Re: One long fast or several shorter fasts? Or several long fasts?
Hello xanderfrancish,
well yes, you may well have read a lot about testing for electrolytes while fasting;
my first prolonged fast of 25 days was terminated on the advice of having low electrolytes, but this was with a background of malnourishment for many many months prior to its undertaking, and caused thru lack of appetite and little food intake, which in turn was induced by the onset of Leukemia.
However, for the average person who needs or wants to fast, even to completion, there is absolutely no danger or risk of this depletion from ever occurring for the average well-nourished individual.
Fonty is quite right here; of its own volition, the body will seek-out & balance the nutritive reserves of the body in its own innate & inimitable way, serving to conserve these electrolyte-reserves more & more as the fast progresses.
The testing of electrolyte levels seems to have acquired an almost cult-status amongst contemporary fasting supervisors & writers, but what is sorely overlooked is that historically, no one had the means of being able to carry out this kind of testing, and where the symptoms of the fasting-body became the only reliable guide as to how the fast was progressing.
From the beginnings of the Natural Hygiene movement dating back to Isaac Jennings MD in the early to mid 1800's, you will not find any reference to the termination of a fast because of the symptoms of low electrolytes.
A relevant question here for you might be: do fasting animals in nature resort to the testing of low electrolytes? Not really!!
As long as the pre-fast diet has been of a sufficiently high enough quality, then this is of little to no concern for those of us who are perhaps, a little more knowledgeable about the fast and the fasting process.
In addition, Qualified fasting supervisors will tend to err on the safe-side for the fear of litigation while the faster is in their care, and reveals the same reasons for their encouragement of much water-drinking to the detriment of the faster.
Our body's are approx' 70% water, so is indeed a form of nutrient, but water is not categorized as other forms of nutrition such as
proteins/carbs/vitamins/minerals/enzymes and so on. Water for example does not "feed" the body by maintaining, repairing and sustaining the cells and organs for growth and regeneration, which only food can do.
Fonty and I, and all of the Fasting Supervisors, from the pioneers to date, have always maintained, that distilled water is the very best and purest water for human consumption: of that I have no doubt whatsoever.
Regards
Chrisb1.