What Are the Benefits of a Water Fast?
Everywhere you turn, someone’s trying something to achieve better health. They’re eating for their astrological sign, cutting off consumption for 12 hours each day, or foregoing various food groups altogether. Weight loss is often the reason, but some people are simply becoming more aware of what they are consuming, or how much exercise they’re not doing. All in all, no matter how well-resourced we are, our health can always improve, right?
I happily testify that I have benefitted from a “better health” journey for much of my 47 years, beginning when I was only 15 years old. I adopted a pescatarian diet in boarding school that later inspired me to level up my physical health by running full (two, in honor of both my daughters) and several half marathons, dabbling in Pilates and yoga, to indulging in internal cleanses in my adult years. For me, each health effort has complimented the other. Though grueling, I began following up those physical efforts by participating in internal cleanses, or “fasts” to make me feel more accomplished after a run.
And while subscribing to a pescatarian diet for the past 32 years has been rewarding in several ways, my discipline as it pertains to food was upped several notches when I embarked on the cleanest inner cleansing of them all: A pure water fast.
My husband had recently completed one and was ‘still standing’, so I decided that starting this new and “hopeful” 2023 Year of the Rabbit, when life changes hinted to await, and an internal cleanse could spiritually compliment my life overall to be the perfect time to begin this new journey.
Not by coincidence, I met a kind and conscious soul who is also an entrepreneur on a short trip to New York City soon after the new year, and during our almost instant multi-layered discussion, I shared with him my intention to complete a three-day water fast when I returned home to Los Angeles. He shared that he had grown up accustomed to fasting, as it is part of his culture in India. He imparted wisdom to me about the experience and even offered to send me a delicious product that he helms, a “King Coconut” water sourced from Sri Lanka. He told me it was packed with electrolytes and potassium, and if I felt weak throughout my water fasting journey, I could take sips of the coconut water to balance my energy. He followed up by generously shipping me two cases of Eliya organic king coconut water that arrived the day before I began. Seeing those lovely glass bottles provided a source of added security.
Because I had some experience fasting in the past with supplements for a longer duration than I had intended to fast this time, I felt comfortable proceeding for a shorter duration with only water without a physician. Had I embarked on five days or more of a pure water fast, which is becoming more commonplace in certain circles, I would have had professional counsel at my side. And because water fasting has benefits and drawbacks from both Eastern and Western perspectives, Dr. Sara and Dr. Fareen Koorjee of the Medical Institute of Integrative Wellness located in Santa Monica would be the ideal advisors. "A three-day water fast, if you don't have any serious pre-existing diseases or conditions such as a sugar or hormonal imbalance, can be a healthy way to give the body an opportunity to reset itself and prepare for a more beneficial regimen ahead," Dr. Sara Koorjee recommended. "One does not necessarily need a doctor for guidance for this shorter period of time. Ideally, it is best to begin a water fast when your body is under the least amount of stress. This way, the fast can help the body get rid of toxins as opposed to perhaps functioning in survival mode without food intake and holding onto them." Dr. Koorjee confirmed my intentions for fasting, and my process felt approved!
I don’t have any known deficiencies that would present a red flag, so I set forth. In the days leading to the fast, through advice from my husband, I weaned my body of processed foods by eating only fruits and salads (and maybe steamed sweet potatoes or quinoa to provide more weight to my meals), and I drank a steady flow of water. I stacked my refrigerator with Eliya in case I needed backup while on the actual fast. When I got into in bed the night before the big day, I was overcome with anxiety about what happened last time I fasted years ago: I suffered from excruciating sugar deprivation headaches. I prayed as much as I could that I would not be riddled with that common part of fasting and fell asleep on that prayer.
I carefully chose a weekend to do the fast, and while I could arrange not to engage with much outside my home on Saturday and Sunday, I could not avoid the end-of-the-week business of Friday. As a mom, as much as I did not want to be around food, I had to prepare breakfast for my daughter and pack her bag with a chosen snack to get her ready for school. I somehow made it through strong whiffs of preparing a toasted and buttered bagel and her favorite corn chips. While I had anticipated nervously what could or would happen after 12 hours, nothing did. Thankfully, there was no headache to be found. I suppose because I did not exactly go cold turkey on my fast this time, rather, I prepped my body days before is why my system did not feel so shocked.
The moment I dropped off my daughter to school, distraction became my middle name. I had strategically planned two longer Zooms during the day, as well as scheduled writing assignments. By the time I finished my last call, it was time for carpool, and I had drank almost three 24-ounce Hydro Flasks filled with water. My head did not feel heavy, but my tongue tasted bland. An Audible book filled the dead space during my drive to school for pick up. Before I knew it, I had listened to my daughter give me a full download of her day during the car ride home, prepared supper, and ushered her to bed. After a quick call with my oldest as she was headed to bed in a different time zone, I, too, was so exhausted and was in bed and asleep before 9:30 pm. Aside from frequent bathroom trips that were reminiscent of nights during pregnancy, I slept well.
Saturday was the day I had been most nervous about because that entire day was open. I read, wrote a lot, drank more water, and in the afternoon, I sat outside in the grass with my dogs under the sun when my husband suggested that I allow myself to be fed with vitamin D. It helped. By now I had drunk only two Eliya organic king coconut waters, and even though I had again prepared another buttery bagel for my daughter (she prefers that “Mommy makes it”), my nose and tastebuds had somehow quickly become immune to the aroma of that savory food. Also, something I practiced as soon as I awoke each morning, a meditation prayer to begin my day, put me in the right frame of mind and spirit, and I credit my fundamental intention for being a big part of my saving grace with remaining diligent.
My daughter was invited to a birthday sleepover that evening, and because we are rarely without a child in the house at this stage of our lives, my husband and I relished seeing The Whale at a movie theater. I did not anticipate how many smells would waft through: popcorn, nachos, pizza, and so on. Still, I was all right. I brought a bottle of coconut water as a treat and sipped it slowly until the film’s satisfying ending.
My biggest test was Sunday when my friend Libby, who was visiting Los Angeles by surprise to celebrate her birthday, invited me to lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The Polo Lounge does not disappoint with its offerings—especially for Sunday Brunch. I happily accepted the invitation because I did want to celebrate with her and brought a bottle of Eliya to sip for a taste along with bottled water if I felt weak. We had such a fabulous time conversing, I did not notice that I was not eating, and my friend and her guest were. Plus, I drank several glasses of sparkling water in place of coconut water, so surely the bubbles tricked me into a temporary and acceptable feeling of fulfillment. My friend then suggested that I still order the prefix courses and simply eat them the next day, my first day off my fast. It was a superb idea.
Transporting those pink to-go boxes back home was an incentive to keep going strong. I told my friend that we might have been celebrating her, but I felt like it was my birthday, too.
Monday arrived, and my husband suggested that fruit be the first food substance I take in. For breakfast, I ate a plate of chopped honeydew melon and pomegranate. Then I took a long walk while meeting with a client about a new project. When I returned home, all I could think of was the Polo Lounge. Once I unloaded all the food, I realized it was too much for me, so I split the dishes into two portions, and my husband and I dined together on corn bisque, avocado salad, and lobster enchiladas. He was very lucky that his previous meeting had been canceled.
Did I lose weight? Yes, a total of seven pounds, though weight loss was not exactly my goal. But remember, most of that lost weight was associated with water, so the moment I began to consume food again, my weight leveled up. Because I am naturally active and don’t regularly consume a great deal of fat, my weight loss plateaued at half the initial loss. The key is to not be extreme with a fast, meaning not consuming food for several days, but then, using a popular phrase, “make up for the lost time.” For me, the fast provided a reset for my body. My skin felt and looked more radiant, I did not need as much to feel full, and I had more energy because I was not weighed down by unnecessary calories, sugar, and fat.
Would I do it again? I certainly would. There are those who implement water fasting throughout their lives within the year for a number of reasons. I'd like to gradually move into that space for one reason alone: Elevated health. And anything one eats after a fast tastes like heaven. I could easily make it a habit to celebrate again over a meal as delectable as a well-prepared tuna tartare.
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