Fasting can be good for you, but do take care
CHRISTMAS is all about presents and food. Like everyone else, I can’t wait for Christmas Day, my mum cooking all those gastronomic delights that I can dig into for the next three days. Of course, on all the previous days of the year I have been scoffing down chicken kebabs and having my coffee in the morning with milk, but still, I do miss Christmas food.
But what of all those who have deprived themselves of all those pleasures, because from November 15 until Christmas Day they have been fasting?
Usually, it tends to be the older generation who follow the Word of God most strictly, fasting as a means of spiritual cleanness and preparation for the birth of Christ. Of course, there are younger people too who are choosing to obey the rules. However, their reasons may be different. Apparently, fasting is even better than dieting. Doctors have found that the physical benefits of this practice are many. By refraining from certain foods for several days, the body goes through a wonderful cleansing process.
For the past six years, I have not touched, let alone eaten, red meat and I have been told that it isn’t very healthy as I am missing quite a few necessary vitamins, so how can fasting be healthy? Fasting in the Orthodox tradition means you don’t eat meat, fish, dairy products, eggs, and in some strict cases even oil.
“Fasting can be good for only a couple of weeks maximum,” said Jocelyne Thalassinou, clinical dietician, “your body does go through a cleansing phase but it depends.”
Apparently, even though you don’t eat meat and dairy products, by eating olive pies and tachinopittes from your local bakery, you are doing anything but cleansing your body. “If you are fasting in that way you could gain weight instead of losing it,” said Jocelyne, “so whether you are dieting or fasting, its all about quality control.”
However, fasting could be dangerous and if you are planning on doing it or already have started, you should be careful. “Fasting isn’t for everybody,” said Jocelyne. “If you have health problems, you should be careful.” With, say, diabetes or high blood sugar, fasting could be bad for you. But Jocelyne did explain to me that for patients who do have these kinds of problems and insist on fasting, there are ways. “As a substitute for dairy products, I allow my patients to have peanut butter or Soya milk,” she said.
Unfortunately though, anecdotal evidence suggests that the tradition is dying. “It is mostly the older generation that fast,” said Jocelyne, “and almost none from the younger.”
Does that mean that in 20 years, fasting will be like the prohibition on sex before marriage? We all know what happened to that.
The word on the street…
Maria Mina, 23
“I don’t fast from the beginning to the end but I always do for a few days as a religious act of faith”
Anna Yiangou, 44
“I’ve been fasting for 20 years but I never lose weight because I eat a lot of bread. And sometimes, I eat fish but that’s because its hard to go out for a dinner with your husband and not.”
Christalla Maragkou, 26
“Unfortunately, I don’t fast because I find it is too difficult for me.”
Adamos Adamou, 21
“I know it’s not an excuse but because I’m a football player I need to eat well but for a couple of days I might fast especially during Easter.”
Andreas Karagiorgi, 65
“I always fast, during Easter and Christmas.”
Kyriacoulla Karagiorgi, 60
“I fast for 40 days during Christmas and Easter because that is what our religion, we believe we should do it for Christ.”
