Therapeutic Fasting: Letting Go of the Old and Embracing the New

Let go of the old & allow the new ❀ Therapeutic fasting unites body and mind ❀ Do something good for yourself

Hardly any of us are free from vices that gradually distance us from the person we really want to be. That keep us trapped in old habits and limit our thinking and feeling to the familiar. A fasting cure based on the principles of the saintly revered Hildegard of Bingen can help body and mind come together. Thus, fasting leads to leaving old burdens behind, setting out for new things – and being who we want to be!

What does therapeutic fasting mean?

Our everyday life today is characterized by hectic pace and abundance that do not let us come to rest but continuously drive us. Do you also feel this deep longing within you to pause once and call stop? To listen inwardly and explore what it really is that drives you, or if there is something else?

A fasting cure means exactly that: standing still and practicing renunciation. Finding silence to hear the inner voice. Giving up to let go of things that harm us and discovering new things that help us move forward.

Generally, a fasting cure means abstaining from solid foods for a limited period, refraining from indulgences like alcohol and nicotine to allow the body to cleanse harmful substances. But for Hildegard of Bingen, a fasting cure involved much more. She understood fasting as holistic, directed at both body and soul, and bringing these two aspects back together as the unity they truly represent.

In her second work “Book of Life Merits: liber vitae meritorum”, the abbess Hildegard of Bingen describes fasting as a way to free oneself from burdens and renew oneself. In this way, therapeutic fasting brings new energy to the body and new insights to the soul about itself and the life it would like to lead.

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Physical renunciation as a basis for therapeutic fasting

During a fasting cure, we are thrown back on ourselves. By completely or partially giving up food and indulgences, we focus on our nutrition and how we eat. We get to know our body better and explore which foods are good for our body and which harm it.

The one with the fasting Accompanying renunciation is exactly the opposite of what we know and are used to. Because in our society of abundance, we can satisfy all our apparent needs immediately and at any time. But time to find out whether the craving for sweet, salty, and fatty foods really gives our body what it needs is usually lacking. During alkaline fasting, we have the time to: Try new recipes! Introduce your body to new foods and unfamiliar flavors, for example in the form of Hildegard of Bingen considered important Bitter substances!

Find balance again

When you practice abstaining from your usual diet during healing fasting, you almost automatically detach from established habits that you previously did not question. The physical rest and relaxation associated with fasting opens up a whole new world for you. Alkaline fasting also frees you for new consciousness content and allows new thought processes.

By giving your offer the body a place of rest, mentally focus entirely on yourself and begin to really feel yourself again. You experience the unity of body and soul, which is so quickly lost in everyday life. Through fasting body and soul come back together – into the Hildegard of Bingen much described balance!

Healing fasting according to Buchinger: The differences to Hildegard von Bingen

The healing fasting method according to Buchinger is one of the best known. It provides that only about 250 kcal liquid are consumed throughout the day, ideally through sweetened teas. After fasting, the body is slowly reintroduced to solid food. It is also important that you relax a lot during the fasting days. Bathing, meditating, relaxing, and walking are typical activities. This fasting method is followed for up to 10 days.

While Hildegard von Bingen relies on you return to a varied and healthy (alkaline) diet, Buchinger takes the approach of completely excluding food. This is possibly meant to build a new relationship with your own diet. Roughly speaking, the difference between Buchinger and Hildegard von Bingen is that Buchinger allows only a few liquid calories, while Hildegard von Bingen includes more and solid calories.

How long do I have to fast to lose 10 kilos?

First of all, you should not fast to lose weight. That does not work in the long term, and the lost kilos are quickly regained.
In most fasting cures, you lose a few kilos within a few days. The reason is that the body can bind less water due to less food and uses up glycogen stores in the body. This can quickly lead to seeing 10 kilos less on the scale after a few days or weeks – even though most of it comes back with normal eating.

Many people pay attention to a certain calorie amount during fasting that should not be exceeded. So you can orient yourself by the fact that one kilo of body fat contains about 7000 kcalSo, with a calorie deficit of 1000 kcal, you lose one kilo of fat per week. If you burn 2000 kcal daily and consume 1000 kcal daily during the therapeutic fasting cure, you lose one kilo of body fat per week. However, since water is also lost at the same time, the scale may show 2 - 3 kilos less.

What is allowed during therapeutic fasting according to Hildegard von Bingen?

Hildegard von Bingen did not necessarily describe clearly defined therapeutic fasting instructions in her theories about fasting, but rather the foundation around fasting. Above all, she wants people to become aware of which foods harm them and which are beneficial.

During therapeutic fasting according to Hildegard von Bingen, you are usually allowed to consume up to 800 kcal per day. Also, the foods do not have to be liquid; many cures also rely on solid foods like spelt products and the like. In principle, during Hildegard von Bingen’s fasting cure, you may:

Eat solid food
Relax a lot
Get to know yourself
Discover which foods are good for you
Drink plenty of fluids

Is a fasting cure paid for by health insurance?

Under certain circumstances: Yes! First, you must discuss the cure with your doctor. In some cases, you can undergo the fasting cure in a fasting clinic under medical supervision. If this is part of a rehabilitation measure, the statutory health insurance may cover the costs. In principle, there must be a reason for the fasting cure; just because you want to do it now does not mean the costs will be covered.

How to break therapeutic fasting according to Hildegard von Bingen?

After the active fasting phase, during which only a small amount of food was consumed, you need to slowly rebuild your digestion. Over three to four days, you should gradually eat more solid food and return to a normal diet. The best results come from slowly increasing the amount of food while paying attention to how you feel.

Properly preparing for therapeutic fasting

Ideally, you should not have to work, so you can relax and allow your intestines to cleanse. You can also treat yourself to a tasty last meal, just keep the portion size modest and don’t overeat. Ideally, you should already have the foods for the cure at home, as shopping can be quite exhausting.

Start up to five days before the cure by only consuming easily digestible food. In principle, teas, fruits, and vegetables are the order of the day here, while you should avoid alcohol, dairy products, fatty foods, and meat.

Some begin the fasting cure with a bowel cleanse, during which you consume only psyllium husks for one to two days, for example. This phase is not mandatory. Once you have relieved the intestines with easily digestible food, you can start the therapeutic fasting cure.

Enjoy therapeutic fasting time

How long can I fast?

During therapeutic fasting, fewer calories are consumed. Therefore, you should not try to endure time frames of 30 days like during the Muslim holy fast (Ramadan). Up to 10 days is considered optimal. You can precede this with three days of light food to relax the intestines. One to two days should follow to help the intestines readjust to solid food.

How does a fasting cure according to Hildegard of Bingen work?

Hildegard of Bingen’s legacy leaves us a rich wealth of experience about nutrition and the importance of certain foods, which remains relevant nearly 900 years after its origin. The holy abbess knew from her experience in the monastery garden the right natural remedy from nature for any ailment. She was also aware even then of the harmony of life: that phases of activity and rest should always balance each other.

A fasting cure inspired by Saint Hildegard of Bingen is less about complete abstinence from food and more about focusing on conscious nutrition. There is no uniform form of fasting according to the universal scholar. Instead, you can choose the best form for yourself from various options and find your own fasting cure, such as alkaline fasting:

Moderate Spelt Fasting:
In this therapeutic fasting, you primarily abstain from meat and animal fats. The main component of the fasting is the ancient wheat spelt, which you can consume three times daily in various forms. Fruits, vegetables, and salads are allowed in this lightest form of fasting according to the saint.

Fasting with Spelt Reduction Diet:
In this form of fasting, one day where you eat your fill of spelt bread three times a day alternates with a day of regular balanced nutrition. On the reduction days, you should drink only fennel tea.

Spelt Fasting:
A much stricter restriction is the fasting cure in the form of spelt fasting. Here, you consume only spelt bread three times a day. Suitable drinks are fennel and herbal tea.

Juice fasting:
The biggest change from your usual diet occurs with juice fasting according to Hildegard of Bingen. With this fasting method, you completely abstain from solid food for several days and nourish yourself only with tea, soups and broths, as well as juices.

Furthermore, fasting according to Hildegard of Bingen also recommends Basten fasting, where you switch your diet exclusively to alkaline foods.

What should be considered during a fasting cure according to Hildegard of Bingen?

Whichever fasting method according to Hildegard of Bingen you choose: For every therapeutic fast, three basic principles can be formulated that correspond to the scholar’s ideas.

Drink plenty:

Adequate fluid intake is always very important for a balanced diet.

Drinking is more important than ever during fasting – especially when you skip solid food. The time of abstinence is perfect for trying new types of tea.

Extra rest:

With the fasting you usually break out of your routine everyday life.

Allow yourself plenty of rest during fasting to avoid overloading your body. Stress acts like poison on it! For peace and relaxation in the sense of Hildegard of Bingen to find, a freshly brewed monastery tea, a wonderfully fragrant herbal pillows as liver wraps and precious stones. Pamper yourself with care products and then enjoy beautiful skin.

Sufficient exercise:

Stick to the fasting in motion – preferably in nature

Walks, hiking, and light bike tours provide you with plenty of fresh air and stimulate your metabolism. Yoga also helps you stay active during the therapeutic fasting to come to inner calm.

Moreover, it is important to give the body rest after the fasting period not to overwhelm yourself again too quickly. Plan a longer rebuilding phase to gradually get your body used to solid or familiar food again. However, you achieve the greatest effect if the fasting cure affects your everyday life after it ends and you continue the rituals discovered during the break! This way, you set out for something new after the time of reflection. Ideal for this is, for example, the Fasting after Ash Wednesday.

About the author Dr. Markus Numberger

Our author Dr. Markus Numberger earned his doctorate in molecular neurobiology in 1992 and conducted research with Nobel laureate Bert Sakmann. He has worked in publishing, at the Charité, and for Dr. Willmar Schwabe. Since 2014, he has been a freelance medical writer for online and print media.

Learn more about this author here .