How Not Fasting Affects Your Brain and Body
The 40 days before Easter, known as Lent, is a time of restriction for many. If you’re thinking about giving up chocolate, alcohol, caffeine, or meat – some of the most popular sacrifices – here’s what you need to know about how it will affect your brain and body.
But first, a little reality check: I grew up in a society where every post felt like the woman around me – although rarely the men – were giving up candy, chocolate, or something like “fried food.” If you are thinking of something like this, I would ask you to consider, do you have a purely religious motivation for restricting what you eat, or are you just dieting with extra guilt?
I am not qualified to give religious advice, so I would recommend talking to your religious leaders or other members of your community about whether restricting food to hopefully lose weight is missing out on the meaning of Lent. (If you need food for thought, this article by a Catholic professor of religious studies explores the intersection of fasting and diet.)
Strictly from a health standpoint, a restrictive diet remains a restrictive diet, regardless of the reason it is worth. So let’s take a look at four popular lean sacrifices and what can happen to your brain and body if you chill a turkey for 40 days.
Sugar and chocolate
We love sugar biologically. Our brains really love sugar . While neuroscientists will debate whether the word “addiction” should be applied to something as simple as sugar, our brains respond to this with dopamine, a chemical that is also released in response to other pleasurable things like drugs and sex.
The first few days without sugar will usually be tough, driving food cravings and potentially (if you give in) overeating. People who give up sugar often report that after the first week or so, they are more capable of sticking to their intentions. It’s unclear if this is solely because our cravings subside, or because we are also better at substituting other habits for them, such as eating more hearty meals so we don’t feel hungry for snacks.
It’s worth considering the psychological aspect of limiting something as common as sugar. Overly strict dietary rules can turn into a malnutrition for some people .
People often give up chocolate rather than a whole category of sweets or sugar, but the effects will be similar. However, if you only give up chocolate, you can snack on other sweets when you feel the cravings. Whether it suits your goals or not is up to you.
Alcohol
If lean diets are a remake of New Year’s decisive diets, perhaps giving up alcohol is a remake of Dry January. Similar considerations apply.
If you think you have a problem with drinking too much alcohol, consider getting professional help rather than counting on Lent to solve your problems. Here you can find a self-assessment questionnaire and treatment resources .
How much alcohol withdrawal will affect you will depend on how much alcohol you drink and how you drink it . For example, if you drink frequently before bed, avoiding these drinks will likely help you sleep better. If drinks make up a significant portion of your daily calories, avoiding drinks can help you lose or maintain weight. And if you often wake up with a hangover, quitting alcohol will give you headache-free morning weekends.
Caffeine
If you quit caffeinated coffee or sodas, you quit caffeine. As with alcohol, the effects of consuming cold turkey will depend on how much you consume.
The most common symptoms of caffeine withdrawal include headaches and fatigue. There are also more subtle signs, such as feeling anxious, depressed, or irritable. Drinking water and getting enough sleep can help with this.
If you’ve used caffeine to compensate for poor sleep, quitting caffeine will simply leave you … poor sleep. So take care of yourself in every way; don’t just quit caffeine and expect everything to magically get better.
To quit caffeine without withdrawal symptoms, reduce your intake gradually. A half-cafeteria coffee (made with half regular coffee and half decaf) can help. It’s the same with your favorite decaffeinated sodas.
Meat
Avoiding meat on Fridays is already an established practice of Lent, and you will recognize this if you live in a city with a strong tradition of frying fish in churches on Friday nights. But maybe you want to take the next step and give up meat for the entire Lent.
If you are planning to switch to a plant-based diet, your body may not even notice the difference. The key is to make sure you choose foods that are high in protein, as plant foods are lower in protein than meat. If you take the time to learn about protein sources, you should be fine – tofu, beans, grains, and many meat substitutes may be in abundance. But if you continue to eat the same foods as before, but only reduce the meat, you may be in trouble. For example, if you’re used to taking a burger with fries for lunch, a veggie burger with fries is a good enough substitute. There is no double order of fries.
We’ve got a guide to transitioning to a plant-based diet . Just keep in mind that drastic changes in the amount of fiber you eat can wreak havoc on your sensitive gut, so change your diet thoughtfully.