Fasting and Mindful Eating
As someone who attended a Slovak Byzantine Catholic Church
growing up and went to a Roman Catholic school from preschool until eighth
grade, I am no stranger to the word “fasting.”
My Christian parents dutiful served us fish on Fridays during Lent when
we were children. Even the school
cafeteria served fish on Fridays during Lent—as per the Catholic
tradition. Growing up, fasting was
something I always did with out question.
I just thought fasting was one of the normal things that Christians do
during Lent. When I went off to college
and started to live on my own, the cafeterias at Penn State served meat on Fridays.
The fish sandwiches there were nasty.
I started to question the point in eating fish instead of meat on Fridays—fish
are animals, too, after all. Right?
In my college days, my worrisome and loving mother sent me
Red Lobster gift cards for Lent. I
remember saying to her once that Red Lobster seemed more like feasting that
fasting. The whole fasting thing didn’t
make sense to me, right along with quite a bit of the Catholic doctrine that I
was fed as a child. Sure, I could see
some surface value in it, but it just didn’t sit right with me. I realized that even when I was supposedly
“fasting” I still ate pretty much whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, and did
whatever I wanted…I definitely was not sacrificing much.
Filled with questions about fasting and Lent, I began my
research. I wondered, does fasting have
to be about depravity? Does Lent have to
be about giving something up? How much
of fasting has to do with making a purposeful sacrifice? Does fasting just mean abstaining from food,
or is there more to it? Are there
spiritual benefits to fasting? Are there
other benefits—like nutritional benefits—of fasting? How do other cultures and religions
fast? Why do they fast? What can I learn
from these other cultures that can enrich my own spirituality? Are there any
universal truths and wisdoms to be discovered about fasting? What does science have to say about the
benefits of fasting?
So, I got started on my research for this discussion, and I
started with my roots. Why was fasting
such a big deal to Catholics? All those
years of Catholic school, and I still didn’t feel like I really understood why Catholics
fast and what deeper spiritual purpose could possibly come from fasting. However, I actually uncovered a few
interesting things about Christian fasting that I thought I’d share. First, I learned that not eating meat and instead
eating fish has to do with the symbolism of representing Jesus with a
fish. More importantly, I learned that the
40 days was significant. Forty days is
the traditional number of days of judgment and spiritual testing in various
stories throughout the Bible. In
particular, Lent resembles the 40 days that Jesus was said to have spent
fasting and praying in the dessert before he started his public ministry.
During this ministry, in teaching his new ways of doing
things, Jesus taught his followers about fasting in the following Gospel
lesson:
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do,
for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell
you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your
head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are
fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what
is done in secret, will reward you.”
So it
seems to me like Jesus was saying there was a lot more to fasting than a showy,
mindless act—instead it was something one does internally and spiritually.
In truth, Lent provides the practitioner with a time for
prayer, fasting, contemplation, and acts of spiritual self-discipline. Through my continued research into fasting, I
discovered that this was not a uniquely Christian practice—Muslims, Hindus,
Buddhists, Jews, and many others fasted for similar reasons. The universal thread seemed to be that the
fasting was a part of a time of prayer, contemplation and self-discipline with
the goal being some kind of higher purpose.
Dating far back in to the history of the world, Ancient
desert ascetics diligently practiced sacred fasting. These ascetics used fasting as a means of
letting go, as a path to freedom, as a way to get closer to God, and as a
practice to attend to one’s body. To these
early mystics, fasting had two important dimensions. Food was undoubtedly and important element of
fasting, but equally as important were the ideas, words, and practices
associated with this early form of sacred fasting.
First, the aesthetics’ used fasting as a time to examine
their relationship to food. Fasting was
a time to pay attention to one’s hungers and humbly restrain from comfort and
luxury. To the aesthetic, fasting was a
way to stretch oneself and to practice present moment awareness. Rather than focusing on depravity, the
aesthetics’ fasting practice was a life-giving fast that allowed them to focus
on nourishment and on strengthening and vitalizing the body. The aesthetics asked themselves: “Does this
[food] feel nourishing? Is this what I
am truly hungry for? What is ‘enough?’ What are my body’s true hungers?” Thus, by focusing on what one was putting
into his body, an aesthetic saw fasting as a time to respect his body.
In deeper respect for the spiritually cleansing practices
of the fast, the aesthetics were concerned with a second dimension of
fasting. Fasting involved an overall
focus on one’s ideas, words, and behaviors. Much like in Islam, fasting allowed
a desert aesthetic freedom from things that constricted him or weighed him
down—things such as possessions, stories, beliefs and behaviors. Fasting meant more than abstaining from food,
it meant putting aside that which doesn’t truly nourish the spirit. For example, fasting from false speech is
beneficial because lying keeps us from truly living fully. Unhealthy behaviors—from gluttony to false
speech—don’t allow one to be fully present to himself or to notice his hungers and where they come
from—be they from food, TV, social media, possessions, money, sex, attention
recognition, power and so on.
The aesthetics’ emphasis on mindfulness and present moment
awareness especially in regard to eating, resonated with the Buddhist teaching
of Thich Nhat Hahn. In many of his books,
Thich Nhat Hahn teaches the practice of mindful eating. As we saw in the reading from Peace is Every Step, Hahn regards meals
as a time for spiritual practice. The
intention of Hahn’s mindful eating is the same as the aesthetics’ goals for
fasting…to harbor greater appreciation for what we are putting into our bodies,
to check-in with ourselves, and to be fully present in our inner-dialogues
about food. To Hahn, mindful eating
starts with cooking artfully, sitting still, savoring the flavors, the smells, and
the company we keep, and communing with each other and with the universe that
we are all apart of. To Hahn, the
benefits of mindful eating are a part of mindful living which requires present
moment awareness. Dwelling in the present moment can reveal to us why we do
what we do. It can enable us to stop
feeling bad about unhealthy behaviors and allow us to start changing these
behaviors.
In addition, Hanh explains that mindful eating also helps
us connect to the interdependent web of creation that we are all a part
of. In his book, Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life, he explains:
“At it’s most essential, the apple you hold is a
manifestation of the wonderful presence of life. It is interconnected with all that is. It contains the whole universe; it is
ambassador to the cosmos coming to nourish our existence. It feeds our body, and if we eat it
mindfully, it also feeds our soul and recharges our spirit.”
So the
Buddhist master is telling us to stop and look at the food in front of us because
it is a miracle. In theory, our fasting
practices could aid us in being more mindful toward our food in this way. We can, as Hahn says, stop and appreciate all
that it took to “get the food to plate—creation, harvest, processing, delivery,
bought, prepared and presented.” He
writes: “When practiced to its fullest,
mindful eating turns a simple meal into a spiritual experience, giving us a
deep appreciation of all that went into the meal’s creation as well as a deep
understanding of the relationship between the food on our table, our own
health, and our planet’s health.”
Like the aesthetics, Hahn calls us
to be conscious of what we are ingesting.
Both remind us that eating consciously and mindfully is key. Being in the present moment while eating allows
us to grow in appreciation for the food that we are blessed with. In his book, Savor, Hahn writes something like a dinner grace: “It is so wonderful for us to be together. I
am grateful we can share this dinner because in many parts of the world, our
empty plates might remain empty for a long time. Eating is a very deep practice. Let’s learn to eat with compassion and
understanding.” Hahn encourages us to savor the texture, the taste, the smells,
the colors, the sights, and the feelings that our food evokes. This healthy practice of mindful eating not
only makes us less likely to overeat, it helps us remember that the reason we
eat is to give our bodies energy. If we
are focused on the present moment and eating mindfully, we will notice when we
begin to feel full. According to Hahn,
food is the fuel needed to sustain life.
By focusing on our gratitude for our nutrition, each meal can be a
pleasurable experience. When we do feel
full, we can more freely express gratitude because so many in the world are
hungry.
Coupled with mindful eating, many
Buddhists also practice mindful fasting.
One important goal of Buddhist fasting, like a goal of Christian, Hindu
and Muslim fasting, is to rise above our desires. Buddhists believe that if we can rise above
our desires, we can end our suffering and achieve Nirvana. To Buddhists, fasting is a way to practice
one of their most important principles—moderation. Through practicing moderation, Buddhists
affirm their belief in balance and in following the middle path.
The Buddhist emphasis in moderation
over depravity comes from the story of Buddha’s awakening. When Buddha set out to fast in the
wilderness, he did so to reject his princely ways of gluttony and excess. He thought that “desire is the root of all
mortality.” Buddha ate only one grain of
rice or one sesame seed each day while he was fasting until he was nearly
starved. He had no strength left to
meditate, and it was then that he realized that the middle path was nobler than
excess or depravity. It was after his
long fast, that Buddha was truly able to appreciate the value of food and the
importance of moderation. It was only
then that he was truly spiritually awakened.
Asian Buddhists practice fasting as
a way to be more mindful and appreciative.
The Chinese word “zai” is often used to describe fasting. Interestingly, zai means both fasting and
vegetarian. When Asian Buddists fast,
they remove meat from their diet.
Fasting usually takes place twice each month during the new and full moons,
though some Buddhists choose to fast six times per month. The principle of this fasting is “Removing
indulgences from the diet, in this case, nutrients that are luxuries eaten to
satisfy the desire for flavors, [this] is…a form of fasting and brings merit to
the one who fasts.” Thus, the Buddhists’
fasting practices encourage them to rise above their desires, to practice
moderation, to appreciate their blessings, and to learn self-discipline.
Hindu fasting also focuses on
sharpening one’s self-discipline and focusing on the soul. Hindus believe that “Steady control of the
mind is a skill, and there are ways to practice that such as meditation, but
also rituals like fasting.” When
fasting, Hindus tend to their souls and their relationship with the divine. They experience more mindfulness of God
throughout fasting days. Hindus used
their hunger pangs and cravings as reminders of why they are fasting. In addition, like Buddists, Hindus use their
fasting as a meditative practice to develop present moment awareness.
Similar to Muslims’ Ramadan, for Hindus, fasting involves
much more than just dietary practices.
Different fasting occasions exist, but one of the most commonly
practiced is the Monday Fast for Shiva known as Somvar Vrat. Shiva is one of the primary forms of God in
Hinduism. Shiva is associated with
destroying the ego, with self-control, with consciousness, and with
celibacy. In fasting for Shiva, Hindus
focus on shedding old habits and letting go of the worldly. When fasting for Shiva, one does not
necessarily fast from all food; instead, one may chose to refrain from cooked
foods, to eat only fruit and milk, or to drink only water during the fasting
period. Other practices associated with
Monday Fasts for Shiva include dressing in white, offering Puja to Shiva in the
form of white flowers, and repeating “Om Namah Shiva” throughout the day. Finally,
much like in Islam, the fast is broken after evening prayers and
meditation. By reflecting on the time
spent fasting, the Hindu opens himself to truly, deeply appreciate the
blessings he is about to receive.
Like Hindus, many Jews also fast during several of their
religious holidays to show appreciation for their blessings. First, in Judaism, Passover marks the time
when followers are called to remember the time when their ancestors left Egypt in a hurry to escape the Pharaoh’s oppression and
slavery. The Egyptians didn’t have time
to wait for bread to rise. Thus, for many Jews, Passover traditionally involves
fasting from bread and grains or eating only unleavened bread. Distinct from the gluttony and excess of the
Egyptians, many early Jews fasted to show humility and moderation. Passover celebrants may also participate in
the Fast of the First Born to help them commemorate the miracle which spared
them from the plague of death. This
traditional fast is typically observed by the eldest in a household on the
night before Passover. Jewish tradition
holds that the oldest sons were saved because they humbled themselves to
God. Thus, abstinence from food is a way
for a Jew to show that his heart is subdued during the Passover celebration.
A second Jewish holiday, Yom Kippur is considered to be the
most important fast in the Jewish tradition.
Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of atonement—a time to make amends and seek
reconciliation with others—a time to atone for one’s sins committed during the
previous year. During the strict
observance of the 25 hour fast, one will abstain from all food and
drink—including water. Like the long
periods of fasting required in Islam during Ramadan, this 25 hour fast requires
special attention to one’s food and nutritional intake. One must be careful to plan a large, slowly
consumed meal before the fast so that he has enough energy to maintain his
metabolism during the fast. This careful
attention to the connection between food consumption and energy production
challenges the practitioner to make wiser choices with regard to his food intake.
Yom Kippur fasting, like many other religious fasting
practices, also involves more than just attention to one’s diet. In addition to fasting from food and
beverage, traditional Jews spend the day of Yom Kippur in the synagogue. The day is very prayerful and is treated like
a Sabbath day which means no one should work on that day or engage in
questionable activities like sex. Like
Hindus during the Fast for Shiva, many Jews wear white during Yom Kippur to
represent the spiritual purity they are seeking. As a day of atonement, Jews remember Isaiah’s
words—that through God, one’s “sins shall be made white as snow.” Thus, like Christian, Hindu, and Muslim
fasting traditions, Yom Kippur is nestled in a tradition of prayer and
spiritual growth.
When it comes to
fasting, the most valuable and fascinating things I have learned come from
Islam. While Islam is the second largest
religion in the world, many of its practices have been misunderstood by
Christians and Western thinkers since the time of the Crusades. One such practice is the observation of the
month long celebration and fasting associated with Ramadan. Contrary to what many non-Muslims perceive,
Ramadan and its strict fasting rules were not created solely as a means of
deprivation for the atonement for ones sins—although, like during Yom Kippur,
this is a time for the atonement of one’s sins. Muslims believe that during
this holy month Allah opened the gates to heaven and closed the gates to
hell. Nonetheless, the celebration of
Ramadan is a much more complex and spiritually invigorating cultural practice
that combines rich traditions, opportunities for personal growth, deep devotion
to God, and brotherhood in communities.
The many benefits of fasting during Ramadan extend not only to the
individual, but also to the Ummah, or spiritual community.
The Prophet Muhammad
started the Ramadan fast in the second year after he moved his people to Medina
from Mecca. To Muslims, this culturally significant
historical migration in 622 C.E. is known as Hijrah. The first year of Hijrah was a difficult time
for Muhammad and his followers because their move to the new land was in the
face of persecution, political unrest, and importantly, hunger. Thus, each year during Ramadan, Muslims use
the month to reflect in gratitude on the blessings that they receive from Allah
and for Allah’s “mercy, forgiveness, and protection.”
The celebration of Ramadan and the practice of fasting hold
such high value in Islam that fasting during the holy month is actually one of
Five Pillars of Islam. These five pillars, or basic tenets of Islam, provide
five guidelines that every Muslim must abide by. The fifth pillar, sawm, requires Muslims
(with a few exceptions) to fast during the daylight hours during the month of Ramadan. Thus, fasting holds a great purpose in the
hearts and minds of Muslims. It marks an
important spiritual time each year in the Muslim calendar.
Consciousness is a critical part of Ramadan fasting. Fasting, or sawm, requires a commitment to a
schedule of not just eating and drinking and fasting, but of devout and
frequent prayer and spiritual reflection, and a careful balance of rest, sleep,
and activity. Through planning and
commitment, a Muslim who fasts during Ramadan maintains his health and
metabolism while actually suffering from pangs of hunger and thirst. In the article “Ramadan,” BBC
writer Professor Sahir Akhtar explains that “the true object of fasting…is to
experience hunger and check the desire in an attempt to reinforce the soul in
piety.” Also, according to Professor
Akhtar, “the body has regulatory mechanisms
that reduce the metabolic rate and ensure sufficient utilization of the body’s
fat reserves in times of hunger…a balanced diet that is even less in quantity
than normal will be sufficient to keep a person healthy and active during the
month of Ramadan.”
Thus, with careful attention to his intake of foods and
liquids during suhoor and iftar (the meals prior to and following the fast),
the Muslim practitioner can safely fast for the month. For example, the predawn meal, suhoor, would
include foods that sustain one’s energy for a long period of time. Also, suhoor, like the meal before Yom
Kippur, is traditionally a large, hearty meal consisting of a balance of
foods. A practitioner should also be
careful to hydrate well before the day long fast. Foods and beverages that provide only short
bursts of energy such as sugary foods or caffeine are not favorable choices for
suhoor. Likewise, fried foods and spicy
foods are not recommended because they can cause problems with digestion. On the other hand, high fiber foods are
encouraged since they can help with digestive discomfort and the high levels of
stomach acid that may result from fasting. According to Professor Akhtar,
because complex carbohydrates take longer for a person to digest, they provide
the body with a longer lasting source of energy and can help the practitioner
to feel less hungry for a longer period of time. Thus, before the sun rises each day, the
professor recommends foods such as:
“barley, wheat, oats, millet, semolina, beans, lentils, wholemeal flour,
and unpolished rice.”
Importantly, suhoor not only challenges the practitioner to
be more food-conscious and make better dietary choices during Ramadan, it also
supplements the spirit of community and family that is so inherent in Ramadan. As Rollo Roming describes in “Confessions of
a Ramadan Rookie”: “Ramadan is also
supposed to be a highly social time:
breakfasting with friends and neighbors, and communal prayers…” Suhoor
can be a time for couples to bond and for families to sit down and enjoy a
solid meal together. In a world of so
much hustle and bustle, I think Thich Nhat Hahn would agree that suhoor during
Ramadan and mindful eating offers many benefits to both the individual and the
Ummah.
Similarly, the after sunset meal of Ramadan provides
members of the Ummah, families, loved ones, and friends an opportunity to come
together and eat, celebrate, pray, and enjoy each others’ company. Sohaib Sultan, Imam of Princeton University,
explains: “Breaking fast together in the community also makes you think. When food is shared, it seems so much more
plentiful as a little bit goes a long ways.” Following the tradition that
started with Muhammad himself, the fast is often ended with the consumption of
dates and water. Professor Akhtar points
out, “Dates are an excellent source of sugar, fibre, carbohydrates, potassium
and magnesium…” Thus, one can quickly
quench his hunger and get a quick burst of energy when he consumes dates to
break the fast.
Professor Akhtar goes on to explain the importance of
replenishing one’s body with energy and nutrients during mealtimes. To be successful in fasting requires the
participant to be very food conscious and commit to a healthy diet. Sultan points out: “Fasting really makes you
re-think the role of food in your life.
It is proof for how little we actually need to stay strong and healthy
and how our appetites are so much more adjustable than we think” (2014). As Sultan argues, this sense of awareness
about nutrition and food not only benefits the practitioner, it also fosters a
sense of healthy dietary choices in the community. In a world where people have to face
conditions such as starvation, eating disorders, overeating, and obesity, the
yearly practice of fasting during Ramadan serves as a powerful tool for the
promotion of better nutrition and appreciation of food in the community at
large.
Importantly, nutrition and appreciation for one’s food are
not the only essential concerns of a Muslim who is fasting during Ramadan. Abstaining from food and drink from before
dawn until after the sun sets are only one aspect of the Muslim’s calling to
fast during Ramadan. During the fasting
hours, one is asked to refrain from other unhealthy habits such as smoking. Moreover, the practitioner should avoid
sexual relations and lustful thoughts during the hours of the fast each
day. Finally, Muslims are challenged to
be particularly careful to avoid lying and other greater sins during the hours
of sawm. Ramadan provides Muslims a time
to set aside for them to focus on their relationship with Allah and concentrate
on avoiding immoral behavior and practicing kindness during this month. Both the nutritional and behavioral fasting
that is required during Ramadan allow the Muslim time to grow and learn spiritually
so that he can better prepare himself for this kind of spiritual discipline for
the remaining months of the year.
The importance of sawm can be further discovered by
examining the purpose of Ramadan fasting.
Fasting during Ramadan is significant for three main reasons. First, sawm is a crucial part of the
spiritual journey a Muslim takes during the month of Ramadan. Second, the values that are emphasized and
practiced during Ramadan allow the Muslim practitioner to focus on ridding
himself of bad habits and developing positive lifestyle choices and personality
traits that he can carry with him the rest of the year and beyond. Finally, fasting during Ramadan has
significant social benefits within the Muslim community.
As Ahmed explains in his article “The Purpose of Ramadan,”
Ramadan’s “purpose is to rid a man of those habits which he has accumulated
throughout the rest of the year. It is a
month that prepares the man for the remaining eleven months by teaching him
discipline and self-control.” Through
the practices of fasting, one is called to practice self-control over many
aspects of his life including anger, lust, and other human flaws and bad
habits. The practitioner develops
mental, physical, and spiritual discipline during this month that he can carry
with him into his future beyond Ramadan. Moreover, as Sultan explains Ramadan
and sawm allow Muslims to learn “valuable lessons of gratitude to God for the
immeasurable blessings and favors with which [we] have been bestowed. Through deprivation, there is a greater
appreciation for what we have.”
In addition to the individual benefits and personal growth
Muslims experience from Ramadan fasting, there are equally important social and
community benefits that come along with the observance of Ramadan. For example, Wrynn describes his personal
experience with the sense of unity and fellowship that comes with Ramadan
fasting in his article, “Ramadan is Generous”:
The willingness of a
Muslim to put up with his neighbor’s “going crazy” for 29 days, his indulgence
in covering up for a fellow worker who is partied out, store keepers spending
an hour every afternoon setting up tables and benches to feed the poor, the
stranger and those who have no one to cook up an respectable iftar for them—all
serve as a reminder of the indulgence of God, who makes the sun shine on the
good and bad alike (1995).
Wrynn’s
observations reflect the spirit of forgiveness, charity and mercy that are
essential to Muslims during Ramadan.
Other divine attributes that Muslims foster during Ramadan include
empathy, generosity, and compassion.
Sultan explains that fasting helps Muslims to develop:
a very personal empathy
for those who don’t have, as we experience similar pangs of hunger and thirst
that are felt unwillingly by people all over the world, every day. As such, Ramadan is a month that encourages
charity, kindness, and social justice on behalf of the poor and needy in
particular. In this way, fasting
connects us to the social message of the Qur’an.
Thus,
fasting allows Muslims to gain sympathy and respect for the poor and encourages
them to help the needy in their communities.
Muslims learn to be more humble, generous, and charitable by allowing
themselves to gain personal experience in what it feels like to be truly
hungry. By sharing in the suffering of
the poor, Muslims are challenged to take care of their less fortunate brothers
and sisters in their Ummahs. Thus, the
cultural benefits of fasting spread through the community.
The rich, unique cultural practices
of Muslims around the world during this holy month of fasting show it to be a
time of devout prayer, devoted study of the Qur’an, deep personal and spiritual
reflection, and dedicated adherence to a strict code of moral behavior. Muslims do not just fast from food during
sawm—fasting during Ramadan includes abstaining from all unhealthy and immoral
thoughts and actions to the best of one’s ability. Moreover, Ramadan is not about deprivation;
it is about filling one’s soul with the light and love of Allah and trusting
him to take care of the faithful believer’s life on Earth. Ramadan enforces lessons in significant
personal and social values such as:
compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, mercy, kindness, charity,
generosity, healthy eating, prayerful devotion, community unity, discipline,
self-control, punctuality, perseverance, and empathy. As Sultan explains, “fasting and the great
lessons we learn from it are meant to bind us together as human beings.”
After studying all the various
religious and spiritual aspects of fasting, I found myself intrigued with what
I had learned about food consciousness and mindful eating. There seemed to be quite a few mental and
spiritual benefits, but I still wondered what the practical benefits of fasting
were. Were there any health benefits to
fasting? So to round out my study of
fasting, I looked for science and logic to support my conclusions.
The benefits from fasting for our
health and wellness were easy enough to uncover. Many studies exist that show positive
correlations between fasting and health.
For example, a study done at the University
of Southern California found that prolonged fasting of certain foods can help
prevent immune system damage and can help the body generate blood and cells in
the immune system. In addition,
“In 2010, a study carried out by Oxford University’s department of public health found that eating meat no
more than three times a week could prevent 31,000 deaths from heart disease,
9,000 deaths from cancer and 5,000 deaths from stroke each year. Former chief scientific officer Sir Liam
Donaldson has said that reducing the UK’s consumption of animal products by 30 per cent [by 2030]
would prevent 18,000 premature deaths every year. Many
of the world’s leading health organizations now encourage a reduction in the
amount of meat people consume. The World Cancer Research Fund recommends we
“choose mostly plant foods, limit red meat and avoid processed meat.”
Additionally,
according to Scientific America, Chicago researchers have found that intermittent fasting “seems to
delay the development of the disorders that lead to death.” Some researchers, like Mattson, champion the
idea that intermittent fasting may lower the risk of degenerative brain
diseases later in life—diseases like Alzheimer’s and ALS. He thinks that intermittent fasting “acts in
part as a form of mild stress that continually revs up cellular defenses
against molecular damage…[it] increases the levels of “chaperone proteins,”
which prevent the incorrect assembly of other molecules in the cell. Mattson also claims that occasional fasting
can act as “a kind of garbage disposal system in cells that get rid of damaged
molecules” that lead to disease.
Moreover, science seemed to confirm the environmental
benefits of fasting that Thich Nhat Hahn proposed in his book Savor when he stated:
“As a population, if a large number of people make even
small moves to eat less meat and more plant based foods, the livestock industry
will shrink. Over time, farmers will
find other crops to support their livelihoods.
Through such collective awakening we can make a difference in our
world.”
A modern
day initiative known as “No Meat Mondays” or “Meat Free Mondays” offers further
evidence of the environmental benefits of fasting. Their website explains:
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations (FAO), the livestock sector is “one of the top two or three most
significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every
scale from local to global”. The FAO estimates that livestock production is
responsible for 14.5 % of global greenhouse gas emissions, while other organizations
have estimated it could be as much as 51%. World scientists on the UN Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) agree that we need to reduce the amount of
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere by 80% by 2050 in order to avoid
catastrophic climate change.
The
website goes on to ask us to consider the animals. The authors argue that:
Billions of animals are farmed and killed for meat each
year. Most of them are raised in intensive factory farms, in cramped,
overcrowded cages, sheds and pens. With no room to stretch limbs or wings and
no access to daylight or fresh air, intensively reared animals are often
diseased, injured and dying due to the unnatural conditions they are kept in.
Farmed animals are subjected to mutilations such as having their beaks clipped,
their teeth pulled out and their tails docked to stop them from pecking and
wounding each other through boredom and frustration. All farmed animals end
their lives with a brutal death at the slaughterhouse. Eating less meat is a
compassionate step that helps prevent cruelty and suffering.
Personally, that is enough reason
for me to consider not eating meat once a week…not just during Lent, but maybe
even all year around. And it seems like
the idea is catching on. Many
celebrities including Oprah, Paul McCartney, and Chef Mario Batali, have
embraced No Meat Mondays. According to
journalist Michael Pollan, this could have a dramatic effect on our
environment. In his 2009 book, Pollan
explained that “even one meatless day a week—a Meatless Monday…if everybody in
American did that, that would be the equivalent of taking 20 million midsized
sedans off the road.” School districts
such as Boston City Public
Schools and
Manhattan Borough schools have introduced the concept into the school lunch
programs there. In 2011, it was
estimated that 18% of American households were participating in Meatless
Mondays. If this idea continues to catch
on, it could have a profound impact on the global environment.
In conclusion, through my careful
research into the fasting traditions of many cultures, I have learned that
fasting can be so much more than just giving up meat on Fridays during Lent
because that’s what I was raised to do.
Fasting can be complete experience of growth mentally, physically, and
spiritually. The benefits of fasting, no
matter how one chooses to fast, seem to be vast. Fasting benefits not only the individual, but
in many cases, the benefits extend to the community and even to the world. Fasting is also not limited to depriving
oneself of food. Fasting can be a change
in behavior such as abstaining from sex or taking a sabbatical from social
media for a day or during the evening hours before bed.
Overall, fasting is a practice that can help us generate
food awareness, present moment awareness, and gratitude; it can help us make
healthy dietary and behavioral choices.
Fasting can remind us to base our dietary choices on providing ourselves
with the energy that we will need to get us through the day. It can even foster a stronger sense of
community and brotherhood amongst participants.
Mindful eating and fasting can help us remember our interconnectedness to
everything and everyone on this planet.
It can give us a way to do our part to help to protect our environment
and the delicate balance of life that exists here. Universally, the hunger and humility that are
associated with fasting allow us to become weak and vulnerable, so that we may
grow and become stronger. Finally, the
practice of fasting, regardless of how one chooses to observe it, can help
practitioners grow in compassion, charity, gratitude, self-control, and
empathy.
