Talofa … Sister Rasela simmering on the hotplate today in the belly kitchen, bringing you more tantalising talk about food … or in this case – lack of it.

Each week we strive to bring you a show packed with tasty fillings and informative, inspiring stories surrounding food, and my inspiration this week came from an article article i read in the Sunday paper regarding a woman who had managed to starve herself to DEATH after embarking on a FAST.

How is this possible you and i both may wonder ? In the Western world, where foods of all descriptions and flavours are available to us on tap, where food is shared with friends and family and if you are lucky enough to live in a community such as Byron, you are able to get a free meal every day of the week through volunteer organizations and donations.

Added to all of that, food tastes so good. It’s delicious and tempting, nourishing and warming, fresh and alive (hopefully) and if it’s not then it’s not so bad that you would just stop eating … surely ?

Well, there are many of us that share this world of ours and it’s clearly obvious that we are not all the same. Our views and thoughts and beliefs all depend on how we were raised, with what values and ethics, what country we were born in, how our childhood panned out, any number of changeable issues can determine what we decide is best for us.

This particular lady, who was the victim of self starvation, decided that she wanted to go on a fast. There were no details of how heavy she was before she started the fast that killed her, no history into her eating habits (or lack of), no story that lead to the tragic outcome. It was a 5 line story about how she went on a fast and after a couple of weeks, after plees from her children, after her body must have been begging her mind to feed it … she died.

Many people might read this and jump to the uneducated conclusion that fasting is dangerous. The same as you may put on the tv (if you have one) and believe every single thing that they want you to. “It must be true, i heard it on the tele!!” Oh, is this the same tele that provides you with misleading advertisements and promises of extremely fast weight loss if you buy their product ? The same one that guarantees you youthful looking skin even if you are 85 and covered in wrinkles ? Oh and my favorite – sugar free, chemically sweetened, ‘healthy’ foods ? Same story … different angle.

A huge part of my love of community radio is to help share information and knowledge. To encourage listeners and readers of this show to think for yourselves. To question what you read and see and to make educated or at the very least informed decisions on what is best for YOU.

In the same way that i don’t believe (or even watch) anything i see on tv, i present the information on this show in a way that leaves it up to you to do whatever it is you will, with whatever information i share with you. Some things may apply to you, some to your neighbour, and some to the old lady that lives in the bush 30 km’s from you. You might be visiting town, you might have lived here all your life, you might even be about to leave, whatever your story is, that’s the most important thing to remember … that it is your story and it is the one that enables you to make the decisions you think are best for YOU.

I wonder what this starving woman’s story is and i wonder if her story may have had a different outcome if she had have listened to belly today !!

Without further adieu … let’s get some info on FASTING and PURIFICATION.

Fasting and Purification have been described as very uplifting experiences that can enhance your mental well being and overall attitude IF it is done correctly.

A few different types of fasting can be considered depending on your specific need and desired outcome. You can eat nothing, a single food, or you can simply eliminate one or more foods in your diet.

Fasts can last anything from a day to several weeks or months. Most religious and healing traditions recommend fasting for therapeutic or spiritual advantages.

Fasting has been noted way back in history when the Winter supplies ran low for our ancestors and they were forced to go without, living sometimes on no more than water and fresh greens.

Contemporary fasts however, usually consist of abundant vegetable and fruit juices with combinations that create names such as ‘detox’, ‘liver cleanser’, ‘immune booster’ … unfortunately, many of the methods of juicing are not conducive to the purpose as much of the nutritional value can be lost in the process or afterwards. The best method of juicing is by using a cold press juicer which slowly squeezes the juice out of the vegetable or fruit, allowing it to retain the majority of it’s wholesome goodness. Fresh and organic produce is by far superior of course.

All of this said though, fasting just on juices can seriously impair both the digestive strength and metabolic rate of certain individuals and have been known to cool and weaken the body resulting in abnormal weight gain after the fast. This is not said to scare you but rather to remind you that we all need to be aware of what is best for us and that your fast, should you choose to do one, should be matched to your individual body type.

The word FAST indicates an important feature of the fast itself, It signifies the speeding up of the cleansing and renewal process by slowing down the normal digestive routine. The fast and the slow … nice balance !

Beware of fast fasts !! Anything that is slow and sustainable is far better for you and your beautiful body and in the long run teaches you better eating habits that you will hopefully be able to maintain throughout your luscious life.

I’ll give you a sneak peak into 5 different fasts i know about. You may have tried one or all of them or you may be considering starting one of them. I embarked on a fast about 7 years ago to help combat a sinus infection that was unbeatable with conventional medicines. It was meant to last 2 weeks but i was so euphoric and happy on it that i ended up staying on it for about 3 months. I was buzzing, beaming, high, clear headed, a little light headed, a bit skinny and not hungry at all. Quite scary actually.

I guess i got to the point where i felt starving, but at the same time i felt almost terrified to eat anything. I didn’t know where or how to start again. It was as though i had trained myself off of food. All i had been eating was selected steamed veges, raw salads, a bit of oat bran and lots of water along with some supplements/super foods.

The moment i realised i was starving was the same moment i realised that this is how an eating disorder could start. Through my fear of eating. Wanting to and knowing that i should but just not being able to. I had no cravings, no desire to eat, my mouth didn’t water for anything … these were all things i wasn’t used to !!

Inside me though i felt hollow, empty, airy, and i instinctively knew that i needed food. Something warm, wholesome, flavoursome, savoury …. so i headed to my favorite macrobiotic vegan cafe and ordered the vege lasagne.

When i remember back to this moment and describe it, it was like i tasted food for the first time in my life and realised what i had been missing out on. The second i put a mouthful of the layered, tasty, creamy, dreamy lasagne in my mouth, the very millisecond it touched my tongue, i felt my whole body absorb each ingredient in that decadent dish and pull it into my starving cells. I let out a low moan with each slow chew and the volume increased with each new spoonful. I smiled, i felt the colour come back to my cheeks, i felt that warm, wholeness in my spirit again, i felt grounded and complete.

I never looked back.

Let’s look forward instead and take a look at 5 popular fasts that may tickle your fancy –

1. Raw fruit, vegetable or liquid fast
2. Steamed vegetable fast
3. Whole-Grain fast
4. Micro-Algae fast
5. Absolute fast

I’ll be back with the lowdown on all of these just as soon as i feed my pet aligators. If i’m not back soon, please let someone know ….