EATING LESS OR FASTING: The Key to Good Health And Spiritual Wellbeing.

Want To Live Longer/Healthier?

Eating Less Or Fasting Is

The Key To Good Health

And Spiritual Wellbeing!

(M. Javed Naseem)

The Bible says:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,

what you will eat or drink; or about your body,

what you will wear! Is not life more than food,

and the body more than clothes?”

– Matthew 6:25

A full belly is the Devil’s workshop – nothing good comes out of it. On the contrary a half-empty (or half-full, if it pleases you) belly guarantees you a healthier and better life.

People believe in living comfortably and they try all sorts of things to achieve this goal. But most of the times they end up living a problematic life. I say that you live modestly (as I don’t like luxuries) but die comfortably! It means that you physically live a healthier life which is also very important for your spiritual wellbeing. To me, dying comfortably means dying disease-free, without diabetes, without blood-pressure, without heart ailments, without liver problems, without kidney infections and without obesity. And this is possible only by eating less (including fasting) and exercising.

The Bible says:

“Food will not commend us to God.

We are no worse off if we do not eat,

and no better off if we do.”

– 1-Corinthians 8:8

With experience, you should become your own doctor as nobody understands your body better than you. You make adjustments in your eating habits and lifestyle; add a little bit of sports (especially jogging/running or at least walking) to it and you are fine. Basically, it is what you eat and how much; and how you burn it. You try one regimen or another and you’ll know what’s better for you.

I am in my 70’s (Alhamdo-lillah or thank God) and I don’t see a doctor for years at a stretch, though I do take a few lab tests every two years to monitor my pH balance. PH (pH) is a measurement of how acidic or alkaline (basic) a substance is. The scale runs from 0 to 14. A pH of less than 7 is considered acidic, and a pH of more than 7 is basic. It is now over 20 years that I never ate 3 meals a day. I take morning breakfast (with 3-5 dates, a cup of milk, two slices of whole-wheat bread dipped in olive oil, an egg, cereal yoghurt and a mug of tea. My second meal is Linner – yes, it’s the combination of Lunch & Dinner. I normally eat at sunset with Maghrib prayer. I fast about 10 days every month (twice/thrice a week). I don’t eat red meat, nor chicken. I eat fish and turkey meat; a lot of fruits, vegetables/salads; dry nuts, drink gallons of tea (lol…) – black, green, ginger, mint and jasmine, with a slice of lemon in the mug (not a cup … lol). Don’t smoke, don’t drink alcohol, don’t drink soda pops (Coke, Pepsi, etc.). I prefer to drink plain water (especially water with a slice of lemon). Of course, there are exceptions too, when I am invited by others, I eat/drink whatever Halal is offered. I don’t make a fuss.

In the morning, before breakfast, I take a glass of lemon-water (fresh lemon squeezed in water) or red apple-cider vinegar (two spoons mixed in a glass of) water. At night, before bed, I take a cup of hot turmeric-milk (half a spoon of turmeric powder mixed in hot milk). Apart from that, I walk (used to jog/run 3-times a week) – brisk walking – 3-5 km every day. And that takes care of my health, keeping the doctors away. The only people I need to consult every couple of years are the dentist and the eye-specialist. I wear glasses only for reading/writing. I drive too.

We know it from the Quran that Prophet Nuh (Noah) lived a long life (950 years). Adam and his sons and many other Prophets also lived longer lives than we can think of – hundreds of years. What was the secret of their long and healthy lives? We don’t know; but we know that there were no sophisticated clinics or hospitals nor special medicines or drugs they used. The lifestyle was plain and simple; nobody ate 3-meals a day. They ate less and worked harder. They walked a lot too.

The last Prophet (Muhammad, s.a.w.) gave us a sincere piece of advice about filling our bellies. He said:

“No human ever filled a vessel worse than the stomach. Sufficient for the son of Adam are a few morsels to keep his back straight. But if he cannot bear that, then one third for his food, one third for his drink and one third for his breath.” (Ahmad, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah).

When Yuhanna Bin Masawaiyh (770 CE), the famous Assyrian physician who lived through the tenure of four Caliphs in Baghdad, heard about the Prophet’s Hadith, he remarked, “If people only applied these words practically, they would avoid all diseases and maladies; and the clinics and pharmacies would be idle.”

Modern research has shown that remarkable reduction in the amount of food consumed helped fish, rats and monkeys live longer. But there have been very few studies in humans. Now, some researchers have found that when people severely cut calories, they can slow their metabolism and possibly the aging process.

Western scientists and researchers know fully well the benefits of fasting but they deliberately avoid to recommend it because they don’t want to promote ‘Ramadan’ – in other words promote Islam. So, they keep beating about the bush.

The Bible says:

“But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”  – 1-Corinthians 9:27.

“It shall be a statute forever throughout your generations, in all your dwelling places,

that you eat neither fat nor blood.” – Leviticus 3:17.

“Be not among drunkards or among gluttonous eaters of meat, for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty, and slumber will clothe them with rags.” – Proverbs 23:20-21.

“Speak to the people of Israel, saying, ‘You shall eat no fat, of ox or sheep or goat!’” – Leviticus 7:23.

Clinical physiologist Leanne Redman, who headed a study at Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Florida, says that people who cut their typical plate for breakfast, lunch and dinner by up to 25 percent, for two years, lost quite a bit of weight – 25 pounds on average.

For testing, participants also spent 24 hours in special rooms that measured their metabolic rates via gas, oxygen and carbon dioxide and how it changed over time.

Redman noticed that for those on the restricted diet, their metabolism slowed and became more efficient.

"Basically it just means that cells need less oxygen in order to generate the energy the body needs to survive; and so the body and the cells are becoming more energy efficient," Redman explains.

Biochemist Valter Longo, who studies longevity at the University of Southern California, says: "Basically, you have to eat progressively less to maintain the same weight."

Carrying around too much weight can cause countless health problems. Instead of chronic calorie restriction, Longo is a proponent of mini-fasts. These are short reductions in calories to just 900 a day for five days a month, which, he says, have the benefits of fasting without the potentially negative long-term effects. In his book ‘The Longevity Diet’, Longo stresses the importance of eating more fruits and vegetables and less meat.

It may not ultimately lengthen your life, he says, but it can certainly help you maintain a healthy weight and avoid the kinds of chronic illnesses that can shorten it. These practices are not for everyone. If you have a history of eating disorders check with your doctor before starting any new regimen.

Fasting Or Intermittent Fasting (IF):

According to Dr. Monique Tello, there’s a ton of incredibly promising intermittent fasting (IF) research done on fat rats. They lose weight, their blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugars improve… but they’re rats. Studies in humans, almost across the board, have shown that IF is safe and incredibly effective. A growing body of research suggests that the timing of the fast is key, and can make IF (Intermittent Fasting) a more realistic, sustainable, and effective approach for weight loss, as well as for diabetes prevention.

She says:

“The food we eat is broken down by enzymes in our gut and eventually ends up as molecules in our bloodstream. Carbohydrates, particularly sugars and refined grains (think white flours and rice), are quickly broken down into sugar, which our cells use for energy. If our cells don’t use it all, we store it in our fat cells as, well, fat. But sugar can only enter our cells with insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas. Insulin brings sugar into the fat cells and keeps it there.”

“Between meals, as long as we don’t snack, our insulin levels will go down and our fat cells can then release their stored sugar, to be used as energy. We lose weight if we let our insulin levels go down. The entire idea of IF is to allow the insulin levels to go down far enough and for long enough that we burn off our fat.”

New research is suggesting that not all IF approaches are the same; some are actually very reasonable, effective, and sustainable, especially when combined with a nutritious plant-based diet. We have evolved to be in sync with the day/night cycle, i.e., a circadian rhythm. Our metabolism has adapted to daytime food, nighttime sleep. Nighttime eating is well associated with a higher risk of obesity, as well as diabetes.

Research shows that just changing the timing of meals, by eating earlier in the day and extending the overnight fast, significantly benefited metabolism. Dr. Deborah Wexler, Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Diabetes Center and associate professor at Harvard Medical School, says:

“There is evidence to suggest that the circadian rhythm fasting approach, where meals are restricted to an eight to 10-hour period of the daytime, is effective, but generally, it is recommended that people use an eating approach that works for them and is sustainable to them.”

There is some good scientific evidence suggesting that circadian rhythm fasting, when combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle, can be a particularly effective approach to weight loss, especially for people at risk for diabetes. (However, people with advanced diabetes or who are on medications for diabetes, people with a history of eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia, and pregnant or breastfeeding women should not attempt intermittent fasting unless under the close supervision of a physician who can monitor them.)

The Way To Do It:

1. Avoid sugars and refined grains. Instead, eat fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (a sensible, plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet).
2. Let your body burn fat between meals. Don’t snack. Be active throughout your day. Build muscle tone.
3. Consider a simple form of intermittent fasting. Limit the hours of the day when you eat, and for best effect, make it earlier in the day (between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm, but definitely not in the evening before bed).
4. Avoid snacking or eating at nighttime, all the time.

(Courtesy: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156)

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