By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which fasting is observed by Muslims as a form of spiritual worship. In the Islamic case, fasting is the abstention from both food and water from dawn to sunset. As one of the five pillars of Islam, Muslims fast during Ramadan to develop restraint from shahawāt (desires) and shubuhāt (doubts) in order to become closer to Allah (The God) through the attainment of taqwā (being mindful of God). Through deprivation, the resulting hunger and thirst serve to foster greater empathy for the less privileged. Outside of Islam, the ritual of fasting — albeit with variability in the type and duration of fasting — is likewise commonly practised in other religions, including Judaism, Buddhism, Catholicism, and Hinduism. For instance, some Catholics refrain from meat on Fridays during Lent. While in Hinduism, some practitioners may only consume a single vegetarian meal a day during celebrations and honorary occasions. The benefits of fasting extend beyond the spiritual, and into enhancing the physical and mental health of its practitioners, the achievement of a more sustainable lifestyle, and improving the health of the planet.
Unlike diets that restrict what you can eat, intermittent fasting describes a schedule of eating and not eating at predetermined times.
What this might mean is that a person may choose to only eat at certain hours of the day and refrain from eating for the remainder — a break from the three-meals-a-day eating pattern that many people are accustomed to in the modern world. A lack of readily available nutrients during fasting transforms the cells of the body into survival mode, triggering the detoxification of old cells in a process known as autophagy. Autophagy is a little like Marie Kondo’s organizing method. Damaged cells that don’t “spark joy” are discarded as junk and salvageable parts are repaired into functioning cells. What could follow are health benefits such as decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and improved liver and gut function and evidence of greater mental well-being for those with mood disorders. I can personally attest to the efficacy of intermittent fasting as someone who has observed their dad transform from a person with high cholesterol and poor liver function to a noticeably healthier and more cheerful person through informal periods of fasting due to the influence of Buddhist teachings.
Interestingly, a 2022 study examining the impact of various types of religious fasting on planetary health found that fasting can contribute positively to the environment through reduced consumption. Many religions abstain from consuming alcohol during fasting periods. Some alcoholic beverages that have been fermented, such as beer and wine, are considered ultra-processed foods due to undergoing intensive industrial and manufacturing processes — to the detriment of the environment through waste generation and pollution. Other industrialized food production, like livestock rearing and meat production, are also responsible for significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land use changes, and habitat loss, not to mention a major source of carcinogens for humans. Because the consumption of red meat is often not permitted during fasting, the planet may very well be better off with this drop in demand. Shifting to a plant-based diet or cutting out meat altogether can result in a significant reduction in GHG emissions.
Needless to say, you don’t have to be religious to capitalize on the health and environmental benefits of fasting. If you do decide to give intermittent fasting a try — with the consultation of your health provider — you can always draw inspiration from the myriad of religious fasting rituals. While temporary withholding from food and water (as is done during Ramadan by Muslims) may not be viable for some people, other faiths various dietary-restrictive fasting during days of significance. Whether or not you choose to perform one kind of fasting or another, there is something to be learnt and maybe utilized from the ritual of fasting.
