10. Questions & Answers

How soon after a prolonged fast could one plan to return to working full time?

There is no way to give an accurate estimate of the lime required. The factors involved are the gravity of the pathology, the length of the fast, the physical condition of the individual, the rate of return to normal strength and weight, and the type of work. If the faster was obese, and fasting for weight loss primarily, that person would very likely recuperate very quickly. If the weight of the faster is quite low when the fast is terminated, it will obviously be necessary to allow considerably more time for recuperation. I would say that, after a 21- to 30-day fast, one should usually expect to need at least a month, and possibly two months or more, to be able to return to a full and demanding program. I have, however, known people who recovered full strength and vitality in less time. Essentially, it depends on the individual and other circumstances of the fasting situation, and is really more or less unpredictable.

How long after breaking a fast should one stay at the fasting retreat?

Again, as for the answer to the previous question, there is not one general answer applicable to all cases. However, it is best to arrange to stay long enough to become established in the new eating program, and beyond the stage where one "feels hungry all the time." After a 21-to 30-day fast, two weeks of eating should be considered the minimum before leaving the retreat; if there are any unresolved problems, it would be best to stay longer.

Exactly what do you mean by fasting to completion, or the return of true hunger, and how many days of fasting do you estimate that would require?

Fasting to completion, or the return of true or natural hunger, is considered to be a point at which the body has relieved itself of most of its toxic load, and has almost exhausted those reserves which can be utilized for salvaging nutritive materials. It is considered to be close to the point at which fasting ceases and starvation begins. The signs that this point has been reached are obvious to the fasting supervisor, and most of these signs are mentioned in the lesson. It is impossible to estimate how long this will take. I have known people who fasted 30, 40, and 45 days, with no signs of the return of true hunger. I even knew one very obese lady who fasted 92 days (after which she was still obese—she had lost 87 pounds) and there were still no signs of natural hunger at the termination of her fast. On the other hand, some of these signs have been reported at the end of 20 to 30 days of fasting, and even more at the end of 40 to 45 days. The length of time it would take is essentially unpredictable, but it usually only occurs in the very long fast.

What is meant by nitrogenous equilibrium?

Nitrogen is the chief ingredient of protein, and every 6.25 grams of protein contains one gram of nitrogen. A protein deficiency, or negative nitrogen balance (where protein is being broken down more rapidly than it is being built) exists:

  1. When the diet is not supplying adequate protein for maintenance and repair.
  2. When the diet is deficient in some essential amino acid.
  3. When the body is receiving an insufficient supply of carbohydrates and fats, and must deaminate necessary protein to supply energy needs.
  4. When the body has lost its ability to properly digest, assimilate, or synthesize proteins.

Nitrogenous equilibrium (nitrogen balance) is normally maintained by a healthy organism which is receiving 25 to 50 grams of protein daily. A Hygienic diet, consisting mostly of raw fruits and vegetables, plus two to four ounces (maximum) of raw nuts and seeds taken 2-3 times a week, will adequately meet the protein needs of the body, and will result in nitrogenous equilibrium, unless a related serious pathology exists. In this case, a last may be necessary to reestablish the ability of the body to properly digest, assimilate, and synthesize proteins. If alternate sources of concentrated protein are used in addition to nuts and seeds (sprouts, cheese, legumes, grains), the amounts of nuts and seeds used should be reduced. People on all-raw-food diets usually require fewer concentrated proteins.
Obviously during a fast, protein is not being supplied by the diet, and minimum protein needs are met through the process of autolysis, as the body disintegrates the least important tissues, and salvages nutrients to meet its needs. So long as the fast is not continued after reserves are depleted, nitrogen balance will not be affected. It is true that, subsequent to the fast, the body will have lost much of its store of protein, which must be gradually replaced in the weeks and months following the fast. As quoted in the lesson, Chittenden says that, although, after the fast, the body is greatly in need of replenishment of its protein stores, it can replace them only slowly, even though the person eats abundantly of protein food.

What do you mean when you refer to the pathogenic debris of cooked food?

A study by Swiss scientist, Paul Kouchakoff, M.D. (in the 1940s), revealed that leukocytosis is caused by a preponderance of cooked food in the diet. Leukocytosis—the augmentation of the number of white corpuscles, and the alteration of the correlation of the percentage between them—was formerly considered to be a normal physiological phenomenon, since it seemed to occur after every consumption of food.
An excessive number of white corpuscles in the blood (leukocytosis) also occurs in response to inflammation, the presence of excessive numbers of bacteria, and is, in reality, a pathological phenomenon.
The white corpuscles are the defense organisms of the blood that prevent intoxification of the blood by bacteria, cooked food, or other toxic materials.
Kouchakoff found that pressure cooked foods produced greater leukocytosis than other types of cooking; and that wine, vinegar, and white sugar produced even more. Prepared or processed meats (cooked, smoked, salted) brought on the most violent reaction, equivalent to the leukocytosis count in poisoning.
"After the consumption of fresh raw foodstuff, produced by nature, our blood formula does not change in any lapse of time, nor in consequence of any combination." (Viktoras Kulvinskas, Survival Into the 21st Century, p. 316.)
When the diet is comprised of more than 20% of food that has been altered by high temperatures or other complicated treatments, leukocytosis is the result. Most people can tolerate a diet of 80% raw food, with 20% of conservatively cooked food. The largely raw food diet will offset the adverse effect of a small amount of cooked food, so as not to cause leukocytosis.
Kouchakoff's conclusions were reached after more than three hundred experiments on ten individuals of different ages and sex.