Tuesday 5 July 2022

The Amazing Benefits of Fasting

Today no food! We talk about fasting. Our Muslim brothers and sisters fast during the month of Ramadan and the rest of us should try fasting as well.

I wrote about intermittent fasting back in 2019 but that was more from the weight loss and weight maintenance standpoint. Yes, I still practice intermittent fasting, which I abandoned during the 2020 lockdown (to my peril).

There is more to fasting than just weight management. In fact there are many health benefits that we can derive from fasting such as :

- mental clarity
- lowering of insulin levels (to enable body fat burning)
- reversal of type 2 diabetes (in conjunction with low carb diet)
- increase in metabolic rate
- increase in brain derived neurotrophic factor
- increase in growth hormone (which keeps us youthful)
- autophagy (cellular rejuvenation)
- boosts stem cell mobilization

I am not going to write secara panjang lebar because it is best for you to listen from the experts.

So I share with you a lecture by Dr Pradip Jamnadas, a cardiologist, where he talks about the amazing benefits of fasting.

I shared this video with my partner and he was so impressed that he started intermittent fasting immediately. My mum enjoyed this lecture too and was so inspired that she also started fasting (in fact mum had done fasting way before when I was a teenager!).

If you have the time, watch this video and be inspired. Enjoy!


Side note :

At some point during the lecture Dr Pradip mentions something to the effect that you don't need protein because "you are not growing (ie for adults)". He recommends consumption of only 0.35g per pound of body weight (which I think is too low).

This is something that I disagree. Protein is important and we must not think that older people do not require it. Look around you. You may have noticed some old folks who are frail and shrunken. Some cannot walk unaided. Of course you can say that it is due to poor health and disease associated with aging.

That may be so but in some cases, I believe, it is due to loss of muscle mass which results in the body being unable to support the musculoskeletal system. And do not forget, protein makes up about 50% of your skeletal system. So it is not just about the calcium. You also need protein for bone health. 

The general rule is to consume 1g of protein per pound of body weight. From my personal experience it is very difficult to overeat protein (especially fatty meat). When I consume a piece of steak (raw weight about 200g, it will weigh less after cooking) with some other accompaniments, I feel very satiated and can do without a second meal.

Protein is essential for cell repair, maintenance and building of muscles and bones and skin health, among others. I feel that it is important to highlight this matter.

17 comments:

  1. I need extra protein but I have to abstain from all red meats and dairy products. Must eat more fish and egg whites - I love egg yolks but no, cannot eat that now. My life is so sad!!!

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    1. Oh dear! Poor you. I guess many doctors are still holding on the old things that they learnt at medical school. The video I shared on FB will not get any medical approval here. LOL!

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  2. I fully support your theory on fasting. As for my case, I have been skipping meals not by choice and won't elaborate panjang lebar here. Fasting helps to restart many cells for my case.
    OMG! I also don't agree with this Dr Pradip! I need to see his degree.

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    1. Good to know that you are fasting although not by choice. Fasting lowers glucose levels and those nasty cells that feed off glucose will become weak.

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  3. No matter how much protein one person consume, if this person does not exercise at all and leads a sedentary lifestyle, this person will still lose muscle mass and may be in danger of being unable to walk later in life. Exercise I'd very important for strong bones and to maintain muscle mass.

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    1. Yes, exercise is important too. But at least adequate protein intake will help maintain/replenish the muscle mass for the old folks.

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    2. Without exercise, they will keep losing muscle mass even if they overeat protein. U can search for more info on this.

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  4. Oh, I haven't tried fasting before... and I hope I don't have to... I am a very "wai sik" lady... likes to try all types of food and so fasting will be the last thing on my mind... but I really admire those who carries out fasting from time to time....

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  5. I have done fasting and yes, fasting done right is good for our health. My personal opinion is eating everything moderately is important but I am not an expert.

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    1. That's good to know. Exactly, everything in moderation, no more and no less.

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  6. yes, i have been doing IF during the lockdown and it is very effective. Back then, there is no eat-outs (lockdown mah), so it is easier to control the food intake. I lose about 7-8 kgs during then, but now...gained back a few kilos coz of frequent eat-outs when working in the office.

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    1. Wah! Not bad, you also do IF. Very impressive the 7-8kg that you lost.

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  7. I don't think I can do intermittent fasting or any other kind of fasting because I like to eat and the craving will frequently appear, haha!

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  8. As much as I'd like to do IF, I can't coz my hands will shake when I'm hungry. >.< And after all the dieting and fasting, you put the weight back on again when you stop (through experience), so it's pretty pointless....lol.

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    1. I put the weight back on because during MCO I didn't practice mouth control. LOL! IF done in conjunction with a low carb diet (with treats every now and then) is effective. But of course lah must be consistent.

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