Fasting days: harm or advantage

About influence of fasting days on an organism it is told much – both about advantages, and about shortcomings. It is considered that fasting day in the form of a short-term monodiet is useful, promoting effective removal of slags from an organism whereas irregular, excessively long, spontaneous fasting days lead only to deterioration in health. How to derive benefit from the sparing diet and not to do much harm to itself? Let's consider the main advantages and shortcomings of fasting days and their influence on an organism.

Advantage of fasting days

Fasting day represents a diet when a current of day only one-two products compatible among themselves are eaten. So, kefiric, cottage cheese, cucumber, carrot, apple fasting days or combined are most popular (kefir and apples, kefir and buckwheat, etc.). For muting of feeling of hunger meals divide into 5-6 equal parts that allows food to be acquired better. As a rule, the total caloric content of such diet does not exceed 1000 calories; at the same time nutritionists do not recommend to eat over 700 g of proteinaceous food and 2 kg of vegetables or fruit a day.

Regular (at least 1 time a week) fasting days have three advantages:

• The short-term stress for an organism promoting reorganization of a metabolism and normalization of metabolism. For maintenance of effect of a shake-up it is recommended to arrange unloading in various days of the week that the organism did not adapt to such periods and did not lay fat in store;
• Clarification of an organism. During a similar monodiet also the alimentary system has a rest that is prevention of diseases of digestive tract, allergic diseases, skin diseases, etc. It is considered that short-term restriction in food saves an organism from end products of a metabolism whereas observance of a rigid diet and more, on the contrary, provokes three days their emergence in the form of salts of uric acid and other slags;
• Adaptation to transition to healthy nutrition. Several fasting days in a month will become a fine way of preparation of an organism for increase in a share of healthy food in a diet and will allow to avoid allergic reactions and problems with intestines.

Many women, introducing restrictions in a diet, pursue only one aim – weight loss. In spite of the fact that fasting days are transferred more simply, than diets, they do not lead to permanent decrease in fatty deposits – it is possible to call them means for maintenance of weight at the normal level rather.

Harm of fasting days

Arranging fasting days, it is important to have an idea not only of advantages, but also of shortcomings of a similar diet that on ignorance not to do much harm to the organism. Most often carry to them:

• Inadequate diet. The use of one product leads over 2-3 days to a lack of fats, proteins or carbohydrates that involves failure in a metabolism. It can lead to a vitamin deficiency, anemia, diseases of the alimentary system therefore it is not necessary to increase the number of the fasting days going in a row, arranging, for example, unloading weeks. And practicing fasting days regularly, it is worth alternating diets on structure of products;
• Aggravation of some chronic diseases. In the presence of diseases of digestive tract, liver, kidneys, a diabetes mellitus fasting days can provoke their aggravation. Along with that, at some states the similar method is shown: so, at gout and arthroses it is good to spend cucumber days, at heart diseases – potato, etc. Anyway need of fasting day should be discussed with the doctor.

Also it is worth remembering that excessive hobby for fasting days (is more often 2 weekly) can lead to dystrophy of muscular tissue.

Similar techniques are strictly contraindicated to the children, pregnant women, persons having chronic digestive tract diseases and also the people testing fatigue and an indisposition.

Examples of fasting days

Among others fasting days are most popular proteinaceous (cottage cheese, fish, meat) and carbohydrate (fruit, vegetable). Proteinaceous, well satisfying appetite, are observed easier and are recommended to people who hardly transfer feeling of hunger. Carbohydrate it is more difficult to observe, however they are most useful and allow to liquidate hypostases, to clear intestines, and also to enrich an organism with useful substances.

Carbohydrate fasting days:

• Cucumber (218 kcal) – 1,5 kg of fresh cucumbers in 6-7 receptions without salt. For the night – a glass of 1% kefir;
• Apple (670 kcal) – 1,5 kg of apples, fresh or baked with raisin, in 5-6 receptions. For the night - a glass of 1% kefir;
• Vegetable (535 kcal) – 170 g of carrot and apple salad, 200 g of stewed cabbage, 100 g of green peas, 150 g of beet salad with prunes, dogrose broth;
• Buckwheat – 400 g of boiled buckwheat without salt with mushrooms in 4-5 receptions. For the night - a glass of 1% kefir.

Proteinaceous fasting days:

• Kefiric and cottage cheese (780 kcal) – 400 g of cottage cheese, 1 l of kefir, 2 jars of natural yogurt on 5-6 receptions;
• Chicken with vegetables (850 kcal) – 400 g of boiled chicken breast, 800 g of any fresh vegetables. For the night – a glass of 1% kefir;
• Fish with vegetables – 500 g of boiled fish, 800 g of any fresh vegetables. For the night – a glass of 1% kefir.

In fasting day use as much as possible pure drinking water – not less than 2 liters.

Except proteinaceous and carbohydrate, also fatty fasting days when are eaten only milk, sour cream or cream are applied. According to nutritionists, this option of a diet well sates and prevents transition of carbohydrates to fats, however it is contraindicated to the people having atherosclerosis of vessels, diseases of a liver and biliary tract.

Councils of the nutritionist

That harm of fasting days did not exceed their advantage, it is necessary to introduce restrictions in a diet carefully, following several important rules:

• Do not gorge on for the future evening of day before unloading, after it. The organism demands gradual adaptation to change of a diet therefore it is more preferable to leave a usual diet and to be returned to it carefully, some time observing restrictions in food;
• Exclude the intensive exercise and intellectual stresses demanding big expenses of energy these days. Otherwise strict fasting days can turn back disturbance of functions of an organism, in particular, of a nervous system;
• In fasting day use as much as possible pure drinking water – not less than 2 liters.

It is good to combine the days which are followed by unloading with other ways of clarification of an organism: massage, lymphatic drainage, visit of a sauna or bath. As well as any restriction of food, fasting days can be followed by stagnation of bile therefore during their observance it is recommended to drink a small amount of cholagogue tea before food.