Fasting vs. Starving: Question about fasting

[Guest guest]

Hi Jenn the wabbit

 

These are wonderful questions. Your friend sounds caring and concerned for

your well-being, and he/she is sharing some widely held misconceptions about

fasting.

 

To help you understand, let's distinguish between fasting and starving. Once

we have this distinction, the rest comes rather easily. In general, as long

as our system is meeting its energy needs by converting structured (stored)

fats into simple sugars (ketosis), we are fasting. The moment our system

begins to meet its energy needs by converting structured proteins into

simple sugars, we are starving.

 

In biology, and relevant to our conversation about fasting, there is an idea

called " protein sparing " . Simply put, this means that the human body is

" programmed " to spare its own, structured proteins, and to convert these

into energy only as a last result, when all other available fuel resources

are exhausted.

 

From a dietary perspective, unless someone eats a HUGE amount of very lean

flesh, or protein powder, or egg whites, or the like, it is very difficult

to consume more than 20% or so of one's calories as protein. On the SAD,

Americans " typically " consume about 15-16% of calories from protein, and

more vegans, vegetarians, and RFs follow this pattern, give or take a bit.

For those of us who pursue a high water-content, low-fat, low-protein

approach to eating, the number is under 10%. There is abundant science to

support the idea that a healthful supply of proteins becomes available when

we consume about 5% of our calories as proteins ... and that anything above

this actually poisons our system.

 

When we calculate an average from a selection of fruits and greens, we find

that protein intake remains below 10% of calories, as does fat intake.

 

So no matter how you slice it, protein does not function as, and should not

be viewed for its value as, a primary energy (caloric) resource. Rather,

proteins provide certain specific inputs we require, in the form of amino

acids and related compounds.

 

Our primary POTENTIAL dietary sources of fuel , then, are carbohydrates (as

simple sugars, starches, or a combination of the two) and fats. When we

suggest eating a high-fruit, low-fat diet, we are favoring simple sugars.

When someone else suggests eating grains, legumes, potatoes, etc., they are

favoring starches. And when someone suggests eating oils, nuts, seeds, and

the like, as well as most animal foods, they are favoring fats.

 

Of these three fuel sources (simple sugars, starches, and fats), the human

organism digests and assimilates the simple sugars with far less expenditure

of energy and other resources, and conserves for its own use a far larger

portion of the available energy in the fuel. At the same time, the human

organism is designed to create and store its own starch (called glycogen,

stored primary in the exoskeletal muscles and the liver) and also to store

fuel reserves in the form of structured fats. Further, the human body does

require a SMALL amount of fats for use in various construction and metabolic

processes.

 

Fruits contain primarily simple sugars AND a small yet highly bioavailable

supply of proteins and fats. Accompanied by green leaves, it's all we'll

ever need ... or desire.

 

How does all this relate to fasting? When we fast, our body uses our

existing supply of blood sugar, completes digestion of whatever may be in

the stomach and small intestine, uses much of our glycogen reserve, and

begins to convert stored fats into simple sugars. (You may have heard the

term " ketosis " and its byproduct, " ketoacidosis " .) Our body does this

conversion at the rate needed to continue adequately fueling itself. The

more deeply we allow ourselves to rest, the more smoothly this process goes.

But our body does NOT begin consuming its own structure ... its own

proteins, as fuel or for any other reason, until and unless it first

exhausts its supply of usable stored fats. And that, as stated above, marks

the crossover point from fasting to starving.

 

Most Americans have enough excess body fat stored in their bodies that it

would take weeks, even months, to reach this point.

 

Does this explanation help? Feel free to inquire further ... Best,

Elchanan

 

PS: I publish most of my posts in the PathOfHealth Group.

_____

 

rawfood [rawfood ] On Behalf Of

rabbit_is_wise_04

Tuesday, May 15, 2007 6:58 AM

rawfood

[Raw Food] Question about fasting

 

 

While I would love everyone to respond, the question is directed at

Elchanan:

 

I listened to your podcasts last week and they really spoke to me.

 

Plus, I have been reading the posts over the past couple of days about

bananas and a " banana fast " so-to-speak. I am interested in starting my own

monodiet or " fast " of either bananas or watermelon (I am overweight and

would like to incorporate the added water of watermelon into my body).

However, a friend told me that fasting is extremely harmful because it

weakens the heart. The idea behind this is that without a steady stream of

calories (especially those that are protein- based), the body starts to use

up itself, including fat and protein.

 

Since the heart is a muscle, every time a person fasts for more than 24 hrs,

he/she is weakening his/her heart muscle. As a supporter of fasting, what

are your thoughts on this?

 

Thanks, Jenn