I agree, fasting is amazing. Especially if you look at it from an alchemical perspective: the digestive function of the human body as a sort of 'Secret Fire'.
Originally Posted by
elixirmixer
After 24 hours of consuming no food, the bodies suger supplies are well exhausted and begins to rely on the breakdown of carbohydrates and fats. So if you only fast for one day (like the mormons) at a time, then you have chemically achieved fuck all really in terms of cleaning out your body.
Not necessarily. There is a physiologic concept called 'the law of the minimum'. This concept explains that in order to do 1 unit of physiologic work, the body needs a minimum of 1 unit. For 5 units of physiologic work, 5 units minimum. etc.
Even when skipping one meal a day, the "units" of minerals, vitamins, chemical elements, enzymes, etc. which are usually burnt up during digestion of food (especially of what composes the gastric acid) are made available to produce physiologic work in other tissues. This is one reason why after fasting for a day, the body can break down fats better. There are more units available to produce work.
One example is that gastric acid is made up in part with sodium- and potassium-chloride. Sodium and potassium and chloride are also necessary electrolytes with many functional physiologic roles, especially in the blood plasma. So you could either suck them out of the blood and use them to break down a meal, or skip a meal and have them do their job elsewhere 
The bit I do not understand is:
Am I doing my brain damage?
I doubt it. The nervous system is physiologically protected. Your body will start consuming organ tissue before it begins consuming nervous tissue. Which is the interesting division between Fasting and Starvation.
While Fasting, the body uses it's store of nutritional reserves.
When Starvation sets in, the body has used up all its nutritional reserves and begins consuming the actual tissues of the organs.
Therefore it can be said that the length of Fasting a person is able to achieve is related to how much nutritional reserves their body has. Eating a diverse vegetarian diet for 1 week before the fast will produce more benefits and most likely a longer fasting period than eating a diverse protein-heavy diet for 1 week, because there are more macro- and micro-nutrients made available for the fasting period.
How can I lessen the impact of toxins during a fasting period and help eliminate them?
Sleep through it haha. My last fast was 9 days, water only. The first 3 were miserable, but the last 6 were awesome. I never felt so good in my life.
Just remember, emotional responses are illusions. There's always a stillness that lies beneath them.
What can you keep eating that would still allow for detox and what is it in particular about meats; dairy and wholegrains that prevents detox and causes inflammation?
Oranges, or apples, are especially good. Also, water-heavy vegetables that are more alkaline than acidic (cucumbers over tomatoes kind of thing). There are many theories as to why meats and dairy cause inflammation, but my idea is that they are never properly digested, and the inflammation is caused by intestinal microbials having one hell of a party fermenting the undigested portions
And like I mentioned above, if you eat a vegetarian diet for a while before the fast, there isn't as much discomfort during the fast.
Many doctors say you cannot go more than three days without food and water; which I've already proven is complete BS.
I've proven this as well. Though dehydration does set in after 2 days without water, but it's symptoms are minor and usually go unnoticed on account of the discomfort fasting creates in the beginning 3 to 4 days.
The longest recorded fast I've read about was around 60 days. And that was with water-only, but also under the supervision of a medical professional who specialized in fasting.
I'd love to hear some of your experiences
The most interesting 'side-effect' to my fasting experiences has been my perception of food. I can easily skip a meal now and function completely normal, knowing that the body will take care of itself, and actually benefit from my not eating.
Everyone else, however, freaks the fuck out if they aren't eating 3, 4 or even 5 meals regularly! haha.
One final note, Herbert Shelton wrote an amazing book called 'The Science and Fine Arts of Fasting'. I highly recommend it.
Art is Nature in the flask; Nature is a vial thing.
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