One Way to Cope with the Current and Upcoming Food Supply Shortages

Businesses are preparing for supply-chain problems to continue into the year 2022.

Food shortages are here. It’s getting harder and harder to make a buck out there. We’ve worked extra hours to afford that massive grocery bill. We’ve gone out to eat less. We’ve done more “meatless Mondays”. We’ve tried to buy generic brand items. What else can we do? Well, something that’s often overlooked is fasting, or purposely abstaining from food for a set time period.

Whether you fast for spiritual reasons, to lose weight, or in this case, just to save money, fasting has many benefits such as:

· Reduces risk of metabolic diseases

· Supports weight loss

· Improves overall fitness

· Decreases inflammation

· Protects from obesity and related chronic diseases

· Boosts cognitive performance

Types of Fasting

In laboratory research, the following three kinds of fasting have shown positive effects upon longevity:

Periodic Fasting w/ Fasting Mimicking Diets

That means restricting intake of calories for 3–5 days, which prompts the cells to deplete glycogen stores then start ketosis. While it may be accomplished without consuming food, it is not considered the safest choice. A certain calorie-limited, five-day diet (about 1,000 calories a day) is enough to mimic fasting without having to deplete nutrients.

Intermittent Calorie Restriction

This involves decreasing the number of calories eaten in a day. Studies have focused on a 2-day diet in which calories are cut in half and carbs are limited for 2 consecutive days in one week. The approach places the body through intensive and short therapy. This intermittent calorie restriction method additionally reminds us that we don’t have to constantly consume. Once we do consume, we may choose wisely and resume normal exercise and activities with decreased fuel.

Time-Restricted Feeding

It’s the process of restricting calorie consumption to a certain timeframe which aligns with our circadian rhythm. Usually, circadian rhythm is called our “body clock”, the natural cycle telling our bodies when we should eat, rise, sleep, etc. Only consuming meals during an eight-to-twelve-hour period every day while fasting — for example, from 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. — is one instance of aligning with our body’s circadian rhythm. Body systems will work better as they are synchronized with each another; midnight snacking when the body typically sleeps will throw our natural repair system off balance. Also, giving the body more time to repair is important for our health.

Types of Spiritual Fasting

Each of the following fasts must be done with a hunger for God and an attitude of humility. When we deny ourselves food and water, we set apart the time we’d be eating to worship, read the Bible, and pray.

The Daniel Fast

Daniel Fasting is taken from the time when Daniel fasted in the Bible.

What to eat:

· Water (flushes out toxins)

· Vegetables

· Nuts, fruits

What to avoid eating:

· Tea and Coffee

· Fried food

· Bread

· Chips

· Pastries

· Meats

Juice (this is optional: some do opt to consume juice during this particular fast)

The purpose of the Daniel fast includes cleansing the body while praying and moving closer into God’s presence. Before you do the fast, you’d have to determine how long you’ll do the fast for. Some folks do the fast for one week, whereby other people might do it for 3 weeks like Daniel did.

Complete Fasting

Complete fasts are where you’re only permitted to drink water. You wouldn’t consume any solid foods. Some folks opt to drink juice and water to maintain energy. It’d be up to you to determine if you wanted to drink juice or not.

You ought to determine how many days you’ll do the fast before you begin. It’ll will humble you, since you’ll no longer receive the satisfaction of chewing food.

I encourage you to try one of these fasts, and then see how much you actually enjoy the benefits. You may lose weight, get closer to God, and save money on your grocery bill, all at the same time!

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