"Let the wisdom of your body begin to guide you; trust it."
I am re-reading Stephen Harrod Buhner's book, The Transformation Power of Fasting, for at least the third time! I'm reviewing Chapter 5 on breaking the fast with self-compassion and body awareness (all quotes included here are from the book). He discusses how important it is to listen to my body and its new "sensitivities" (1), to be very aware of what my body needs and wants now, and what foods will feel nourishing to it and my heart and soul. With longer fasting, the body and mind undergo many changes, and those that relate to eating include: taste preferences, smell sensitivies, relationship to food and eating, decreased digestive enzymes and digestive energy/activity, and being fuller on less food, to name a few.
He emphasizes how important it is to break the fast very slowly, a one to one ratio of fasting days to recuperation and "reintegration" days. That is to say, if I complete a 14 day fast, I need 14 days to reintegrate my body, mind, heart, and soul back into eating and life. This means eating a gentle, easily-digestible diet; eating very slowly; and eating with great awareness. He recommends juices and miso, with no meat for at least one week. But since I am following a LCHF/Keto plan, I will eschew the high-sugar juices for veggie soups with cream and butter, well-cooked veggies, and Korean soups. I'll add in easy-to-digest avocados, and a few days later, salmon. I gave much thought to what foods make me feel most healthy and nourished, and I always return to Korean cuisine. Even thinking about eating easily digestible Korean soups made with deonjang (Korean miso), seaweed and other veggies, and rice, brings up feelings of well-being, nurturing, and nourishment. I don't want to have too much dairy, so I'll look into LCHF coconut milk options. I might make my own soymilk and coconut, so I can get the full-fat version, rather than the additive-laden store brands.
I'll need to spend the first day waking up my digestive system and getting the digestive enzymes turned back "on", so I'll eat deonjang only for the first day, then transition into other soups. After 3 days I can shift to regular food and add other easy-to-digest foods that I mentioned above. They aren't low carb foods, but the quantity I'll be able to eat will be so small, it won't matter that much. What's most important is nourishing my body and that mental/emotional part of me that needs/wants to eat, so that I can reassure it that it is okay: "It is important that the part of you that loves and needs food feels cared for and supported." I want to honor both that part of me and my body!
He emphasizes that my "cells and organs will want particular food", and that it won't be sugary-carb crap. I will listen intently to my body and give it what it wants! Although I have thought ahead and planned well, I will revisit all of this when I break my fast. As of now, I'm on Day 8 and not feeling to great. I've been uber-fatigued all day today and yesterday. Part of me wants to allow the discomfort and continue fasting, but another part doesn't want to feel like crap for the next 6 days! I am undecided-- not sure what to do. I will hang in there to at least Day 10, so that this fast will extend 3 days beyond my last 7-day fast. If I continue to feel poorly, I will consider ending the fast. If I start to feel better Tuesday and Wednesday, I will continue to fast for a total of 14-21 days, again reassessing how I feel along the way. After a recovery period, I may switch to shorter EFs of maybe 5 days. But only after I am fully recuperated from this fast. I should give myself at least 10 days of reintegration, but I'll have to figure out what that looks like with LCHF. I don't know that I'll need to stay on a "liquid" diet more than 3-4 days; that's how long my digestive system will need to begin normal digestion. Extended Fasting is a process and an experiment, and I'm constantly observing how I am doing during this longer period of fasting.
He emphasizes how important it is to break the fast very slowly, a one to one ratio of fasting days to recuperation and "reintegration" days. That is to say, if I complete a 14 day fast, I need 14 days to reintegrate my body, mind, heart, and soul back into eating and life. This means eating a gentle, easily-digestible diet; eating very slowly; and eating with great awareness. He recommends juices and miso, with no meat for at least one week. But since I am following a LCHF/Keto plan, I will eschew the high-sugar juices for veggie soups with cream and butter, well-cooked veggies, and Korean soups. I'll add in easy-to-digest avocados, and a few days later, salmon. I gave much thought to what foods make me feel most healthy and nourished, and I always return to Korean cuisine. Even thinking about eating easily digestible Korean soups made with deonjang (Korean miso), seaweed and other veggies, and rice, brings up feelings of well-being, nurturing, and nourishment. I don't want to have too much dairy, so I'll look into LCHF coconut milk options. I might make my own soymilk and coconut, so I can get the full-fat version, rather than the additive-laden store brands.
I'll need to spend the first day waking up my digestive system and getting the digestive enzymes turned back "on", so I'll eat deonjang only for the first day, then transition into other soups. After 3 days I can shift to regular food and add other easy-to-digest foods that I mentioned above. They aren't low carb foods, but the quantity I'll be able to eat will be so small, it won't matter that much. What's most important is nourishing my body and that mental/emotional part of me that needs/wants to eat, so that I can reassure it that it is okay: "It is important that the part of you that loves and needs food feels cared for and supported." I want to honor both that part of me and my body!
He emphasizes that my "cells and organs will want particular food", and that it won't be sugary-carb crap. I will listen intently to my body and give it what it wants! Although I have thought ahead and planned well, I will revisit all of this when I break my fast. As of now, I'm on Day 8 and not feeling to great. I've been uber-fatigued all day today and yesterday. Part of me wants to allow the discomfort and continue fasting, but another part doesn't want to feel like crap for the next 6 days! I am undecided-- not sure what to do. I will hang in there to at least Day 10, so that this fast will extend 3 days beyond my last 7-day fast. If I continue to feel poorly, I will consider ending the fast. If I start to feel better Tuesday and Wednesday, I will continue to fast for a total of 14-21 days, again reassessing how I feel along the way. After a recovery period, I may switch to shorter EFs of maybe 5 days. But only after I am fully recuperated from this fast. I should give myself at least 10 days of reintegration, but I'll have to figure out what that looks like with LCHF. I don't know that I'll need to stay on a "liquid" diet more than 3-4 days; that's how long my digestive system will need to begin normal digestion. Extended Fasting is a process and an experiment, and I'm constantly observing how I am doing during this longer period of fasting.
"[That aspect of yourself] will always support you if you make sure you care for it and its needs as well. This kindness toward this part of you, toward yourself, prepares you for 'the holy communion of breaking bread with your self.'"
Re-feeding Plan/foods:
1- Buhner, Stephen Harrod. The Transformational Power of Fasting. Healing Arts Press, 2012.
- Allow the same # of re-integration days as fasting days: 10-21 days
- Eat within my TRE eating window of 12-6pm.
- Day 1: deonjang with ghee and miyeok (seaweed) all day. Add an egg later if stomach feels okay.
- Day 2-3: Nourishing soups with fat (HWC or coco milk, cheese, and/or ghee): various vegetable soups, creamy mushroom, creamy rice, creamy cauli, creamy broccoli, cheddar and broccoli, creamy tomato, shrimp bisque, creamed corn chowder, veggie tortilla soup, French onion soup, cheese soup...
- Avocado
- Well-cooked veggies in ghee: squash, broccoli
- "Creamed" veggies: veggies cooked HWC, cream cheese, and butter
- Oils: ghee, coco oil, EVOO
- Korean juk: deonjang miueok with ghee, Jatguk, Kongguksu, pumpkin and red bean,
- Coco milk
- Fatty fish: salmon, sardines, mackerel
- Substitute HWC with coco milk and ghee
- Steamed rice
- When my digestion starts to feel "normal", switch back to a fat fast for the remainder of the 10-21days.
1- Buhner, Stephen Harrod. The Transformational Power of Fasting. Healing Arts Press, 2012.
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