I recently looked up the concept of Intermittent fasting for a friend and discoverd that the concepts there are very similar to some concepts in Ayurveda.
So I thought I’ll write about it a little.
Fasting is the method of limiting food intake or skipping a meal to match metabolic needs. It is not a new concept to most of us. We would’ve heard about it either from science or from religion mostly.
Fasting in Ayurveda is included under the broader heading of Langhana. Langhana comes from the word “Laghu” which means light. Langhana therefore, literally means “to lighten up”. Now when I mean lighten up, I don’t mean color wise, I mean weight wise.
One doesn’t necessarily have to weigh a lot to practice Langhana. Many people complain of feeling full thoughout the day, or their body feeling heavy or tired mostly, in spite of being slim. This is due to the fact that their metabolism is not as good as it is supposed to be. The sluggish metabolism slows down all processes in the body, just like what happens when one sleeps. So this slow metabolism translates to heaviness, lethargy, sleepiness, disinterest, etc.
When this slow metabolism continues for a longer period, the breakdown and elimination of unwanted substances in the body is slowed, and they may accumulate over the period causing various diseases.
When we don’t pay enough attention to the body’s needs of food and water, we usually tend to over eat or drink. We start eating as per the timings on the clock, rather than the body’s timings. The body experiences a lot of stress in constantly pushing itself to digest all the food we feed into the system. But due to the slow metabolism, it is constantly working and still ends up with a lot of pending work. So, when food is constantly being digested, one of the most essential proteins in the body, Insulin is constantly being flooded into the system by the pancreas, to absorb the large amounts of glucose constantly being digested and absorbed. The cells which are always interacting with insulin, become used to its presence even in normal amounts (resistant) and stop reacting to its impulse.
This is like the way your brain ignores a lot of stimuli which you know exist, but fail to notice as you’re so used to their presence. Like, being unaware of the spectacles you’re wearing.
As the cells fail to respond to insulin normally, the body thinks that there isn’t enough insulin for the cells to respond. The high blood glucose level hence further stimulates the cells of the pancreas to up the insulin production. Due to this, the cells tire themselves and end up worn out and non functional further.
Insulin also regulates the release of glucose from the liver. But as the cells are now resistant to it, they release glucose abnormally.
Insulin has many other functions apart from glucose storage. Hence now, the other cell reactions which are dependent on insulin for those funtions also become unstable.
Glycogen is a temporary and readily available starage form of glucose. And now, the glycogen stores are full, thanks to the tirelessly functioning pancreas and insulin. So, the extra glucose now has to get converted into fats which serve as a long term energy storage facility.
As fats are formed and accumulated in the liver, and later circulate to other parts of the body, they settle down in various parts of the body like, abdomen, thigh, etc. These fats promote further accumulation of fats and produce certain hormones which intervene with the function of various other metabolic hormones in the body.
This entire spectrum of metabolic changes affect the Liver, Heart, Reproductive organs, Thyroid gland, Pancreas, Kidneys, etc., and cause diseases like, liver failure, atherosclerosis, obesity, diabetes, Thyroid dysfunction, Infertility, etc.
In Ayurveda, this phenomenon can be explained as follows:
Sedentary lifestyle which includes not exercising, excess sleeping, daytime sleeping, etc lead to the accumulation of Kapha and vitiates the Agni.
Kapha increases, in turn increasing the related tissues in the body like, kleda, lasika, rasa, vasa and mainly the medas, as the main cause is avyayama or lack of exercise.
Manda Agni or metabolism, vitiates the rasa dhatu or the primordial nutrient fluid. The successive dhatus formed out of this dushta rasa are also dushta. The direct increase of medas, obstructs the medovaha srotas and hampers the formation of further dhatus leading to medovrddhi (leading to sthoulya), asthi-majja-shukra kshaya (problems like osteoporosis, infertility, thyroid disorders). This is observed as the intervention of the lipids in the androgen pathway.
Excess of kleda, rasa, etc., along with the sedentary lifestyle, serves as a direct nidana for Prameha.
Due to rasa dushti, the seat of the rasa dhatu being hrdaya, it may lead to hrdroga.
How does intermittent fasting or Langhana w.r.t. food help avoid all these problems?
Langhana is a method used to reduce the kapha in the body. A good way to follow controlled Langhana could be by following a restricted diet plan for short or longer periods based on the requirement, but regularly, in combination with a healthy daily routine, diet and exercise.
Fasting also helps reduce the ama, or inflammatory precursors in the body by aiding pachana or digestion.
Everyone does not have to practice intermittent fasting in very long durations and intervals. One can fast as per convenience based on the body’s requirements.
Fasting can be followed by:
* Restricting the quality or quantity of diet eaten thrice a day.
* Skipping a meal or two in a day
* Skipping a particular meal for days
* Skipping a meal or two within a specific duration of time (say once a week or fortnight, as per convenience)
If one feels hungry in between the main meals, one could go for a small healthy snack like fresh or dry fruits, juices, etc.
By analysing how long one takes to feel hungry after a decently filling meal, one can calculate the number of meals required.
The idea of fasting is to restrict the formation of Kapha in the body, without decreasing the bala of the body. It must be noted that, the formation of Kapha should not entirely be resticted, but healthy and smaller quantities of Kapha must be produced in the body for its sustainace. Excessive and untimely fasting will lead to vata and pitta vrddhi, which may combine with the already excess kapha and cause other grave problems.
What is the best time to fast?
In conditions like this, Kapha being already high, it is better to counter it during the time it is mostly high, which is the breakfast time. Hence skipping or eating a light breakfast will restrict kapha. Eating less sugary food will go a long way, as this won’t form more and more glycogen.
The daily routine must be regular set of procedures. One must wake up at the Brahma muhurta and start the routine as mentioned in Dinacharya. This restores the circadian rhythm of the body and is the first step in restoring health.
One must perform adequate exercise in any healthy form according to the season, food intake and strength.
Ultimately the aim of fasting and exercise must be to use up the glycogen stores and burn up the accumulated fat, but not exhaust oneself in the name of weight loss.
This process has to be done meticulously with perseverance to restore good health.
