The physiology of fasting
*ALT and ZDC do not endorse the initiation of a fast without
the knowledge and approval of your physician or health care provider.
There are some physiological discoveries I have experienced on this fast that have added significantly to its value.
The first is, I learned from my nutritionist that you can drink the recommended amount of water – and more – on a fast and still be dehydrated. This occurs when there are not the minerals and electrolytes present in the body to employ the water toward hydration. When this happens you begin to experience the actual symptoms of dehydration: cramping, dizziness, nausea. So upon her recommendation, I took a little coconut water.
Now this is not the tropical experience you might imagine. This water was the plain, non-cane sugar experience from the health food store. Its taste resembles that of soapy dish water. But it was miraculous how it provided just enough magnesium and potassium to almost immediately abate the symptoms. And while fasting is the willing 'affliction of the soul' Isaiah 58:5 – it should neither be painful nor destructive. Ensuring your body has what it needs for healthful operation frees the spirit-man to take ascendancy and receive the fast's full spiritual and natural benefit.
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Another discovery I have had is how fasting makes you mentally aware of just how physically exhausted your body has become. There is a revelation of just how far you have pushed it beyond its natural limits.
And when you lay down to rest, there are significant seasons of REM sleep, restorative and regenerative in nature, that provide sustaining fuel for spiritual pursuit.