By Emma Decker, Staff Writer

With visions of sugar plums, baked goods and other seasonal goodies dancing in San Diego State students’ heads as Christmas approaches, few minds have strayed past the cookie platter to the sinister scale that many will likely confront after the holiday hoopla has receded. Once Christmas has passed and the New Year’s ball drops, it is likely many will set their goals to ensure their recently inflated behinds will be left behind.

For many, this attempt to shed one’s winter “sweater” generally involves more frequent trips to the gym, a more nutritious diet and an altogether healthier way of life. However, rather than suggesting subbing salads for sweets, many nutrition experts advocate controlled fasting as a method to detoxify one’s body, kill cravings and jumpstart a new, healthy lifestyle.

According to Therapeutic Fasting Supervisor Dr. Ralph Cinque, fasting is “the complete abstinence from all substances except pure water, in an environment of total rest.” Along with Cinque, many experts agree consuming nothing but water for an extended period of time, for up to as many as 40 days, can detoxify one’s body, revamp one’s immune system, suppress one’s appetite while increasing energy and much more.

“When properly utilized, fasting is a safe and effective means of maximizing the body’s self-healing capacities,” Director of TrueNorth Health Center Dr. Alan Goldhamer said. “(Fasting) will often dramatically shorten the time it takes for an individual to make the transition from a conventional diet and lifestyle to the independent and energetic state associated with healthful living.”

So how can living for a period of time entirely off of water be beneficial or safe for one’s body? According to author, healer and expert of herbal medicine, Stephen Harrod Buhner, human beings are evolutionarily

fit to fast.

“It is an incredibly safe approach to healing and the body knows how to do it very well,” Buhner said. He and other experts attest intermittent fasting is completely safe and natural for the body to endure in a controlled setting. Buhner said fasting allows the body to rest, detoxify and heal.

“During fasting, the body moves into the same kind of detoxification cycle that it normally enters during sleep,” Buhner said. “It uses its energy during a fast, not for digesting food, but for cleansing the body of accumulated toxins and healing any parts of it that are ill.” Buhner also said once fasting depletes our primary energy resource, glucose, the body moves into a process called ketosis, during which it begins to use fat for fuel.

Though fasting might seem like a panacea for those looking to shed winter weight, fasting is not for everyone and experts agree the process should be carried out with close supervision from a doctor.

Laura E. Porter, a registered nurse and medical consultant, advises first time fasters to take their time and perhaps fast a little bit slower. This may mean starting with just a few days at a time and working toward more extended fasts. She also warns fasters to listen to their bodies and break the fast immediately if symptoms of hunger pains, dizziness and headaches become too severe.

“There will be times during fasting in which the body will give you very uncomfortable symptoms,” Porter said. “You must learn to listen to your body and discern when it is asking you to break the fast because there is trouble, and when it simply is going through the natural course of detoxification.”

In the short-term, fasters will experience the benefits of a healthier immune system, a cleansed body, an influx of energy and weight reduction. In the long-term, people who have undergone a fast are said to have a greater appreciation for food and can eat happier in greater moderation.

“Fasting restores taste appreciation for wholesome, natural foods,” Cinque said. “People say that their taste buds come alive after fasting and that food never tasted so good.”

Students interested in fasting are encouraged to research beforehand, to be sure they are aware of the process and what they should expect to feel and experience during different stages of the fast. However, as many experts concur, fasting is a dramatic but highly beneficial way for students to recover from holiday feasting, and allows their bodies to become replenished and re-nourished.