Season of Fasting

Janice Temple with Dama Bakery Chef

by Janice Temple 


Now that Carnivals have ended and Fat Tuesday has past it is time for the season of fasting. Will you be giving up meat, sweets, fast foods or some other addiction?

Dama Bakery Chef trained by White House Pastry Chef

My personal struggle with sweets is my focus of my fast to gain discipline over my tongue and my eating habits. 


I began my fast last week with drinking Vegan Protein Shakes and Raw Vegetable Soup. The results of fasting for a week included clearer thinking and being more productive. My fast for the next forty days will consist of one shake for breakfast and raw soup or salad for lunch plus forsaking sweets.

Soul Vegetarian Kale Green Salad

Are you new to fasting? Here is some background information on how to fast.


This is an excerpt from the chapter on "Fasting Properly"  from the book Ideas for Transitioning to a Healthier Way of Living from Recipes for a Neo Southern Lifestyle

"Fasting Properly: A Link to Good Health
by Dr. Hugh A. Jenkins, N.D., D.C.

Fasting is the process in which an individual eliminates solid food from his diet for a certain period of time. It is the safest and fastest method to lose with and improve your health. Fasting is a means of cleansing and detoxifying the body of harmful toxins that can break down and destroy the body. It is pertinent to understand that before an individual begins any tupw of fasting program, he must consult his physician first.

A pioneer in natural healing, my mentor, Dr. Alenia M. Fulton, N.D., was an African American doctor of Naturopathic  Medicine." Her extensive 30 year knowledge of fasting spanned worldwide. As a result, she instructed numerous individuals on the process of fasting properly. Many individuals discovered that, while fasting under Dr. Fulton's regimen, they did not experience headaches, lightheadedness, dizziness or any of the other common symptoms acquired while fasting improperly.

While an individual is on a fast, due to the fact that he is not eating any solid food, his digestive system goes to sleep. Consequently, the energy usually needed for digestion is rerouted to other areas of the body for cleansing, healing and detoxifying. Since the digestive system is resting, it gets the opportunity to clean itself out. As a result, any digestive problem the body is experiencing will improve. The body encounters a process called autolysis self-eating during a fast. Throughout this process, the body will eat the fat, wasteful, and diseased cells first and anything that is not needed for the basic function, of the body, is used for fuel.

There are three different types/lengths of fasting. They are the short fast, the medium fast, and the extended fast. The most common fast is the short fast. It consists of fasting 1 day per week or 3 days per month. On this fast an individual eliminates food from his diet for 24-36 hours. It is best to choose a day that fits your schedule and always remember to conduct future fasts on the same day because your particular fasting day, your body will automatically shift into a fasting mode and you will not be hungry.

The medium fast consists of 7-14 days per season and 4 times per year. The extended fast is a total of 21 or more days, biannually 2 times per year.  Both the medium and extended fast require a preparation or cleansing diet of 5 to 7 days before the initial fast. Each of these fasts are scientific, therapeutic and should be conducted under the direct supervision of a fasting specialist.

An example of a short 24-hour fast conducted on a Wednesday is as follows. An individual's
last meal should consist of raw food such as fresh fruits and vegetables. Fasting is the absence of solid food, as a result you only drink fluids. It is pertinent that you drink a minimum of 1/2 gallon of fluid. You can indulge in fresh fruit and vegetable juices, herbal teas, protein drinks, smoothies, and distilled water mixed with lemon juice and raw honey.

The 36-hour fast consists of raw food for dinner on Tuesday night, fast the entire day on Wednesday and break the fast on raw food on Thursday morning for breakfast. if you decide to extend your 36 hour fast you should eat raw food all day on Thursday. If you follow this method, you will have eaten raw food for 3 days and fasted within the same week.

The 3-day per month fast consists of raw food on Tuesday for dinner or the entire day on Tuesday which will lead you into the fast all day on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. You can then break the fast on Saturday morning with raw food for breakfast. You can continue to eat the raw food throughout the day on Saturday, if you like.

The digestive system is the most abused system in the body. As a result, if you follow this fasting regimen throughout the year you will have benefited your system with raw foods. You will also maintain an ideal body weight and slow down the ageing process. Your energy level will increase and mental ability will sharpen. It is suggested that for individuals who have never fasted before, begin the 1 day a week fast of 24 hours and once you have tackled that, gradually go  into the 36 hour fast. Then you can add a day until you reach the 3 day a month fast.

Dr. Fulton died in 1994 at the age of 94. We will forever be grateful for the contribution she made to natural healing field with her research and practice of cleansing fasts."

*Naturopathic Medicine is total drugless/natural medicine.

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Will you be fasting this season?

How to eat Fast Food

Let's face it, it's tough to avoid fast food. Balancing work, school, relationships, family, etc. is tough enough. Trying to squeeze in exercise and cooking can make things really difficult. I know I preach the importance of cooking and eating healthy all the time but let's be realistic sometimes you just can't pass up the convenience of grabbing some fast food on the way home. Now I am by no means advocating eating fast food over cooking. But if you are going to stop by a McDonalds on the way home, lets figure out a way to make the healthiest decisions possible.

I did an article on the lack of healthy options in our communities a while back called "Popeyes or KFC." I think the lack of options in our communities is terrible. It is unfortunate but just because they put that poison (food) in our communities, doesn't mean we have to make terrible choices......

Maintaining my weight loss is super important to me right now but eating fast food is sometimes unavoidable. I have developed a few strategies to be sure that I stay within my calorie limit and maintain my weight loss. I typically eat fast food for lunch 3-4 x a week. I also eat at restaurants like every weekend. I love trying new restaurants, but I refuse to undo all my hard work. So here are some tips I hope you find useful.

1. Just eat the sandwich/entree ---- Don't believe the hype, there is no value in a "value meal" Unless you see value in Type 2 diabetes. You can really save on the calories by cutting out the fries or chips. Now I know that may not seem easy because the fries/chips fill you up. But give it a try eat your sandwich and see if you are still really hungry. If you are bring your own side (yogurt, fruit, string cheese). Bringing your own side will also save on $$$$. This is the most important rule. *You can also get a side salad, you can one at McDonalds/Wendys/Burger King/KFC for just a $1.


2. Drink Water with lemon or a flavored water----- I did an article about the unnecessary calories that pop/soda adds to your meal. Check out the post...."You are what you drink." If you don't feel like reading the post, then just trust me cut those drinks and substitute water.

3. Drink Green Tea---I could write a whole post about the benefits of green tea (in fact I might). Drinking green tea everyday has helped speed up my metabolism. It's especially great for after eating heavy meals.

4. Grilled---This is an obvious one but you should always choose grilled over fried.


5. NO MAYO--- Mayonnaise can add over a 100 calories to your sandwich. It is so not worth it. Have mustard instead. This applies for dressings too, especially creamy ones. Always choose the vinaigrette over a creamy dressing.

6. Plan Ahead---check out calorie count websites like Calorie Lab before you eat. You can easily access must calorie sites from you cell phone.

7. Satisfying a sweet tooth--- Of course adding a sundae or candy bar to your lunch/dinner can really add the calories. For dessert there are a couple healthy options. I like to a have Yoplait/Dannon yogurts (Key Lime, Orange Creme). They are just sweet enough to fulfill my craving. Sometimes I will crumble up graham crackers and mix them with the yogurt. Also, you are usually pretty safe with lowfat frozen yogurt. At McDonald's you can get it for $1 and 120 calories....not bad.

Eating healthy does not have to be difficult. It just takes a little bit of thought. These are a few of my tips I may add more, so check back!

Comment!!!

What suggestions do you have for eating healthy in this fast food nation