I fast on the first Sunday of every month for religious reasons. Fasting is used in many religious traditions.

Mormons fast on the first Sunday of every month for a 24 hour period–usually from Saturday dinner to Sunday dinner. The money that normally would’ve been spent on food during that period is given as a fast offering to the church and used to help those in need. I’ve been doing this since I was in my teens.

Fasting in the religious since is used to draw closer to the divine. Denying the most basic physical need, the need for food, helps you become more in tuned with your spiritual self.

When I fast, I have a purpose in mind–usually a question that needs answering. I dedicate the time during the fast to thinking about that question. It’s a time of study and prayer. I find that it’s also a good time to write in my journal. It’s a reflective time that I can use to re-evaluate my life.

For me fasting is spiritual, but studies have shown that fasting for 12 to 24 hours can also have a positive impact on your health. It can help detoxify the body.

When you go without food, your body uses the fat it’s stored for energy. These fat reserves also store toxins that have been absorbed into your body from the environment. When this fat is used the toxins are released into your system and dealt with by your kidneys,liver, lungs, lymphatic system and skin.

The energy that your body usually puts into digestion is diverted to your immune system. This can help jump start the healing process.

During a fast the body increases the release of beneficial growth hormones. Your pancreas gets to take a break and your body resets itself.

If you fast for longer than 24 hours your body starts to go into starvation mode. This has negative health effects. Your muscle tissue begins to break down and stress is put on your liver and kidneys. If your are going to fast, I don’t recommend that you do it for longer than 24 hours.

Here’s an NPR story I found about fasting.

Photo by BusyBrain