Sangeeta’s face wore a tired look. She sat in front of me and started narrating her list of complaints. She was sick and tired of the various issues she was facing such as indigestion, burping, burning sensation in the abdomen, acidity and vomiting. She had been facing these problems for the past two days. When I heard that this was the case for the past two days, I asked only one question, “Sangeeta, it seems you have rigorously fasted for Ashadhi Ekadashi.” She nodded in agreement. “Doctor, as I was fasting that day, I had eaten a little more of the fasting foods. Then, why am I facing these problems even after eating fasting food?” she asked. To answer this question, I had to explain to her the scientific meaning of ‘Upwas’ i.e. fast, and the expected method of fasting. We are now going to look at ‘What exactly is fasting’ and the diet to be considered.
Diet is our basic necessity. However, rather than consuming it according to our need, we treat it as ‘Supplying food that fulfils our craving!’. This habit of overeating leads to different kinds of diseases. It is important to eat beneficial food in the right quantities to avoid problems like obesity and Diabetes. Hence, we need to exercise a lot of control over our tongue and cravings.
The concept of ‘Fasting’ was created to achieve exactly this purpose. We generally eat the way we like. However, it is expected to control this craving on days like Chaturthi, Ekadashi and follow ‘Langhan’ or fasting completely. This complete fasting or ‘Langhan’ has a lot of importance in Ayurveda as it has many benefits. It helps avoid stress that is generally given to our digestion power. It provides rest to the digestive system. Not eating any new food gives our body time to digest the previously undigested food. We feel lightness in the body. It makes us feel enthusiastic and inspired. Complete fasting(‘Langhan’) helps to prevent diseases caused by overeating. Therefore, this tradition of fasting(‘Upwas’) was created to get all these benefits. Keeping in mind the religious mindset of Indians, this science was conveyed to us in the name of ‘religious practice’!
To get all the benefits of fasting, we are expected to eat in less quantity on that day. Also, the food we are consuming should be easy to digest. Those who cannot do strict fasting can follow this kind of fasting. They can eat food that is easy to digest during the day.
The real question is what kind of food to eat during fasting. The fasting foods that we eat such as Sago(Sabudana), Potato, Yams and Peanuts, are heavy to digest. Also, foods like Vari(Bhagar), Potato chips, Sabudana Vada and the above mentioned foods increase acidity(Pitta). In addition to this, we tend to eat more than we usually do, on the occasion of Ekadashi. In Marathi we call this ‘Ekadashi duppat khashi’. Therefore, a lot of people face the same problems like Sangeeta after fasting. Amidst all this, the main purpose of fasting is lost.
Basically, it is difficult to track how this rule is set that one should eat this kind of food while. Maybe, these foods have been added to the menu to provide a change from our regular food. However, these foods do not provide the health benefits expected of fasting. Foods like Rajgira are an exception to this. That is why we should change this existing method of fasting. Foods like Rajgira, Nachni (Ragi), Puffed rice (saalichy Lahya), Moong dishes and Phulke, which are easy to digest, should be included in the diet, as this is very important for maintaining our health.
The main purpose of fasting is to give rest to the stomach. Therefore, whenever overeating happens, there is no harm in doing ‘Real’ fasting. We do not have to wait for days like Chaturthi and Ekadashi. Although fasting is beneficial for our health, frequent fasting is also not good. It creates problems like weakness, fatigue and loss of strength. We have seen examples of such problems caused by continuous fasting during Navratra and Shravan. It is better to do it according to one’s own capability. Just as fasting helps in maintaining health, it is also used as a treatment for many diseases. This is called ‘Langhan Chikitsa’ in Ayurveda. It is beneficial in treating diseases like fever, indigestion, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and obesity. However, it is necessary to seek medical advice for such kinds of diseases. For both the sick and healthy, this scientific practice is useful.
This is not the platform to present the spiritual side behind fasting. However, real fasting is absolutely capable of keeping the body healthy, which is a necessity for spiritual practice.
Dr Mayuresh Aagte