Fasting: Make it a Regular Habit

When I first started eating according to the The Maker’s Diet I followed it to the letter, beginning at phase 1, fasting on the fourth day, and progressing to phases 2 and then 3. But over the past couple of years I have not fasted once as Jordan Rubin recommends. According to Rubin’s research, fasting has aided and even cured those with severe illnesses. I was reminded recently of the importance of giving the digestive system a “day of rest.”

Rubin recommends a “partial fast” in his book, which includes abstaining from eating or drinking anything except water, small amounts of home-squeezed organic vegetable juice (not fruit), or kombucha (or other lacto-fermented beverage) for one whole day, except for a small, easily digestible meal in the early evening. That small evening meal can include any few of the following in minimal portions: meat, poultry, fish, raw cheese (only raw or cultured dairy products – no sugar), eggs, vegetables, fruit (no fruit juice), sprouted or soaked breads or grains, lacto-fermented beans or lentils, etc.

The point is to relieve the hard-working intestinal tract, and give it a day off. During this day of fasting, Rubin recommends taking 2-3 doses of Garden of Life’s Super Seed Fiber Powder (available at Vitamin Shop and OFD). This special fiber powder is unlike anything else on the market. It is predigested through a sprouting process, making it easy for the body to break down. I do not recommend taking any other fiber powder but Super Seed while fasting. Commercial fiber powders, pills, capsules, etc. are not predigested and put undue strain on the intestines, so it is best to avoid them completely.

This past week I decided to re-implement a weekly day of partial fasting as Rubin suggests. I did this particularly because, despite my healthy eating, I have been feeling bloated, excessively hungry, and digestively uncomfortable at times. I chose Sunday as my fasting day, particularly because as a natural break in my routine, I figured it would be easier to go without food on a day when I am resting anyway.

As a result, the very next day, I found that my appetite had decreased back to what it should be (in essence my stomach had shrunk a bit), I was no longer bloated, I no longer craved certain foods (even natural sweetners), and my digestive system became more regular. Overall, I feel fantastic!

I highly recommend that even if you are a healthy eater that you consider doing a weekly day of at least partial fasting. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to implement this as a part of my regular routine. Try it. You’ll be surprised how much good it will do you!