Re: Fasting and Intelligence (Chrisb1)
Hi Mighty,
Q. Does fasting increase intelligence and the evidence to back this up?
A. To a point the answer is yes, it does increase intelligence, but not beyond our genetic and biological make-up.
The evidence is primarily from those who have fasted rather than any "scientific trial or experiment".
There is an old roman proverb that states: "a full stomach does not like to think"; in other words, a full stomach will tax the bodily energies to its utmost, which is why people can fall asleep after a hearty meal. This drains the bodies nerve energy and creates a dullness of thought and adversely affects the mental processes.
An empty stomach allows the body to divert the energy normally used in digestion to other tasks including the mental processes, making for a much quicker mind and clearer cognitive abilities.
Shelton.
"All the purely mental powers of man improve while fasting. The ability to reason is increased. Memory is improved. Attention and association are quickened. The so-called spiritual forces of man--intuition, sympathy, love, etc.--are all increased. All of man's intellectual and emotional qualities are given new life. At no other time can the purely intellectual and aesthetic activities be so successfully pursued as during a fast.
Sinclair says: "I went out of doors and lay in the sun all day, reading; and the same for the third and fourth days--intense physical lassitude, but with great clearness of mind. After the fifth day I felt stronger, and walked a good deal, and I also began some writing. No phase of the experience surprised me more than the activity of my mind, I read and wrote more than I had dared to do for years before.".............................
http://chestofbooks.com/health/natural-cure/The-Hygienic-System-Fasting-and-S...
Chrisb1.