Jeanette Winterson: How I learned the transformative effect of long-term fasting
Fasting is a superpower. And it’s free.
If everyone with weight problems or weight-related health problems learned to fast, the profits of the diet industry and big pharmaceutical companies would shrink as quickly as the nation’s waistline.
According to that of the government Obesity profileNearly 64% of adults in England are overweight or obese.
We know this is caused by eating too much unhealthy, processed food and not exercising enough. Modern lifestyles are bad for humans.
The food and pharmaceutical industries are not helping here. Overweight? Try a different diet. Pre-diabetic? Take metformin. High bloodpressure? It’s a brave doctor who will tell you to lose the pounds. Easier to prescribe inhibitors or blockers. Unless other factors are involved, weight loss is a great way to lower blood pressure. The only side effect is that you will have more energy.
I learned to fast the easy way at the Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic in Überlingen, Germany. I went there for two weeks, didn’t eat for ten days and was amazed at the body’s ability to heal and self-regulate. I have been going back to the clinic every year for twelve years. It’s my annual vacation. I go alone and rejuvenate in body and soul.
Yes, I pay for this, and it costs a few thousand pounds a year. When I’m there, I swim, take long walks, read, sleep, go to the gym every morning and go to concerts or lectures in the evening. The clinic is peaceful and beautiful, located on Lake Constance, overlooking the Swiss Alps, with extensive facilities and recreational treatments, but crucially, it is run by doctors. Upon arrival, every resident has an interview with a doctor, followed by blood tests. No snake oil, no new-age hokum, no untested regimens. Once the blood values have returned, the doctor will discuss your profile with you and recommend a next step, during and after fasting. Fasting lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, modifies insulin resistance, purifies diseased tissue, reduces inflammatory conditions, is excellent for arthritis and gut health, brightens skin, and makes you feel years younger. How much would pay for that in capsule form?
It is not entirely true that there is no nutrition involved at Buchinger Wilhelmi. Mid-morning, guests enjoy 200 ml of fresh vegetable juice, and at the beginning of the evening, the same amount of freshly prepared consommé; total daily intake of 200 calories. This is more of a ritual effect than a physical necessity. People like to come together.
The thing about longer-term fasting is that it takes about three days for the body to change its metabolic pathway. That’s when the body starts eating from within instead of waiting for fuel from without. It begins to break down fat stores and consume waste tissue. Really, we’re incredible.
The third day is often a day of physical chills and mental misery. I feel hungry and sad – but I have learned that it will pass – and it does. On the morning of day four, I wake up happy, with abundant energy, and no longer feel hungry – so much so that six days later I regret having to break the fast and carefully refuel.
When I discussed this with my German doctor, she told me that our ancestors had to generate enough physical and mental energy to forage for food in times of scarcity. Crying and whining in a blanket would quickly make you food for another species. The proven and measurable release of endorphins into the system is the body’s way of keeping us going. It’s a natural high.
I recommend long-term fasting to everyone, as long as the initial experience is under medical supervision. Not least because breaking the fast slowly and correctly is crucial. If you understand the process and your own body, it is possible to fast on your own for more than a day or two. Consider the initial outlay as an investment in your short- and long-term health.
On a weekly basis I like a simple 24 hour fast. It is an excellent way to rest the digestive system. For weight management, the advantage over the 5:2 diet is that you don’t have to count calories – there are none.
I make a seasonal, low-protein, carbohydrate-free soup, such as spinach, tomato, watercress or broccoli. I eat it around 6pm, go to bed early and that’s it until 6pm the next day. Then I usually have the same soup, followed by a small piece of grilled chicken, or a piece of salmon, and a mixed salad. No alcohol both nights. I still drink my French press black coffee in the morning. The day flies by, and once you get used to it, I doubt you’ll notice even a few hours without food.
I call fasting a superpower because it calms the hysteria around food. Adults do not always need to eat. We certainly don’t need the endless stream of ultra-processed waste marketed as food. I never eat airplane food, not even to Australia. I put my body in tick-over mode and eat 27 hours later. When I’m hungry and traveling around Britain, I don’t feel the urge to eat what’s on offer at train stations or fast food restaurants. I see it for what it is; self harm.
I am pleased that the Prime Minister respects the benefits of regular fasting. I wish his government had the hunger to regulate the food industry while profits swelled the back, or rather the front, of our bodies. Still, I firmly believe that fasting is part of a healthy life for everyone, and I eat tasty, freshly prepared food every day.