The prohibition against eating and drinking is the most salient aspect of Yom Kippur. I would like to share with you the benefits of fasting. Fasting helps us achieve atonement by providing a physical manifestation of personal discomfort that enables us to focus on our misdeeds for which we atone and helps reinforce the regret that we have for those misdeeds. While you are fasting, you also have the potential to achieve multiple medical benefits.
The fasting that I am referring to is water fasting. When you drink water during your fast, you remain hydrated and can usually maintain your energy throughout the day. You will still feel hungry but you will be able to carry out most of your daily tasks. The most challenging aspect of fasting on Yom Kippur is the abstention from drinking. With dehydration, it is more difficult to carry out your daily tasks.
Before embarking on a fasting program, it is helpful to modify your diet. Many of my patients have either insulin resistance or excess insulin circulating which often leads to insulin resistance. The increased insulin with associated insulin resistance has many negative health consequences. Two of the most harmful effects are increased fat storage and increased craving, especially for sugar and glucose, a kind of sugar. Insulin promotes fat storage so the excess insulin leads to weight gain. Perversely, the increased fat storage leads to worsening insulin resistance so it is a vicious cycle. The increased insulin also results in increased sugar craving, which leads to frequent hunger, often after a very short period after a meal.
A great first step to reducing your insulin level is to reduce your carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates stimulate the production of insulin, which leads to increased fat and insulin resistance. When you have excess insulin and insulin resistance, it is difficult to reduce carbohydrates because of the cravings noted above. That craving makes the first week or two of carbohydrate reduction difficult, but the body adjusts with less insulin production and if continued, there is a gradual reduction in insulin resistance. As the insulin declines, there is less fat storage. Also, because you are taking in less carbohydrate, your body may rely on your stored fat for energy. You will then be burning your own fat for energy with resulting weight loss.
Once you have reduced your carbohydrate intake with less fat storage and less circulating insulin, fasting becomes easier. As noted, the hunger cravings that are most difficult to ignore are sugar and other carbohydrate craving. With less insulin, your sugar craving will weaken and you can get through a fast day much more easily. You will still have hunger, but with less sugar craving, that hunger is better tolerated. Also, staying well-hydrated mitigates this hunger. When experiencing hunger during a water fast, drinking one to two glasses of water will often satisfy that hunger.
If one wants to start fasting before reducing their carbohydrate intake, starting slowly is the best strategy. Intermittent fasting with eating one meal daily or two meals within four to six hours will provide several benefits. By eating fewer times daily and decreasing the window of eating time, that will naturally reduce your calorie intake and especially your carbohydrate intake. Also, your insulin production will decrease and this will reduce your fat storage. As your body gets used to this, you will not be watching the clock all day waiting for your eating window to start. When you combine reduced carbohydrate intake with intermittent fasting, you can achieve significant weight loss with improved metabolism.
While you would definitely benefit from intermittent daily fasting, there are other benefits that can be realized with water fasting for a full day. This leads to significant reduction of insulin, especially when done on a regular basis. This can be done once weekly, twice weekly or every other day. When you get used to not eating, you start to lose the obsession with eating too much even during the days you eat. By staying with a regular schedule of fasting, you will lose weight, and when the weight is lost, you will be able to maintain that weight loss.
When you see that you can function well during a full day with no eating, you may be surprised that you can extend that fast to two consecutive days and even longer. For those who have followed religious fasts, which involve refraining from eating and drinking, there is a perception that fasts are totally depleting. However, when drinking water during the fast, you will see that you are able to maintain your energy level and activity level, including workouts. In addition to the weight loss and metabolic benefits, extended fasting also results in detoxification and reduced cellular proliferation which can help with cancer prevention.
To summarize, there are many benefits of fasting. If you are overweight, fasting can be a key part of an overall approach to reduce carbohydrate intake and reset your metabolism. If you are a type 2 diabetic, fasting can play a role in reducing your insulin resistance and decreasing your body fat, a key driver of that insulin resistance. (Note: If you are diabetic, you should work with your physician to safely fast as your diabetic medications may need to be adjusted.) Even if you do not need to lose weight, fasting can play a role in improving your metabolism and maintaining your health. So during Yom Kippur, in addition to the spiritual highs that fasting will help you achieve, you can appreciate the health benefits that your fast will provide.
Dr. Slaten is a wellness physician specializing in regenerative pain treatments and lifestyle counseling. He is certified in advanced bioidentical hormone replacement. You can contact his office for guidance on improving your health.
