民以食为天。吃在人的一生中起太大作用了，尤其咱们中国人特别讲究吃，喜欢吃。我也不例外，事实上，从某种角度，我也算是个吃货，中餐，西餐，意大利餐，印度餐，只要是美食，来者不拒。常常想，我一个不追求时尚名牌，不涂脂抹粉不打扮的大妈，我再不吃，我活着干嘛。所以，除了近年注意少吃点米饭多吃蔬菜水果外，从没有在饮食上刻意节制过，偶尔吃buffet，也是吃到撑为止。
禁食的概念听说过，尤其是穆斯林的什么节禁水禁食，直到月亮出来，以前觉得不可思议，摧残人(现在还认为不让喝水是不对的)。真正接触到禁食是一两年前，爬山队里有位男士，七十二小时禁食，禁食期间就是早上一点自制点果汁，白天一点牛油果和其他水果，周六照样跟我们一起爬九个miles，还打头阵。看着他矫健轻盈的步伐，我一次问他禁食的感觉，他说没有什么难受的感觉，且感觉不错。这个朋友他是隔一段时间禁食一次。
我自身有遗传下来的高血压和心动过速，爬山三年，体重也就减掉七八磅左右。虽然饮食上吃得很清淡，但我知道体重是另一个可以降压的因素，虽然我的体重是正常值范围的。我想过禁食，但是一直下不了决心。
上周三，LD出差了，我可以不用做饭了，更重要的是，我开始了禁食。周三中午的中饭后，周三晚上一个火龙果，临睡觉前一个李子。周四上班不停地喝水，下午三点左右一根香蕉，周四晚上三个仙人掌果梨，两个李子。周五中午恢复正常中餐。总共禁食40多个小时。本来还想再坚持下去，想想要周六爬山，这万一昏倒了要喂狼了：), 所以周五就开了戒。
公司有个同事以前on diet有昏倒过，所以，我这第一次还是很小心的，心想，LD不在家，万一昏倒在家，连打911的人都没有。但是全过程没有任何不舒服，没有什么大的饥饿感，上班时间注意力也很集中，虽然周三晚上睡觉前有点饿，面对月饼的诱惑，咽了咽口水还是忍住了。周四晚上，一个人在家跳了一百下，也没有什么不适症状。
我相信Dr. Kellogg所说的，人就像一个炉子(furnace)，进来的食物被焚烧后产生能量，体内堆积着一些灰烬(cinder)无处释放。禁食有助于清理这些灰烬残渣，同时也让我们的炉子休息一下。另外，研究表明，人体在禁食36小时后，就开始燃烧自身体内存储的脂肪，所以，人的身体是可以维持的，而且体内多余脂肪的燃烧有助于减肥瘦身和健康。
饿，也是一种养生疗法。你信吗？ 我信的。
温馨提示：养生的方法很多，养生的说法也很多，有些可信有些可不信。我个人认同平衡。饿是治疗养生法，我也是听来后在网上做了些功课的，但是还是建议大家根据个体情况而定，不要盲从，步伐不可一下太快，否则有适得其反之疑。
I am a food lover, any kind of food, Chinese food, Mexican food, Italian food, Indian food, etc. You name it. Occasionally at buffet, I eat like a pig. Food is the driving force of my life. Even if I don’t dine out very often, I find myself in the kitchen a lot, cooking for the family and for myself. I never think about fasting, until recently.
A friend of our hiking team once abstained himself from eating for more than 72 hours with only intermittent fruits and veggie water. He still hiked energetically during the abstinence, and looked invigorating, with no sign of fatigue or feeble at all. That is when the seed of fasting sowed into me.
Fasting has been traditionally observed by Christians, Buddhists, Muslins in particular, for spiritual or various purposes. Among them, one big reason is for the health benefit. Think of the English word “breakfast”, consisting of two word stems, i.e., "break" and "fast" to indicate the first meal of the day after a long night fast. While I am far from being knowledgeable about fasting and will not dwell on its health benefits here, I believe in the theory (according to Dr. Kellogg in his book) that our human body is just like a furnace, which burns the food and leaves ashes (cinders) inside. Occasional fast will help clean up the ashes, and leave the furnace idle for self-maintenance, resetting and rejuvenating the device.
My husband was on a business trip Wednesday afternoon. My day at work turned out to be stressful as I was striving to meet the deadline. I was tired after work. It gave me every reason not to cook but fast. One dragon fruit around 6 pm was all I had for my dinner. But later around 11 pm, I actually scrambled downstairs for food in the kitchen. I controlled the urge and ended up with a cup of water and a plum, going to bed empty stomach. It is a test of will and discipline.
Fasting continued on Thursday, with only one banana around 3 pm in the office, three cactus pears and two plums for dinner. I jumped (like jumping ropes) 100 times before bed, reckoning that would help burn more fat.
Friday is the day that I started normal lunch around 12 pm. From Wednesday evening to Friday noon, I fasted a total of more than 40 hours in a row for the first time. I feel nothing wrong, but refreshing during the whole process.
What is exactly right is this: “Where diets complicate life, fasting simplifies. Where diets are expensive, fasting is free. Where diets can take time, fasting saves time. Where diets are limited, fasting is available anywhere. Where diets have variable efficacy, fasting has unquestioned efficacy.” On top of that, life is about balance, good and bad, the Yin and the Yang, joys and pains, work and life, eating and fasting. By fasting, I am endeavoring to keep my body and mind balanced, and my first attempt is a success.
|
