Recently, this has become one of my clients’ frequently asked questions. When I started doing Chinese Natal Chart analyses I never heard this question, so it appears to be a relatively new thing. However, on close examination, it’s been around for a very long time and in many places around the world.

Currently, we’re in this fasting phase. It’s the latest trend. I remember, about 20 years ago, when we were in the “eat 6 small meals a day” phase. It was suppose to help you lose weight by keeping your metabolism revved up all the time. However, most people just ate more calories and gained weight. Basically, both grazing and intermittent fasting in the West are strategies for losing weight for a large number of people.

However, intermittent fasting is part of many religious practices: Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Hinduism etc. There’s plenty of evidence that it’s probably a relatively healthy practice since none of these groups are in serious trouble health wise. But I also don’t see any huge indication that the practice makes one group healthier or slimmer. But then, for them, that’s not the goal. The goal is having a more intimate experience of the Divine. Fasting is about being alone, reducing the craving of the senses, to allow time for deep contemplation.

I actually think that the spiritual reason is the only reason to fast myself. Otherwise, it becomes a diet. I’ve already had several clients who’ve developed a fasting/ binging compulsion from this practice of intermittent fasting because they’re only goal was to lose weight and to do it quickly. They would fast, then feel deprived and then they’d binge. This is definitely not healthy nor is it particularly enlightening.

But whether you want to graze or to fast, it is your choice. A constitutional diet isn’t about the frequency of eating but about eating the foods that are balancing for you and avoiding the ones that can damage your health. Being an acupuncturist by training, I tend toward that which seems in balance and typically don’t recommend extreme food practices. I find that most cultures eat 3 meals a day when people aren’t fasting for religious reasons. And I believe that mealtime is also about friends and family time, where life is celebrated and food and love are shared.

Disclaimer: This blog is not intended to be a substitute for personal, professional, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.