Brain Fog (also known as Keto Flu) is frequently caused by a lack of salt. Glycogen retains water, which retains salt. On a water / dry fast (or even low carb), the glycogen is consumed, which releases the water and the salt. The water and salt get discarded.
There’s also evidence that the low salt recommendations aren’t based on science - there has always been a debate over salt. Some say salt is good for you. You can find videos on this. The cholesterol myth too.
Should add. When fasting, at the start, you’ll lose a lot of water. You’ll know it too because of the trips to the bathroom.
If fasting for weight loss, my recommendation is to weigh yourself before the start and then about 4 days in. Up til then, much of the weight loss will have been water that was stored in the glycogen and has been eliminated. It will come back once you start eating.
It’s psychological. At the end of the fast, weight yourself. Know that you’re likely to “put back on” the weight difference between days 1 and 4. Know it’s water and not fat.
I admire your willpower to do a 40-day fast! As far as salt goes, most people don't know to use Celtic or sea salt….both have many minerals the body needs. Typical table salt is refined and bleached and only contains sodium and chloride.
I make sole water - basically a saturated salt solution. Put salt in a glass. Fill it up. Put top (plastic) on. Shake. Let sit for a day (I don’t wait this long). If no salt is visible at the bottom. Add more salt and repeat. I put it in ACV.
I used sea salt but now use pink Himalayan. Learned about Celtic later. That would likely be the best.
Had to edit. I misspelled it. It’s “sole water”. Found it in a low carb book. You’ll easily find it in an internet search.
Interesting! I never heard of sol before. We primarily use Celtic salt and Himalayan salt in our house. Celtic helps with hydration, and it has over 80 minerals. I add a pinch to my water daily. We use Himalayan salt on our food.
This can be dangerous for many people, and you can get enough salt from fresh produce. Salt in water is hard on the liver. Have you looked at the Medical Medium information about fasting etc.
I would have to say results are individual. I have fought PCOS my entire adult life. The only thing that has EVER caused weight loss is fasting. Usually, I do not lose much during the fast, maybe 3 to 5 lbs, but as long as it is at least 24 hours long, I will see steady loss over the next three months. If I am disciplined to add moderate walking, the loss will be significant. For me, reducing insulin and increasing insulin sensitivity is what is critical. I already restrict carbs, moderate fat, avoid seed oils like the plague, choose grass fed meat, etc. etc. but none of those things cause weight loss, for me. Only water fasting or dry fasting. This year it resulted in a 50 lb loss, no dietary changes other than the fast. I monitor my A1C and fasting insulin levels. Still have work to do.
Did read an interesting Reddit post where 7 days dry was done. Very thirsty and gradual energy loss was experienced. The biggest obstacle noted was insomnia.
Great article. I was banned for 20 days and 11 days from posting because I said this about your article on Brits deaths in the Victorian era. I asked about the lead paint they use as makeup.
I’m not fond of fasting. I think as we age, fasting destroys muscle and organ tissue that we can ill afford to lose.
But what I do now, is a honey diet. Eating cooked or fresh fruit, honey, maybe a stray Mexican Coke, some dates…until my OMAD, one meal a day. During the “honey” period I also eat gelatin or collagen. These proteins lack BCAAs and methionine.
I have found this regime highly beneficial to glucose regulation, sleep and every other marker I can think of.
The honey diet raises FGF21, which in turn raises metabolic rate. Your temperatures are really good — 37C or higher — and that is extremely healthy.
Fasting lowers metabolic rate, which is another downside and another reason to avoid it.
Kind of agree. I’m recovering from long term low and ultra low carb which ended up being almost a starvation diet. I fasted, did IF, OMAD and it caused lots of damage and wrecked my metabolism. Gained lots of weight. Trying to add just small amounts of carbs has been difficult to try and get proper glucose (preferred fuel for the body) metabolism and not stress hormone metabolism used in gluconeogenisis. Substandard way to produce mitochondrial energy. This process starts scavenging your tissues, bones and organs to create energy that just eating fruit and decent carbs can provide without stress hormones. I wondered why I was so stressed all the time. Duh. I have no objections to short fasts or even a dry fast. Might try a day and see how I feel. Your honey diet is similar to the sugar diet that has been popular. I tried it but felt I was not getting enough protein so I could only go to noon. Glad it works for you. Is this a daily diet? I think being a woman throws some con founders in the mix. Diets like this seem to work better for men. My husband can drop a Little Debbie and lose 10 pounds fairly quickly. Me? Won’t work.
It’s for three or four days on and maybe a day or so off. It doesn’t have hard and fast rules. Protein is from collagen or gelatin.
Those proteins don’t inactivate fgf21. They help maintain overall low methionine and that has been shown to extend longevity in various mammals and also stop cancer from growing or spreading.
Protein makes cancer grow, not stop it. Collagen from animals is no good for humans. You make collagen from Vitamin C. Check out this information on the Medical Medium website.
Thank you again for this amazing article Unbekoming. Your explanations on how to perform different fasting cures safely and the type of healing they create in the body are indeed very welcome. It also makes me quite happy because it confirms what I felt about a couple of years ago, when massive burnouts made me stop eating and drinking for long periods of time without controlling or realising it. Surprisingly I found amazing psychological resources for writing. The fasting was uncontrolled to start with, but then I realised something was happening. I paid more attention to my well being, but carried on fasting as I felt it. Without this experience, I don't think I would have been able to write down everything that happened to me so accurately, or research and collect the evidence I needed to attack the people responsible for the abuses that blew my head off. 🙂
Interesting distinction between fasting and starvation. We should also note that this distinction is a gradation, not binary, and the gradations are different for different nutrients and the gradient is also unique to the individual who has different statuses, strengths, and weaknesses at the start and throughout the process.
KoalaPower, actually they were starving because they were not getting enough energy. Protein is essential for amino acids but it is rather costly to use for energy. One must either get energy from fat (one’s own body fat preferably or dietary) or carbs. When someone exhausts their own body fat stores for energy, yet is still consuming an abundance of lean protein, then starvation will set it. Its nickname is “rabbit starvation.” Eating highly quality saturated fat that the eels on Alone Australia were full of, helps keep one’s energy levels high. Notice how the Alone fact block always says the Palawa people would eat the veg if resources (aka fish and mammals) were scarce! Veg, if properly processed, can be good for a limited time as all plant foods come with toxins, antinutrients and other defense chemicals to protect it and its seeds as plants have no other way to protect themself from being eaten.
Are you saying meat does not have any toxins? I think the world is full of toxins and it can accumulate in the organs of animals. I have lived meat free for over 40 years with no health issues or energy issues, I do grow some and buy organic mostly. And eat a lot of fruit.
Again, if you watch Alone, no one has ever won without eating meat. All the vegans tap out or get medically extracted. Again, the fact boxes contain information about how the native people would eat and it’s clear they thrived by eating meat using plants when animal food was scarce. The fact boxes also make it clear that the native people were nomadic moving to food sources due to seasons.
What edible vegetation grows in the winter that natives would consume? This greatly depends on latitude. But, usually there are animals and fish available because they can eat vegetation humans cannot.
Fish is full of mercury, and we can eat many of the foods animals eat. I leave you with that. I don't want to continue except as long as you have fruit you are getting all your minerals. The show Alone is not a good example of long term health because those people are used to eating a different diet when not on the show so did not have time to adjust properly.
Had a look, she seems to be spruiking what we already know and making money from it. Better still check out medicalmedium.com all free information about the true cause of cancer. Virus plus toxins equals cancer. You need both for it to grow.
The no-sugar way of eating is quite amazing too. No hardship, really - within a few days you're done with sugar and the liberation is great. Possibly an option with intermittent fasting.
Anyone suffering from adrenal fatigue, which is common, should be cautious of fasting as without regular glucose, the adrenals are required to "fuel" the body with adrenaline. This taxes the adrenals further. A healthy liver has glucose reserves to supplement regular glucose intake. But given our toxic environment and high-fat diets, healthy livers are few and far between.
I don't have much faith in "scientific evidence" as most of what passes for studies and research is industry funded with an agenda. Big pharma won't fund studies into a condition that requires natural healing remedies such as licorice root and keeping blood sugar levels steady, rather than chemicals.
So I guess the evidence for me would be experiential. Did my chronic fatigue go away when I followed the guidance? Yes. Did it get worse when I fasted? Yes.
I looked up adrenal fatigue, and you are right that the medial establishment doesn't recognise it (and I don't trust them either). The symptoms are very ambiguous, and I see you are calling it chronic fatigue in your second post.
If it's long-lasting, as mine was, it's chronic. And not all fatigue stems from overworked adrenals. Some is neurological. But for fatigue to be a condition or illness, rather than just a short-lived and natural response to, say, over-exercise or too much sun exposure, it would need to be chronic. Otherwise rest and hydration would be the "cure" as is the case if you have a healthy nervous system and/or adrenal glands.
Nice summary write ups on fasting. You are correct as it is an ancient practice for healing. I might add the following: it is normal in older days where eating is only 1 times a day. In fact in my area, there are still plenty of farmers only eat once a day usually around 10 am, and not eating afterwards. If you look even longer times, say 1500 years ago, our Phrophet Muhammad saw also eats one meal a day, and sometimes longer when things get tough (war, famine, etc). So it is a normal. Also from him, we learn "dry fasting" not eating not drinking during daytime (14 hrs in my local), for 30 days during month of Ramadhan. So it is nothing new, as you said, but I add spiritual excersice durring this special fasting. BTW the next Ramadhan will be in Februari 2026. You are welcome to try it. Salam. Cheers.
What is the point of a fast if you go back to eating and drinking all the same toxic stuff. Better to do a fruit fast, mono cleanse etc as per Medical medium protocols and change your life choices. The brain needs constant glucose.
I do 40 day water fasts. Article is well done.
Brain Fog (also known as Keto Flu) is frequently caused by a lack of salt. Glycogen retains water, which retains salt. On a water / dry fast (or even low carb), the glycogen is consumed, which releases the water and the salt. The water and salt get discarded.
There’s also evidence that the low salt recommendations aren’t based on science - there has always been a debate over salt. Some say salt is good for you. You can find videos on this. The cholesterol myth too.
Should add. When fasting, at the start, you’ll lose a lot of water. You’ll know it too because of the trips to the bathroom.
If fasting for weight loss, my recommendation is to weigh yourself before the start and then about 4 days in. Up til then, much of the weight loss will have been water that was stored in the glycogen and has been eliminated. It will come back once you start eating.
It’s psychological. At the end of the fast, weight yourself. Know that you’re likely to “put back on” the weight difference between days 1 and 4. Know it’s water and not fat.
I admire your willpower to do a 40-day fast! As far as salt goes, most people don't know to use Celtic or sea salt….both have many minerals the body needs. Typical table salt is refined and bleached and only contains sodium and chloride.
I make sole water - basically a saturated salt solution. Put salt in a glass. Fill it up. Put top (plastic) on. Shake. Let sit for a day (I don’t wait this long). If no salt is visible at the bottom. Add more salt and repeat. I put it in ACV.
I used sea salt but now use pink Himalayan. Learned about Celtic later. That would likely be the best.
Had to edit. I misspelled it. It’s “sole water”. Found it in a low carb book. You’ll easily find it in an internet search.
Interesting! I never heard of sol before. We primarily use Celtic salt and Himalayan salt in our house. Celtic helps with hydration, and it has over 80 minerals. I add a pinch to my water daily. We use Himalayan salt on our food.
This can be dangerous for many people, and you can get enough salt from fresh produce. Salt in water is hard on the liver. Have you looked at the Medical Medium information about fasting etc.
I would have to say results are individual. I have fought PCOS my entire adult life. The only thing that has EVER caused weight loss is fasting. Usually, I do not lose much during the fast, maybe 3 to 5 lbs, but as long as it is at least 24 hours long, I will see steady loss over the next three months. If I am disciplined to add moderate walking, the loss will be significant. For me, reducing insulin and increasing insulin sensitivity is what is critical. I already restrict carbs, moderate fat, avoid seed oils like the plague, choose grass fed meat, etc. etc. but none of those things cause weight loss, for me. Only water fasting or dry fasting. This year it resulted in a 50 lb loss, no dietary changes other than the fast. I monitor my A1C and fasting insulin levels. Still have work to do.
What is dry fasting? Are you really not drinking anything? For how long? We've always been told that without water for 3 days, we'd die.
I have heard of people dry fasting for three days, but I have only ever done 24 hours. It wasn't too bad.
Did read an interesting Reddit post where 7 days dry was done. Very thirsty and gradual energy loss was experienced. The biggest obstacle noted was insomnia.
Never mind, I just read the article.
Great article. I was banned for 20 days and 11 days from posting because I said this about your article on Brits deaths in the Victorian era. I asked about the lead paint they use as makeup.
Welcome back:).
I’m not fond of fasting. I think as we age, fasting destroys muscle and organ tissue that we can ill afford to lose.
But what I do now, is a honey diet. Eating cooked or fresh fruit, honey, maybe a stray Mexican Coke, some dates…until my OMAD, one meal a day. During the “honey” period I also eat gelatin or collagen. These proteins lack BCAAs and methionine.
I have found this regime highly beneficial to glucose regulation, sleep and every other marker I can think of.
The honey diet raises FGF21, which in turn raises metabolic rate. Your temperatures are really good — 37C or higher — and that is extremely healthy.
Fasting lowers metabolic rate, which is another downside and another reason to avoid it.
Kind of agree. I’m recovering from long term low and ultra low carb which ended up being almost a starvation diet. I fasted, did IF, OMAD and it caused lots of damage and wrecked my metabolism. Gained lots of weight. Trying to add just small amounts of carbs has been difficult to try and get proper glucose (preferred fuel for the body) metabolism and not stress hormone metabolism used in gluconeogenisis. Substandard way to produce mitochondrial energy. This process starts scavenging your tissues, bones and organs to create energy that just eating fruit and decent carbs can provide without stress hormones. I wondered why I was so stressed all the time. Duh. I have no objections to short fasts or even a dry fast. Might try a day and see how I feel. Your honey diet is similar to the sugar diet that has been popular. I tried it but felt I was not getting enough protein so I could only go to noon. Glad it works for you. Is this a daily diet? I think being a woman throws some con founders in the mix. Diets like this seem to work better for men. My husband can drop a Little Debbie and lose 10 pounds fairly quickly. Me? Won’t work.
It’s for three or four days on and maybe a day or so off. It doesn’t have hard and fast rules. Protein is from collagen or gelatin.
Those proteins don’t inactivate fgf21. They help maintain overall low methionine and that has been shown to extend longevity in various mammals and also stop cancer from growing or spreading.
Protein makes cancer grow, not stop it. Collagen from animals is no good for humans. You make collagen from Vitamin C. Check out this information on the Medical Medium website.
Thank you again for this amazing article Unbekoming. Your explanations on how to perform different fasting cures safely and the type of healing they create in the body are indeed very welcome. It also makes me quite happy because it confirms what I felt about a couple of years ago, when massive burnouts made me stop eating and drinking for long periods of time without controlling or realising it. Surprisingly I found amazing psychological resources for writing. The fasting was uncontrolled to start with, but then I realised something was happening. I paid more attention to my well being, but carried on fasting as I felt it. Without this experience, I don't think I would have been able to write down everything that happened to me so accurately, or research and collect the evidence I needed to attack the people responsible for the abuses that blew my head off. 🙂
Interesting distinction between fasting and starvation. We should also note that this distinction is a gradation, not binary, and the gradations are different for different nutrients and the gradient is also unique to the individual who has different statuses, strengths, and weaknesses at the start and throughout the process.
Yeah, just watch Alone Australia! Or any of the Alone shows to see the difference.
Yes, notice even when they were getting enough protein they were still starving for minerals from fresh produce.
KoalaPower, actually they were starving because they were not getting enough energy. Protein is essential for amino acids but it is rather costly to use for energy. One must either get energy from fat (one’s own body fat preferably or dietary) or carbs. When someone exhausts their own body fat stores for energy, yet is still consuming an abundance of lean protein, then starvation will set it. Its nickname is “rabbit starvation.” Eating highly quality saturated fat that the eels on Alone Australia were full of, helps keep one’s energy levels high. Notice how the Alone fact block always says the Palawa people would eat the veg if resources (aka fish and mammals) were scarce! Veg, if properly processed, can be good for a limited time as all plant foods come with toxins, antinutrients and other defense chemicals to protect it and its seeds as plants have no other way to protect themself from being eaten.
Are you saying meat does not have any toxins? I think the world is full of toxins and it can accumulate in the organs of animals. I have lived meat free for over 40 years with no health issues or energy issues, I do grow some and buy organic mostly. And eat a lot of fruit.
Again, if you watch Alone, no one has ever won without eating meat. All the vegans tap out or get medically extracted. Again, the fact boxes contain information about how the native people would eat and it’s clear they thrived by eating meat using plants when animal food was scarce. The fact boxes also make it clear that the native people were nomadic moving to food sources due to seasons.
What edible vegetation grows in the winter that natives would consume? This greatly depends on latitude. But, usually there are animals and fish available because they can eat vegetation humans cannot.
Fish is full of mercury, and we can eat many of the foods animals eat. I leave you with that. I don't want to continue except as long as you have fruit you are getting all your minerals. The show Alone is not a good example of long term health because those people are used to eating a different diet when not on the show so did not have time to adjust properly.
Great article. Dr Katie Demi g treats cancer https://www.katiedeming.com/
Had a look, she seems to be spruiking what we already know and making money from it. Better still check out medicalmedium.com all free information about the true cause of cancer. Virus plus toxins equals cancer. You need both for it to grow.
Wonderful article! (by way of https://www.frontnieuws.com/de-vastenkuur/ ). Thanks to both.
The no-sugar way of eating is quite amazing too. No hardship, really - within a few days you're done with sugar and the liberation is great. Possibly an option with intermittent fasting.
Anyone suffering from adrenal fatigue, which is common, should be cautious of fasting as without regular glucose, the adrenals are required to "fuel" the body with adrenaline. This taxes the adrenals further. A healthy liver has glucose reserves to supplement regular glucose intake. But given our toxic environment and high-fat diets, healthy livers are few and far between.
Is adrenal fatigue a real thing? I hear it mentioned reasonably often, but I haven't seen any kind of evidence to accompany that.
I don't have much faith in "scientific evidence" as most of what passes for studies and research is industry funded with an agenda. Big pharma won't fund studies into a condition that requires natural healing remedies such as licorice root and keeping blood sugar levels steady, rather than chemicals.
So I guess the evidence for me would be experiential. Did my chronic fatigue go away when I followed the guidance? Yes. Did it get worse when I fasted? Yes.
I looked up adrenal fatigue, and you are right that the medial establishment doesn't recognise it (and I don't trust them either). The symptoms are very ambiguous, and I see you are calling it chronic fatigue in your second post.
If it's long-lasting, as mine was, it's chronic. And not all fatigue stems from overworked adrenals. Some is neurological. But for fatigue to be a condition or illness, rather than just a short-lived and natural response to, say, over-exercise or too much sun exposure, it would need to be chronic. Otherwise rest and hydration would be the "cure" as is the case if you have a healthy nervous system and/or adrenal glands.
Yes, The medical medium has a lot of information about it, check out his website.
Thank you for this information.
John Armstrong's urine fasting should be in this article. Easier and more transformative than water fasting
Thanks for pisting this
Nice summary write ups on fasting. You are correct as it is an ancient practice for healing. I might add the following: it is normal in older days where eating is only 1 times a day. In fact in my area, there are still plenty of farmers only eat once a day usually around 10 am, and not eating afterwards. If you look even longer times, say 1500 years ago, our Phrophet Muhammad saw also eats one meal a day, and sometimes longer when things get tough (war, famine, etc). So it is a normal. Also from him, we learn "dry fasting" not eating not drinking during daytime (14 hrs in my local), for 30 days during month of Ramadhan. So it is nothing new, as you said, but I add spiritual excersice durring this special fasting. BTW the next Ramadhan will be in Februari 2026. You are welcome to try it. Salam. Cheers.
Blessings and appreciation from Sydney Australia
What is the point of a fast if you go back to eating and drinking all the same toxic stuff. Better to do a fruit fast, mono cleanse etc as per Medical medium protocols and change your life choices. The brain needs constant glucose.