Fasting to promote health and save on the grocery bill

[Molly MaloneParticipant]

**CAVEAT: I am not a doctor, I don’t play a doctor on TV, and I haven’t stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in years. If you are a diabetic, if you are dependent on medication, etc., please don’t take health care advice from a stranger on the internet.**

I think fasting in an interesting way to save money on groceries while also promoting your health. I looked into fasting after waking up one morning with an awful attack of arthritis in my knees. It was crippling; for several days, I was housebound, it was all I could do to get to the bathroom and to the kitchen.

Last week, I decided to try fasting as a drastic means of reducing inflammation and pain related to arthritis. (Note that I take no medications whatsoever, and that I have no medical condition that would contradict fasting.)

The most popular form of fasting is called intermittent fasting. Basically you skip one meal a day. You do all your eating in an 8 hour window, and eat nothing for 16 hours. You might do all your eating from 6am to 2pm (breakfast and lunch, no dinner). You might do all your eating from noon to 8pm (lunch and dinner, no breakfast).

Other people fast for 24 hours at a time, two or more days a week. However, many people eat about 500 calories on the fasting day. That’s what I am doing. Last week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I fasted, but I drank a 500-calorie bulletproof coffee in the morning.

The idea behind fasting is to stop the American way of snacking and grazing round the clock and give your body a rest from food, which gives it a chance to heal, clean and repair itself (autophagy).

Here’s a link: https://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/10/16/complete-guide-fasting.aspx

[Jade JasmineParticipant]

Molly, that is a very interesting read! Did your fast help with the arthritis in your knee like you suspected?

[Molly MaloneParticipant]

Jade Jasmine, yes, it has helped! After one week, my knees feel much less painful and I have pain-free periods of time that can last several hours. I am very excited about this. I am really going to try to continue.

[HomesteadingMamaParticipant]

My husband has done IF in the past with good results, but I definitely want to pop in and mention that women can be more sensitive to starvation so IF should be used with caution. Also if you have thyroid or adrenal issues it is probably not a good idea.

https://www.amymyersmd.com/2018/06/intermittent-fasting-autoimmune-disease/

I know several women without any thyroid or adrenal issues that have seen great results though!

[James MitchnerParticipant]

I have been practicing IF for the past two years. I will eat dinner around 7pm then eat nothing until 12pm the following day. (It takes the body about 12 hours to fully digest your last meal, so that means 4 hours of real fasting)

I also take curcumin twice a day. Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, and is a natural anti-inflammatory. Chronic inflammation is the leading cause of many illnesses, including arthritis and heart disease.

Oh, I didn’t sleep in a Holiday Inn last night, either, so seek the advice of your doctor. If they are still old school, find another doctor!

[Halle CorrineParticipant]

Fasting promotes healing; it triggers autophagy.  I practice a fasting life-style.  I drink electrolyte water for support.   A side benefit is the savings on groceries for sure, but I fast for health. :o)

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