So I will be spending 3 days at a Buddhist monastery this week, and in the Theravadan tradition, they do not eat after noon. Today is my third day on a raw diet after the master cleanse, and I dont' have much of an urge to eat much anyway. (And feel great) So I think I'll be ok.

Yesterday I had two very light meals the whole day. One was at about 10 am and the other about 5:00pm. I wasn't even that hungry at 5:00 but I really wanted to try the recipe I had. (Which didn't turn out that great anyway!)

In between I was eating a little bit of apple that I was drying in my home-made dehydrator. I kept um...testing it. (it was good!)

Anyway, does anybody have a diet that remotely resembles this? Drinks are allowed of course, just no solid foods after noon. I'm sure some portion of the food served in the morning and before noon will have a raw portion, but I don't know how much.

In that context you can't really be too picky and say to the abbot "can you bring me another salad please?" You kind of get what you get!

-DaveK



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2008 02:55PM by Itzdavey.

No eating after Noon!! But drinking is allowed? It seems that would be cheating on the purpose. Tonya Zavasta, in her book "Quantum Eating", recommends 16 to 18 hours of Dry Fasting everyday.
What do the Buddhists have after Noon? That would be my question.......WY

I'm sure different places do it differently. Mostly water or some kind of juice. One place even said soft drinks (ugh!).

The purpose has to do with monastic rules going back to the Buddha's original community, where meals were gathered by going out on alms rounds. Since this was time consuming the practice was restricted to twice a day - morning and before noon. The rule has been kept in place in this tradition as a practice of discipline and to provide more time for meditation. It's also easier to meditate on an empty stomach, and you don't spend that many calories during meditation. The primary reasons for doing it aren't directly related to health.

This is the first forum where I've heard people talk about dry fasting. I'll admit I haven't researched the topic, but it doesn't sound like it's for me. My body seems to process liquids very quickly and I feel I am always battling with dehydration. If I go a few hours without drinking my mouth is dry already. Maybe my body needs to re-learn how to process fluids? Probably a topic for another thread.


-DaveK

Many people don't have their first meal until late in the day--noon or two pm. If you woke up earlier and shifting eating to earlier, I'm sure it wouldn't be a problem to get into that routine--probably you ultimately go the same number of hours without eating. Mini-fasts like that are very healthy if you are ready for them.

Well the first meal is at 7:00am and the second is at 11:15. The residents and monastics eat like this every day, and they say you get used to it after the first few days. I'm just wondering if there will be enough raw stuff in those first two meals to keep me going or if I might have to eat whatever else they have. Not that I have a problem with that, but I am trying to get some momentum going on this raw thing.

-DaveK

I usually have small meals throughout the day, but only ended up having two yesterday out of happenstance. They were larger than what I would usually have, though I probably ate slightly less for the day overall.

If I have a meal of, say, two plums and a nectarine, I know I'll be hungry again soon, because that digests quickly and I still need more calories. But, I also have the advantage of not feeling weighed down or suffering any digestive troubles from what I eat.

My first meal yesterday was a GIANT green smoothie (2 tbsp flax, 4 bananas, and a whole bunch of cilantro), along with some tiny lettuce wraps with tomato, cucumber, bean sprouts, and raw hummus. I was STUFFED, but satisfied, and didn't think about food for hours.

I just ate a fairly nutty lunch at around 1:30. (Some ground up soaked nuts and dates spread onto celery) so I think I'm going to go the rest of today and see what happens. Tomorrow I'll be getting to the monastery after they've already eaten the second meal so I better make sure I eat!

In my experience at retreats, I have not had a problem with not eating after noon. You may want to eat some apples with nut butter to have something heavier in your stomach. If you are concerned about them not having any raw nut butters, bring some as an offering and explain to them that you were concerned about your own dietary needs and brought some things to share.

They may allow you to have tea or lemon water at around 5 PM. Take advantage of this even if you think you do not need to because at 6 or 7 or 8 you may feel hunger pangs.

Drink plenty of water.

It is unusual for someone new to be on the Eight Precepts as opposed to the Five Precepts. (Eight -- no food after noon; Five -- food after noon.)

Let us know how it goes.


Lee

I do the Tonya Zavasta way of eating that is 2 meals(Huge veggie juice+fruit and a huge salad) and do not eat after 2 pm.
Dry fasting until next morning. It is very important that you are very healthy to do dry fasting because your body takes all the liquid out. It is very difficult at the beginning but I'm already getting used to it.It is my 4rd week doing this way of eating.

cy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I do the Tonya Zavasta way of eating that is 2
> meals(Huge veggie juice+fruit and a huge salad)
> and do not eat after 2 pm.
> Dry fasting until next morning. It is very
> important that you are very healthy to do dry
> fasting because your body takes all the liquid
> out. It is very difficult at the beginning but I'm
> already getting used to it.It is my 4rd week doing
> this way of eating.

Cy, I applaud you for being Bold enough to
break new ground, when everyone else says the opposite.
I'm experimenting with this new way of eating too. It
sure does free-up a lot of time during the day and night......WY

What are the documented benefits of dry fasting? When I used to go too long without water, I would start to break out. I would think dry fasting could be difficult on your internal organs. Obviously, I've never looked into it but it intrigues me, knowledge-wise.

I don't follow the logic in dry fasting. Drinking plenty of water helps flush out toxins so you stop drinking water ? Eating high fiber foods helps remove toxins from the body so you stop eating high fiber foods ? I don't get it ?

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
Cy, I applaud you for being Bold enough to
> break new ground, when everyone else says the
> opposite.
> I'm experimenting with this new way of eating too.
> It
> sure does free-up a lot of time during the day and
> night......WY

Thank you very much WY. I applaud you too for going on this way.Yes,it gives you a long time to live,think,dealing with emotions,work,it is a huge freedom of food (what's for dinner?)drinks....and I'm loving it.It is getting to be my way of living,and I do not miss a bit of the old way.

Simple Living, Tonya Zavasta writes in her book:"In dry fasting there is no water intake and the water that is present in urine,feces,and sweat is metabolic water as an end product of carbohydrates,fat,and protein metabolism.The wastes from inside the cells are flushed out with that metabolic water,which makes the elimination process easier." ("The health body can survive 14 days of dry fasting.The sick body can die on the first day because of the amount of toxins released into the bloodstream."

I'm doing a 18 hour dry fasting daily.It is easier and makes me feel very good.

Quote

I'm doing a 18 hour dry fasting daily.It is easier and makes me feel very good.

Jenkies!

I think you should have no problem with not eating after 12 PM as long as you eat enough before.I usaully go 16 to 18 hours after my last meal not everyday but probaly 5 times a week I find it works good for me if I eat my last meal at 630PM then wait till the next day to eat at noon it is no problem and i feel nice n lihgt and fresh before I eat and I will always be hungry.

Cherimoya

Love Peace and Happiness,

there seem to be alot of different opinions about when to eat, when to stop, drinking water or not...

I have a living food book, the author recommands not to eat breakfast, to start eating at 12 pm , and then at least 5 hours later, have a light super... She also recommands to avoid drinking, since a raw diet should provide all the water the body needs....

I dont think i could ever agree with that... Ironically, it looks like an anorexic diet, eating almost nothing, not drinking... gees....

Two meals a day--lots of people do that. If you eat lots of water-rich food, you might not be very thirsty. It feels good to let everything digest and truly get hungry before eating again.

Eating from 8am to 2pm is what I'm going to try for a while to see how it feels. 8am will be Wheatgrass Juice, followed by Celery Juice at 9am, and maybe a little Carrot Juice around 11am. A big Green Smoothie between 1:30 to 2pm will finish each day of eating. An 18 hour Dry Fast everyday may seem extreme, but I think the Body will adjust very well to not eating all day long......WY

We are all different. One size may not fit all. Listen to your body.

Yeah, intermittent fasting, or going most of the day without eating has definite benefits. Like calorie restriction, without having to actually restrict the calories.

But it's too tough for me. I like to eat more often than that.

I only eat twice a day now and have been doing this for months already. I have breakfast at around 5:30, lately it's been raw nuts and seeds with raw agave nectar, then lunch is at 11-11:30ish and lately has been a bunch of fruit. And that's it. I'm just not hungry at all after noon and it was really easy transitioning to this routine. As an added bonus there are less dishes to wash! Yeah!

Let's say you participate in strenuous activity after noon, like yoga, or teaching yoga.

Does anyone have experience with this?

Nessi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Let's say you participate in strenuous activity
> after noon, like yoga, or teaching yoga.
>
> Does anyone have experience with this?

I can only Theorize that you would have more
strength and energy for whatever you want to do. By not
eating after Noon, the Body runs more efficiently (or can run)
than from eating all day long. It may take a while to train your
Body, but Quantum Eating may have some 'merit' (to use a Buddhist
term)......WY

I prefer not eating before noon.

- ***z

jamielor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I prefer not eating before noon.

I wish I could quote them, but Studies
show it is better, for the Human Body, to eat in the
morning rather than in the afternoon-evening. Nutrients
are used more efficiently, and we can run-better-on-less.....WY

I have done strenuous activity in the morning, when I didn't eat until late in the day (like 2)--no problem. I wouldn't be worried about the reverse. You shouldn't keel over or anything if your body is working right.

Wheatgrass Yogi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jamielor Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I prefer not eating before noon.
>
> I wish I could quote them, but Studies
> show it is better, for the Human Body, to eat in
> the
> morning rather than in the afternoon-evening.
> Nutrients
> are used more efficiently, and we can
> run-better-on-less.....WY


If you find such studies yogi please e-mail me as I am quite curious & interested in setting up the ideal eating/sleeping/activity scedules for myself.

jamielorocco@gmail.com and/or catalystnarz@gmail.com

Cheers!

Hi Folks. I just got back from my time at the monastery.

There was really no way to eat all raw, but the food was still very good. The not eating after noon didn't bother me at all since I haven't been eating much anyway lately (since my master cleanse).

The place runs strictly on donations, so it was very humbling that some of the food I brought in (from a list on the site of what they needed) was what was offered for the meals. It was an interesting experience of the way dana (generosity) works in Buddhism.

I had to drink a lot of liquids. I realize some people are very exited about dry fasting but it's not something I think is beneficial for me at this time. (I posted in the thread on quantum eating about this.)

-DaveK

Thanks for sharing.

Glad to hear everything went so well.

The karma of your donations sounds so beautiful - what you brought to come back around...nice.