Fasting is a common practice; one observed for religious purposes or simply to maintain a healthy diet.

In Hinduism, the term 'viratham' is referred to fasting where one must remain clean, be celibate, speak the truth, practice tolerance, be vegetarian and perform rituals. This is practiced by devotees during important festival periods.

However, there are no strict rules for fasting in Hinduism. Some follow a strict diet and restrain from eating and drinking for an entire day, while others opt for a simple meal once a day such as only drinking milk.

So, why milk?



Milk fasting helps provide devotees with the important nutrients they need to sustain themselves throughout their fasting period. But raw milk advocates say unpasteurized and unhomogenized milk is the best is best as it contains natural enzymes, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals, all of which can be highly beneficial.

There are also people who perform milk fasting daily to fully enjoy the immense benefits milk has to offer.

Milk fasting helps prevent nutrient deficiencies as it contains vital minerals which help to increase bone density, build lean muscle mass, and improve blood circulation and metabolism. Consuming milk during fasting also helps to cleanse and detoxify the body by getting rid of unwanted toxins, besides keeping it hydrated and energized.

Besides detoxifying the body, milk's nourishing properties also help to strengthen the immune syste and improve digestion.


Each serving of raw milk contains 400 milligrams of calcium, 50 milligrams of magnesium and 500 milligrams of potassium which helps with the above.

Some people practice milk fasting regularly to aid weight loss, and not for religious purposes. Replacing daily meals with healthy servings of milk help to shed excess weight.

Milk, which is rich in calcium, helps the body to break down fat more efficiently, stimulating weight loss. And by drinking milk, you can avoid consuming refined sugar, which will also certainly help reduce your sugar cravings.

Even if you are not fasting every day, you can keep yourself nourished by consuming raw milk daily to stay healthy!


Source: Becoming Eden, All About Fasting, The Nourished Life and Dr Axe
Image credit: Pinterest and Worldbank.org