Fasting – Carnival is over, no more excuses: the time of laissez-faire is finally over, Lent is in full swing. For some, the focus is on health, while others cut back for religious reasons.

Everyone does it differently

For Christians, Lent lasts from Ash Wednesday to Easter. Today, everyone can decide for themselves how they want to spend Lent. The Protestant church regularly calls for its “seven weeks without” campaign – you can give up alcohol, sweets or television.

The Muslims are much stricter here. Fasting takes place in Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar year. For 30 days between sunrise and sunset, Muslims are not allowed to eat, drink or smoke.

Healthy renunciation?

Either give up food completely or not eat or drink all day – is that possible? It has been working for centuries. Whether it is healthy is another matter. Survival without food is probably possible for a period of about 60 days. So giving up food during the fasting period practiced today is a piece of cake and can be easily managed with a little self-discipline.

However, the situation is different when it comes to abstaining from drinking. Even a slight lack of fluids can have an effect on our body. Water is an essential component of the human body. In newborns, the water content is still 80 percent, in older people only 50 percent. It is only because our blood consists of 50 percent water that it can flow. Water is a component of the cells and drives the brain. Without fluid, the kidneys, the body’s most important excretory organ, would not be able to work properly, muscle function would not be possible and the body would be in checkmate.

If you don’t drink enough, the first warning signs appear when you lose between 0.5 and 3 percent of your body weight. We get thirsty, our concentration wanes. If the percentage increases, other symptoms such as dry mouth, reduced urine production and reduced physical and mental performance are added.

Healthy fasting

If you want to fast healthily, it is therefore important to drink enough fluids, regardless of whether you completely abstain from food and drink or live a life of abstinence during the day and make up for it by eating and drinking at night.

If you completely abstain from food during fasting, the daily amount you drink should be higher than usual. A quantity of 1.5 to 2 liters per day is recommended for normal everyday life. When fasting, you should also drink about one liter, which replaces the liquid that we normally consume with food. This may require some discipline during the fast. By switching to the starvation metabolism, at some point you will no longer feel hungry or thirsty. If your mouth is so dry that you reach for a glass of water, or if you already have a headache, your body is at the beginning of dehydration    med.: Volumenmangel der extrazellulären Flüssigkeit, u.a. des Blutplasmas – dem Körper wird weniger Flüssigkeit zugef.... You shouldn’t let it get that far. That’s why it’s better to get into the habit of drinking a glass of water at regular intervals throughout the day when fasting.

If you usually like to drink healthy tap water, you should switch to mineral water and vegetable juices during your fast. This provides the body with sufficient minerals, which are essential for its proper functioning.

Water-rich food

If you fast according to commandments that prohibit drinking during the day, you can also help to replenish your water reserves at night. By eating fruit and vegetables that contain water, you can replenish the fluids lost during the day with your food. Cucumbers, tomatoes or watermelons are suitable here, alternatively lettuce and carrots. The latter also contain swelling agents that store water in the body over a longer period of time. Cabbage and potatoes should be avoided. These foods have a diuretic effect and also dehydrate the body. Dried fruit, meat and fish as well as carbohydrate-containing foods contain little liquid, but provide the body with the glucose, fats and minerals it needs. Diuretic drinks such as coffee, tea or alcohol should be avoided during the fasting period, as the replaced fluid would otherwise be lost again immediately.

Fasting yes, but with understanding please

Those who wish to follow their respective traditions and observe the commandments of fasting should do so sensibly and pay attention to the essential needs of their body. There is nothing wrong with abstaining from food for a longer period of time as long as you drink enough or use the time of breaking the fast to provide your body with sufficient water. If you don’t drink too much at once, but rather smaller amounts at regular intervals, good hydration is guaranteed throughout the day. If you follow stricter fasting rules, depots must be created or replenished during the time when you are allowed to eat and drink. If the body is supported with sufficient fluids during the fasting period, fasting is what it should be: A break for body and soul.

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