Fasting is a big part of my life. I started intermittent fasting about 6 years ago, when I became serious about what kinds of foods I was consuming. I made a conscious effort to learn as much as I could about fasting and how to properly nourish myself. I wanted to feel good and enjoy the foods I ate too, because if the meals I prepared aren’t tasty then it would’ve been much more difficult to stay on the wagon.
I learned a lot about what the body does in a fasted state, how it is helpful for ridding toxins and other harmful elements, and how it allowed me to become more patient. Restricting myself from eating whenever I wanted allowed me to focus on work and other activities. It also deepened my appreciation for food and how to be a more environmentally conscious consumer. We will get into the benefits of fasting in just a bit, but I want you to understand a few key points before we dig into the features of fasting, and how to incorporate it into your life.
Important caveat: I am not a doctor or certified nutritionist. You should consult with your doctor or personal nutritionist before making any changes to your diet, lifestyle or eating habits.
These were the biggest benefits that I gained while practicing intermittent fasting:
- Balanced Hormones: Eating food, especially foods that are high in refined carbohydrates or sugar, can cause hormonal imbalance. When I fast, I regulate my blood sugar much better and I feel calmer
- Mindspace: Not needing to think about food for a significant portion of the day allows me to concentrate on other things, like work, school, writing and other hobbies
- Financial Gain: Eating less frequently means less snacks, this is especially true if you buy convenience foods like frozen meals, which are much more expensive due to the convenient nature of them
- Improved Patience: Eating only once a day or sometimes skipping whole days all together improved my patience overall
- Deeper Understanding: I learned a lot of information about my body and how to prepare healthy meals
Fasting, Science, and the Zen of Eating
Fasting has been around for a very long time. Ancient civilizations and its people generally fasted as a normal lived experience. Thousands of years ago, a human’s next meal was not a forgone conclusion, and it was never assumed when someone would eat again. It was survival. So, our bodies naturally evolved under this predicament and we became apt at fasting.
Through the passing of time, fasting practices were weaved into more practical purposes, like I mentioned before, fasting provides more time because less of it is spend preparing or obtaining food. Also, many religions around the world practice some form of fasting.
Religions that practice some form of fasting: Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, and Taoism. As we can see, fasting is done across many faiths, because it’s more than just a practice of withholding food, it’s a practice of awareness. It can show how deeply we cling to cravings, routines, and comforts. By setting them aside, we can find stillness, clarity and gratitude.
Dr. Jason Fung is a leader in the science of fasting, and has many great explanations about how the body works while fasting. One of my favorites is, “Obesity is not caused by an excess of calories, but instead by a body set weight that is too high because of a hormonal imbalance in the body.” Dr. Fung explains that when we are eating all the time, we are consistently spiking our insulin levels, which is a hormonal response to eating food. When we eat snacks and 3-4 meals every day, we do not give our bodies the break it needs to lower its insulin levels. This results in chronic inflammation and constant insulin in the bloodstream. When there is this much insulin floating around, it keeps signaling to our fat cells to store energy, hence we hold onto the fat more than when we are at a more balanced hormonal level.
Modern studies confirm Dr. Fung’s observations. A 2022 review found that intermittent fasting protocols lasting 4-24 weeks typically result in 4% to 10% reduction in body weight (Liu et al., 2022). Johns Hopkins researchers also highlight cognitive and physical benefits: improvements in memory, blood pressure, insulin regulation, and even endurance (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2022).
Zen teaches us not to have attachments, even to health benefits. Hunger itself is a teacher.
“Not by a shower of gold coins can we be satisfied. Few are the pleasures of desire. Understanding this, the wise find joy in the stillness of renunciation.” – Dhammapada, verse 186-187.
When we fast, we watch cravings rise and fade like waves. They are not commands; they are passing clouds. And when we eat again, slowly, mindfully, rice tastes like sunlight, water like rebirth.
Life is all about balance. We should seek to enjoy celebratory moments with our friends and family. Oftentimes, these good times involve food, and I would caution against constantly fasting in a rigid sense, allow yourself to enjoy a birthday party with your family and have some of that cake, or eat too much on Thanksgiving, or whatever you are celebrating with your friends and family.
Practical Zen Practices
To bring this conversation back to our purposes here, on this blog, as we try and aim for a middle of the road approach to life. Balance is paramount. We seek to avoid attachment but without losing connection.
One of the greatest benefits of fasting is how it improved my appreciation for sustainably raised and locally grown food. Since I am able to save money by not purchasing convenience foods, I am able to purchase organic and locally raised items instead. This improves my connection to the planet and the environment. To be honest, the factory farming of livestock is one of the things that upsets me the most. I do eat a lot of vegan and vegetarian foods, but I also enjoy meat and animal products. However, I don’t like the idea of animals raised in the conditions of factory farming.
Take my backyard chickens as an example, they are having a great time: they have fresh food (like scraps from our garden), organic feed, clean water, and a warm place to sleep. I raise them myself, and I feel responsible for their care and their end of life.
Balance is key.
I have a few tips for how you can incorporate some of these fasting ideas into your own life:
- Pause Before Eating: Ask yourself are you nourishing your body or staving off restlessness?
- Chew Slowly: Treat each bite as a moment of mindfulness
- Fast Gently: You can start with a 16:8 eating window, meaning you fast for 16 hours and eat all of your daily food within an 8-hour window. This is a great beginner friendly approach, because you are asleep for 8 or so hours, so half your fasting time is done asleep
- Break with Gratitude: Like with do with Thanksgiving, find something you’re grateful for and express that feeling
Lastly, I have a few references you can take a look at if you’re interested in learning more about fasting. There is a ton of information out there in books like Dr. Jason Fung’s “The Obesity Code“, and there are many videos shared online by physicians in the fasting community. I will post a couple of videos below that I think are great starting points.
References
- Fung, J. (2016). The Obesity Code. Greystone Books.
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2022). Intermittent Fasting: What is it, and how does it work? https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/intermittent-fasting-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work
- Liu, D., et al. (2022). Intermittent fasting: A narrative review of clinical outcomes and mechanisms. Nutrients, 14(3), 491. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9946909/
- Zhong, V. W., et al. (2025). Association of time-restricted eating with cardiovascular mortality: A nationwide cohort study. American Heart Association Annual Meeting, Chicago.