Forty days before Easter, the season of Lent begins for Christians. This is not just a religious requirement, because pre-spring is an extremely suitable time for a thorough cleaning of the body after a demanding winter period.
Not only in Christianity or Islam, but also in Buddhism and Hinduism, a temperate life is directly part of the religious rules. For the majority of the inhabitants of Western Europe or the American continent, consistent moderation is unacceptable. Christianity and Islam, however, do not require year-round abstinence, but they have developed relatively perfect systems of cleansing the organism based on religion.
A forty-day fast
Christians used to be the most consistent. It is during these days that the forty fasting days begin on Ash Wednesday and end on Easter. The forty days of Lent always come in the spring, although it shifts slightly just like Easter. After a long winter, opulent Christmas celebrations, Mardi Gras doughnuts, limited movement and increased fat reserves, this is an excellent cleansing program for the body. It's not just about eliminating meat from the menu. Honest old Christians restricted food altogether during Lent. In case of perfection, they only drank water, at most they indulged in a slice of bread. In addition, to this diet system, add to this diet every week of Lent Fridays throughout the year, when meat was not eaten, food was limited and it was best not to eat at all. Christmas Day was similarly fasting, when food was allowed only in the evening, but without meat. This is where, for example, the traditional mushroom cube comes from. Carp as a permitted cold-blooded animal took hold much later.
Fasting in Islam
Islam has a somewhat different approach when it comes to fasting. Fasting for Muslims only lasts for a month. It is called Ramadan, and it is always the ninth month of the lunar calendar, when, according to legend, the Koran was revealed. It is true that Muslims are not required to fast throughout the fast, or even to limit meaty foods. Food, drink, games and sex are prohibited only from sunrise to sunset. It seems quite mild, but only until we realize that in warm climates an orthodox believer is not even allowed to drink clean water before the sun sets. It's true that they usually make up for it all afterwards, but that's another matter.
A few days of fasting will benefit everyone
So what can we take from this, who are neither ascetic Buddhists or Hindus, nor orthodox Christians or Muslims? The system of fasting was very well developed in ancient times and can appeal to us in many ways even now. Most of the inhabitants of "developed" countries eat far more than their organism needs. This results in a large incidence of obesity and various civilization diseases, starting with diabetes, through vascular and heart diseases, to chronic joint diseases and diseases of the digestive tract. Constant overeating overloads the vital organs. And so posts come to the fore again, this time as therapy. The easiest is to include one fasting day a week when we eat nothing and drink only water. Even this limited fasting can cleanse our organism and relieve the overloaded organs, which can get rid of toxins at least a little. It is best to include such a day on Friday, when we really don't eat anything all day but drink enough water. We won't start eating until Saturday morning. However, we have to realize that a one-day fast is really just a relief to the body. Real cleansing requires a longer fast, at least 48 hours. If we don't dare to do that, we can include at least a weekly diet (for example, rice, or vegetables or fruit). Fasting during which we drink vegetable juices is also relatively acceptable, again for at least a week. However, we must be prepared for the fact that such cleaning in the body will initially manifest itself in the fact that we may start to have a headache, we have a coating on our tongue, an unpleasant taste in our mouth and we feel weak. However, these symptoms subside after a few days, and then we already feel light, our energy returns and the body functions as it should again. During several days of fasting, it is necessary to use an enema regularly to facilitate the excretion of waste substances. Ending the fast should be gradual, preferably with smaller portions of light food. If we are used to eating meat, it is advisable to wait a few days after the end of the fast to include it.
