Fasting the right way: instructions and tips for healthy fasting

Fasting correctly can be interpreted in very different ways depending on the dietary approach. We show you which forms of fasting there are and how you can implement them yourself at home. You can follow our steps for the perfect fasting as quickly as you can make football bets in mozambique.

Fasting is originally a purely religious ritual that believers practise to free themselves from all distractions and thus establish contact with God. What exactly fasting is supposed to achieve varies according to religious interpretation.

However, fasting is no longer only established in a religious context. Numerous types of fasting and fasting cures are supposed to make us healthier and happier. For example, you can find countless guides with detailed instructions on fasting and entire fasting packages that provide you with the necessary juices for juice fasting.

But what are the actual benefits of the different fasting cures?

Fasting the right way: these types of fasting exist

Over time, different types of fasting have become established:

Complete fasting means you don’t consume any calories at all. The fasting person only drinks water and tea. This form of fasting is hazardous and, therefore, not recommended from a medical point of view.

Buchinger therapeutic fasting also integrates vegetable broth and juices.

You consume various fruit and vegetable juices throughout the day in juice fasting.

While you should only fast for a limited period with the types of fasting mentioned above, you can integrate intermittent fasting into your everyday life. You still eat regularly – but there are longer phases in which you don’t eat anything and fast correctly. This includes dinner-cancelling, for example.

At the end of every fasting cure, you break your fast.

What are the benefits of fasting?

Fasting correctly can have various positive effects on our health. The supposedly positive impact of proper fasting has not yet been sufficiently scientifically proven. So far, most studies have been based on animal experiments or a comparatively small number of participants. However, according to the Federal Ministry of Nutrition, there are signs that intermittent fasting has a positive effect on the brain, heart, fat cells, muscles, intestines, liver and blood.

Possible effects are, for example

• less inflammation in the body
• improved cognitive function
• the greater effectiveness of the muscles
• greater stress resistance

Therapeutic fasting can also have a positive effect on some illnesses. For example, inflammation can occur in the body due to a specific diet. During therapeutic fasting, the metabolism is interrupted, and inflammation caused by too many omega-6 or omega-9 fatty acids, for example, can subside.

However, fasting is not a means of losing weight healthily in the long term. During a no-fat diet, the body first reduces muscle mass, not fat mass. In addition, our body wants to replenish its stores as quickly as possible after a no-fat diet, which can easily lead to the well-known yo-yo effect. According to the DGE, only certain forms of intermittent fasting may be beneficial to weight loss.

Strict fasting methods are not suitable for older people, children, adolescents, pregnant women or people suffering from certain illnesses – they could even make the health situation worse. Also, ensure you never fast for too long and seek medical advice if in doubt. You can also find out whether there are any reputable facilities in your area where you can fast properly under supervision.

Fasting correctly, according to Buchinger: the basic rules

According to Buchinger, proper fasting occurs when water, tea, broth, and juices are in centre stage. Buchinger fasting was developed by the doctor Otto Buchinger and is one of the best-known types of fasting today. If you carry out the program independently at home, you should follow it for around seven days.

Proper Buchinger fasting includes the following rules:

• The fasting period begins with one or two relief days to prepare you physically and mentally for the days ahead.
• On the first day of fasting, the bowels are emptied using Glauber’s salt, laxative drops or laxative tea.
• During the fasting period of around five days, you drink tea, fruit and vegetable juices, and broth.
• Slowly increase your food intake again at the end of the fasting period.

How intermittent fasting works

Vegetables, especially in the form of soup and broth, are often an essential part of a fasting day. There are various ways to structure intermittent fasting and adapt it to your lifestyle. The 16:8 method is particularly popular – fasting for 16 hours and eating in eight hours. You extend your nightly fasting period by, for example, stopping at 7 pm the day before and not eating your first meal until 11 am the following day.

Another well-known strategy is to eat as usual five days a week and then fast two days in a row. On the fasting days, you primarily drink water, teas, broth or vegetable juices. Small meals are also allowed. According to the Federal Ministry of Food, the following rules apply to meals on fasting days:

• Eat lots of vegetables.
• Include healthy fat sources such as vegetable oils (e.g., olive or linseed oil), nuts and seeds in moderation in your fasting diet.
• Avoid fatty animal foods. Instead, opt for protein sources with less saturated fatty acids, such as pulses and nuts.
• Replace white flour products with whole grains where possible. You can opt for oatmeal, whole grain pasta, spelt or brown rice, among others.

To enhance your meals and reduce salt, you can use dried and fresh kitchen herbs, balsamic vinegar, mustard or horseradish.