What happens to the body when a person fasts? Why should you fast? Psychology of why people starve
The whole world knows the human drama that takes place in Somalia. Somalia, which is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years, continues to receive international aid, but UN officials note that the situation in the Horn of Africa has not yet been brought under control, warning that the famine that has led to the death of thousands of Somalis could spread for the entire region. Noting that the situation in the region is alarming, UN representatives point out that tens of thousands of people are dying on the way to refugee camps, and thousands are dying directly from hunger. Famine is also observed in Kenya, neighboring Somalia. The UN estimates that 3.5 million people in Kenya are in need of urgent food assistance. Things are a little better in Ethiopia. The UN says the international community has so far provided $1 billion in aid to the 12 million hungry people in the Horn of Africa, indicating they need another $1.4 billion.
The biggest and saddest drawback of the modern global world, which we, on the one hand,
sometimes we are proud, and on the other hand, for various reasons we express dissatisfaction, undoubtedly the fact is that until now 2/3 of the world's population lives in poverty, conditions of corruption and bad governance. According to reliable sources of information, 500 million people in the world live on the brink of hunger, and 15 million children die every year due to poverty. For several weeks we have been watching what is happening in Somalia. Can humanity live in peace when so much suffering is being experienced in some part of the Earth? No matter how one part of the planet develops, there cannot be peace and prosperity in the world as long as this deep drama exists. As we know, hunger and lack of water have the greatest impact on children. The infant mortality rate is striking with new figures. There is an indisputable fact: every day at least 2 thousand Somalis die, and most of them are children. Look at the clock and watch the 6 minutes pass. During these 6 minutes, one child died in Somalia. At the end of this article you are listening to now, two more children will be dead. And this is reality, death, this is what makes all words meaningless. Photos published by news agencies reveal the most difficult choices facing Somali mothers. They are forced to make a choice between their children, choosing those who are more likely to survive, because the food they can get is only enough for one child. No one can remain indifferent to this human drama.
However, this begs the question: Why do people in countries with large agricultural areas, such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djubouti, go hungry? Why did these countries find themselves in such a deplorable situation? There have been droughts in these countries before, but never before have such large masses of people mixed in search of food. For example, in Ethiopia, thousands of hectares of land are planted with corn and grains. Why were the inhabitants of this country doomed to starvation when there is so much agricultural land in the country? The current state of affairs is the result of a long process. This was caused by poor agricultural policies, poor management and tyranny. These lands were bought or leased by foreign investors in order to obtain biofuel. Experts characterize this circumstance as “agricultural imperialism.” For example, the Ethiopian government hopes by doing this to increase the country's foreign exchange and expand technical skills in the agricultural sector. Most of the fertile land in the country is still unused. The Ethiopian government last year offered 3 million hectares of farmland for lease. Many African governments sell or lease agricultural land to foreign investors. Large investors come here from India, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and China. They sow the land to obtain biofuel or food for their countries. The sale or lease of fertile land by foreign investors is considered one of the causes of famine in the Horn of Africa, because the people of these countries cannot consume food obtained on their own lands. At the same time, understanding the causes of hunger in Africa is not at all easy. Droughts and floods are caused by climate change and extreme weather conditions. Meanwhile, Somalia is a country with the most egregious political situation; there is no state system, no government. There is a civil war in the country, it is divided into two parts. There is no security at all. Residents of Somalia are fleeing to northern Kenya or Ethiopia in search of food, and thousands of Somalis are filling refugee camps in neighboring countries and threatening famine there. If the governments of African countries, which generously lease out their lands, do not change their agricultural policies in the near future, an even more serious situation may arise in the future, because lands are leased not for 1.2 years, but for 80-90 years .
Many countries of the world, and primarily Turkey, are sending food aid and medicine to Somalia. One of the leading countries in the region, Turkey, is extending a helping hand to Somalia. Aid collected by the Turkish government and Turkish institutions and citizens is being sent to Somalia. Political circles, like the people of Turkey, are closely following the human drama in Somalia. The Prime Minister of Turkey paid a visit to Somalia. The purpose of his visit was not only to deliver aid to this country, but also to draw attention to the problem of many countries in the world that turn a blind eye to what is happening in Somalia.
Over the last decade, followers of proper nutrition have considered periodic fasting one of the most effective methods of healing. Many modern detox programs are aimed at reducing the consumption of any solid food, which is replaced by juices and water. How is this method of healing useful and what happens to the body when a person fasts? ELLE decided to understand the intricacies of the popular dietetics trend and talk about its consequences.
Scientific research confirms that any illness of the body is a period when the body intends to get rid of everything unnecessary and renew itself. Simply put, when a person begins to starve, he helps his body, from which toxins that have accumulated since childhood begin to come out.
One of the founders of the theory of fasting, physician Arnold Ehret, described in his book “The Healing System of the Mucusless Diet” (1920) successful cases of fasting, which led to the complete recovery of his patients from a number of diseases (including cancer and hiccups). According to the author, the main problem in the body of modern residents of megacities is a large amount of toxic substances that enter the body through the air and rich food.
In his work, Ehret emphasized that today people from developed countries eat much more than necessary. The largest number of centenarians is recorded in poor countries, whose daily diet consists of rice, water and a small amount of fruit. Ehret argued that fructose (or grape sugar) is the ideal material for renewing the blood, and that alkaline foods, which are also mucusless, form a natural environment in the body. His findings regarding the pH level of food were supported by chemists Julius Hensel and Swede Ragnar Berg.
Modern detox experts suggest alternating days of fasting with minimal consumption of stewed vegetables, fruits and juices. As Ehret and other scientists have argued, thanks to this diet, the amount of protein consumed is reduced to zero. This leads to a decrease in the formation of white blood cells, which make up the mucus. During the period of fasting, all harmful substances are removed from the body along with mucus and body cells are renewed.
Proper fasting is carried out under the supervision of doctors and after blood tests, since every body is individual. Also, it is better to arrange detox periods in the warm season, when the body receives a sufficient amount of vitamin D and you can eat fresh seasonal vegetables and fruits.
Approximate diet for the day when food is consumed:
- 3 cups of 250 grams of vegetables (stewed cauliflower, carrots, zucchini, broccoli)
- 125 g raw nuts
- 200 g figs
- 500 ml water
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Have you ever felt like you started getting angry when you were hungry? Or maybe even run into conflict?
If so, then at these moments you experienced an attack of “nakedness” - a mixture of hunger and anger.
But what causes this to happen, and why do only some people experience these attacks?
Physiology of hungry anger
It's all about the processes occurring inside your body. Proteins, fats and carbohydrates are broken down into simple saccharides (such as glucose), amino acids and free fatty acids, which enter the blood, from where they are distributed to organs and tissues and supply us with energy.
The more time passes since your last meal, the fewer nutrients circulate in the blood. If your blood glucose level drops enough, your brain interprets it as a life-threatening signal. As you can see, the human brain is critically dependent on glucose levels to remain functional.
You've probably noticed this pattern before: when you're hungry, simple things become complicated, you find it difficult to concentrate, and you make stupid mistakes.
You also grumble and bully others, and you can easily lash out at your loved ones. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? Why is this happening?
The answer is simple.
When your blood glucose levels drop, your brain sends signals to certain organs to release regulatory hormones. One of these hormones is adrenaline, a known stress hormone. It stands out at a time when you are afraid or think that something threatens your safety. Along with the adrenaline rush, you can also easily experience a fit of anger or aggression.
Nature and nurture
Hunger and anger are controlled by common genes. The product of one of the genes causes excessive gluttony and affects brain receptors, and also makes us more impulsive.
The upbringing and level of a person’s culture also play a certain role. We are all different, and therefore it is not surprising that some people cannot restrain their emotions at all (especially when they are hungry).
How to overcome hunger anger
The easiest way to deal with hunger anger is to eat something before you get too hungry (and too angry). However, remember that chocolates or chips will cause your blood glucose level to be too high, which will crash too quickly.
You will only get hungrier, so try to choose something more natural and nutritious that will not only satisfy your hunger, but will also not harm your health.
The conclusion is this: before you take on a difficult task, be sure to eat!
Very often, what irritates us in other people is what we do not recognize in ourselves.
What irritates us in those around us is what we do not recognize in ourselves: if a person hates deputies, it means he does not want to take responsibility; if rich people annoy him, it means he himself wants to be rich.
WHAT IS IRRITABILITY?
Let me start with the fact that people very often suppress their emotions. The reasons for this may be different: shame, guilt, social condemnation, moral prohibitions, religious beliefs and much more.
When we talk about irritability, we are dealing with suppressed anger
When it comes to irritability, we are dealing with suppressed anger. Anger arises in response to a threat to a person’s physical and/or mental health.
Often we are not aware of these threats, but emotions work flawlessly and the corresponding mechanisms are launched automatically (that is, bypassing consciousness).
There are situations when a person understands what makes him angry, but cannot change anything: for example, one spouse cannot openly express his complaints to the other - then he begins to restrain his anger and becomes irritable.
If a child is not taught or allowed to express anger correctly from childhood, he will gradually develop a passive-aggressive type of behavior. Expressing anger correctly means releasing it immediately. The child can be very angry, but over time he learns to control his emotions, including anger.
He begins to release it as appropriately as possible: express what he doesn’t like, influence an unpleasant situation, stand up for himself, etc. Controlling emotions, by the way, is not the same thing as suppressing. Rather, on the contrary: suppression of emotions is precisely a child’s mechanism, when a child does not feel that he has no right or that adults are forbidden to him to openly express his feelings, he keeps them to himself, he is not allowed to demand and set aside his point of view. Then this carries over into adulthood. Having matured, such a person will endure and remain silent for a long time, and at certain moments he will throw out anger on others. To family, friends, friends. Or on strangers:
Sorry, grandma, I stepped on your foot.
It’s okay, grandson, I’ve already spat on your back.
It is very easy to throw out anger on strangers - on the subway, on the bus, on the street, at work (if you have subordinates); on deputies, businessmen, neighbors, men, women. The accumulated aggression must be discharged, otherwise the person simply begins to get sick. The thing is that emotions are inextricably linked with hormones.
If a child is not taught to express anger correctly from childhood, he will gradually develop a passive-aggressive type of behavior.
Depending on what emotions a person experiences, different hormones are produced, which in turn cause certain reactions in the body: muscle tension, rapid heartbeat... If we do not release emotions, tension builds up inside. And in order not to suffer, a person, consciously or subconsciously, looks for a “victim” on which to expel anger.
ANGER VS ANGER
Anger should not be confused with anger. Anger is a fair reaction to an external threat. Anger is accumulated, “overexposed” anger.
If I feel threatened and express it at this particular moment, it is not anger - it is anger that protects me. If I endure, my anger will turn into anger, rage and even hatred. Or, on the contrary, into apathy and powerlessness.
SHADOW
Suppressed aggression turns into a “shadow”.
“Shadow” (in psychology) is those emotions, thoughts and knowledge about ourselves that we do not want to admit. A person makes a lot of effort not to notice his “shadow”. He projects into the outside world what he does not want to see inside himself. Therefore, in other people we are irritated by what we do not recognize in ourselves.
RICH PEOPLE, POOR PEOPLE, DEPUTIES, ALCOHOLICS
Thanks to our projections, we can become aware of what is happening to ourselves. Our emotions are triggered in response to certain triggers: if a person hates deputies, it means that he does not want to take responsibility. If rich people annoy him, it means he himself wants to be rich.
If a person constantly says that people are lazy and don’t want to work, it means that he himself is lazy, but for some reason he doesn’t allow himself to be (perhaps he doesn’t allow himself to rest normally, he doesn’t relax). If he accuses the arrogant, it means that he himself would like to be arrogant. And most importantly, he has this arrogance inside, but for some reason he doesn’t allow himself to have it.
Stuffy transport, long lines, rush
There are situations that we cannot control directly, but we want to. The result is anger. And if we suppress anger, we begin to experience irritation.
Let’s say the father of the family says: “We’ll leave in half an hour.” Meanwhile, the family has two children - they can’t get together in half an hour. But for some reason the father wants to control the situation, wants to show his power. As a result, the family does not have time to get together, the father is seething, screaming, swearing, anger.
Thanks to our projections, we can become aware of what is happening to ourselves.
The same goes for queues, stuffy transport, and rush. If a person cannot control something, it is highly likely that he will begin to experience anger. The most interesting thing is that sometimes he Maybe somehow influence the situation, but for some reason does not do this.
For example, the father could give the family not half an hour, but an hour to get ready (more adequate time). But he refused this, and then takes his anger out on his household. Or a person is standing in an inappropriately long line: he can complain to the boss, he can ask to be let ahead if he really needs it. But he doesn’t do this, it seems to him that he is powerless. He is not trained to use his aggression. Instead, he endures and endures and endures, and then explodes.
CONSEQUENCES
Constantly suppressed aggression and a passive-aggressive type of behavior poison our body, negatively affect our thoughts and behavior, and teach us the position of a victim, passivity, aggressiveness, and reprehensibility. A person does not just waste his energy in vain. This leads to various diseases, primarily cardiovascular diseases. Statistics show that most heart attack patients are either passive-aggressive or very irritable people.
Therefore, learn to express your complaints here and now, do not accumulate negative psychological energy. It is also important to try to distinguish the true source of aggression. And don’t take your anger out on your family, because in fact your boss made you angry, but you endured it. Otherwise, it will destroy your life and relationships, and feelings of guilt will accumulate.
To get rid of passive aggression and irritability, you need to first admit that you have this problem. In other words, take responsibility for this part of your life: if a person steps on your foot, and you are not just in pain, unpleasant and want to reprimand him, but to kill him, then it’s time to admit that the problem may be with you. Then it’s better to sign up, for example, for a boxing section to let off your steam there, and not with other people who will fall under the hot hand. In general, it is advisable to work through such conditions with a psychologist.
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Specialists from McGill University and the University of Minnesota conducted a comparative analysis of data on the yield of organic and conventional agricultural enterprises, previously obtained in the course of 66 studies and 300 experiments. The results of this analysis were published in the journal Nature.
Experts have found that, on average, crop yields from planned practices outperform those from organic farms by 25 percent—results primarily related to grain production and vary depending on conditions.
The most popular view is to develop both conventional and organic agriculture simultaneously to solve the "dual challenge of feeding a growing population and meeting increasing demand for meat and energy-dense foods, while minimizing the negative impact on the environment."
Unfortunately, neither these studies nor public opinion take into account the true cause of the hunger problem.
In reality, the cause of hunger is not insufficient food production, but poverty and social inequality. Over the past two decades, food production has grown faster than the world's population. The world currently produces one and a half times more food than is needed to feed every person on the planet.
This is enough food to feed 10 billion people, the number of people projected to inhabit the Earth by 2050. However, a huge portion of the population earns less than two dollars a day - most of them are farmers with very few resources and a small piece of land. These people cannot afford to buy the food products in question.
In fact, much of the grain produced by large corporations is turned into biofuel and animal feed instead of feeding a billion hungry people. The call to double food production by 2050 only makes sense if we continue to prioritize growing livestock and cars over hungry people.
What can be said about the difference in yield between conventional and organic agriculture?
In fact, they only indicate that the difference in yield between these two methods of agricultural production is not as significant as critics of organic farming would like to believe. For many grains it is minimal. Using new advances in seed breeding for organic systems, as well as new improvements available to commercial organic farmers, they are demonstrating excellent yields, so that the notorious gap is closing every day.
The Rodale Institute has a 47-year history of comparative analysis of conventional agricultural production using synthetic agrochemicals and organic methods. Experts from this institute have come to the conclusion that the yield of organic farms is comparable to the yield of conventional agricultural corporations in “good” years, and even exceeds the latter in dry years (or in years of natural disasters). This is of enormous importance, given global warming and the associated increase in natural disasters.
Moreover, various agroecological practices (mainly ecosystems that embrace diversity) allow for greater resilience to extreme weather conditions; and, therefore, in the long term, such farms have a better chance of survival.
The Nature article analyzes yields on a "tons per acre" basis and does not take into account metrics such as water or energy consumption, or metrics related to environmental impacts (greenhouse gas generation, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity).
The advantage of conventional farming methods over organic ones can be seen in single-production farms. When comparing two methods of agricultural production, one may get the misleading impression that the colossus of the conventional method will easily crush the straw man of organic agriculture. However, it must be borne in mind that this "straw man" of 1.5 million farmers produces half of the food on the planet. These farmers cultivate small plots of land and it is not possible for them to produce any single product.
Non-profit farms that grow a variety of crops are much more effective at balancing and reducing risk and can survive without synthetic fertilizers. Agroecological methods, which emphasize increasing varietal diversity, allow for more careful use of soil and water. They have proven their ability to produce fast, noticeable and lasting results.
In areas where the soil is already depleted by conventional farming methods using synthetic fertilizers, agroecological methods can increase productivity by 100 to 300 percent.
That is why the report of the representative of the non-governmental organization “Right to Food”, heard at the UN, expressed support for structural reform of agriculture and its shift towards agroecology.
Over the course of four years, 400 agricultural experts studied all the improvements and improvements in their field. Their findings are contained in the International Assessments of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD 2008). These experts also believe that agroecology and local farming (rather than the global market) are the best strategies to combat poverty and hunger.
Increasing the productivity of resource-constrained farms is one of the most effective ways to end hunger. However, it is even more important that these farmers can get more land - in this case, the fight against poverty and providing people with livelihoods will be even more effective.
Can conventional agriculture feed ten billion people by 2050? Given climate change, the answer is evasive: "maybe." A much more difficult question is what price society and the environment will pay for this. To defeat hunger, we must first tackle poverty and social inequality. An agroecological approach and structural reforms will help solve this problem, which will provide private farmers with land and the necessary resources, allowing them to independently obtain funds for a decent life and look confidently into the future.