The Connection between Fasting and Detox

If you could sum up the credo of Detox in one line, it would be this – “Out with the old. In with the new.” Detoxification is the best spring-cleaning for your body. A Detox means that you will be getting into every single closet and cupboard inside your body, pulling everything out and throwing out all the things that are harmful for your system. A Detox means getting inside, cleaning up and clearing out the insides of your body in order to make space for fresh, new and healthy things.

A lot of the changes we try to create in life start from the exterior of our body. A new T Shirt or Jeans looks good and we hope that it will improve your mood. We hope that a new job that pays more than the earlier one will improve our sense of self-worth. A new relationship sounds exciting and we fervently hope that it will mark a new beginning in our lives. A big juicy steak or burger or a double shot of hot steaming espresso we hope will lift our spirits and make us feel good for the rest of the day. But when it comes to Detox, now that’s a different beast altogether!

Detox works from the inside out and helps you to connect with your center. Something truly incredible begins to happen when you detox on a deep level. The more healthier and alive that you feel from within, the more your ‘outside’ part starts to reflect those feelings. The cleansing process that starts from within also reflects on the surface and not just the smoother skin and shinier hair. Your older habits also starts to change. As your body starts getting rid of the accumulated toxins, you start changing negative habits, old patterns and older ways of thinking, old choices, old pain, old anger, old fears and all the accumulated old news that gets you angry, depressed and feeling out of touch with life. You slowly start to purify yourself and you are creating a newer you.

Why Fasting

From ancient times, Indian ascetics and wise men and women have known that fasting is a process of purification that aligns you with your spirit. Fasting is a very spiritual process that tells you to halt whatever you are doing and start going inward. When you fast, your body meets you. Fasting is a very powerful way to enter into your true essence without any outside disturbance of energy. Fasting renews the mind, spirit and the body. Fasting stops cravings. Inside all of us are the emotional places and spaces that feel deprived and needy. Fasting will help you to realise what you really need in order for you to fill up those spaces. You will gradually cease to stop filling up those empty spaces with food or other compulsive activities and additions. All too often we bury our emotions inside our bodies with food and drinks. When you fast, you are more alive to seeing and dealing with those emotional empty spaces. By becoming lighter in thought and body, you can surrender the emotions that are not just making you hungry but also sick at the same time.

Some people may have a tendency to be hyperactive and to rush around and do things. Those are just one of the ways that some people fill up their empty spaces. Fasting can help such people stay still. Reflect on yourself. Are you happy to wake up in the mornings and just ‘be’? Or do you feel depressed if you are not always engaged with something? Fasting can help you become very still and listen for the messages that guide you to your purpose in life and what you really should be doing with your life. Because when your body and spirit are aligned, there is crystal clear clarity of purpose and harmony with oneself and with the world around us. Your choices become clear and the future is something beautiful to look forward to and the past is not just a place full of regret!

Fasting and Detox

Everyone needs a vacation – even your organs! When you fast, you give your digestive system a vacation. Want to know the reason why your internal organs needs a break? Well here’s why. In a world that is full of pollutants, your digestive system is working overtime. When you eat 3 meals in a day, new stuff is being allowed in your digestive system daily and that means all that stuff has to be processed, repackaged and moved on. If you eat more than 3 times a day or if you are constantly eating then your system does not get a break. Your liver, kidneys, stomach, intestines and colon are all working overtime. Frankly it’s exhausting for your organs.

When the constant dumping of food stops, something truly wonderful starts to happen almost immediately. Your digestive system including all your organs that are no longer burdened can take a rest and detoxify.

Fasting Makes You Feel Good

When your body is cleansed from within, your psyche and mood are also revived and awakened. What most people do not realise is that the toxins are connected to our body, mind and spirit. For example, if you are a woman who has a weakness for chocolate cakes and bad relationships then there is a connection there. If you are a man who is wedded to his job and you cannot stop smoking then there is a connection there too. When we feel empty and needy from within, we try and fill up those spaces to compensate. When we are emotionally starved, we reach out for things that make us feel good temporarily. A Detox helps you to make sense of those harmful connections and break those connections forever.

Fasting Give you Energy

A lot of people who try fasting for detox report feeling unprecedented levels of energy. Energy – isn’t that what we all need more of in our lives? Most people try and get through the day feeling chronically fatigued. When your body feels complete and whole, then you will have all the energy you need to accomplish the things that you want to do. The definition of food for me is not what we can taste or chew but rather what it can do for you. It is what we are supplying to our body. Every little thing that we eat supplies something to the body. Everytime you ingest something either in solid or liquid form ask yourself these questions – Is what I am eating nourishing and energising me? Is it balanced and giving me a sense of balance and ease? If you are a working professional be more mindful of what you eat. Too many times at our workplace or homes, we put food on top of more food without giving our bodies a break. The breakfast you eat is often sitting on top of the heavy late night dinner last night. Most people have mountains of undigested foods inside their bodies at any given point of time.

When you are tense at work, you tend to gobble down something in a hurry. This is emotionally charged eating and it is harmful for you. Or if you have a fight with a friend or lover, you will want to eat chocolates or ice cream. At times like this, do you think that whatever you eat is being digested in a correct manner. Detox is one of the most powerful ways that your body can fight back. The Detox process cleanses, rejuvenates and restores integrity to the cells and gives back to our body it’s strength, vigour and balance.

Fasting and Rejuvenation

When you do a full body cleanse, your emotional and spiritual side also clears up and lightens up. All of a sudden, you are able to stop following the old patterns of the past. All the fears of the past melt away and so does all the pent up anger, pain and hatred. Old wounds start to heal, edgy behaviour gives way to peace and calm and a fragile ego becomes strong. In the course of my diet and nutrition practice, I often meet with clients who seem to have it all and have done it all but yet they seem to suffer from a sense of self-esteem and seem to lack something vital in their lives. They have the job that they always wanted, they family they always wanted, the house they always wanted, the car they always wanted and so on. But yet they seem to be left wanting something and they have idea what that something might be. But when your body is healthy and your mind is alert then you are instantly able to connect to your inner self in fresh and powerful ways. By cleaning out, you are clearing the pathways for energy. Your spirit is awakened and the circle of healing is complete. Your life will feel more meaningful and more fuller with life, laughter and happiness.

Author – Krupa Parekh

Krupa is a dietician and nutritionist based in Mumbai and consults at our Andheri West Centre for our clients in Diabetes and Obesity Management, Detoxification therapy and specializes in creating bespoke Nutrition plans for kids, teenagers and adults by integrating correct food habits around one’s lifestyle. Read more about Krupa here – http://www.krupaparekh.in/. You can call on 98206 07875 for detox therapy or a diet consultation with Krupa.