If health and diet advice seems contradictory, that’s because it is contradictory (and has been, for a long while).
One thing the vast majority agree upon: fasting is good for you. It cleanses the body and brain; it purges poisons; it burns up cancer cells; it eats up fat. Great to know as we enter Lent (no, not the type of “fasting” that is fried fish on “Fryday”).
With prayer and fasting, said the Virgin at Medjugorje, “you can stop wars and even suspend the laws of nature.” Somehow, as witnessed in the reading just Monday, U.S. bishops have removed “and fasting” from a Bible reading used at Mass just Monday, which used to read, “This kind can only come out with prayer and fasting” (it’s now “This kind can only come out only with prayer” Mark 4:29).
The best fast is on bread and water, the Blessed Mother has said, or really just water and perhaps a little authentic juice.
But other than the benefits of fasting, it gets complex.
Some say “intermittent” fasting — eating just one meal a day, usually dinner, with just a four-hour window of eating each day — is tremendously effective for weight loss and general well-being, although most agree that total abstention from food is the optimal way, and we here have found powerful spiritual and physical benefits with three-day fasts. Christ did forty days!
Of course, if you want, you could find those who argue against any fasting!
Contradictions? Some say it’s beneficial to go eighteen hours a day without food, reducing insulin resistance. Others argue that a big breakfast and lunch, with a small early dinner (and no snacks) is the way to go. The other day, time-honored advice to eat dark vegetables as a way of mitigating heart problems was challenged by a study — already questioned — that found no beneficial effect.
Does anyone agree? Is there really any such thing as a “conclusive” study? (Hint: no.)
What science can’t answer (and the list of what they can’t is long), the Holy Spirit (invoke His advice) can.
In Japan, a nation where weight is not an issue and where longevity is way up near the top, there’s what they call the “80-20” rule: Japanese eat until they’re eighty percent full, and then stop. They never stuff their gullets. Discipline.
Just the opposite of the West, where gluttony is a keystone of gratification and the economy.
When we entertained a group of visiting Japanese some years back, they were appalled at the amount of food set before them at a restaurant.
It seems reasonable to assume that in looking for an optimal diet, one might study what our ancestors — ancients in the Bible, those during Jesus’ time, Native Americans, or even, further back, the hunter-gatherers, the Cro-Magnon, the Neanderthals ate. A high percentage of what they consumed, researchers tell us, consisted of fruits and vegetables (“gatherers”). But they also ate meat and fish.
Think about it: There were days when “cavemen” didn’t kill anything, and they had no garden to depend upon. There’s was nothing to eat. They in effect “fasted.” The same is true in the animal world — days can go by without a “meal.” It’s natural to fast.
Speaking of the “80-20” ratio, let’s use those numbers a different way. It turns out that many who follow the diets of other places where folks live the longest (so-called “blue zones”) see that those long-lived folks, in places such as the Mediterranean, constitute their meals on the general order of eighty percent vegetables and fruit, and twenty percent fish and meat. A different kind of “80-20” diet.
But we’ll buy that.
Never mind all those contradictory studies.
When it comes to eating, the most logical guide would seem to be following the lead of those who live the longest. [Here’s one list]
[Footnote from CBN:
“Dr. Don Colbert is known for helping people live a healthy lifestyle by following the Ketogenic diet. As a medical doctor who has treated over 50,000 patients, he says the answer to people’s ailments is almost always linked to what they eat.
“When Dr. Colbert took a trip to the Mediterranean with his wife, he had an epiphany when he watched closely what they ate. The people in that area live longer than almost everyone on the planet which is surprising when a high percentage of them smoke. He realized the power of the Mediterranean diet which includes olive oil, vegetables, fish and poultry, fresh herbs, beans, peas, lentils, hummus, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, nuts, seeds, yogurt, kefir (tangy yogurt drink), eggs, dark chocolate, coffee, black tea, water, and red wine (in moderation, one glass per day). They eat these foods at home and in restaurants.”
Meanwhile, preventing diabetes?
From Newsmax:
Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. According to EatingWell, only one in 10 Americans consume the recommended five to nine servings of fruits and veggies daily. The antioxidants in these foods can help improve insulin resistance, which leads to better control of blood sugar.
Follow a plant-based diet. A plant-based diet is effective in lowering the risk of developing type 2 diabetes because it is high in fiber, low in saturated fat, and improves inulin sensitivity, according to EatingWell. This means consuming more nuts, seeds, fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, and legumes. Research shows that following a plant-based diet can reduce your risk of diabetes by 30%.”
(Rest of story here)]
[resources: The God of Healing]
