Five Reasons That Water Fasting is Not Just For Weight Loss

There are so many trendy diets, drinks, and concoctions on the market all claiming to promote weight loss but what most people forget is that nature provided the best way to not only lose weight but to cleanse our bodies - better yet, it's free!

Water fasting has been around for centuries and requires nothing more than your patience, a little discipline, and you guessed it - water. The number one reason people give for beginning a water fast is weight loss, but that is actually a side effect of the actual cleansing process. Here are a few of the reasons for doing water fasting whether you want to loose weight or not:

Psychological Benefits

Finishing a 3 or 5 day water fast can be fulfilling, it proves that you are not a slave to your body and that with a strong mind you can overcome the uncomfortable feeling of hunger. Recent studies have shown that water fasting actually produces some of the same chemicals in the brain as sleep, which promotes mental clarity and focus. Fasting has even been shown to prevent epileptic seizures in children, so there are many more effects on the brain that we are just now beginning to understand.

Cardiovascular Effects

It has been proven that fasting actually reduces triglycerides and total cholesterol as well as increases your HDL (good cholesterol) levels.

Joint Health

Studies show that a diet of only water reduces osteoarthritis and relieves rheumatoid arthritis by lubricating the joints.

Cancer Fighter

It has been suggested that when your body stops receiving constant input (which usually turns out to be processed or chemically modified foods) it begins to look around inside to destroy microscopic tumors, bad cells, and free radicals - preventing full on cancer later.

Metabolic Benefits

Water fasting for weight loss has shown to be effective given that you do not "splurge" and eat too much. It is best to come down from the fast properly, slowly increasing back to a normal diet for 2 days after you finish. You will immediately notice a boost in your energy reserves and also that most of your appetite is gone - it will not take as much to feel full. It is these last two factors that promotes the weight loss in people, not the actual lack of food.

In Conclusion

Perhaps one of the greatest benefits of water fasting is that it provides us with a "clean slate" and the feeling that we have removed many impurities from our body. With that in mind, it actually becomes much easier to say "no" to junk food and other temptations out of fear of messing up a good thing.

Even a relatively short period of fasting has been shown to provide benefits, even as quick as 24 hours without eating. Keep in mind that while you will be drinking lots of water to counter the hunger, you can actually overwhelm your kidneys with so many extra fluids and cause back pain. Kidney pain is the number one reason that people stop in the middle of their fast, not hunger.