"Fasting is not really that exciting when you do it. The vast majority of people feel not much different from when they were eating. Many people do not even feel significant hunger. When one does feel hunger toward the end of the first day, it disappears in the next day or two. The usual response I see is, "I can't believe I can feel so strong and well when I haven't eaten in for 15 days." This is the norm. When I did my 46 day fast, the only real complaint I had was boredom. Of course, I felt weak toward the end of such a long fast and had to rest in bed most of the day, but I actually attended my college classes full-time and felt great during the first 10 days."
Fasting and Eating for Health, Joel Fuhrman, M.D.


Ruth: Today is day 6 of our fast. And I feel great. My mind and body feel strong and I have more clarity and I'm not at all tired. And it is indeed uneventful. Uneventful, however, does not mean the process is not powerful. The process of fasting is also powerful. The time it takes to do this, paying attention to the rhythm of my body, curious by what I will feel, sharing the experience with others, and the empowerment I feel by giving my body a chance to rejuvenate itself all on its own. You could not convince me of a more beneficial source of health.

I appreciate food and water in a profound way too. Water tastes good and clear. Matthew said, "This water tastes great!" I replied, "Yeah, it's kind of steaky" : ) "I wouldn't go that far," he said. And I can't wait to cook again. Our kitchen has been shut down for the holidays. It looks lonely and I love to cook. I've been thumbing through cookbooks and promise to share anything fantastic with you.


"It is exciting to watch what a fast can do, because the power of the body to heal itself is wonderful to observe. This is especially striking because as a physician, I see almost no self-healing in patients treated conventionally. They either get worse or their symptoms are palliated with drugs, while their health gradually deteriorates. The fast allows for self-healing..."

"Humans have been fasting for more than 50,000 years, long before modern-day doctors began embracing a drug approach to treating disease. It's hard to understand how people developed such a misconception and fear of fasting. Perhaps it is because many people feel so bad when they skip just one meal, that they expect to feel that much worse if they skip so many more. The reality is, when you don't eat for a longer period of time, the discomfort quickly subsides and you actually feel better and better..." - Fasting and Eating for Health by Joel Fuhrman, M.D.


Ruth:
I think people are afraid of the idea of fasting only because they haven't been exposed to the solid research behind it. When Matthew and I have explained what we're doing to our family and friends, most everyone kind of "gets it" on an instinctual level, but are worried and ask "Is that safe?" Meanwhile, at the drop of a hat, when something goes physically wrong, we don't think twice about rushing to the doctor or emergency room for medication and without asking the same question. Is this safe? I think we might do ourselves good to ask the question when participating in conventional medicine. "Is this safe?" And then proceed by evaluating the role nutrition and fasting can play in the physical problem before we turn to meds.

I think we all believe that our bodies will heal themselves if we give them the chance. But, indeed we've been fed a lot of big business garbage from people we trust, like well-meaning doctors, who must support the pharmaceutical companies and have been trained to treat with drugs - all toxic for the body - and we've become profound believers in medications as cures for our ailments. And it's a difficult habit to break. The idea that you may know better than your doctor how to care for your own body is a radical notion. And it can be scary to take that kind of responsibility. That's why we build communities and support one another - in order to help break down some of the dangerous myths around what health care really is.

This is, of course, not at all to disrespect the role of amazing science in modern medicine and emergency life saving procedures. We are extraordinarily intelligent and have learned so much. We've just taken it a step too far is all and use medication for everything. Most all of our diseases can be treated with nutrition and fasting. There is a role for medication. It should not, however, be the first modality in treatment.


Also, to fast, takes precious time we often refuse to give ourselves and we maybe only utilize something like this that seems far fetched, as a last resort. I hope we can change our mindsets so these ideas become more mainstream.

Lastly, I think people are beginning to embrace these ideas of superior nutrition and fasting as a means of primary health care. I see it all around me. Especially, with younger people I know, who are very open and that makes me really excited for our futures.

I mean, honestly, with the chaos of our current health care reform, what could taking matters safely into your own hands really hurt? What could it hurt to eat more oranges, apples? To try some new vegetables, like kale, that were put here on the planet for our primate palates in the first place? What could it really hurt to learn about the possibilities of a plant-based diet and effects fasting have on your health and the health of our children? Isn't that a better option than to try to keep track of the toxic side effects of the medications you're on and how they might mix with your other toxic medications, all the while, not treating the cause of illness whatsoever but just managing symptoms that are there to help you understand the need for nutritional change in the first place? The choice seems like a no-brainer to me.



Until next time,
Be well hopeful cells,

Santa found us in France and we celebrated hope and human decency this holiday season. We hope you and your loved ones are together and reaping the benefits of love.