“Fasting is in our nature and prevents the body from becoming saturated”

A well-planned fast can be very healthy: purifies the body, improves digestion and intestinal health, protects the heart, increases the sensation of physical well-being and mental clarity, helps control weight, increases defenses and enhances the sensation of vitality. This that studies have certified years ago now seems to have transcended the general public.

“Fasting has become fashionable. And it’s something that really catches my attention. It’s been in human history for thousands of years, and now suddenly it’s a hot topic. We hear the praise of some and, at the same time, warnings against it: ‘What you need is to fast’, ‘How do you think of it? It’s extremely dangerous!’ Where are we left?”, exposes the Dr. Isabel Belaustegui, founder of the Potential Life platform –educational platform on health and lifestyle that she co-founded with Jesús Sierra – and one of the leading experts in nutrition and integrative medicine.

Dr. Belaustegui felt that it was necessary to clarify things and decided to gather all his knowledge –gained from the study and also from his consulting experience– to write a theoretical and practical guide with all the information that someone who wants to start on this topic might need.

The result of this painstaking work has been book publication The magic of fasting (Comprehensive RBA)a guide to learn how to carry out the different variants of fasting in a safe, effective and pleasant way that helps us to listen to our body and focus on our objective, to plan each day and to choose the most appropriate model for our particular case.

Why was it so necessary to publish a book like The magic of fasting?
–We can get a lot of information by browsing the net and clicking here and there. But… what if we found everything in a single little book? The magic of fasting It is a travel guide to carry under your arm, in your bag, in your suitcase, with all the information, advice, examples, warnings, tricks, etc. where you can underline, annotate, mark and to which to return whenever doubts arise.

– As you say, it seems that fasting is in fashion… Why do you think there is now more interest in a well-known practice within the more traditional medicine?
–We are privileged: we live in a world that is more connected than ever. We are lucky to be able to easily access a large amount of information and know instantly what people living on the other side of the planet are doing.

Thus, there are certain issues previously reserved for minorities that are gaining visibility. A clear example of this is fasting and, in particular, intermittent fasting.

In recent years, actors and actresses, models, influencers, etc. have catapulted fasting to the fore by talking about its many benefits.

It is in the human essence to want to be like those we admire, follow in their footsteps and do what they tell us that helps them to be as wonderful as we see them. In this globalized and hyperconnected world it is very remarkable.

So when celebrities started talking about the benefits of fasting and its effectiveness in losing weight (a very powerful pole of attraction), many people were curious.

At the same time, last year (2020) we experienced an exceptional world situation, which has brought something very positive. With a new virus, restrictions and fear, the desire to eat better, exercise and include healthy habits in their daily lives has also arrived for many people. In this sense, intermittent fasting is an excellent tool.

I think there is a greater awareness about the need to take care of yourself.

In the weeks of the 2020 confinement I was precisely writing the book. And perceiving this change was a very important driver to do it.

Why should we fast? What benefits does it bring?
–Fasting is in our nature. Either by necessity or by will, we have always done it. We are designed to function optimally in alternating “feast” and “scarcity”.

We cannot live well if we are constantly cluttering our system with excess food.

Fasting is a cleansing stop, a rest for our digestive system, a saving of energy that is then available to carry out essential functions for health and a good hormonal boost.

That is why fasting brings so many benefits: it makes us feel better at all levels, physical, mental and emotional.

It helps us maintain a proper weight, takes care of our intestinal health, improves the state of our heart and blood vessels, reduces inflammation, reinforces our defenses, regulates the functioning of insulin, hunger hormones, sex hormones or cortisol. It gives us energy, helps us think better, promotes creativity, protects us from cognitive decline, calms us down, reduces the negative effect of stress, allows us to better appreciate the good things in life and even encourages us to work on our spiritual dimension. .

And much more that I explain in detail in the book!

–Are there any contraindications to fasting?
–Fasting is a very safe practice and most people can do it. But there are some exceptions. One of the aspects that must be very clear before starting to fast is to know if it is contraindicated for us.

Who should not fast? People with very low weight or in a state of malnutrition, people with anorexia nervosa, pregnant women, lactating women, children and adolescents. And of course anyone who has a poor tolerance for fasting.

In these cases the drawbacks of fasting outweigh the benefits. And it is about taking care of our health, not succumbing to a fashion.

-Toxics are very present in everyday life. Fasting is a good way to eliminate them, or it is not enough…
Yes, they are very present. Perhaps it is one of the main cons of our current lifestyle.

Fasting is an excellent detoxification tool. By not eating we have extra energy that we can use in internal purification work.

We eliminate toxins in four ways: feces, urine, sweat and breathing. So we can promote the elimination of toxins from our body if, in addition to fasting, we hydrate well, do sports, do breathing exercises, exfoliate the skin and have sauna sessions.

–Eat less, to live more and better. Why is caloric restriction so beneficial?
–“Eat less to live more” was a complete revolution, one of the most impressive scientific news in the field of nutrition.

Since the first studies in the 1930s, caloric restriction—that is, eating less—seems to be the only nutritional strategy that has been shown to extend life.

Apart from giving us years of life, it helps us regulate glucose and cholesterol levels, reduce blood pressure, control inflammation, enhance the plasticity of our nervous system (and with it, intelligence and creativity), have more energy and reduce damage by free radicals.

Intermittent fasting and reducing food rations, in the context of a good diet and a good lifestyle, makes us live not only longer but also better.

–As you say in your book, autophagy cleans and recycles, and cells act as miniature washing machines. Tell us what autogamy is and how they do the laundry…
I find it a fascinating process. We are so well designed…! Autophagy means “eating oneself”. This may sound horrible but it is a wonderful thing.

It supposes our own system of cleaning and recycling that we have in a natural way to be able to get rid of what is deteriorated or damaged and turn it into new cellular components.

I like to compare it to miniature washing machines because, apart from having that cleaning function, the image of autophagy under the microscope looks like a replica of the laundry in full cycle, all mixed up and full of foam.

As it does? The cell, being very careful, first isolates the material to be digested in a little bag, called a phagosome. Then it pours into the phagosome the enzymes necessary to undo it, as if they were the detergent that dissolves stains. This causes the material to be digested to break down into basic units. Finally these tiny fragments pass into the cytoplasm of the cell, where they are used in the construction of new cellular components. “Reduce, recycle, reuse” also at the cellular level!

–It seems that the body is not very good at multitasking, and when one process stops, it gives itself the space and time to start another…
–Our organism is a rich network of hundreds of different functions, perfectly coordinated and of extraordinary complexity. All at once. We are made like this. We are multitasking by nature.

At the same time, with fasting we can give a rest to certain processes and derive that energy to others. It is convenient to stop, give ourselves space and time to purify and “do our laundry”.

–The ketogenic diet is also current.

Last year the keto diet turned one hundred years old! And in the last five years it has become a trend… Again, thanks to public figures and social networks. Completely current.

His story is very different, however. It was not a fashion. The ketogenic diet is “pure medicine”. It was created by American doctors for the treatment of epilepsy. Later, other beneficial effects were observed and it was applied in the cure of various diseases and ailments.

With few exceptions, following a ketogenic diet has a very positive impact on physical, mental and emotional health.

So it’s interesting that it has become fashionable beyond the medical realm and is making a hole in our lives.

It is a diet low in sugar and carbohydrates that contain starch (cereals, bread, pasta, cookies, pastries, legumes, potatoes, vegetables such as pumpkin, etc.), moderate in protein (meat, fish, eggs) and high in healthy fats (olives, avocado, olive oil, coconut oil, MCT oil, seeds, nuts, oily fish, organic butter, etc.), which is so called because it activates the production of ketone bodies.

Ketone bodies are energy-generating molecules derived from the metabolism of fats, serving as efficient, clean fuel for our cells. They are the “backup battery” for fasting situations.

When we stop eating and available glucose runs out, we draw on our fat stores in the form of ketone bodies. And when its concentration in the blood rises, we enter a particular state of metabolic functioning called ketosis, which has been shown to promote weight loss, activate the burning of body fat, improve metabolism, regulate the feeling of satiety and appetite, control inflammation, boost the immune system, optimize cognitive ability and memory, balance mood and increase physical performance, strength and endurance, among other effects…