Post 2: Fasting Culture To The Future

Fasting played a vital part in early human survival. Early human beings have the capability to survive extended periods without food. This could be traced back to our hunter-gatherer or caveman days, when humans were forced to live through little or no food. Despite living with little food and considering that their only way of survival is by hunting food for their family, denotes how strong and productive they've been for our culture to evolve at this point. During that time though, the improvement of one's health has not been considered and taught about yet. It is only in the 1940's when the health benefits of fasting have been appreciated, and today when most modern humans have already lost awareness of our natural capability.

I found an article entitled "Fasting: Back To The Future (The Rediscovery of Water-Only Fasting)" written by Alan Goldhamer, D.C. from the site www.vegsource.com. The article started by stating the history of fasting back when the early humans were unaware of the health contribution of the way they eat. Until it came so to a time of the primitive "cultures" when they had become more aware of their innate capability, then in the bible when Moses, David, Jesus, and Elijah started to fast for up to 40 days. The article presented some physiological benefits of fasting and evidence on a man's successful fasting experience that led him through a serendipitious survival. The article states how the modern medicine is now making its way to a new direction towards the path of traditional healing, since health science has now realized that health and healing are best supported when the biological roots of our nature are understood and respected.Since most health problems today are results of the food we consume, fasting is making its way to detox our bodies from all unnecessary chemicals that is making our body sick. Lastly, the article states that fasting is now making its way to the modern culture as it draws attention from health programs. Doctors and associations are now conducting different fasting studies for the treatment of high blood pressure and diabetes. With all the benefits, evidence, and scientific studies, fasting may be the hope for the future.

According to the author, Alan Goldhamer, D.C., "Going without food for a period of time provides the ultimate opportunity for the reversal of the consequences of dietary excess - a chance to let an overfed and overburdened body take steps to restore health."

The food that is widely available to humans today are generally unhealthy, and we can see the effects of what we eat since most of our health problems are the result of eating too much of the wrong things. Too much preservatives, too much salt, too much sugar, and too much fat. It's no surprising that Obesity rates have risen three-fold or more since 1980 and 65% of the world's population live in countries where overweight and obesity kills more people than underweight. The world has to take this issue seriously since this is a health problem that build up slowly and unknowingly. Eating is one of the habits that may seem harmless but once handled without awareness of its dangers, obesity may be on its way of taking a man's life.

At one point in our life, we have to step back and see the bigger picture of how we are living this life. Take a second look at how we eat and how we take care of our body. Perhaps we need to go back to our roots, go out of our conventional eating that the world patterned us to eat, and take time to go back to the basics, seek knowledge for our own benefit, and take charge of our lives by not allowing food to control us. Fasting may indeed be the key and the hope for the future of our health, but how does really fasting occur in our culture today?

I read an article entitled "Culturally-based Fasting as a trigger for Eating Disorders" written by Elizabeth Claydon from the site www.examiner.com. The article discussed fasting as a potential trigger in creating eating disorders among adolescents. It was based on an observation at a hospital in Turkey, where adolescents who were found to have eating disorders were reported to be consequent by Ramadan, which is a religious practice requiring fasting from dawn to dusk for a month. The article shared an interview of which the diagnosed patient reported feeling that the religious practice served both to their religious duty and diet at the same time. Lastly, the article states that there are a lot of potential triggers that exist in the society today and we must not exclude the practices we have today that may justify the danger of possible eating disorder.

According to author, "any cultural or religious holiday that restricts food or allows an individual to selectively limit certain foods posses a potential trigger to individuals already predisposed to disordered eating."

The concept of fasting on this other side of our culture today seem to be extremely dangerous since it promotes deprivation and if not handled correctly,may also promote asceticism,as psychological behavior of self-denial or finding pleasure in pain. Today fasting has taken its toll in many forms not just in religious practices but has also taken its spot in the fitness industry. Although the full benefits of fasting is still there, fasting is still a candidate target for people to use as cover-up to their eating disorders.

For me, eating disorders are results of the feeding of food corporations and the information we get from advertising that manipulates our minds. It is a by product of supply and demand. People get obese because of the unhealthy food the food corporations feed us. The advertising from world's false perception of beauty and body image causes the people especially women to develop certain disorders- psychologically, which affects the way they eat. Fasting isn't the only trigger that's around, a person with a psychological disorder may turn any eating habit a disorder. Even a healthy eating plan.

On the other hand,fasting is also a product of the demand of the need for solution to weight lost and health problems. Lately there has been a craze over different detox method such as Juicing, Cabbage Soup Diet, General Motors Diet, and a lot more. Yes they do work, but if not maintained, may result to more weight gain.

In maintaining body weight and health or preventing health problems, self-control is key, but knowledge is more crucial. Make time to get to know your body. It is very important that we know how our body functions and to know our innate capabilities. Trace your roots and go back to the basics. Our bodies function simpler than we ought to think. There are available and proven solutions, but with misconceptions and wrong use because of the lack of knowledge, we miss a great chance of our body being renewed, healed and transformed. And that chance could only be claimed through fasting.