Understanding Fasting

Dr. Claire Arcidiacono, ND

Fasting can be done for so many reasons. It can be done for religious reasons, cleansing or for general detoxification of the body. Fasting can also look vastly different depending on the reasons behind your fast. Several types of fasting’s include water fasting, juice fasting or not eating until after a certain time. At this time of the year many Christians are fasting for the religious observance of Lent. For some this may mean abstaining from meat on certain days of the week. For others it can mean following a strict vegan diet.

Now I know what you are thinking, what does this have to do with supplements? Obviously if your goal in fasting is to cleanse or detox it is important to know what nutrients can help with this goal. While water or juice fast is usually only done for 12-72 hours, supplements can still play a role towards keeping you healthy and promoting detox. During longer stricter fasting periods supplements can help you feel better overall and allow you to consistently follow your fast without feeling cravings or fatigue. In this blog I will make some supplement suggestions as well as make some recipe suggestions for you to try out! Remember, as I always say, have fun in the kitchen. You never know what you might cook up next.

Let us get into it, shall we?

When it comes to water, juice or even a detox fast it is important to start by eliminating all toxins such as caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, and processed foods. For example, it is important to eliminate beverages such as soda since they contain such a high amount of sugar and other preservatives. (1) Now if it is not feasible for you to eliminate all these at once its ok. Reduce the amount of toxins at a pace you feel comfortable with. The goal to health should be a marathon not a sprint! What can you do to help support detox?

• NAC is one of my favorite supplements for so many reasons! In fact, studies have found that NAC has can help improve liver and kidney function! (2) Why is this important when we are detoxing? Well, you may have heard that the liver and the kidney are the main organs of detox. That means by improving their function you can improve your overall ability to detox. Please see Invite’s NAC and Detox Hx.
• Chlorella is one nutrient you may have heard of when people talk about detox! Well studies have found that it can improve detox. (3) Chlorella is found in both Greens Hx and Organic Greens! While both can be mixed into smoothies they can both be mixed into recipes. For example, Greens Hx can be mixed into olive oil and used as a salad dressing! One recipe for this is to take ½ cup olive oil, ¼ cup red wine vinegar (or vinegar of choice), 1 tablespoon water and mix in 3 scoops of Greens Hx. This can be used on salads or even steamed veggies to give them a nice flavor. Another way to use this is on top of fish. Feel free to spread this on top of a piece of fish and bake it until cooked. You can also take a square of tofu or cheese and place it on a baking dish. Add tomatoes, cut up onions and peppers, and put this spread generously on top. Bake until the tofu or cheese is soft and mix for a fun spread for toast, crackers or even carrots! Organic Greens have a different flavor profile and are great for sweeter dishes such as mixing it into a fruit spread. Feel free to take some frozen fruit and cook them with some ground chia or flax, then add 2 or 3 scoops of Organic Greens and blend! This makes a great mix in for yogurt!
• Milk Thistle is another supplement you may have heard of! Milk Thistle has been found to help improve the health of our liver. (6) Please see Invite’s Milk Thistle and Hepatox formula.
• Multi Energy Powder is a multi-vitamin that is formulated to promote energy. In addition to mixing, it in smoothies can also be mixed into applesauce! Don’t forget those fruit and veggie pouches made for kids. They are not just for kids!
• But what do you do after a water or juice fast? Well, it is important to start slowly with your body and not run out for fries and a burger! Start simple with fruit, vegetables and proteins. You may want to consider adding a digestive enzyme to help kick start digestion. In my clinical experience a digestive enzyme can help with gas, bloating and even stomach aches. In fact, studies have found that adding digestive enzymes can help break down food. (7) Please see Invite’s Digestive Hx for a complete enzyme blend.
• Probiotics can also be a great idea after a fast! Please check out all the Probiotic blogs on our website for more information on these great nutrients.
• What type of fast should you do? This really depends on what your overall goal is. Typically, water fast should be carefully monitored by your doctor. While both water fast and juice fast can help reset your digestive system and help cleanse your body in a juice fast there are added nutrients that can help maintain energy. (1) I suggest mixing Invite powders such as our whey or plant protein into your juice to help keep your protein levels up. Typically, as a Naturopath we suggest doing a gentile detox diet for your detox fast. I have copied the link to an example of a 7-day detox plan. It can be used as an outline to plan your fast! (8)

https://mapmygenome.in/blogs/learn/7-day-healthy-eating-plan-to-detox-your-body-naturally

As you can see there are plenty of ways to incorporate additional nutrients! For example, Greens Hx can easily be mixed into hummus! If you are not fond of beets Invite has powdered beets that can be easily mixed into smoothies or other foods such as soup.

That is all good but what about those doing a longer fast? What should those who are looking to maintain energy do when they are vegan or vegetarian? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered! In our next blog we will be talking about the nutrients that can help maintain energy and overall health when you are doing a longer fast such as those observing a religious holiday such as lent.

Sources:

1. https://us.pulpandpress.com/blogs/learn/water-fast-vs-juice-fast-nutritionist-guide
2. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10835090/#:~:text=Conclusion:,Child%2DPugh%20and%20MELD%20scores.
3. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7551956/#sec4-nutrients-12-02524
4. https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-vitamin-b12
5. https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-834/acetyl-l-carnitine#uses
6. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/milk-thistle-pdq#_31
7. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11066670/
8. https://mapmygenome.in/blogs/learn/7-day-healthy-eating-plan-to-detox-your-body-naturally