FASTING IS NORMAL

THE SKIP A DAY DIET

No, I'm not suggesting that you bounce happily on one foot and then the other in order to lose weight, though that would be a pretty cool way to shed unwanted pounds. What I'm really talking about is fasting. Fasting is a total or partial abstention from all food and liquids or from select foods and/or liquids for a defined period of time.

Though many people think fasting is the hot, new in-thing to do in order to improve ones health in light speed or to bring about a longer life, fasting has been around for millions of years. Our ancestors called it STARVING. It occurred fairly regularly because food just wasn't that easy to come by back then. Sometimes our primitive relatives didn't have any luck catching something to eat and couldn't find any edible plant matter on the ground or in the trees to satisfy their growling bellies. We've all read articles and books which chronicle our species' history of feast and famine. Many of us read about the feasting part and just kind of like gloss over the FAMINE part that involved NO FOOD or hardly any food.

Humans evolved eating and then not eating. Having food available each and everyday just did not happen. Food was too hard to come by. Today that is obviously not the case but just because many of us are blessed with the gift of noshing on three squares a day or more doesn't mean that we have to. Consciously abstaining from food and liquid or restricting ones meals or drinks to some degree is perfectly normal. Our forebears did it all the time. Any one today can make up her or his mind to just say "no" at mealtime or just drink water when out at a restaurant with friends or family. Eating together is really about being with the people you love and care about. It's so much not about the food being forked into your mouth. How do I know that to be the case? Think back to a time when you got a horrible meal at a restaurant you were at with your mom or dad, with your significant other or spouse, or with your away-at-college son or daughter. The food might have sucked nuts but you enjoy every single second of it because you were with the person you loved and adored. It so wasn't about what passed your lips.

Today I'm saying "no" to food and saying a big "yes" to drinking lots of clean water and coveting a pack of sugar-free gum. I'll let you know throughout the day how it goes.

Thanks for reading, Bell Gia