Eat, Fast and Live Longer

Last year I watched a BBC TV Horizon programme called “Eat, Fast and Live Longer”. The
presenter, Michael Mosley, tried out different fasting diets and looked into the science
behind them.

The research on regular fasting shows the following results:

 Reduction of IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor 1), which is said to be one of the best
ways to reduce weight.
 Less IGF-1 reduces life-threatening illnesses such as diabetes and cancer.
 Lower IGF-1 levels slows the production of new cells and helps in the repair of
existing cells.
 Damaged DNA gets normalised and accompanying age-related diseases are reduced.
 Fasting helps slow down the ageing process.

Health secret of the 101-year-old marathon runner

In the Horizon programme, Michael Mosley interviewed a Sikh man called Fauja Singh, who
was running the London marathon at the age of 101. He actually started running in his 80s.

Despite his years, Fauja had no signs of heart disease, had never had surgery and had
never taken medication. He stated that his long life and vigorous health was due to that fact
that had always eaten a child’s portion at every meal.

Studies on rats and humans confirm that a lower caloric intake can lead to longer, healthier
life.

Ayurveda on how much to eat

Ayurveda, the ancient Indian science of health, came to the same conclusion thousands of
years ago. The Ayurvedic recommendation for each meal is to eat only the amount you can
hold in your cupped hands.

Ayurvedic doctors recommend that half your stomach should be filled with solid food, a
quarter with liquids, and a quarter left empty. You should end the meal feeling satisfied but
not full.
Ayurveda maintains that we should leave enough room our stomach for digestion to take
place. If we overfill our stomach there is little room for Agni (our digestive fire, which
includes stomach acids and enzymes) to do its work.

The result of overeating is toxic waste

If we overeat, food hangs around in our digestive system. Partially digested food can
become toxic if it is not quickly processed. Ama, a toxic by product of incomplete digestion,
gets produced. According to Ayurveda, Ama is the root cause of the majority of human
diseases.

Overeating leads to increased weight

When we look around at the body shapes of people walking down any typical High Street, it
is clear that many people overeat on a regular basis and are thereby reducing their life
expectancy.

If overeating increases our weight and leads to illness and even premature death, what can
we do about it? Ayurveda can help.

What eating habits does Ayurveda recommend?

 Ayurvedic doctors say we should always leave a meal feeling as though we could eat
a little more. This practice leaves enough space in the stomach for proper digestion.
 Don’t snack between meals. After a main meal, complete digestion can take 5-6
hours. So allow a good amount of time between meals – and no snacking!
 If you feel the need to eat between meals it is usually not a real desire for food but a
compulsion, which can be driven by habit, boredom or emotion. Try a drink of water
or tea instead.
 Sipping warm or hot water between meals aids digestion, helps remove any build-up
of toxic Ama, and can reduce the compulsion to snack.
 Only eat when you are truly hungry. Genuine hunger is the indicator that the
previous meal has been fully digested and Agni, or digestive fire, has re-awakened.
 Spices, such as cumin, coriander, turmeric, ginger, cardamom and black pepper, aid
in the digestion of proteins and fats. Herbs such as mint, rosemary and fennel also
aid digestion.
 Make sure that your meals have all the six tastes in them: sweet, sour, salty,
pungent, bitter and astringent. Taste is the mechanism nature has provided for us to
assess if we have gained full nutrition from a meal. If we don’t have all the tastes in
 a meal our body can feel dissatisfied and cravings for, say, biscuits or a chocolate
bar in the afternoon, may pop up.
 A caving for between-meal-snacks could also be due a lack of sustaining protein in
your main meals.
 Take Maharishi Ayurveda Trikatu with Clove before a meal. Trikatu is Ayurveda’s
most popular herbal mixture for igniting a sluggish digestion.

What about fasting?

Yet, despite our best efforts to stick with these daily Ayurvedic eating habits, sometimes we
find ourselves breaking the rules. We might still sometimes eat too much at a meal, have a
snack in the afternoon or eat when we’re not really ready for food. As a result, toxic Ama
can build up. We can start to feel uncomfortable, perhaps feel lethargic and lacking in
energy. We can sometimes feel bloated and achy. We could start putting on weight.

We may not have a specific disease, but we definitely feel some dis-ease.

Many Ayurvedic doctors would recommend regular one-day per week fasting. Such fasts
help the digestion recover its strength. They also help remove the build-up of toxic Ama
that produces these early-warning symptoms.

Weekly one-day fast

Here is an example of a mild one-day fast:

Breakfast:

 A couple of pieces of fruit. Avoid heavier fruits such as bananas and avocados.

Lunch:

 A little basmati rice

 A little yellow mung dhal
 A small amount of vegetable
 A little ground cumin, coriander, turmeric and ginger
 A pinch of salt
 Quarter of a lemon (or some tamarind)
Put the all ingredient (apart from the lemon) together in a pan with sufficient water and boil
until properly cooked and soft. The mixture should still be quite liquid.

Put the cooked food into a blender, squeeze in the lemon and blend well.

Eat nothing else but this blended soup for lunch and make sure you leave the table feeling
satisfied but not over full.

If you find you have made too much food, don’t keep it for the next meal. Throw it away.
According to Ayurveda, old food is toxic food.

Dinner:

Same as lunch.

This is just one example of suitable food for an Ayurvedic fast day. The mixture of lentils or
dhal, grains and vegetables is sustaining but not heavy on the digestion. You could try millet
and red lentils, or bulgur and brown lentils, instead of rice and mung dhal.

It is best to avoid larger beans, such as chick peas, kidney beans or split peas, as these
take more effort to digest.

On your fast day, avoid heavy proteins, such as milk, fish, eggs and dairy products, as
these take more digestive power to process. Avoid using oils, animal fats and fried food for
the same reason. Sugar is best avoided, though a little dried fruit cooked in the soup can
add flavour.

What is the purpose of fasting, from the Ayurvedic perspective?

According to Ayurveda, digestion, or Agni, is central to health. A poor digestion leads to

poor health and a strong digestion facilitates good health.

Agni helps us absorb nutrients from the food we eat. Its other role is to remove waste
products that build up in our cells and tissues.

When the fire of Agni is low, we have low nutrition coming into our body, and poor
elimination of waste. This can lead to weakness, lack of energy and low immunity.

The idea of a regular fast is to give our Agni (digestive system) a rest. This helps to
revitalise and re-ignite our digestive fire and thereby improves our overall health. It also
gives the chance for Agni to burn up any toxins, or Ama, that has built up in our body.
What type of fasting does Ayurvedic recommend?

Ayurveda generally does not recommend long fasts. In fact it warns that vigorous fasting
can cause imbalances in the Doshas, the basic governing principles of the body.

An Ayurvedic fast has to help maintain balance within the body. Otherwise, while curing one
problem, we may be laying the seeds for future problems.

Many Ayurvedic doctors recommend a one-day fast each week and this fast should be a
mild one. It is best if the fast is on the same day each week.

Value the feeling of hunger

On the one-day fast you will be eating small quantities of light foods. As a result, you will
probably feel hungry between meals.

Don’t be tempted to snack, but value this feeling of hunger. It is the sign that your digestive
fire or Agni is strengthening. When it is not busy digesting food, Agni will start cleansing any
toxic backlog of Ama you have in your body. So let it do its valuable work.

If the feeling of hunger comes, sip some hot water. This will help satisfy that hunger and
will help your digestive fire remove toxic Ama.
Ayurvedic Detoxification

Ayurvedic Fasting

Fasting is an effective way to kindle the digestive fire and burn away accumulated toxins
from the body and mind. It also eliminates gas, makes the body light, improves mental
clarity, and preserves overall health. Ayurveda favors regular, short-term fasting over
infrequent, long-term fasting. This could entail fasting on the same day each week or
setting a few days aside each month to fast, depending on your constitution and cleansing
requirements. According to Ayurveda, abstaining from food or water for extended periods of
time depletes bodily tissues, leading to doshic imbalance.

The primary types of fasting in Ayurveda, include:

 Consuming light foods only (such as Kitchari and Kanjee)

 Consuming fruits, vegetables, or juices only.
 Abstaining from solid foods while drinking water or herbal teas.
 Abstaining from both food and water.

In determining the appropriate type and length of a fast, it’s important to take into account
your constitution, digestive strength, level of ama, and overall vitality. It’s never advised to
deplete your energy during a fast. If you’re new to fasting or have a chronic illness, we
recommend consulting an Ayurvedic practitioner for specifically tailored guidance.

The signs of effective fasting, include:

 Lightness in the body, clarity in the mind, and increased energy.

 Regular bowel movements with no gas or bloating.
 A clean tongue and fresh breath.

It’s best to choose a fasting period in which you’ll be able to follow a peaceful, non-stressful
routine. We recommend following the daily and nightly routine recommendations in Chapter
4 of Eat-Taste-Heal. It’s also important always to break your fasts properly. The most
important rule to remember is to begin eating again gradually, slowly working your way up
to solid foods.

(Note: Eat-Taste-Heal includes fasting recommendations for each constitutional type.)

Simple Detoxifying Tea

Sipping warm teas throughout the day is also a highly effective way to flush out
accumulated toxins from the body. Simply place the ingredients in a medium saucepan with
4 cups filtered water, bring the water to a boil for 5 minutes, and then steep for 2 to 5
minutes. Always add the lemon while the tea is steeping. Strain into a tea pot or thermos.

This is an excellent tea for individuals with a Kaphic constitution who are trying to lose
weight

Kapha Tea

 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

 ½ teaspoon coriander seeds
 1 cinnamon or licorice stick
 10 fresh basil leaves
 Squeeze lemon juice

Panchakarma: Rejuvenating Detoxification

Panchakarma is a Sanskrit word meaning “five actions or treatments.” As the primary

method of detoxification in Ayurveda, Panchakarma rids the body of toxic materials left by
disease and poor nutrition. It also expels excess doshas from the body. Therapies are
individualized based upon constitutional types, doshic imbalances, age, digestive strength,
immune status, season, and a host of other factors. Panchakarma promotes deep
purification within the tissues, using safe, gentle methods.

Preparatory treatments to Panchakarma include light fasting, steam therapy, herbalized oil
massage, and the intake of herbal decoctions or oils. These procedures help loosen
accumulated toxins (ama), which then enter the major channels of the body for elimination.
The five primary treatments of elimination include: herb-induced emesis or vomiting
(vamana), herb-induced purgation (virechana), herbal decoction enema (asthapana basti),
medicated oil enema (anuvasana basti), and the nasal administration of medication (nasya).
Depending on an individual’s needs, all five or only select treatments are used. There are
also several adjunct treatments, such as the luxurious shirodhara, in which a continuous
stream of warm oil is gently poured between the eyebrows (on the “third eye”) of the
patient.
Like any medical procedure, Panchakarma begins with an initial consultation by a qualified
health professional, who can determine an individual’s prakruti (birth constitution), the
nature of the health problem, and the appropriate therapies. Ayurveda also recommends
Panchakarma for healthy individuals as a preventative measure, particularly at the junction
points between the seasons.

Fasting for Kapha

If you are kapha dominant and in good health, you may fast more regularly, up to three
days a couple times a year on liquids such as hot water, lemon and honey, apple, or
cranberry juice.9 Kaphas can add a bit of trikatu powder to increase their agni during the
fast.10 In addition, it is often good for kaphas to fast one day a week throughout the year.

General Tips for Success

 Choose the length of your fast conservatively. You should not feel weak, depleted,
irritated, or painfully hungry. If you experience any of these, you should introduce
more solid foods immediately.
 Everyone should still eat their largest “meal” at lunch time when digestion is
strongest, with a smaller meal for breakfast, and smaller still meal at dinner.
 Remember to eat only when you are hungry.
 A tea made of cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds (affectionately known as CCF Tea)
is beneficial for everyone as it supports the digestive fire while gently removing
toxins.
 Triphala is another herbal combination that is beneficial for most people during a fast
as it is a gentle detoxifier and supports the digestive system while promoting healthy
elimination.
 If you do choose to fast one day a week, it is better to choose the same day every
week. If you are attuned to astrology, you can choose a day of the week to support
your chart, or simply fast on the day of the week you were born.
 During a fast you may feel a little tired, light-headed, or have a headache as toxins
are released and your body is purified. These are all good signs and will pass in a
short time. If these symptoms persist, discontinue your fast. You should start to feel
better and lighter as your body welcomes rejuvenation, increased energy, and
clarity.
  Meditation and journaling are useful practices that are nourishing to your process
during the fast. Remember to reduce your activity and allow for rest.

How to End a Fast

Once you finish your fast, it is important not to jump back into a regular diet. After
completing an all-day juice fast for instance, you might have fruit or a small amount of hot
cereal for breakfast the next day, followed by a simple, easy to digest lunch. It is important
to take the same amount of time to prepare, fast, and come off the fast. So if you are
preparing to do a two day pomegranate juice fast, you would benefit from eating a lighter,
cleaner diet for two days before you start, and take two days afterwards to slowly build your
way back to your solid food diet. Otherwise, you may stress your digestive fire causing
more harm than good. After the fast, it is not unusual to find that you have fewer cravings
and are naturally drawn to foods that are good for you.

When Not to Fast

As fasting is lightening, it can be slightly depleting for those who are young, very elderly,
pregnant, breastfeeding, menstruating, are underweight or undernourished, or have a
chronic illness. Be sure to consult with a physician if you have a medical condition or are on
medications, and work with a qualified Ayurvedic practitioner who can guide you.

As you prepare to add fasting to your healing routine, remember that Ayurveda is a very
individualized system and it is important to honor and respect your own unique strengths
and challenges. In time, you will gradually intuit when you need to fast and rest your
system. In the meantime, I hope this supports you on your path to wholeness.