Fasting is defined as eating sparingly or abstaining from some foods. More commonly we use it to mean that we are skipping meals for a specific purpose. That purpose is often religious or spiritual but nowadays fasting is also used to diet.

For thousands of years, by many eastern and western religions, fasting has been used to purify oneself, to offer penitence and as sacrifice for a desired outcome. 

For thousands of years, by many eastern and western religions, fasting has been used to purify oneself, to offer penitence and as sacrifice for a desired outcome. Here in the Nkomazi many Christians ‘dry fast’ for several days, meaning that they deny themselves both solid foods and water. There is also a three-week fast where people eat only vegetables and liquids, but deny themselves meat. While fasting is not in itself unhealthy, there are certain methods of fasting that are and are not healthy. There are certain rules for healthy fasting that should never be broken. 

1. DRINK WATER! Otherwise you risk dehydration. This is especially true for young children, the elderly, those with a medical illness and anyone in the heat.
   
2. Prior to fasting, one should have a REGULAR, WELL-BALANCED DIET to ensure your own food stores are adequate for your fast. If you are malnourished or unable to have regular meals, you should NOT fast.
   
3. Set a TIME LIMIT prior to fasting. It is unhealthy for anyone to fast and deny oneself solid foods for greater than seven days.
   
4. You must be HEALTHY in order to fast. Do not fast if you are ill with flu or fever, are taking any medications, are diabetic, have liver or kidney disease, are pregnant, are malnourished, have a wasting disease or a weakened immune system like with HIV. If you are worried that any of these apply, please contact a doctor prior to starting your fast.

Some young people are also using fasting as a way to diet and lose weight. While it may seem effective in the short-term, with rapid weight loss, the weight usually returns quickly when the person returns to their usual diet. This is because the weight lost is fluid only and not the desired fat stores. Further, fasting confuses your body. During a fast, it goes into starvation mode. As a result, your body becomes even better at storing every calorie you eat. So when you again begin to eat, you will gain weight. In general, denying oneself food is not an optimal way to lose weight. Rather, a healthy diet with exercise has shown to be the most effective way to loose weight and keep it off. (Nicole Salazar-Austin, Harvard Medical Student)

References:1.www.webmd.com/diet/features/is/fasting

Staying Helath with Nutriron: The Complete Guide to Diet and Nutritional Medicine. By Elson M. Haas M.D.