Fasting is a powerful tool for body cleansing and regeneration – but you have to do it right. The most important tips.
The first months of the year are an ideal time to give our bodies a thorough spring cleaning. Fasting has been a popular method for decades and goes far beyond religious or cultural practices. Abstaining from food cleanses and renews our organism.
But what is the best way to get started and which method is the most effective? The fasting experts Nicole Fürderer, Britta Kleweken and Erik Schmelter answer the question in their book “Fasting for you!” the most important questions on the topic and give numerous tips for beginners. In an interview with the news agency spot on news, they explain why preparing for fasting is similar to preparing for a marathon and how to deal with it when you think about giving up.
How does fasting differ from classic diets that many people undertake at the beginning of the year?
Britte Kleweken, Nicole Fürderer, Eric Schmelter: In contrast to diets, fasting is not exclusively about weight loss, but primarily about elimination and regeneration. Since no solid food and hardly any calories are supplied from outside, the body has to change completely in order to generate energy from itself or from its reserves. To do this, the body makes use of the storage and also tidies up properly. A lot of things that are actually just lying around are finally being used again. This special fasting metabolism has positive effects down to the smallest cells and has a regenerating effect on the entire body.
What benefits does fasting have for the body? And does it have an impact on the psyche?
Kleweken, Fürderer, Schmelter: Fasting acts as a healing impulse on the body. It turns physiology on its head and triggers many processes and reactions at the metabolic level. For example, special cleaning mechanisms are stimulated, so to speak, waste disposal and the recycling system of the cells, the so-called autophagy.
Fasting has also been proven to reduce inflammation and lower high blood pressure. Common diseases such as diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and osteoarthritis can be regulated by fasting. Fasting is also a wonderful prevention method for healthy people. Fasting works like cosmetics from the inside; for example, the skin becomes brighter and more awake.
Fasting can have a positive effect on the psyche. By slowing down, most fasting people increase their mindfulness and how they deal with themselves. For most people, Lent is used as a week for self-reflection. In addition, a completed week of fasting strengthens your self-confidence and you simply feel happier due to the increased release of the hormone serotonin.
People who are prone to depression or even take medication to regulate mood swings should under no circumstances simply fast. It is also particularly important to talk to the doctor treating you about the week ahead and how to take your medication.
What type of fasting do you recommend or what is particularly suitable for the start of the year?
Kleweken, Fürderer, Schmelter: If you are healthy and there are no medical restrictions, we always recommend the traditional method according to the doctor and naturopath Otto Buchinger, who developed fasting as a healing method over 100 years ago. It is the best known and most classic type of fasting. This method involves fasting exclusively with juices, teas and broths. The duration is usually between five and ten days of fasting.
What do you recommend to people who are fasting for the first time?
Kleweken, Fürderer, Schmelter: Just enjoying it. As with many things, it is important to be mentally attuned to the stress relief days. Don’t get too crazy and just go for it.
What do you need for a successful fasting week? How should you prepare?
Kleweken, Fürderer, Schmelter: In our book “Fasting for you!” Let’s compare the preparation with preparing for a marathon. You should imagine that you have never run a marathon and now you want to try it out. Would you start this event unprepared? You can do that, but it can go wrong. Good preparation is worth its weight in gold, if not crucial, and gives you a good feeling right from the start. It’s the same with fasting. The preparation begins before the first day of fasting.
So that the organism is optimally prepared for the fasting period and the fasting can be carried out successfully, we definitely recommend one or more relief days beforehand. In practice this means:
What do you have to give up? What about medications, nutritional supplements or coffee?
Kleweken, Fürderer, Schmelter: When fasting according to Buchinger, solid food is completely avoided.
In addition, we recommend detaching yourself from everything that is not essential to life during fasting. So as long as medications or supplements are not absolutely necessary for your health, you can leave them out and trust in your body. Because we believe that you should regularly give your body a break from everything. This is the only way we give it the chance to reset and regenerate properly.
The same goes for coffee. Coffee is a luxury food that stimulates the production of stomach acid and can therefore trigger a feeling of hunger. Our tip: Leave everything out, become independent and see what happens.
Caution: If medication or supplements have been prescribed by a doctor, it is important to clarify beforehand whether to take a break.
What other rituals can be included in the Lenten week?
Kleweken, Fürderer, Schmelter: The most important excretory organs when fasting are the intestines, skin, lungs, liver and kidneys. These organs need to be particularly supported during fasting in order to achieve the best fasting effect. You can do this specifically through a few rituals:
The liver wrap, alkaline baths, oil pulling, sauna sessions, exercise and relaxation are just a few examples from the list of possible rituals, which are also listed in detail in our book. These rituals are not absolutely necessary and you don’t have to do everything, but you are welcome to try out everything and maybe there are one or two rituals that you would like to establish in your everyday life.
Should you take time off to fast or can you just go about your everyday life as usual?
Kleweken, Fürderer, Schmelter: In principle, it is not a problem to fast during everyday working life. However, it also depends a bit on what the job is. If you have to do hard physical work or have to work with a lot of concentration, it is better to take time off during the fasting period.
Otherwise, you should make sure that in the week in which you are fasting, the number of appointments and workloads are reduced as much as possible. After all, especially when fasting, you want to treat yourself to a break or two.
What do you do if you feel like you won’t last until the end of the week?
Kleweken, Fürderer, Schmelter: This thought probably occurs to many fasting people, especially on day two or three. The body has to adjust quite a bit and that can have its side effects. It is important to consider this: Is it more of a mental issue or is the body weakening? You should honestly listen to yourself.
If your body says it’s enough, then you should stop. But often it’s just the head behind it and then it’s good if you know how to help. It is very helpful to fast with someone. This way you can always motivate and encourage each other. A fasting leader can also help here. There are many ways to get outside support.
How do you get used to “normal” eating habits again after the week of fasting?
Kleweken, Fürderer, Schmelter: After a fasting period of five days, two rebuilding days are absolutely necessary in order to slowly get back to “normal” eating habits. If you fast for a longer period of time, the build-up phase will also be longer. The body has to get used to solid food again and change.
On the construction days you should therefore be very careful and stick to a few important eating rules. These include, for example, drinking a lot, eating a low-salt diet, avoiding sugar, eating naturally and simply, paying attention to body signals, eating slowly and definitely stopping eating when full.
Lots of vegetables and fruit, as well as foods rich in fiber, should be on the menu. For many fasting people, fasting is also the start of a change in diet. So it’s a great opportunity to establish new eating habits in everyday life.