David Harrison <[log in to unmask]> writes:


> The problem that
> many people have is not the fast, but breaking the fast.  People usually
> break it on fruit because it is supposedly "easy to digest."  The problem is
> that is usually causes the insulin levels to go off the scale and most people
> can't control their food intake. Binge eating afterward is a problem.
> However in a controlled environment it can be mitigated.

Can you tell me what you've learned about a better way to break a
fast?  Because I have heard only of breaking it on fruit.


> The problem is that most of the Doctors who really
> understand fasting subscribe to a vegetarian diet. There are a few who are
> sympathetic to Paleo ideas.

Yes, I have noticed this too.  There is an author in my area who has
written a popular book about fasting and frequently leads people in
fasting retreats.  But everyone who follows her becomes a vegetarian
and frequently preach the "evils of meat" and I just think they are
missing the point.

About fasting, I believe that fasting would happen naturally to
paleolithic peoples because of seasonal food shortages.  I think that
having all the food we want to eat all the time burdens our digestion
and doesn't give us the natural rest that we would have during lean
times.  But witholding food on purpose, when we have never had to do
this our whole lives, is a real challenge.

-J