Dear Sue:

Is fasting healthy? I am seriously thinking of going on a liquid diet (mostly bottled water) for several days to cleanse and detoxify, and also to shrink my stomach so I am not as hungry and will not overeat anymore. I appreciate any suggestions you have.

Thanks,
Linda

Dear Linda:

Going on a fast will not cause a lasting change in your eating behavior. The most effective cure is learning not to overeat, which comes as a result of a slow change in behavior.

I highly recommend a book called Habits Not Diets, by James Ferguson. It is essentially a workbook that takes you through the process of changing your eating habits for the better, forever, for permanent weight loss.

Fasting isn't recommended, for a variety of reasons.

To start with, it is a myth that fasting is a cleansing process. In fact, toxins can actually be released during fasting. During your lifetime, toxins that you ingest and do not get rid of are safely stored in the liver and in body fat. In order to provide fuel for your body when you fast, fat is mobilized -- and the stored toxins are released in amounts that your body cannot cope with or get rid of. So rather than releasing fat in slow steady doses, fasting puts a stress on your system's ability to cope with the process.

Loss of body protein, water and nutrients are other reasons not to fast. Rapid weight loss due to fasting is usually loss of water and muscle. The body depends on a steady supply of glucose in the blood to fuel muscles and the brain, which relies solely on glucose for fuel. Several hours into a fast, blood glucose is used up, and available glycogen from the liver and muscle is drawn upon and soon exhausted too.

Unlike most cells, the brain and nerve cells can't use fatty acids for fuel, and they need glucose. Liver and muscle cells must also break down to some extent, because some of their amino acids suffer. This is a big waste of your body protein. The accelerated breakdown of protein increases the amount of nitrogen that gets excreted, and in order to dilute that nitrogen to levels the kidneys can handle, water is drawn from the rest of the body.

Protein breakdown can cause cellular potassium to be excreted in the urine, which can in turn cause dizziness, fatigue and, if severe enough, heart arrhythmia.

Only about 5 percent by weight of a fat molecule can be converted into glucose, and using fat to make glucose overloads the body with free fatty acids (the 95 percent that can't be used). After several days your body shifts to a state of ketosis, during which it converts accumulated fatty-acid and some amino-acid fragments into ketone bodies, a fuel alternative to glucose.

During a fast your body can't use the amount of ketone bodies that the the liver produces, so they build up in your blood. They are strong organic acids and can lead to acidosis, which can disturb many functions. Also, acetone is excreted in the lungs, and your breath will smell fruity.

As you can see, none of these changes brings any cleansing to the body. And fasting does not address the behaviors that were causing you to overeat to begin with.

Therefore, I suggest that instead of fasting you take a long, vigorous walk (with your bottled water) to clear your mind, and then get a fresh start by working slowly, steadily and positively to adopt healthy eating habits. Best of luck to you.

Sincerely,
Sue Gilbert