A fireless kitchen – No Cooking is best way to keep your body detoxified   

There is a natural way of resting the digestive system in a natural way by fasting for nine days continually living on limewater and honey. This is a regular practice twice every year where people from allover the country and a few from overseas gather in Panchli to spend these nine days in a camp where they fast on Fireless Kitchen basis. They do it every time the weather changes and Navratri festival is celebrated. They do it under the guidance of experts to detoxify their body and soul with scientific procedure and set systematic plans. They plan their fasting according to natural scientific norms and after completion of the process in nine days; they again follow a certain procedure to come back to normal food plan in a phased manner.

Why fast? They have the simple answer that this is the best way of getting rid of sins. Confused- how would it help getting rid of sins! Just what has fasting got to do with our bad deeds those we committed in the last few months? They simply smile while answering and reply in a calm manner- Sins are not only the bad deeds we did during the period in between now and last fast but our body gathered in shape of bad blood, sweat, boils, mucous etc. We are trying to get rid of whatever bad our body collected in shape of toxins and fat during this fasting period of nine days.

Of course, it may not go out of our system completely but enough to recharge our body and soul to last up to next fasting period that comes during the next weather change. That is simple but sure logic given by the people gathered in that camp and fasting happily where they have a fireless kitchen, means no cooking. According to them, this fasting is done for healing the body and soul up to a great extent.

However, the ultimate truth is that fasting is one of the best ways of detoxifying your system in a systematic manner, a dream of nutrition and dieticians.

According to Hindu belief

Fasting according to Hindu belief is a way of keeping control on our wishes and display of our will power. Fasting is way to abstaining or giving up food with willingness for predetermined period. Fasting is to show our inner strength, divert our mind from worldly requirements, and think about the creator during fasting period. People eat according to their belief in different ways according to their rules during fasting period at fixed time. Some eat lavishly while others do not eat a thing or even water during fasting period. However, this is big subject and may vary from area to area and community-to-community therefore, discussing it may turn generating disputes. However, no one can deny the nutritious values of fasting if followed strictly.  

According to Naturopathy

Almost every one knows that fasting is one good way of resting our body system, which helps body emit toxins. Also, according to naturopathy while the person keeps body without any food supplement for longer duration the fat and toxins reduce at a faster rate. According to naturopathy, there are different kinds of fasts, which can transform our body into entirely different shape. People fast the following ways -

Water based: they do not eat any thing during the entire period of nine days but drink water only.

On fruits: They eat fruits in a limited quantity twice or thrice a day and may or may not   drink water during the course. They eat a single type of fruit on a particular day. 

Water and honey based: In such cases they live on water and honey for the duration of fasting and eat or drink nothing else. Even the honey and water is taken on limited number of times.

Based on fruit juices only: In this particular form of fasting nothing but fruit, juices are allowed and they drink a single kind of juice on that particular day.

Benefit of fasting.

Buckwheat

The benefits

 I am not sure if people get any religious benefit out of fasting but if we look at the fasting system with physical benefits. We can clearly see people fasting for nine days regularly with proper and systematic ways always end up getting better looks in shape of  shining skin, rest to the digestion system, loss of fat, which they collect in wrong places and blood purification.

Other angles

According to different common beliefs in our country, people find fasting well for different reasons but most of the religious groups who fast for religion reasons follow almost the same procedures; they fast during the day and eat in the evening. However, there are groups especially in Hindu community who eat during the day but differently. They eat different items apart the regular foods they eat during normal days known as fasting special. Let us have a look at main items eaten during the period-

1. Buckwheat or Kuttu Atta – One should not get confused reading the name of buckwheat as this is neither buck nor wheat or even a grain but a fruit that is fiber rich and good in detoxification and helps loosing weight. Kuttu contains vitamin B, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper etc along with fatty acid that helps keeping skin soft and glowing. Buckwheat not only is helpful keeping blood pressure under control but good for patients of diabetes as it contains very low quantity of glucose. Buckwheat is contains 75% carbohydrate and 25% high quality proteins, which is supposed to be very useful diet for loosing weight.       

2. Tapioca commonly known as Sabudana in northern parts of the country known as vegetarian processed food with immediate energy providing properties and used mostly cooked with milk. Tapioca a source of starch, carbohydrates, proteins and fats although contains no vitamins, iron or calcium. The tapioca keeps body cool therefore, helps keep digestive system in good shape.

People may have different reasons for fasting during the Navratri days but no one can deny the health related benefits while fasting during these days. However, let us discuss the health related issues during these nine days of fasting in Navratri period –

1. High blood pressure: If a person suffering from high blood pressure and under treatment willing to fast must monitor the changes regularly. He should eat fiber rich food, fruits, toned milk, salads and green vegetables. He should avoid salt, spices and dairy products during the fasting period.

2. Low blood pressure: The routine during the fasting period is not suitable to most healthy people therefore, persons with low blood pressure should be extra cautious and keep taking glucose, lime with rock salt in water, juices, coffee, milk, and salads etc. They should avoid fried food and fatty items to remain healthy during the fasting period. 

3. Diabetic: This is supposed to be one of the most complicated categories of people who go for fasting during Navratri period, as most of the food items used during fasting period are sweet, forbidden to diabetes patients. Therefore, this is best advised to people suffering from diabetes to take toned milk, fiber food, green vegetables, salads, papaya, cucumber, and salted items suitable during fasting period. Such people are also advised to avoid sugar, cream, dairy products especially sweetened and sweet fruits.

4. Heart patients: Another category with extra precaution, the persons having heart related problems should consult their doctor before going for fasting and should be very particular about what they consume. They should use double toned milk, yogurt, refined oil, few walnuts, low calorie and low cholesterol diet. They should avoid fatty items, ghee almond, spicy items and creams as usual.

5. Viral problem: The change in weather brings viral along and people suffering from viral are best advised to not to go for fasting but as some of them would go for it are suggested to take very good care of themselves. They should use milk, juice, curd, dry fruits, vegetables etc and avoid heavy food with spices and cold drinks etc. 

Allopathic point of view 

Patient of diabetes is advised to fast particularly the one who is on oral drugs with certain precautions, as they should not fast for longer durations. The patients on insulin should avoid fasting because they may suffer from loss of blood sugar that may prove fatal. However, if a diabetic must go for fasting due to his religious beliefs, he should keep drinking buttermilk, limewater or coconut water to keep hydrated because dehydration is the biggest problem for diabetic patients. Another precaution during the fasting session that can help diabetic patients is to keep their diet under control.

However they should eat after gap of every three to four hours in small quantities also they should definitely avoid overeating. Some people cannot resist the temptation of different food items during the fasting period that is neither proper fasting nor good for diabetics. They should definitely avoid heavily fried, fatty and sweet items. The diabetic patients are advised to end their fast with liquid diet to avoid sudden increase of blood sugar.

Naturopathy point of view

According to nature care, the diseases are only symptoms of gathering of toxins in our body and these toxins are due to fermentation of bad elements that our body collects during our different food intakes and dietary habits. Fasting helps our system get rid of these toxins, which we go through during Navratri period twice every year giving it a religious shape. However if the fasting is observed in a proper way it helps getting rid of the toxins but as people do it for fun and eat in unsystematic ways that can create problems. 

Let me conclude with people’s views on fasting procedure that is part of almost every culture of the world like Hindus, who have different occasions to go for fasting. Muslims  call it Roza who keep fasts for one full month continually in the holy month of Ramadan also twice every year before their main festival of Id. Jewish people observe a twenty five hours long fast to celebrate day of Atonement also called Yom Kippur, which is the holiest of days for them. There are different other sects who have their own ways of fasting for religious reasons and clean from toxins. Buddhists, Jains and Christians almost every section of the society observes fasting in some way or the other and with same reasons, detoxifying is the prime reason that cleans body and soul.