December 4, 8 p.m.: I called my mother tonight and told her about the juice. She said she's glad I'm an adult now and she can no longer be3 held responsible for my decision-making. That's fine. I credit her decision-making for my grade school "baby fat".
Late into day two and I'm still headache free, although the irritability and fatigue predictions were fairly insightful. I fell asleep in class today even after slamming cranberry juice before I went. I'm repeating ridiculous mantras like "nothing is as sweet as nothing". I think my roommate is purposely cooking she never cooks to destroy any illusions of food apathy.
'We are in a country where there is food everywhere you turn,where fasting is, I have not eaten in two hours.'
I don't remember seeing paranoia on the HealthWorld's list, but I'll look again.
Peter Granitz, Wauwatosa, Wis., junior, says that besides the health industry, people are skeptical of fasting because it deviates from the norm. Granitz understands why the perception exists. He comes from a family that thinks if you you're not finishing your plate of comfort food, you must be sick. A mirror for many families, his views fasting as bizarre because they just can't imagine why someone wouldn't want to eat, and how that could be healthy, he says.
Abdul-Salam says she doesn't get the connection between over-consumption and a disproval of fasting. Kuwait, a country composed primarily of Muslims, also obsesses over food she says. She backs this with reports she read stating that Kuwait is the second most obese country in the world and one of its McDonald's sold,a record number of Happy Meals last year. It's now the most successful in the world.
Cullerton says she thinks doctors perpetuate a negative viewpoint of fasting.
This might sound like a conspiracy-theory, but doctors don't just make diagnosis—they make prescriptions," she says. "Where's the money in telling someone that it's okay to fast?"
Denning argues just the opposite. She says patients come to Watkins expecting a prescription. If they don't get one, they think their illness isn't getting the attention it deserves. Without an antibiotic or drug, people think they're paying for nothing.
I don't know if I'll make it on only juice today. It feels like I have nothing to look forward to.I'm out of mango-papaya, and the University's vending machine selection is no Dillons thrill ride.
December 5, 7:45 a.m.: Day three. I feel as if I'm doing something very intense here. I woke up shaky and a little light-headed. One detox Web Site said that besides cleaning your body, fasting encourages you to cleanse other parts of your life as well. So I've decided to take the 15 minutes I usually spend on breakfast cleaning my room. It also said that because you're ridding the body of toxins, deodorant isn't necessary. I've decided to objectively disregard that.
It does feel like I'm thinking sharply and I feel a good amount of energy for the day. It's just a game of willpower now. And health, of course.
A faster also brings a certain amount of skepticism to the typical bountiful table. Where do we draw the line between fasting and eating disorder?
Welch and Cullerton both see a clear difference between their lifestyles and a disorder. Welch says he
never fasted to lose weight, and if he had called it a diet, it wouldn't have been possible to accomplish. He says to truly fast you have to draw from more than your body image. Cullerton sees fasting as the exact opposite of an eating disorder. She says her fasts allow her to stay in tune with her body's needs and create a healthier outlook when she goes back to eating regularly.
Welch says despite the increasing popularity and approval of fasting for health, he doesn't see fasting becoming more than "alternative medication" anytime soon.
At this point, I think we're a long way from widespread acceptance," Welch says. "And I think it's going to take more research and a serious change in mindset before we get there."
Glenn says while he remains unsure whether fasting truly heals or simply offers a placebo effect, he doesn't think it causes harm to most people. This excludes pregnant women and people with diabetes. He recommends that a physician monitor all long-term fasts). If done properly, with plenty of liquids and on a time frame no longer than 30 days, Glenn endorses the positive feelings, if not the concrete evidence of healing.
Denning and Stevens, on the other hand, won't be recommending fasting to their patients until solid research says it isn't harmful. Denning says she wouldn't feel comfortable telling a patient to try something that she doubts herself, and Stevens says he will continue to prescribe eating over what he labels "slow starvation."
Cullerton says she'll continue her fasts, with or without scientific endorsement.
"Fasting works for my body," she says. "Whether a doctor supports it or not is irrelevant to me."
December 5, 5 p.m.: It's day three and I'm not drinking juice. I'm crunching my way through a bag of banana trial mix and enjoying every second. The three-day juice fast was a poor demonstration of my willpower, but I can't say it sways my belief in the students who fast and feel healthier. They have a motivation I lack, and whether their results are merely placebos or scientifically sound, the feeling of better health is real enough for them.
I'm two hours off my juice fast and it's time for some solid food. It won't be Taco Bell or McDonald's tonight. After two-and-a-half days of juice, I'm easing into something simple, fresh. Maybe a salad. After all, there's my health to think about.
— Marissa Stephenson can be reached at mstephenson@kansan.com
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