direct you to the work of Yannick at the Dry Fasting Club. He has been dry fasting for 15 years and has a plethora of information, science and insights about dry fasting. He also has a channel Dry Fasting Club on Odysee that you might like to check out.

Should I fast?

If you have any of the following symptoms, this means the cells are deprived and they will start to degenerate over time. You would definitely benefit from fasting!

• Acne/spots
• Arthritis/joint pain
• Asthma
• Anxiety
• Alzheimers
• Cancer
• Chronic illness
• Cold/flu
• Depression
• Digestive issues
• Eczema/dry skin
• Fever
• Frequent headaches/migraines
• Heart issues
• Endometriosis/Fibroids/PSOC
• High blood pressure
• Overweight/underweight 
• Varicose veins

Should I fast if I’m underweight?

Many people think that if you’re underweight, you should eat more food and not fast when this isn’t always the case. If you are underweight, you don’t need to eat more food, you need a better capacity to digest and assimilate your food. Food and nutrition are not the same thing. You’re not nourished to the amount of food you’ve ingested, but in proportion to how much you digest and assimilate your food.

If you’re underweight, you need a properly functioning detoxified system to be able to digest and absorb the food you eat. When this happens, you will be able to start gaining weight. As fasting results in increasing the nutrition absorption power of an individual, it enables underweight people to gain weight where everything else may fail. It’s natural to lose weight during a fast, but you will regain it and be able to retain it after the fast is broken.

The period of rest to the digestive system provided by the fast, results in better digestion, better nutrient absorption and more economical use of food. After a fast, your tissues are more receptive to food elements and readily assimilate and utilise vitamins and minerals, even in individuals who failed to do so before.

If you’re underweight, you can still fast. But if you’re severely underweight, to the point of being skin and bones, then I wouldn’t recommend fasting as you do need body fat/muscle to safely fast.

Who shouldn’t fast?

If you’re trying to get pregnant, you are pregnant or you’re breastfeeding

• Focus on eating foods that will improve your microbiome such as fruits and vegetables
• A breastfeeding mother should not fast for more than 17 hours as your baby takes your nutrients so you want to restore them through healthy whole foods

People suffering from adrenal fatigue or you’re over fatigued

• You can fast, but it’s best to be slow and methodical when it comes to fasting
• Lower stress levels by meditating, exercising and practising gratitude
• Get into bed before 10pm and get enough sleep
• Stop eating processed sugar
• Start to remove heavy metals from your system. Read my article Detoxing Heavy Metals’ for more information
• Slowly work your way up to 13 hours of fasting and watch your energy levels. Only start to increase your fasting window when you feel you have enough energy to do so

If you’ve been fasting too much

• If you start experiencing hair loss, weight gain or chronic pain, stop fasting for a couple of weeks and don’t exceed 13 hours of fasting
• After a couple of weeks, begin your fasting routine again and you should see the results you want again

If you’ve experienced an eating disorder

Fasting could trigger an old eating disorder so it’s important to listen to your body, and be mindful of what allows you to feel well both physically and emotionally. If limiting your eating window doesn’t support this, it’s not the right path for you

Is fasting for women different from men?

Women still gain all of the benefits of fasting, but there are studies that show women need to be mindful of when they fast and for how long. Below I have highlighted what the research states for fasting for women.

Menstruating women:

• Day 1–10: Practice any length fasting you wish, this could be 13, 15, 17, 24, 36, 48 or 72 hours.
• Day 11–15: Keep fasts around 15 hours. If you stimulate autophagy while your hormones are increasing, you may experience heavy detox symptoms.
• Day 16–19: Practice any length fasting you wish, this could be 13, 15, 17, 24, 36, 48 or 72 hours.
• Day 20 — bleed: No more than 13 hours of fasting. Your body is trying to make progesterone and fasting can stimulate cortisol which we don’t want during this week. Essentially, you don’t want to get into ketosis during this week.

Women who have gone through menopause:

• Fast whenever you like for as long as you like
• Once a week: Only practice 13 hours of fasting or less. Essentially, you don’t want to get into ketosis once a week.
• Consume hormone building foods such as citrus fruits, tropical fruits, squashes, flax seeds and sesame seeds.

What water should I use?

Standard bottled and tap water have either been stripped of its nutrients or treated with 300–600x the amount of chlorine any living being can effectively process. Or it has no silica which every single cell in the body needs. Not all water is equal! According to Dr. Dhiren Gala’s book “World Best Medicine: Water”, it’s best to drink reverse osmosis, distilled with added minerals, spring water or install a water filter to keep hydrated. It’s recommended to drink at least 3L of water a day when on a water fast. When I water fast, I drink 250ml of water every half an hour which tends to take me up to about 6L of water a day.

Is there a difference between juicing and water fasting?

Both water fasting and juicing gives your digestion a break which is a good thing. You can’t go wrong when you give your digestion a break from eating three meals + snacks a day. 

Juicing usually doesn’t allow you to get your blood sugar levels down enough to get into ketosis so you may not lose excess weight if this is one of your goals. However, juicing brings a lot of micro and macro nutrients into your system which is great, and fruit juicing is detoxing as it can pull acidic waste out of your system. Water fasting over 17 hours will turn on all those healing switches highlighted above, it’s great for cellular healing, for getting into autophagy (cellular healing), and for getting into ketosis (fat burning).

Both water and juice fasting have their place. As juice is highly astringent, it can be helpful to move old waste from your colon. But for overall deep healing and weight loss, a fast is your best option. However, starting out with juicing is a great introduction into fasting. It allows you to play with what it feels like to only drink liquids and gives you an influx of nutrients. 

How do I start fasting?

Before you begin fasting, it’s best to increase your water intake, eat more fruits and vegetables, and remove processed foods such as grains, wheat, pasta and junk food. Fruits and vegetables are high in water and will help to hydrate your cells which will make fasting that much easier. If you’re not hydrated enough during a fast, you may experience headaches and other symtoms which may make you think fasting is not good for you. I suggest spending a few months incorporating more high water content food into your diet before you begin to fast as this will set you up for success. 

When you feel ready to fast, work out how many hours you usually and comfortably go without food, and then aim to reach one of the 6 fasting windows that exceed that. If you usually go 13 hours without food, aim to go 15 hours without food and stick to this until you can easily fast for this long.  It’s up to you to choose if you will replace for your first meal of the day with a juice or water. To make life easier for you, perhaps begin with a fruit or green juice to give you enough energy for the morning and once you’ve gotten used to not eating, replace it with water. Then, become accustomed to water fasting for that length of time until you find it easy. 

You can then move up to the next fasting window until this is easy for you keep up. Keep increasing your fasting window until you can comfortably do a 72-hour water fast. Your body gets used to a certain way of life so it’s best to vary your fasting windows rather than sticking to a set routine.

How will I feel during fasting?

This is entirely dependent on each individual and the level of toxicity within your cells. When we first start fasting, we can experience detoxification symptoms such as headaches, aches and pains. As you become more accustomed to fasting, these symptoms should lessen and you’ll find fasting easier and enjoyable.

Challenges may come up during the fast ranging from physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Please know that this is completely normal and in fact a great opportunity for you to face whatever you may have been ignoring. Please ensure you feel equipped to deal with them ignoring what may present itself. Fasting can be difficult to start off with. Nut as you dive deeper and you start to experience the benefits of the practice, it becomes easy, fun and profound when you enter into longer fasts.

Refeeding – how do I break a fast?

Breaking a fast is quite possibly more important than the fast itself! As your digestive system has been turned off during a fast, you need to wake it up slowly. If you try to eat too much, or foods super high in protein or fat too soon, you could overload your digestive system. This will feel extremely uncomfortable and could undo a lot of the great healing you did during your fast. In rare cases, it can cause refeeding syndrome. A complication that result from fluid and electrolyte shifts as a result of aggressive nutritional rehabilitation.

The longer you have fasted for, the longer it will take your digestive system to wake up. For however many days you have fast for, you would focus on intentional refeeding for half the amount of days of the fast. If you have fasted for 21 days, 10 days of refeeding is recommended. The safest order for your digestive system would be to introduce a slow and steady intake of carbs (low GI fruits), then fibre, then fats. Depending on the length of your fast, you may not eat all of these types of food on the same day.

Eat mindfully 

Try to be really present with your first meal and appreciate the realness of what is there for you at this moment. Don’t over indulge, just allow the food to sit inside for a good hour. Feel every aspect of the nature of where you are and that level of gratitude will serve you in life. Each time you fast, your food awareness will heighten and you may become more sensitive to certain foods. You will start to truly feel which foods harm you and which foods heal you.

Consuming the following foods too soon after a fast could make you feel unwell, so please be mindful of this if you choose to eat these again: meat, dairy, salt, processed sugar, oils, onions, garlic, chillies, grains, nuts, too much heavy cooked food, caffeine and alcohol. 

Intuitive eating

One of the best things about fasting is that after some time, you really start to know when you’re truly hungry rather than bored or eating out of habit. Fasting then turns into intuitive eating, which means that you make peace with all types of food. Unlike traditional diets that restrict or ban certain foods, intuitive eating requires you to stop looking at food as good or bad. Instead, you listen to your body and eat what feels right for you.

You might think this means you just eat whatever you want, anytime you want. That’s not the case. Intuitive eating means tapping into your body’s natural ability to tell you when you’re hungry or satisfied. When you eat intuitively, you also let go of the idea that you need to lose or gain weight so you can look a certain way. The idea is to help you focus on foods that work best for your overall physical and mental health.

What are the benefits of fasting?

• Deeper spiritual connection
• Hydrates your body
• Builds a strong immune system
• Improves digestion
• Regulates blood pressure
• Detoxifies your body
• Reduces inflammation
• Aids kidney and liver regeneration
• Improves mental clarity
• Improves vision
• Reduces joint pain
• Helps alleviate depression
• Improves sleep
• Relieves stress
• Increased energy
• Increases happiness
• Increased focus
• Radiant skin
• Promotes hair growth
• Anti ageing
• Balances hormone levels
• Increased vitality
• Weight loss/gain
• Cultivates gratitude
• Maintains good cholesterol levels

As you can see, intermittent fasting and longer fasting is a fantastic way to ward off diseases of all kind!