Skin And Hair Protection And Nourishment
Moringa seed oil protects hair from free radicals while also keeping it clean and healthy. Moringa also includes protein, which helps to protect skin cells from oxidative stress. It also has moisturizing and detoxifying properties that benefit the skin and hair. It is effective in treating skin infections and sores.
The 7 Different Types Of Fasting
There are 7 different types of fasting that I work on with my clients and teach in my Reset Academy. Each of the 7 different types of fasts have slightly different benefits and parameters on how they work. So if youre wondering how long you should fast, the answer is it will depend on what benefit you are trying to achieve and which fast you pick.
When You Eat Your Cells Enter Growth Mode
In a well-fed state, the individual cell in your body is in growth mode. Its insulin signaling and mTOR pathways that tell the cell to grow, divide and synthesize proteins are active. By the way, these pathways, when overactive, have implications in cancer growth.
The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR loves having plentiful nutrients around, especially carbohydrates and proteins. When active, mTOR tells the cell not to bother with autophagy , a recycling and cleanup process that rids your body of damaged and misfolded proteins, for example. The well-fed cell isnt worried about being efficient and recycling its components its too busy growing and dividing.
In a well-fed state, your cells and their components are also highly acetylated. This means that various molecules in your cells, including the packaging proteins called histones that wrap your DNA up nicely within the core of your cells, are decorated with acetyl groups on their lysine residues. Dont worry if you dont understand the jargon in that last sentence. What you really need to know is that the well-fed cell has many genes, including those associated with cellular survival and proliferation, turned on. This is because acetylation tends to loosen the packaging proteins that normally keep your DNA wrapped up, and lets your DNA be read for protein production.
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May Aid In Cancer Prevention And Increase The Effectiveness Of Chemotherapy
Animal and test-tube studies indicate that fasting may benefit the treatment and prevention of cancer.
In fact, one rat study found that alternate-day fasting helped block tumor formation .
Similarly, a test-tube study showed that exposing cancer cells to several cycles of fasting was as effective as chemotherapy in delaying tumor growth and increased the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs on cancer formation .
Unfortunately, most research is limited to the effects of fasting on cancer formation in animals and cells.
Despite these promising findings, additional studies are needed to look at how fasting may influence cancer development and treatment in humans.
Summary Some animal and test-tube studies suggest that fasting could block tumor development and increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
Incredible Benefits Of Prolonged Fasting
Now you know what prolonged fasting is, let’s get into the benefits. This is not just a tool to use for weight loss, and it should not be utilized as a form of an extreme diet. This is something you use along with a healthy diet. You just put your diet on hold for a certain amount of time to gain these benefits, and then you go back to it.
The list of prolonged fasting benefits could go on and on. It could have a positive impact on your metabolism, blood pressure, and even your hormones. But, right now, we’re going to focus on just these amazing benefits prolonged fasting offers for your mind and body.
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Which Is Better 48 Or 72 Hour Fast
When we compare the 48 hour fast benefits to 72 hour fast benefits, there is one big difference: the regeneration of cells. The metabolic activities that a 48 hour fast does in the body are also seen in the 72-hour duration. However, the longer you fast, the more benefits your body can have.
So, 48 vs. 72-hour fast: Which One Should You Pick?
Well, fasting for such a prolonged duration is not an easy task, and hence this should be a personal choice. Also, no rule book says that you can not fast for 60 hours or 54 hours. Whatever you can do comfortably should be your choice.
If you are only starting with intermittent fasting, it is advisable to begin with a 16-hour and 24-hour fast. If you build tolerance, you can go up to 48 hours. Once you see the benefits of fasting for 48 hours, you will surely want to go ahead and practice the 72 hours fast.
Even though a 48 hour and extended fast is excellent if practiced once a month or once every two months, 72 hours of fasting will give you even better results.
Get An App To Track Your Fast
Keeping track of calories, fasting windows, and exercise levels manually can be frustrating and easy to forget. Thats why we recommend the DoFasting app that takes the effort out of tracking your fasting progress.
Remove the guesswork from extended fasting with an app that lets you know what stage you enter, how much water to drink, and how long is left in your fast to keep you motivated for success!
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How To Do A 48 Hour Fast
The preferred way to start a 48 hour fast is to stop eating dinner on a particular day. Later, after 2 days, start eating dinner by considering it as the first meal.
For example, let us assume that you begin a 48 hour fast on a Monday evening. You would end your 48 hours fast on a Wednesday evening. Once you stop eating dinner on Monday, your body would have digested your last meal before you go to sleep.
Follow to intake only calorie-free fluids like water, black coffee, and herbal tea. Most often, people call it a 2-day water fast weight loss. The major downside of a long fast is that your body becomes dehydrated. So, it is very important to stay hydrated in the 48 hours fast.
As juice cleanses are excluded from food groups and calories, it is also known as 2-day juice fast weight loss. It involves consuming only fruit and vegetable juices to lose weight and detoxify the body.
Take Electrolytes During The Extended Fasting Window
Electrolytes are essential minerals for staying hydrated, regulating the bodys pH levels, and sending the right hormones to your muscles. As such, its important to keep electrolytes in your diet, especially when intermittent fasting for a while.
Because the natural sources of electrolytes are removed during fasting, such as fruits and vegetables, you should supplement calorie-free electrolytes to keep yourself feeling energized and well including potassium, magnesium, and sodium.
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How Do I Feel After Doing A 48
Honestly, I feel like a badass. Intermittent fasting and prolonged fasting have given me a lot more confidence. It is not always easy, and you definitely have a reason to be proud if you manage to fast. The first time I did a 16-hour fast, I felt unstoppable, now imagine how I feel after not eating for two days. I feel superhuman, and I am always really excited when I think about the benefits.
I really feel like putting your body through challenges and stress like this can help with mental toughness. My mental clarity also improves a lot when I am fasting, and I understand how that can become addictive for people. When I am just doing intermittent fasting and I am fasting for 16 to 18 hours, I am always super productive before I break my fast. In fact, when I have finished writing this article, I am going to break a fast with a nice bone broth stew.
Is Intermittent Fasting Safe
Some people try intermitting fasting for weight management, and others use the method to address chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, high cholesterol or arthritis. But intermittent fasting isnt for everyone.
Williams stresses that before you try intermittent fasting , you should check in with your primary care practitioner first. Some people should steer clear of trying intermittent fasting:
- Children and teens under age 18.
- Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- People with diabetes or blood sugar problems.
- Those with a history of eating disorders.
But, Williams says, people not in these categories who can do intermittent fasting safely can continue the regimen indefinitely. It can be a lifestyle change, she says, and one with benefits.
Keep in mind that intermittent fasting may have different effects on different people. Talk to your doctor if you start experiencing unusual anxiety, headaches, nausea or other symptoms after you start intermittent fasting.
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Accept The Hunger Pangs
It should come as no surprise that long-term fasting will come with associated hunger. After all, you are embarking on a calorie restriction plan that lasts for quite a long time. As such, feeling hungry and dealing with hunger pangs is part of the process.
Though you can mitigate some of the hunger severity by staying hydrated, taking the right supplements, and trying to keep your mind off of it, there comes a point when you are just plain hungry during the first and second fasting days.
However, this doesnt last forever in fact, some of the hunger you might feel could be purely mental and remnants of former, repeated cycles, where emotional eating or picking up a snack because you are bored have become your normal eating pattern.
For many people who practice extensive fasting length periods and time-restricted eating, the feeling of hunger will fade away around the day 2 mark.
This happens as the bodys hormones regulate fully and produce more satiating chemicals like leptin, instead of the ghrelin hormone that makes you feel like snacking.
Break Your Fast Gently And Slowly
Your stomach needs time to adjust to digesting solid foods again, so easing back into eating is very important. Eat small amounts of simple meals for the first couple of days until you feel ready to go back to normal portions. Overstuffing your body post-fast can cause nausea, vomiting, or cramps, which defeats the purpose of fasting altogether.
Both human and animal studies have linked water fasting to a variety of health benefits, including:
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How Often Should You Do A 72
The answer to this question will be different for everyone, as the safety of fasting for 72 hours will vary according to different factors, including the individual’s overall health.
Experts in health and nutrition recommend practicing a 72-hour fast 2 to 3 times a year to strengthen your body’s immune response through stem-cell regeneration and therefore prevent chronic disease.
At 48 Hours Growth Hormone
The fourth stage, which occurs from 48 to 54 hours after your last meal, is when hormones such as human growth hormone and noradrenaline increase dramatically . These hormones may play an important role in the growth and improvement of your overall health by preventing heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes and speeding up the repair process for damaged cells.
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Who Shouldn’t Do Extended Fasting
Both men and women have been practicing fasting since ancient times, for both health and spiritual reasons.
However, fasting can be detrimental to certain groups of people:
- Pregnant and breastfeeding women as they require higher than normal nutrient levels to nurture themselves and their babies.
- Those with a history of eating disorders, like anorexia or bulimia as fasting may trigger these tendencies.
- Anyone who is malnourished or with a BMI lower than 18.5.
- People on medication for example, insulin or blood pressure medicines. They would need to be supervised by a doctor.
What I Learned From The Experience
First of all, it pays to read up and do research before fasting. In addition to the physical preparation, the mental preparation is just as important, if not more so. Knowing what to expect ahead of time made things much easier to deal with during the fast.
Fasting also takes discipline. Its not easy, and its not something Id recommend to someone who is not already familiar with intermittent or 1-day fasting periods. You need to expect that you will experience periods of hunger. At those times, it takes discipline to know the feeling will pass, and that you will be fine without raiding your pantry.
The most surprising thing I learned was the strange relationship weve developed with food. We should view food as something we need when in need of nourishment. During my fast, it became apparent that food is something we eat as part of a habit. For example, I frequently will snack on nuts in the afternoon. During those times, my brain would play tricks on me where it felt as though I was eating nuts when I clearly wasnt. The habits were that strong. In addition, food is a strong part of our social bonds. When we see others eating, especially during meal times, we have a natural desire to want to join them. It is a powerful force and one that is difficult to resist during the fasting period.
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Example Of 48 Hour Fast Schedule
Here is an example of how a two-day fast works. To start, you can stop eating on a Tuesday evening and later begin eating on the evening of Thursday. This method will provide your body with time to digest your last meal on Tuesday, and by the time you wake up on Wednesday morning, you will have successfully completed 8-10 hours of fasting.
You can drink zero-calorie fluids like green tea and water for the next two days. Adding some salt or electrolyte tablets to your water will help you replenish the electrolytes in your system. It is also important to drink when you are thirsty. Overdrinking fluids can make it difficult for your body to keep its electrolyte levels in check.
After completing your fast on Thursday, break your two-day fast by eating light meals and continue with your regular diet from Friday onwards. The 48 hours fast can be tricky at the start, and it is advisable for beginners to start with shorter versions of intermittent fasting,such as the 12/12 or 16:8 method, before going for the more extended versions of fasting.
Shorter fasts will help your body accommodate fasting and help you learn how your body responds to fasting in general. Several people try the 48 hours fast once a week since it provides your body with a longer fasting window.
While practicing the 48 hours fast, remember to listen to your body. Feeling exhausted or dizzy may indicate that the fast is becoming too much for your body.
What Happens During A 20
From about 12 hours to around 28 hours, your body gradually switches from glucose to ketones for energy. Consequently, within, that timeframe, some metabolic changes occur that will benefit you over time.
Ketone Production Increases
It turns out that according to this article in the Annual Review of Nutrition, your body burns more fat than glucose after around 16 hours of fasting. I myself experienced that I felt the metabolic switch around the 16- hour mark (that usually occurred when my ketones measured 1.0 mmol/L on a ketone monitor. Keep in mind that this happens easier and faster if you have been in ketosis before.
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Insulin Production Decreases
Lower levels of insulin improve your health and longevity. A
Autophagy
Most studies regarding autophagy start at the 24-hour mark of fasting. We dont really know that fasting for 20 hours rather than 16 hours will increase autophagy. We do know that MTOR blocks autophagy and insulin is the main MTOR trigger.
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Increased Fat Loss
As you get deeper into a fast, your body is likely to use more fat to produce energy . Moreover, the shorter your eating window, the harder it becomes to eat too many calories.
Better Sleep and Energy Level
Fewer Food Cravings
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Safety And Side Effects
Despite the long list of possible health benefits associated with fasting, it may not be right for everyone.
If you suffer from diabetes or low blood sugar, fasting can lead to spikes and crashes in your blood sugar levels, which could be dangerous.
Its best to talk to your doctor first if you have any underlying health conditions or are planning to fast for more than 24 hours.
Additionally, fasting is not generally recommended without medical supervision for older adults, adolescents or people who are underweight.
If you decide to try fasting, be sure to stay well-hydrated and fill your diet with nutrient-dense foods during your eating periods to maximize the potential health benefits.
Additionally, if fasting for longer periods, try to minimize intense physical activity and get plenty of rest.
Summary When fasting, be sure to stay hydrated, eat nutrient-dense foods and get plenty of rest. Its best to consult with your doctor before fasting if you have any underlying health conditions or are planning to fast for more than 24 hours.