Greetings!
I have an idea that I have been wanting the patriot survival community to consider. Here it is:
Basically we are able to go without food for much longer than most people know. This is not true with water to be sure. A normal, reasonably healthy human body is easily capable of going three to six weeks on very, very little nutrition and remain completely mentally alert and even physically active. During a prolonged fast you will not be able to pick up as much furniture as normal but you may easily be able to walk for 100 miles!
The biggest concern with fasting is that it not begin too abruptly. Most trouble comes from toxic reactions not lack of nutrients. Its better to reduce junk foods, sweets, red meat and unnecessary drugs & medications before embarking on a serious fast. A series of single-day or two and three day fasts are rejuvenating like nothing imaginable! Juice fasts and broth fasts and even solid, bland diet (rice & red lentils) are intermediate steps. Health food stores often have written material on fasting techniques.
Fasting is very healthy and has an unmistakable spiritual side to it as well. It increases mental health and will power. It is an excellent occasion to practice prayer, meditation and all sorts of mental work. Benjamin Franklin, for one, extolled the virtues of keeping the mind full and the bowels empty. This is all in the preparatory phase while you are teaching yourself how to fast, how your body reacts, how your mind reacts, what to make of any “hunger pains” and in general learning that you don’t need to consume all you are accustomed to. Watch your will power grow!
Once you are “hardened off” and experienced in “coming closer to your own inner nature” (you now know how to consume your own substance without cutting off an arm or leg to try to keep the stomach full) you should wax serene in circumstances where others may easily fall prey to panic. In cases of stand off, siege, emergency or just plain prolonged lean rations you can totally, effortlessly and fearlessly rise above the circumstances.
I can tell you of how it has worked for me, in Hurricane Andrew for example, where people rioted or scuffled needlessly over ice. But I had not intended to write so much. I just wanted to get the idea across. Best Regards, – WL
JWR Replies: Those unaccustomed to fasting should first consult their doctor for a checkup. Your tolerance for fasting will vary greatly, depending on your diet, your body type (fat reserves), your blood sugar chemistry, and your activity level. Rather than water fasting–which can be debilitating and precipitate some acute health problems–I recommend occasional juice fasting, to maintain your electrolyte and blood sugar balance. My general advice is to build up to fasting gradually, while very carefully watching for adverse reactions, such as dizziness, confusion, or hallucinations. Even someone with regular fasting experience should never fast more than 36 hours while living alone. There must be someone there to watch for signs of distress or incipient syncope (fainting). Fasting can be beneficial, but as with anything else, when done to excess, it can be harmful.