One of the most important methods of Nature-cure is FASTING. Since the time Gandhiji took to fasting, mainly for political reasons to compel the British Government to accept national demands, fasting became a common word with the people.
Fasting is, however, practised as therapy for letting the nature free to perform its cleaning process in the body unhindered by any load of food to digest. The stomach or other organs are given complete rest, to enable them to regain their health and working efficiency.
For curative purposes, fasts are kept on scientific basis. These are complete fast, partial fast, fast on all-fruit diet, or on restricted diet, etc. For serious, or chronic diseases a complete or total fast is recommended.
It may be for 3 to 7 or even 10 days. People hesitate to take to fasting, for the fear that they will have to face hunger and without food they would grow weak. It is necessary to allay such fears.
It is only on the first or till the second day that one is troubled by hunger, but then it gets controlled and one does not feel an urge for food. One settles down satisfied with just the intake of water only or with the accompaniment of lemon or orange-juice in measured doses.
Instead of weakness, fast energises the body, though one loses weight. His control, on hunger, by his mental dominance increases his mental power which is the source of all energy. Some people are seen attending to work even for days together during fasts.
Thus one should not be afraid of a fast for these reasons. He should, rather, devote the period of his fast to pious thoughts, thus cleaning his mind also along with his physical body.
A complete fast, for one day or more, is to be followed by intake of fruit juice for a day or two, then followed by an all-fruit diet, in which juicy fruits, and not fruits like banana, be taken.
This may continue for 5 to 7 days and then a course of restricted diet be had, with vegetable soups and milk, etc. All this over, then one may return to one’s normal diet, which should be dominated by vegetables, salads and fruits.
The cereals used should be unskinned and rice unpolished, likewise the pulses.