My Favorite Health Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Jen Reviews (www.jenreviews.com) is a blog from New Zealand and author Jess Miller reached out to me after reading my blog posts about #intermittentfasting and how I wrote my book Starving Girl– My 30-day Experience with the Miracle of Intermittent Fasting and Prayer.

The research is incredible and Jen Reviews lists 15 health benefits. If you’re interested in trying intermittent fasting, the article is a wonderful resource. To read more, click here.

Although I started practicing daily fasts for spiritual and personal reasons; specifically to overcome the harsh reality of sexual abuse I suffered as a teenager and young adult, to understanding the medical benefits makes me so thankful I've had the opportunity to practice intermittent fasting. 

Practicing yoga in the morning.

Of course weight loss, improved tolerance of glucose, longevity and others are great, but the number 10 on her list discusses the spiritual benefits of intermittent fasting. It says fasting improves spiritual well-being.

"Fasting is practiced by almost every religion around the world – it’s no surprise, then, that a lifestyle that includes intermittent fasting could lead to a deepened sense of spirituality. Regular practitioners have reported feeling at peace during their fasts, and studies have proven that fasting can help regulate mood by reducing levels of anxiety and stress. In fact, fasting is recommended as a natural treatment for a variety of emotional and sexual problems.

Whether or not you fast for religious reasons, intermittent fasting will help you feel more connected to nature and the world around you, and you’ll benefit from having a clear mind and a positive outlook." Jen Reviews

I know this is true. This is exactly what I experience. Nature became alive to me and I started connecting with smells, time, sunsets, wind, trees and more. I was so present.  You can listen more about this in my recent podcast here.  

I don't know how it works, but fasting is an untapped power that is truly a blessing and a resource given to us by God.

I did not start 16-hour daily fasting without what I call my food crutches.  I wrote about how I started here. 

Intermittent fasting with prayer is a daily commitment with God.  During my first 30-day fast, I prayed for people who I loved, I prayed for our country, I prayed for my enemies, I prayed for the walls of my home, I prayed for neighbors, my kid’s school teachers, even strangers who were suffering with health or emotional issues that I was connected to through social media.  After my 30-day fast, I had to get creative.  Who should I pray for?  I fasted for authors I love, humanitarians, public figures and more.  I fasted for the little girls I love so much from India, for girls in China and North Korea and other parts of the world where woman are oppressed.  My mind came alive with all the blessings I experience and how if I ask God, He would let me play some part in helping others in the world.  I prayed for the poor and hungry.  I would cry as I felt them all around me.  I prayed for different parts of the world and the land.  I prayed over current events, police officers, members of Black Lives Matters, I prayed for girls and women considering abortion that their minds would be open to how amazing their unborn child was.  I prayed for researchers’ of cancer, for doctors, judges, journalists and more.  Seeking out who to pray for each day made me so aware of others.  God loves us, this I know.  God is real.  During my last day of my 30-day fast, I had an experience that still leaves me in tears.  I felt impressed to write about my fasting, so from day one I kept a journal which is now my memoir.  Going back and reading it is still very emotional for me. 

I am a Mormon, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  In my religion, the members of my church are asked to fast one day a month, skipping two meals.  I do not think you need to practice a 30-day fast to have a testimony of fasting.  I know God speaks to each one of our hearts and we know what we need to do to improve our relationship with Him.  My goal in sharing my experience is not to promote a dieting technique or even start a trend of intermittent fasting, it's to share how I have healed and developed a more meaningful relationship with God.  I know more then I ever have, that I am a child of God.

After my 30-day fast, I felt impressed to give money to the poor.  This is something encouraged in my church.  It's called a fast offering.  The amount that came to my mind was $1000.  My baby was seven months old and Derek and I had yet to pay off the hospital bill for his birth.  My husband is so supportive, he encouraged me to write the check to Rising Star, an outreach to children in India.  This was not easy for me, but giving money to the poor was essential to my fasting experience.  After losing 30 pounds, I’m so happy to give money to the hungry instead of to a diet company.  I’m so thankful God gave us the law of fasting.  

Starving Girl book trailer:

To see it on youtube, click here.

Staving Girl is available on Amazon or Kindle.