Fasting is a practice that predates biblical times and the relevancy of fasting has been debated for many years. When considering whether fasting is right for you, you must first understand your own body and know what you can handle.

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Fasting is a deprivation of the body from food for a set period of time. The purposes of fasting have been diverse. Some have fasted for spiritual purposes, to deny the body and set aside that time to focus spiritually. Some have fasted for therapeutic purposes, to cleanse the body of toxins and poisons that have built up over the years. Still, others have fasted simply to lose weight and look better in their clothing.

Fasting has many affects on the body. When you go without food for one day, you may experience hunger pains that are, at the least, annoying. When you fast for 2-3 days the hunger pains may become more intense. You might have a headache and feel weakness or become light-headed during this time because your body is reacting to the lack of food, caffeine and nutrients. In an extended fast, 4-40 days, the body becomes accustomed to what is happening and goes through a process of cleansing and detoxification. Some symptoms of this are a coating of the tongue and bad breath as the body is getting rid of things that have built up from years of bad eating habits. But eventually, during this period, you start to feel better and stronger and believe you could possibly fast forever.