Contents:
- Medical Video: Nutritional Health : How to Clean Your Colon by Fasting
- 1. Lose weight
- 2. Reducing the risk of getting disease
- 3. Helps eliminate addiction
- 4. Make you happier
Medical Video: Nutritional Health : How to Clean Your Colon by Fasting
Fasting, both due to religious obligations and health reasons, has various benefits for your physical and mental. The effect of fasting that you know best is probably the weight loss. But the benefits of fasting for health are actually more than that. What are the most important effects on our body and health?
1. Lose weight
When fasting, the body does not receive any intake for more than 12 hours. But the actual "fasting" phase starts when our digestive system is finished digesting all the nutrients contained in the body. This process occurs about 8 hours after the last meal enters our body.
After the food has been digested, the body will begin to use the energy reserves contained in our organs. Under normal circumstances, glucose reserves stored in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen are our main energy sources. When fasting glucose reserves will be used first as an energy source. After the glucose reserves in the liver and muscles are used up, then fat will be the source of energy for the body.
With the use of fat as an energy source, the fat content in the body can be reduced. Reduced fat levels can certainly help reduce weight.
2. Reducing the risk of getting disease
Because when fasting our bodies can use fat as the main source, the detoxification process can also occur. This is because the poisons stored in fat will be released from our bodies together with the use of fat as a body fuel.
In addition, a study conducted in Utah in 2008 showed that those who fast regularly have a lower risk of suffering from heart disease because the use of fat as the body's main energy source can reduce cholesterol. The reduction in cholesterol can reduce the risk of heart disease by 58%.
3. Helps eliminate addiction
Fasting provides an opportunity for the body to take a break from our poor daily eating habits. This can help us reduce addiction to certain types of food such as sugar or coffee.
For example, if you are accustomed to drinking coffee during the day, when you are fasting you are "forced" not to drink coffee, and this habit can be carried on until later when the fasting period is over.
Likewise with those who like to eat sweet snacks on the sidelines of activities, then when fasting, this habit cannot be done. Therefore, the benefits of fasting for physical health usually come from the lack of consumption of caffeine and sugar from sweet foods.
4. Make you happier
You may fast because of religious obligations, but the social traditions that occur during fasting can benefit you. It may be a habit for you to gather and sahur or break your fast together with family and relatives.
As quoted from NBC News, according to psychologist Susan Jones, being involved in activities and traditions during fasting can help families and relatives get closer to each other. This can help those who suffer from special conditions such as depression.
In addition, after undergoing fasting for several days, the benefits of fasting for mental health will also be more pronounced because the body will produce higher levels of endorphins than usual. This can help increase concentration and make you feel better and happily mentally.
