If you didn’t catch Part One of my Oral Wellness Journey, be sure to read it here.
One of the first things my husband Kenny and I discovered about natural oral health is that fasting can actually heal cavities.
Wow. Fasting? Like, not eating?
It seems counterintuitive. When you eat, you get nutrients and minerals that your body needs, right? Wouldn’t going without food cause your teeth to lose those minerals? Wouldn’t that leave your teeth in worse shape?
Actually, no.
So, how does this work?
On a normal day with normal eating, your body expends a great deal of energy digesting and using the food that you eat. Your body uses what you eat to power its regular life processes.
If you eat a healthy, nutrient-rich diet, then great, your body has what it needs. But if you don’t (and that would be most of us), then your body has to make up the difference by tapping into its own nutrient reserves. (Sorry, Twinkies and Dr. Pepper are NOT rich in nutrients.)
If you continue eating nutrient-poor, unhealthy food, the body’s stores become depleted, and over time, you get cavities, periodontal disease, and other sicknesses.
So, wouldn’t fasting require the body to use even more of its nutrient stores, leading to sickness sooner? Surely food, any food, is better than nothing.
Sorry, no again. Put down that Dorito and keep on reading…
Studies have shown that the body actually becomes nutrient-deficient more quickly on a diet of unhealthy, stripped food (like white bread, pasta, pastries, etc.) than on a diet of- get this- nothing at all.
Say what??
It’s like this, see. When you eat a lot of junk food, your body has to balance out the high volume of nutrient-devoid food with nutrients from its own stores. Add to that the normal job of digestion, elimination, and everything else your body does to keep you up and running on a day to day basis, and that equates to a lot of nutrient loss.
However! When you fast, your body is not burdened with the task of balancing out the volume of unhealthy food, and it doesn’t have to worry about digestion. So it is able to focus its energies on other things, like healing and detoxifying.
While fasting, your body goes into preservation and clean-up mode. Since it is relying entirely on its own nutrient stores, the body uses these nutrients very efficiently.
When you fast, an amazing thing happens. Your body actually relocates minerals in your body to where they need to be most: like in your teeth.
And this explains why, at almost thirty years old, my husband only had one. tiny. cavity.
He probably got cavities growing up, but when he fasted, they healed themselves.
Amazing, huh?
It seemed crazy to me at first, I’ll admit. I didn’t really believe it. But, the more I thought and read about it, the more it made perfect sense. When you eat like normal, your body has to use up a lot of energy digesting your food and carrying out normal body processes. When you fast, your body gets the message that it’s time to conserve its resources, focus on healing and restoration, and it uses it resources much more economically.
It’s really that simple.
How Long and How Often Should You Fast
If you have never fasted before, start slowly. Try fasting one meal out of the week. The next week, try fasting for two meals or a whole day at a time.
Remember to drink plenty of water. Never deprive yourself of water while fasting.
There’s no definitive answer on how long or how often you should fast. It totally depends on your body, your health, your life.
This is what Kenny did. When he was about twelve years old, he started out just fasting for one meal out of the week. A few years later, he began fasting for a whole day each week.
A few times a year, he would fast for a longer period, about three days. And once a year, he would fast for five to seven days.
Go On a Fast
Fasting for short periods on a regular basis is incredibly good for your health. I believe that the body depends on fasting to be able to really deep clean your cells, kind of like spring cleaning for your body. If you are always eating, you are never giving your body a break. It has to work around the clock, digesting food.
After a while, things get dirty in there. Stop eating and let your body clean up. 
You’ll feel so much better. And your teeth will thank you!
Fasting is great for you for other reasons, too, not the least of which is that it directs your hunger away from food and toward God. After all, you know, man cannot live by bread alone.
For more information on fasting and oral health, check out HealingTeethNaturally.com.
Stay tuned for Part Three: What To Eat for Healthy Teeth…
This post shared at Inspire Me Monday.
Have you ever used fasting to improve your oral health? Do you think I’m crazy? Share below!
The post Oral Wellness, Part Two: Fasting Heals Cavities! appeared first on Serendipity Sings.
