Fasting for Weight Loss: Is Fasting To Lose Weight Quickly A Good Idea?

Oct 1 by Joanna

Although fasting is not the most practical, easiest, or healthiest way to lose weight, many people use various forms of fasting to lose weight or detoxify the body.

Fasting is an excellent way to give your body a break from all the hard work it is doing digesting and eliminating the foods you eat. It can do wonders to your body, allowing it to cleanse itself, heal, and – of course – lose weight.

The simplest form of fasting – i.e. water fasting for weight loss - requires drinking nothing but pure water.

Many people argue (and I tend to agree) that water fasting is the only real form of fasting.

Other forms of fasting, such as juice fasting, for example, are just restrictive diets. Certain “fasting diets for weight loss” allow liquids such as juice or tea, eating only raw foods, or reduce calories consumed daily, without eliminating food altogether. Some people may try fasting every other day for weight loss.

You may be wondering “Is fasting good for weight loss?” The answer is, not really.

Why is fasting to lose weight not the optimal way to shed pounds for most people?

If weight loss is about expanding more calories that we eat, then fasting may seem like an ideal way to lose weight fast. Right??

Wrong!

While it’s true that during the fast, your body has to use the energy stores to get the fuel it needs to keep going, which results in weight loss, however, unfortunately, the results may not be as fast or as dramatic as one may expect.

The reason is that our bodies have been genetically programmed to minimize the effects of fasting, so when we eat less food, our metabolism SLOWS DOWN to conserve energy. When the fast ends, and you start eating again, you risk to regain the lost pounds quickly.

What you need to keep in mind is that fasting will slow down your metabolism, and this lowered metabolic rate will last for as long as SIX WEEKS after you end the fast.

That is why it is so important to establish some foundation of healthy eating habits PRIOR to starting the fast.

If you are unable or unwilling to make PERMANENT changes to your diet and follow a healthy eating plan after the fast, then there really is NO POINT in fasting. If you fast and then go back to your former unhealthy and excessive way of eating, you will eventually GAIN THE WEIGHT RIGHT BACK and the benefits of the fast will go to waste.

That is why fasting is not the best option for most overweight people who are simply trying to lose some weight. It is FAR MORE IMPORTANT for them to adopt a healthy diet and active life-style to maintain their ideal weight and be healthy in the long term.

So if you go back to your old eating habits – you will actually put on weight even more quickly than before. So it is critical to follow a healthy eating plan and NOT TO OVEREAT after the fast.

If you are truly concerned about being overweight, you must make permanent changes to your life-style and eating habits that you are willing to live with for the rest of your life!

A slim, healthy body will then be a natural result as a consequence of your new habits, which should include better food choices and – of course – fitness activity.

Is Fasting To Lose Weight Safe?

Fasting for a couple of days is safe for people who are in good health. However, fasting for longer periods of time should be done only under supervision of a physician who is knowledgeable in the subject of fasting.  Especially if you have a chronic illness, even the short-term fasting is not recommended. Women who are pregnant or nursing, or anyone with a chronic disease, also shouldn’t fast.

Recommended reading: “Fasting and Eating for Health” by Joel Fuhrman.

Questions? Comments? Weight Loss Tips?

Why not add to the conversation in the comment section below! Are you trying to lose weight? What type of diet are you following? What are you struggling with? Want to share some weight loss tips with other readers?

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Candida Cleanse and Anti Candida Diet: 6 Shocking (but True) Facts That I Think You Should Know

Oct 29 by Joanna

If you are searching for information about anti candida diet, often referred to as candida diet, candida cleansing, yeast infection diet, yeast free diet or body ecology diet; and are desperate to find a natural cure for yeast infection, you may have come across lots of confusing and conflicting advice.  To make sense of the issue you need to have some basic information about candida, so you can make the right choices.  

Here are some basic – yet often unknown facts – about yeast, candida, and other microbial cultures.

1. Microbial cultures, such as candida, are everywhere so it’s impossible to “cleanse,” “starve them to death” or “eliminate” them out of your system completely.

“Fermentation is everywhere, always. It is an every day miracle, the path of least resistance. Microscopic bacteria and fungi (encompassing yeasts and molds) are in every breath we take and every bite we eat. Try- as many do- to eradicate them with antibacterial soaps, anti-fungal creams, antibiotic drugs, there is no escaping them. They are ubiquitous agents of transformation, feasting upon decaying matter, constantly shifting dynamic life forces from one miraculous and horrible creation to the next.

Microbial cultures are essential to life’s processes, such as digestion and immunity. We humans are in a symbiotic relationship with these single-cell life-forms. Micro-flora, as they are often called, digest food into nutrients our bodies can absorb, protect from from potentially dangerous organisms, and teach our immune systems how to function. Not only are we dependent upon microorganisms, we are their descendants: According to the fossil record, all forms of life on earth spring from bacterial origins. Microorganisms are our ancestors and our allies. They keep the soil fertile and comprise an indispensable part of the cycle of life. Without them, there could be no other life.” Sandor Ellix Katz, author of a book on the subject of fermentation in the kitchen “Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods”.

2. Candida feeds on sugar, and there is ALWAYS sugar in the blood, so there is always food for the candida yeast.

Candida is an organism that naturally occurs in human blood and feeds on sugar.  There is no diet that can eliminate sugar from your blood. Even if you don’t eat any sugar, the body will convert the foods that you eat into sugar, because our bodies need sugar for energy, so there is ALWAYS sugar in the blood.

The question is how much sugar do you have in your blood? If your blood glucose levels are normal, the amount of candida organisms in your blood will be at normal level too. Even when the sugar level rises after meals, any excess yeast will die off once the sugar is metabolized and returns to normal.

3. Candida overgrowth is the direct result of excess FAT in the blood, which interferes with absorption of sugar causing elevated blood sugar levels for long periods of time.

If your blood glucose levels are elevated above normal (which can be a sign of pre-diabetes or diabetes), the problems begin. However, these problems are NOT caused by consuming excess sugar, but excess FAT. I found an excellent explanation of this phenomenon in the book ”The 80/10/10 Diet” by Dr. D. Graham. If you read it, you will understand the fat-sugar connection (plus the book is simply the most illuminating book about human nutrition that I have ever read).

“The size or population of the candida colony in the blood is directly determined by its food supply. If blood-sugar levels are always at a normal level, so is the size of the candida colony that lives in the blood. When the sugar we eat leaves the blood to be distributed and used by the cells of the body, any excess yeast quickly dies off, as it is supposed to do.

Should blood-sugar levels rise, however, the candida organisms multiply rapidly (bloom) as they consume the excess sugar. Once they have done so and blood-sugar levels come back down to normal, so does the number of candida microbes. This ebb and flow happens as a normal part of human physiology and causes no health problems or uncomfortable symptoms.

If fat levels stay chronically elevated due to a fat-rich diet, sugar remains in the bloodstream and feeds the large candida colonies instead of feeding the 18 trillion cells of the body. Starved for fuel, these cells can no longer metabolize energy. You become tired, and feel rundown.

It is important to understand the implications of a rise in the blood-sugar level. If the body is not able to reestablish normal blood-sugar levels, a dangerous situation exists. The only mechanism that remains for bringing the blood sugar back down is the candida.

The candida microbe in our blood is actually a life-saving organism, one that we do not ever want to eradicate. It functions as another backup system – a safety valve that helps to bring the blood sugar level back down to normal in the event that the pancreas and the adrenals fail to do so.

Most people create the conditions that cause pancreatic and adrenal fatigue constantly, throughout the day and at every meal. It is therefore no surprise that candida issues plague people until they actually change their lifestyle habits. Outbreaks of candida are your wake up call – a warning that your system is rapidly approaching diabetes, and that you would do well to drastically curtail your fat consumption or face dire health consequences.

In the presence of too much fat in the blood, even a small amount of sugar, from any source, can result in abnormally high blood-sugar levels. Because all carbohydrate, fat, and protein we eat is converted to simple sugar (glucose) if it is to be used by the cells for fuel, the way out of this cycle is not to eat less sugar, but to consume less fat. When fat levels drop, the sugar starts to get processed and distributed again, and the yeast levels drop because there is no longer excess sugar available for it to eat.”

4. Eliminating fruit (and other foods containing sugar) from your diet will not remove the cause of your problem, just the symptoms.

Fruit are not the culprits – you need to reduce the consumption of FATS in your diet, optimally to about 10% of total calories. (That is why you should be careful not to add too much nuts, avocados, or kefir to your raw salads and smoothies)

5. The best foods to eat to get rid of high blood sugar and candida problem are fresh RAW vegetables, dark leafy greens and fresh RAW fruits.

You should be eating between 60-80 % (the more – the better) of fresh RAW plant food, especially greens, vegetables and fruits.  You may include some sprouted grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, if you like. The remainder of your diet should be steamed or lightly cooked vegetables, legumes and whole grains. Limit  animal protein foods to less than 5 %.  Limit or completely eliminate white sugar, white flour, diary (except for kefir and yogurt, if you like) and all other processed foods.

If you are thinking ”There is no way I’m ever going to eat like that” - I have a few tips that will make it much easier for you.

Those of you who have been reading this blog already know that the easiest way to get loads of raw greens and veggies into your diet is by drinking green smoothies every day. Green smoothies are simply green leafy vegetables blended with some fruits for sweetness. If you are worried about high sugar content of fruit, you may want to initially reduce fruit content of the smoothies by adding only small amounts of apples, berries, or oranges. You may want to add some lemons and/or garlic – if you can tolerate the taste.

Here is a sample recipe to start your candida cleanse:

2 cups spinach
2 cups collard greens
2 leaves kale
1 cucumber
1 stalk of celery
2 apples
1/2 cup of berries
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 or 2 cups of water (depending how thick you want it to be)
Blend well all ingredients in a good smoothie blender.

I have to warn you that the first few days you may experience some unpleasant, flu like symptoms as the excess candida begin to die. Fungi are living things and may emit toxins into your body as they die off, making your symptoms get worse instead of better at first for the first few days. The good news is green leafy vegetables absorb fungal poisons (mycotoxins) and carry them out of the body. So, just keep drinking your smoothies and lots of water.

6. Although I generally don’t recommend eating diary, you may want to add some cultured diary products to your diet, such as kefir.

Kefir is a cultured, enzyme-rich food filled with friendly micro-organisms that help balance your “inner ecosystem.” Kefir can be used to restore the inner eco-system, for example after an antibiotic therapy. Some say it’s more nutritious than yogurt, plus it’s simple and inexpensive to make at home. Some websites promote “kefir starter kits” – such as the ones promoted by Donna Gates on her Body Ecology Diet website. However, you can also buy live kefir grains online and start making kefir and other cultured foods at your home. Of course, you can add some kefir to your smoothies, too.

Questions? Comments? Weight Loss Tips?

Why not add to the conversation in the comment section below! Are you trying to lose weight? What type of diet are you following? What are you struggling with?

Want to share some weight loss tips with fellow readers? I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you!

Thanks!

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