What are the positive and negative aspects of fasting/ food deprevation?

well right now im in college and the cafeteria is open only during certain hours. I don't always have snacks to munch on in between those times and i just so hungry. Can food deprivation have neurological impact as well as physical? I heard somewhere that by "fasting" your skin gets clearer and the white in your eyes gets whiter and your growth hormones get stimulated, etc. So can anybody help me out here?

What are the positive and negative aspects of fasting/ food deprevation?
Actually, your going to wish you ate something.





Fasting will give you headaches, low blood pressure which causes the dizzy spells, loss of concentration, poor memory retention (which you will need in college!)





When I was restricting, my eyes went yellow, not white. This was because I was causing damage to my liver. My skin went white, a translucent white, that made everyone ask if I was feeling okay because I didn't look so good.





Fasting will also stunt your growth, not stimulate it. Don't do it!
Reply:you lose wieght??
Reply:When you finally eat, you will gain weight faster than usual. Its just bad for your body in general.
Reply:There is no positive. Its very bad to do.
Reply:Not eating is stupid. If the cafeteria is only open certain hours then go when it is open and grab sandwiches, fruit and whatever else you can shove in your back pack. You need the energy for your classes.
Reply:I fast all the time but not because there is no food available - but because of religious reasons. I usually fast with no food for the whole day. I'm Indian and most Indians will tell you fasting is good for you so here I go:





An aid in transition:





My observation is that the best motivating factor in helping people adopt healthful living practices is often the positive reinforcement that comes with feeling good and healthy. Fasting, for as few as five days to as many as 40 days, will often dramatically shorten the time it takes for an individual to make the transition from a conventional diet and lifestyle (with all the associated addictions, pains, fatigue and disease) to the independent and energetic state associated with healthful living. People who undertake a fast in a supervised setting, tend to achieve health more quickly than those who attempt changes without a fast. The intensive health education, plus the emotional support they receive during their stay, result in increased compliance with dietary and lifestyle recommendations.





Uterine fibroid tumors





Fasting can often be especially important in situations where drugs or surgery have been recommended. When uterine fibroid tumors contribute to pain and excess bleeding, a hysterectomy — removal of the uterus — is often recommended. A proper fast will often dramatically reduce the size and effect of these tumors. I have treated numerous women who have been able to successfully avoid hysterectomy using conservative methods. Ovarian cysts and cervical dysplasia also often respond favorably.





Overcoming addictions





Addictions to drugs such as alcohol, cocaine, nicotine and caffeine are examples where fasting can dramatically reduce the often protracted withdrawal symptoms that prevent many people from becoming drug-free. Most people are surprised at how easy it is to quit smoking or drinking with the help of fasting.





Diabetes





Many chronic degenerative conditions respond well to fasting and a Natural Hygiene lifestyle. Diabetes is no exception. Most adult onset diabetics can be brought under control and freed from the use of insulin and other medication through the use of fasting and a carefully followed diet and lifestyle program. Such a program will allow most diabetics to achieve a high level of function and the ability to maintain normal sugar levels without medications.





Remember to drink lots of water while fasting though.





There are exceptions





Not everyone is a candidate for fasting. There are a number of factors to consider before a fast is recommended. My procedure is to first review the patient’s medical history and perform a comprehensive physical examination including appropriate laboratory or specialized diagnostic tests. I then review my findings with the patient and make appropriate recommendations. These may include dietary and lifestyle recommendations. These may include dietary and lifestyle changes, exercise programs, etc., and, when indicated, fasting. When fasting is indicated, patients stay at my institution.





Not every individual or every condition will respond to conservative treatment. Occasionally medical care may be necessary. When a medical consultation or treatment is indicated, the safest methods available should be utilized.





Somtimes when you're not used to fasting, you will feel nauseated or you will feel weak but when you get used to it, your body will be able to tolerate it. No neurological problems have come up (not atleast to my knowledge)
Reply:When food is not eaten, the body looks for other ways to find energy, such as drawing on glucose from the liver's stored glycogen and fatty acids from stored fat and eventually moving on to vital protein tissues. Body, brain and nerve tissue depend on glucose for metabolism. Once the glucose is significantly used up, the body's metabolism changes, producing ketone bodies (acetoacetate, hydroxybutyrate, and acetone). Even where this transition to alternative forms of energy has been made, some parts of the brain still require glucose, and protein is still needed to produce it. If body protein loss continues, death will ensue.





Short term fasting causes a starvation response that encourages the body to store fat once eating is resumed. This is one of the pitfalls of Yo-yo dieting. The starvation response is the switching of the body from carb+fat energy generation to amino acid+fat energy generation. The amino acids are synthesised from the breakdown of muscle tissue. Since muscle tissue is always metabolically active and requires energy to function, the reduction of muscle tissue also reduces the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Basal metabolic rate is the absolute minimum energy requirement of your body while at rest. it can be compared to a car's fuel requirement when idling the engine. One of the effects of fasting is to reduce the body's energy needs during times of scarcity, analogous to turning the idle lower or replacing a big engine with a small engine. Thus, when the same amount of food is eaten, fewer of the calories are required for basal metabolism, but the rest, a greater percentage than before the fast, are stored as fat.





After approximately three days of fasting, feelings of hunger usually become infrequent or disappear altogether. According to Herbert M. Shelton, N.D., N.D.Litt., D.C., a proponent of Natural Hygiene, whose 45-year-long career of promoting water-only fasts for up to ninety days was punctuated by being repeatedly arrested for practicing medicine without a license, the 'hunger' experienced during the first three days of a fast is "gastric irritation", and not "true hunger".
Reply:I think you just need to go splurge on some munchies and not worry so much about it.