8 Health Benefits of Fasting- Backed by Science

Fasting has other side benefits that helps not just the fasting individuals but the whole community too.
First, by not eating during daylight hours (Muslim style fasting from sunrise to sunset), time, energy, effort, and money are saved. Instead of grocery shopping, walking or driving around searching for restaurants, cafes and grocery store, that saved time can be used for other things (reading, learning online, exercise, volunteering, taking care of/visiting elderly parents, gardening, etc.), depending on the person’s work schedule.
Second, the environment benefits because if just ten percent of an average small city fasts from sunrise to sunset, depending on the seasons and geographical location of that city, a lot less pollutants from vehicle exhausts are released. This means the air is cleaner and people and plants are saved from breathing harmful carbon monoxide.
Not only air is cleaner, but less vehicular traffic means less deliveries which further helps the environment by reducing excessive wear and tear of roads, vehicles, less maintenance, less used tires and decreased gasoline consumption.
Third, the community benefits from the discipline that comes from reduced eating. All age groups look up to those fasting and monitor them for signs of health improvements.
Those afraid of fasting due to negative opinions, may reconsider the option of holding back on daily food intake.
The erroneous idea of eating three meals a day plus snacking in between as necessary can be overturned by a small percentage of community members fasting regularly. This duly influences the entire community once it is found out that the fasting members are living proof that refraining from food just two days a week (quarter of a year) helps reduce or even eliminate many types of illnesses.
From heart disease/attacks to diabetes to stomach ulcers and beyond, scientific research show that fasting is a great way to rejuvenate the human body and even increase one’s lifespan.
Fourth, so much energy running after food comes with costs that in the long term, creates needless headaches for the entire city.
Kids and teens, via persistent advertising of restaurant food and snacks and beverages, mimic adults which result in their deteriorating health as they grow, some even developing addictions for certain foods.
If their parents who are into fasting show by example that though food is an important part of life, it is not the only part to spend time preparing and enjoying.
The fasting parents will teach their household to fast at least once a week in order to better understand the value of food and appreciate the food sources’ diverse tastes and nutritional benefits.
Sixth, the benefits of saving money from no breakfast and lunch twice a week ads up quickly. If an average household of four persons of 5000 homes/apartments (10% of a city of 50,000) avoids two meals a day twice a week, with average price per meal(excluding beverages) at ten dollars, here are the savings: $10X2meals=$20, 2days per week X$20=$40. 4 persons per family X$40=$160. 4 weeks per month x $160=$640 per household. Now 5,000 homes x $640=$3,200,000. Three million two hundred thousand dollars in savings just skipping two meals a day twice a week. I have considered the fact that some household’s members are two adult parents and two small kids, or one parent and three kids, or all four teenagers sharing an apartment, or all seniors in one house, etc. Ten dollars for two meals still is a good average in spite of the above scenarios, even though it could be much higher, considering the cost of driving round trip to cafes, restaurants, grocery store, shopping for breakfast and lunch, the gasoline, physical energy and time spent in finding, buying, unpacking, rinsing, chopping, cooking/heating, and spending time just eating the procured foods until one gets up satisfied from finishing their meal, if all these are calculated…well let’s put them aside for now.
“Imagine all the people, living life in peace..” as John Lennon says, that peace is one step nearer to reality if a portion of a city populace starts fasting. How? Peace is not just sitting in a quiet place avoiding responsibilities.
Peace is created through collective efforts of key individuals in society who, along with their families, via directly involving themselves in worthy beneficial actions, persuade/propel the rest of their city residents towards similar acts so all of the population can reap the rewards.
Fasting does result in a more peaceful environment because ten percent, thousands of residents are concentrating on their fasting, thrilled to be in complete control of their food intake from sunrise to sunset. They don’t seek external conflict but internal rewards that reduced eating will bring them.
One can argue that these fasters lack the energy to get entangled in needless arguments and physical altercations. That may be true, but let’s not forget that it take strong discipline and an active conscience to abstain two meals a day in the face of opposition from food merchants, the Media, and their own families.
Fasting isn’t just a physical act with physical rewards; it is also a mental/intellectual act that can bring a greater spiritual foresight. For those who fast, it makes no sense to continue the same path of daily conflicts, of personality clashes over mundane issues. These people will want to maintain peace in the community and wish to share the numerous rewards of holding off on eating. By disrupting and overhauling their food intake schedule established over decades, they have no intention of being unruly. In fact, fasting does and should transform a human from being negative and aggressive into a more respectful, mild-mannered person with a contemplative attitude. This is because while most people continue to enjoy three meals, and as they eat and drink, they won’t have time to contemplate, meditate, etc. A person in the state of fasting automatically becomes contemplative and this helps him/her in many ways: a)thinking/ mental activity increases b)talking, chitchatting decreases, c)physical conflicts decreases, d)understanding/intuition increases, e)appreciation of food, and health, and nutrition increases. It is also possible that by interruption of our daily eating, one increases his/her charitable outlook towards those millions of humans who go through a self-imposed state of fasting all their lives. Almost all human rights, charity and UN organizations agree that millions up millions of humankind live in state of half-starvation. Fasting can forge within us a much needed attitude of feeling responsible for the wellbeing of other people. To be Cont’d…