Starving Yourself For Yom Kippur This Year? Read Here…

Being a Jew, I just celebrated Rosh Hashanah, which is the Jewish New Year. This is a holiday where there are feasts and celebrations for the new year, leading up to the ten days before Yom Kippur, which is the day of atonement, where Jews strive to make amends with people they have hurt over the past year and draw themselves closer to God thru prayer and fasting.

What I have witnessed in the past is people I know who fast make a big deal of it. They tend to eat as much as possible to prepare for the big day. Then, when it is finally over, they stuff themselves again and end up uncomfortable and tired. Is that really the best way to start a new year? I suppose you could just eat a jar of peanut butter the meal before the fast and you wouldn’t even feel hunger…but that is not really the way to go now, is it? Here are some fasting tips I find to be quite helpful.

BEFORE THE FAST

1. Try not to intake too much salt-nothing worse than dehydration before a fast!

2. Drink water and avoid caffeinated beverages-these will also bring about dehydration.

3. DON’T OVEREAT!-Eat a normal meal, or slightly larger meal if you would like, complete with lots of high quality grains and healthy fats. The goal is to feel full not uncomfortably stuffed. Also, if you overstuff yourself, you are stretching your stomach, so once your body finishes processing the food you ate and your blood sugar goes all over the place, you will experience hunger pangs quicker a few hours after the meal. A normal meal will make you full and keep your body in balance during the fast.

4. Brush your teeth-after the meal to keep bad breath and stale mouth side effects at bay.

5. TAKE IT EASY– you know you are going to fast, so relax and don’t expend too much energy. It is just one day of your life, so chill out. It will be over before you know it.

AFTER THE FAST

1. Start with liquids-a drink of milk or juice before the post fast meal can help the body to re-adjust and diminishes the urge to eat too much or too quickly.

2. Avoid having a heavy meal-start with salads or fruits and grains or a hard boiled egg and vegetables. Even a half of a whole grain sandwich with a little turkey would be a good option. Your body will thank you later for not shoveling heavy food into it the minute the fast is over.

3. EAT SLOW-this is too avoid uncomfortable gastrointestinal issues that come from not eating all day and then shoveling obscene amounts of food into your body at one moment in time. This is why it is good to drink something first or eat a light bite initially to avoid the urge to stuff your face.

4. You do not necessarily have to start off your break the fast with sugar-if you do so, you will feel your insulin spike up and you get even hungrier than before you were fasting.

Even if you are not a Jew, these are good ideas for any fast.

Stay hungry, my friends…;)