Fasting has a long history in many religions. The idea is to abstain from food, drink and essential items to gain spiritual advantage. In the past, fasting was used as a treatment for various diseases and disorders. Most people believe that abstaining from food helps the body and soul in many ways. Denying yourself something you want promotes greater control over your life. If that thing is food, then this control can have a very positive effect on your body and mind.
What is Fasting?
Fasting is a traditional practice that involves voluntarily denying oneself something to achieve a goal. For example, when Christians fast, they avoid eating or drinking anything other than water for their span of days. Apart from spiritual 
meaning, some people fast to improve health. For example, Muslims fast during the holy month of Ramadan to prepare themselves for spiritual growth. During a fast, one trains his body and mind to focus on what is good in life rather than what is bad. Because of this, many people choose to fast after experiencing the benefits first-hand.
Benefits of Fasting
Improved Physical Health and Energy Levels
Many people report that fasting improves their physical health and energy levels. During a fast, one’s body does not consume any food or drink; he subsists therefore on 
clean water alone. This causes dramatic changes in both metabolism and digestion levels. Since the body grows weaker without food, it has to pull extra energy from its organs during abstinence periods. By speeding up the process of metabolism, fasting effectively cleans them while restoring energy levels. Results can be immediate and dramatic after adopting this lifestyle change.
Increase Oxygen Delivery in the Body
Another important benefit of fasting is that it increases the blood’s capacity to deliver oxygen to organs and cells. Cells metabolize energy when they are active during a fast. Because of this increase in oxygen levels, the brain can also operate better because it gets more oxygenated air to breathe. This shifts the brain’s metabolism towards obtaining more oxygen from faster moving air instead of from food sources. As a result, one’s mental clarity during a fast increases dramatically. Essentially, maintaining abstinence increases several aspects of one’s physicality- including his physical capacity to think clearly and exercise effectively without eating or drinking anything but water for several days at a time.
Increased Patience and Self-Control
Fasting also has psychological benefits such as patience and self-control. During an extended fast, one trains his mind to focus on spiritual matters instead of carnal desires 
such as food or sex. This promotes greater patience as well as self-control in all areas of life as one learns to control his carnal desires through training his mind instead of his stomach. Ultimately, this increases both physicality and spirituality at the same time while promoting greater patience and self-control in all aspects of life.
Fasting has many benefits that can help one understand his purpose in life and train his mind toward spiritual growth. Many religions use intermittent fasting as part of their spiritual practices; however, it is not exclusive to any faith tradition. It can be done by anyone who wants to gain increased awareness of his purpose on Earth through increased physicality and spirituality at the same time.
