Health Benefits of Fasting

History of Fasting

The history of fasting can’t have a beginning point because there’s no reason to think that early man did not fast in the normal course of his existence; every other animal, even today, will fast during times of stress or illness, and sometimes even at the slightest uneasiness. It is a natural tendency for the organism, whether human or animal, to seek rest, balance, and to conserve energy at critical times.

Herbert Shelton (1895-1985), the physician who supervised the fasts of over 40,000 people in this century, wrote “Fasting must be recognized as a fundamental and radical process that is older than any other mode of caring for the sick organism, for it is employed on the plane of instinct…”
Colbin Quote on Fasting The early great philosophers, thinkers, and healers used fasting for health and as healing therapy. Hippocrates, Plato, Socrates, Aristotle and Galen all praised the benefits of fasting. Paracelsus, one of the three fathers of Western medicine, is quoted as saying, “Fasting is the greatest remedy–the physician within.” Early healing arts recognized the revitalizing and rejuvenating power fasting promoted. To crown it all Jesus Christ himself fasted for 40 days and 40 nights.


Early religious and spiritual groups used fasting as a part of ceremonies and rites–most often during spring and fall equinoxes. Today, every major religion practices fasting for various spiritual benefit.
The combination of fasting and praying is not a fad or a novelty approach to spiritual discipline. Fasting and praying are not part of a human-engineered method or plan. They are not the means to manipulate a situation or to create a circumstance. Fasting and praying are Bible-based disciplines that are appropriate for all believers of all ages throughout all centuries in all parts of the world.

Through the years, I have learned that many people in the church have never been taught about fasting and prayer, and many have therefore never fasted and prayed. As a result, they don’t know any reason why they should fast.

Intermittent fasting or going without food
Despite the spiritual benefits of fasting and prayer, intermittent fasting or going without food with or without accompanying prayer has got numerous health benefits which is the focus of this essay. fasting during certain period of the year or time.
1. Enhance Immune system and Longevity: there is no controversy on the fact fasting is beneficial to our overall immune system and enhances longevity. This is moreso that calorie-restriction is proven to prolong lifespan. In fact, intermittent fasting is almost like a silver bullet against disease and aging. Basically, these groups of people would refrain from eating for almost a day, only consuming water.

2. Intermittent fasting can enhance grow hormones.
How does Intermittent Fasting help one to grow taller?

Promoting human growth hormone (HGH) production: Research has shown fasting can raise HGH by as much as 1,300 percent in women, and 2,000 percent in men,2 which plays an important part in health, fitness, and slowing the aging process. HGH is also a fat-burning hormone, which helps explain why fasting is so effective for weight loss

Reduce Brain Insulin
Firstly, intermittent fasting or skipping meals can help reduce brain insulin level. Insulin is a peptide hormone, produced by beta cells of the pancreas, and is central to regulating carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. Insulin causes cells in the liver, skeletal muscles, and fat tissue to take up glucose from the blood. Therefore with reduced insulin level, a person’s body have lesser fat, and this can aid the process of growth and development a lot more efficiently, which is necessary for growing taller.

Increase in Growth Hormone Level
Secondly, intermittent fasting can increase growth hormone production significantly! It is known and studied that people who ate only 2 big meals in a day, and fasted, tend to be healthier and stronger, and in some cases taller! For example.
The Maasai people of Africa generally eat two meals a day – in the morning and at night. The Masai are exceptionally tall people and some of the healthiest that Weston Price observed in his study of traditional peoples in the early 1930s.
Clearly, their bodies don’t lack nutrients. They eat plenty of food at meal time. They aren’t calorically or nutritionally deprived. They merely condense their intake between longer intervals.
Intermittent fasting does not significantly reduce calories. In fact, the object of intermittent fasting is not caloric restriction. Regular large, high nutrient meals satisfy a person’s nutritional needs and provide the building blocks needed to grow. Not only does fasting not stunt growth it increases growth hormone. An increase in growth hormone can actually boost a child’s height making them grow taller than they otherwise would.

Cell repair and waste elimination

Another reason for why intermittent fasting could actually be a good strategy to grow taller is that it helps in cell repair and waste elimination. During a grow taller program, through intense exercises and stretching, many muscle tear and tissue damaged is being done. Intermittent fasting will help the recovery period and help to ensure that the muscle and bones do grow well. Intermittent fasting also helps cleanse the body off toxins and ensures the body’s renewed revival state! Therefore, some people say that intermittent fasting is like a body cleansing period where your body will feel more rejuvenated and refreshed than ever before! All in all, it is always good to teach our children and young ones some basic intermittent fasting skills and methods so that they can start from young! Such practice will not only make us healthier, but also recognise the importance of hunger and how fortunate for some of us to have food on our table to eat.
Some Orthodox Christians and Muslims engage in some form of fasting strategy, and they have found many benefits from doing so! For those of you who want to grow taller, you can always try this method! While it is hard at first to refrain yourself from eating the first time, always keep in mind your goal and put in the determination!
Your Body Was Built for Periodic Cycles of ‘Feast and Famine’
According to Mercola.com Fasting, it turns out, has a number of health benefits that most people seek: from improved cardiovascular health and reduced cancer risk, to gene repair and longevity.
In short, he discovers that part of what appears to be driving the disease process is the fact that we’re eating too frequently. When you’re in constant “feast mode,” your body actually forgoes much of its natural “repair and rejuvenation programming.”

However, newer research shows that you can get most if not all of the same benefits of severe calorie restriction through intermittent fasting, i.e. an eating schedule where you feast on some days, and dramatically cut calories on others.
This effectively mimics the eating habits of our ancestors, who did not have access to grocery stores or food around the clock. They would cycle through periods of feast and famine, and modern research shows this cycling produces a number of biochemical benefits. In short, by altering what and when you eat, you can rather dramatically alter how your body operates. And that’s great news.
Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Fasting is historically commonplace as it has been a part of spiritual practice for millennia. But modern science has confirmed there are many good reasons for fasting, including the following:
Normalizing your insulin and leptin sensitivity, and boosting mitochondrial energy efficiency: One of the primary mechanisms that makes intermittent fasting so beneficial for health is related to its impact on your insulin sensitivity.

While sugar is a source of energy for your body, it also promotes insulin resistance when consumed in the amounts found in our modern processed junk food diets. Insulin resistance, in turn, is a primary driver of chronic disease—from heart disease to cancer.
Intermittent fasting helps reset your body to use fat as its primary fuel, and mounting evidence confirms that when your body becomes adapted to burning FAT instead of sugar as its primary fuel, you dramatically reduce your risk of chronic disease
Normalizing ghrelin levels, also known as “the hunger hormone”
Lowering triglyceride levels and improving other biomarkers of disease

Reducing oxidative stress: Fasting decreases the accumulation of oxidative radicals in the cell, and thereby prevents oxidative damage to cellular proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids associated with aging and disease
There’s also plenty of research showing that fasting has a beneficial impact on longevity in animals. There are a number of mechanisms contributing to this effect. Normalizing insulin sensitivity is a major one, but fasting also inhibits the motor pathway, which plays an important part in driving the aging process.
Intermittent fasting is by far the most effective way I know of to shed unwanted fat and eliminate your sugar cravings. Since most of us are carrying excess fat we just can’t seem to burn, this is a really important benefit. When sugar is not needed as a primary fuel, your body will also not crave it as much when your sugar stores run low.

As mentioned above, the other mechanisms that makes fasting so effective for weight loss is the fact that it provokes the secretion of HGH—a fat-burning hormone that has many well-recognized “anti-aging” health and fitness benefits. Last but not least, intermittent fasting has also been identified as a potent ally for the prevention and perhaps even treatment of dementia. First, ketones are released as a byproduct of burning fat, and ketones (not glucose) are actually the preferred fuel for your brain.

In addition to that, intermittent fasting boosts production of a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which activates brain stem cells to convert into new neurons, and triggers numerous other chemicals that promote neural health. It also protects your brain cells from changes associated with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Research by Dr. Mark Mattson, a senior investigator for the National Institute on Aging, suggests that alternate-day fasting (restricting your meal on fasting days to about 600 calories), can boost BDNF by anywhere from 50 to 400 percent, depending on the brain region.

If you have an ulcer,  depending on the stage of the ulcer and the curse, I can strongly recommend fasting as a cure for some ulcers especially if we have been eating much foods to help the ulcer heal with no improvement, then it is time to try mild or intermittent fasting. It worked for me. I think it allowed the key organs some break and killed off some yeasts and other organisms that were aggravating the ulcer. It could work for you. Remember also that periods of fasting are periods when your body needs more water fruits and vegetables.
I also will not suggest pregnant, or nursing mothers to fast.

Source: http://www.cbn.com/spirituallife/prayerandcounseling
Mercola.com
www.growtallerpyramidsecret-members.com/intermittent…Cached