Fasting is broadly described as the willing abstinence from food or drink for a period of time. This article deals with absolute fasting, or water fasting, which involves eating nothing and drinking only pure water for an extended period of time – from days to weeks.

Though precaution should be taken before water-fasting for longer periods, particularly for pregnant mothers, type I diabetics and those who are already severely malnourished, fasting is believed by many holistic and nutritional experts to be the single best thing people can do to cleanse and heal the body and mind. In fact, it is believed that the greatest leaders from antiquity including Jesus, Prophet Mohammed and Buddha all fasted for 40 days, so with that in mind, let’s take a look at the top 7 benefits of absolute fasting.

#1 – Rejuvenated Immune System

A study carried out by scientists at the University of Southern California suggests that water-fasting “flips a regenerative switch” which prompts stem cells to create brand new white blood cells, essentially regenerating the entire immune system.

The science behind fasting is predicated on the belief that the body knows better than any drug or doctor how to heal itself – if given the chance. Most people don’t know that the body uses around half of its total energy to digest, assimilate and eliminate food which means that the body’s organs are working almost constantly, especially in people who eat a lot of processed foods. By water fasting for three days or more, the body starts to cleanse and has more energy to direct towards the cleansing and regeneration process.