FASTING AND THE SPURIOUS by Jed Wightman
Fasting and intermittent fasting are fast becoming some of the most popular trends in the nutritional world today . Introduced into popular culture around 2012 due to a BBC special on the topic by Dr . Michael Mosley it has since taken off like wildfire especially in the last few years .
Intermittent fasting more so than fasting itself has really gained traction and serious momentum . I am asked often on my different business platforms and from clients and random people all the time . “ What are the benefits , how long should I do it for , is it dangerous , is it safe ?” “ What is the best information on telling me how to properly apply it and all of the benefits and what procedures to take ”.
So this article is dedicated to that , and in the title alludes to the myths involving the incorrect applications , the absolute wrong way to do this . Now because there ’ s so much misinformation out there , incorrect advice and rhetoric encourage trends without much credit to effective procedure . Nevertheless , intermittent fasting is incredibly beneficial and such a powerful tool if used correctly , but only when applied correctly and used in a strategy that can render all of the benefits and stave off any of the pitfalls . So let ’ s “ dig in ” to this subject and shed light on this awesome tool .
Since Ancient times fasting has been used for spiritual and religious purposes . It has been recorded as far back as Ancient Greece . Wellknown characters such as Pythagoras , Epinemdimus and Abaris extolled the virtues and importance of fasting as it pertained to their belief system . It was believed that stopping eating for periods of time was a way to ward off entry of demonic forces . Also , great emphasis was placed upon fasting as a way to bring about ecstatic forces , dreams and visions .
In biblical times it has been recorded that Moses , Elias and John the Baptist were all proponents of fasting . Moving even further forward in history , in the Muslim religion , since the 700 ’ s , Ramadan has been a month of fasting from dawn until dusk .
And the world ’ s religions from the old testament to the Jewish faith , to Muslims and east and south Asians fasting has been a foundational part of all of these cultures because of their religious and political beliefs . Fasting has even been used as a form of protest , and still is today called hunger strikes . So as we see it is clearly nothing new to our world . It is deeply woven into the cultural beliefs of so many .
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For the purpose of health and weight loss it has actually been used since the
mid-1800s . Doctor EH Dewey wrote a book on the topic popularizing this into the modern world . I love this quote from his book “ every disease that affects mankind develops from , more or less , eating in excess of a supply of
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