Go Slow On Food! Fast For A Day! Prevent Cancer

We all see the senior family members and especially women of our family keeping fasts on many days in a month on several occasions like chaturthi, ekdashi, ashtami according to hindu calendar and so on. There are other religions apart from Hinduism who also suggest their disciples or followers to observe fast for particular number of days. For example, Muslims observe fasting from sunrise to sunset during sacred month of Ramzan. Jains observe fasting during the Paryushan Parv for fifteen days and even Christians observe similar kind of fast during the period of Lent, i.e. forty days before the Easter Sunday.  Judaism requires completely abstaining from food, drink, and water for up to six days a year. There will be many more which we might not be aware of. Though we don’t ever ask for particular benefits of the fast thinking that it is purely for the religious practice.  Many people fast by eating a particular kind of food like only satvik food or specially made food for fasts.

Until now considered only a religious practice, fasting is now garnering much support from the scientific world too. New researches and studies are doing startling revelations on fasting. This makes us think many times before we criticise our old traditions and make fun of the seniors in our family for following them.

In the year 2016 Yoshinori Ohsumi, a cellular biologist from Japan along with his team won the Nobel Prize for his path-breaking research for discovering the mechanisms of Autophagy. The Nobel Prize Committee’s press release reads:

Ohsumi’s discoveries have led to a new paradigm in our understanding of how a cell processes its contents. His discoveries have opened new ways of understanding the fundamental importance of autophagy for a large number of physiological processes, such as adaptation to starvation and response to an infection.

Autophagy is the process of utilizing and recycling unnecessary or dysfunctional cellular components the so called cellular rubbish which accumulates in cells. The term autophagy originates from two Greek words which summarily mean self-eating. Autophagy is intrinsic to living organisms, including those of human beings. Thanks to autophagy cells get rid of excess parts, while an organism gets rid of unnecessary cells.

Autophagy becomes especially intensive when an organism is under stress, for example, when it fasts. In this case a cell produces energy using its internal resources, that is, cellular rubbish, including pathogenic bacteria.

The Nobel Prize winner’s discovery indicates that abstaining from food and keeping fasts is wholesome the body truly cleans itself. This is confirmed by the Nobel Prize Committee.

According to Ohsumi’s colleagues, autophagy protects organisms from premature senility. This process even probably rejuvenates organisms by creating new cells, removing defective proteins and damaged intracellular organelles from them, thus maintaining them in good condition.  So to preserve existing good health and to actually kill bad disease causing bacteria the phenomenon of fasting is proven very helpful.

This was scientific perspective though we also have our own Vedic and Shastra view of preserving and promoting ‘Fasting’ as a way to come close to our inner self, to enlighten our real self and  reach the new heights of spirituality ultimate aim of which to attain inner peace and good health which translates into being disease free and less dependance on medicines. Our ancient practices tell us to fast especially on particular days like chaturthi, ashtami and ekdashi to reap maximum health and spiritual benefits.  Our system of fasting is based on moon cycles. The moon which causes high and low tides in an ocean definitiely affects our bodies too which is 70% water. All our lifestyle and eating habits were designed keeping in mind all these things and much more. Fasting bestows a divine happiness. Fasting gives clear insight into a subject. It bestows on the human machine an activity all anew. That’s why fasting in believed to help you heal your body internally as well as give your soul a chance to introspect and grow internally towards attaining ultimate peace. As our attention draws away from food we start thinking about  other things which makes us grow within.

So think about fasting not only to follow traditions told by our great ancestors but also repair your body within, clear toxins and lead a medicine free life ahead. Think again again before eating food in front of you, is it going to really nourish you or heading you to unending hospital visits and rounds of medicines.


For Your Spiritual Upliftment