Many people are having the desire to fast for health reasons and in order to go deeper in the faith. While various forms of fasting are being promoted by health reasons, this article is going to focus on a purely spiritual approach, giving new ascetics some advice and guidelines.
First we need to distinguish between three kinds of fasting:
- Abstinence from various animal/ food products
- Caloric Restriction
- A Simple Diet
Abstinence
This is the most common form of fasting. Typically people give up things like sweets and sodas, and this is a good first step. But you need to realize that you got calories from the foods you loved and you need to replace them with other carbohydrates like fruit. You will crave sugar in part due to your addiction to sweets but also because your body needs to replace those calories.
Another form of abstinence is refraining from eating meat on Wednesday and Fridays. If you are working out, you will need to get your protein from fish, eggs, nuts, and legumes. However, going one day without animal protein will not destroy your nutrition goals if you decide to abstain from all animal products and be vegan on fasting days.
Basically most restrictive diets can be used as a form of penance and fasting.
Caloric Restriction
This is probably the most common and most difficult to do. It involves either eating less per day or eating no meals at all.
The traditional Catholic fast was meatless days with only one main meal and two small meals that don’t equal one meal. In a 2,000k diet this would mean one meal at 750 calories (approximately) and two small meals (probably better to call them snacks) at 200 calories for a total 1,150 calories. This doesn’t have to be that precise but you get the idea.
If a person completely fasts on only water, the main concern is electrolytes. Most electrolyte solutions should be fine, but there is a concern that many do not include certain minerals. To develop a plan for a supplementation protocol for longer fasts, consult a medical professional.
A simple diet
This form of fasting is particularly common among monastics and religious orders where communal meals allow for greater control in food production. It involves parts of abstinence, such as meatless or vegetarian, but it also involves the manner in which food is made.
For example, grilled chicken or fish and boiled vegetables tend to be significantly less pleasurable and more penitential than fried foods or foods cooked with flavorful additions such as butter, oil, and lard. Thus, even though a person will reach their caloric goals, they will be less inclined to gluttony or eating purely for pleasure.
Closing
Keep in mind if this is your first time fasting that fasting is like learning any other skill, it takes time and there is a learning curve. But don’t be intimidated. Start small and work your way up to longer and more sophisticated fasts.