Can I Brush my Teeth when doing Dry Fast (fasting)

The best time to brush your teeth, according to a dentist

Brushing Teeth while Fasting: Prayer is key to many problem and fasting is one of the best ways to get speedy response to your queries. When you fast you are highly focused and connected – infact it is believed that through fasting the brain works much better that you solve big physical problems that are giving you headache and making it easier for God’s spirits to help solve the spiritual ones.

 

Brushing teeth while fasting will not break the fast. Combined with intermittent fasting, brushing will improve oral health and hygiene.

If you’re wondering, Can I brush my teeth while fasting? The answer is yes. There may be a small chance of breaking the fast due to the sweetness of the toothpaste flavor on the tongue (triggering insulin release) or if the toothpaste is swallowed. But the benefits of brushing your teeth while fasting outweigh this minute risk.

 

If you’re beginning dry fast or  intermittent fasting journey, you’ve been told not to eat or drink anything (or consume minimal items) during the fasting period, so you don’t break your fast and discontinue fat burning.

But many wonder whether brushing teeth while fasting breaks the fast.

 

Toothpaste doesn’t contain sugar, but many commercial toothpastes are sweetened with artificial sweeteners, so technically, brushing your teeth could break your fast.

 

So, should you be brushing teeth while fasting?
You need to weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself about brushing teeth while fasting.

Pros
Fasting by itself naturally improves oral health. Combining intermittent fasting with regular teeth brushing will not only help you lose weight, but can also improve tooth decay and gum disease.

When intermittent fasting, dry mouth may occur. Dry mouth encourages harmful acids, plaque, and food remnants to stay on the teeth, often resulting in tooth decay, enamel erosion, and gingivitis (gum disease). Dry mouth may lead to bad breath. Brushing your teeth removes the odor-causing bacteria and freshens your breath so you can converse with others confidently.

Some intermittent fasters report a metallic taste in their mouth while fasting. This is due to the byproduct acetone being released into the blood and breath during the fat-burning process. Brushing teeth while fasting will ultimately reduce the bad taste in the mouth.

Cons
The slim possibility of breaking your fast.

Although toothpaste doesn’t have added sugar, the artificial sweeteners used for flavor may impact your general health and weight-loss efforts. Seek out natural toothpaste substitutes for the well-known commercial brands. Find ones that are free of dyes, artificial sweeteners, and artificial flavors. Consider making your own or using alternative toothpaste containing baking soda, coconut oil, herbs, essential oils, and other natural healthy teeth or fresh breath promoting items.

 

What can you Drink during Intermittent Fasting?
There are many liquids which you can consume during intermittent fasting to increase the benefits and prevent the side effects. In Nigeria, the El-Blends Organic drink stands as number one, though you can simply add coconut water and others as directed by a specialist.

 

Fasting outside Religion 

Dry fasting is suddenly catching a lot of attention in India as well as abroad. In dry fasting, we eliminate water as well as food. In fact one day of dry fasting is said to be equivalent to three days of water fasting – as far as overall cleansing of the body is concerned.
There are two types of dry fasting – soft dry fast and hard dry fast.

 

Soft dry fast is where you brush your teeth, take a shower and wash your face. On the other hand, a hard dry fast is a fast where you do not come in touch with water at all – yes, total abstinence.

What makes it interesting is the convenience it offers. Dry fasting could be practised in intermittent periods, alternate days, periodically, whatever suits you.

In the state where your body doesn’t get food or water, it starts the process of utilising everything available for energy, not only for food but also water – that too at the cellular level. This sort of extreme fasting will obviously put your body in distress. And it gets more stressed out to find more water.

It is said that dry fasting offers the quickest results when it comes to weight loss because of the extremities it makes a person go through. Hence, it’s a favourite for those looking to drop kilos fast or detox.

 

Apart from boosting weight loss, this diet plan is also said to slow down ageing, boost metabolism, cell regeneration, improve immunity. Some even call it the way our body ‘resets’ itself.

Can I Brush my Teeth when doing Dry Fast (fasting)

Temi Badmus, a Nutritionist and Food Scientist from University of Ilorin, has been creating and directing people on constructive diet as well as creating time tables for them. She also recently launched the El-Blends juice to make it easier for those partaking in soft dry fasting and as first food drink after the hard dry fasting. The drink also helps in balancing blood pressure.

There are also some spiritual benefits the diet plan can offer, including mindfulness, awareness and being in sync with one’s surroundings. For these and many more reasons, a lot of traditional communities have been practising periods of dry fasting for ages.
This eventually makes your body work harder to utilise cells that are not useful and are inefficient. It also leads to autophagy, which is your body’s natural process of recycling old and damaged cells to get energy. It creates new improved cells and eliminates the bad ones. As a result, only the strong cells survive – a natural progression.

BUT do not straightaway jump into dry fasting as it can be dangerous. She says it can even be fatal to the body.

STEP 1
Once you have consulted an expert and made up your mind about undertaking dry fasting, pick a date. It will be tough for you to do a dry fast when you are required to be productive.

STEP 2
As a test run, first try out the soft dry fasting where you can have water and juice to check how mentally and physically prepared you are to do it. It is said that if someone has a lot of toxins in the body, the body releases excessive amounts of toxins in this fasting period, making the person feel dull and lethargic.

STEP 3
Once you pick a date, try to start mild detox a week in advance. Have coconut water and pink salt too. Eliminate caffeine from your routine and add more liquids and salad to your diet. Gradually cut down on your calorie intake and drink plenty of water, such that your urine is crystal clear before you enter the dry fasting phase.

STEP 4
Treat your body gently when you are dry fasting. Engage in activities that calm your senses like yoga, meditation etc. Avoid being in the sunlight or any environment that drains your energy. Try journaling your journey whenever you feel demotivated.

STEP 5
Do not ignore your body cues. If your body is in deep distress and telling you so, prepare to end your fast. If your body is truly hungry and not just causing grumbling sound in the tummy, take something light. Do not torture yourself.

STEP 6
Do not just snap out of dry fasting. The way out of dry fasting is the same as the way in to dry fasting. Sip on lots of water and have light liquid salads and juices.

Many people have reported miraculous benefits of following dry fasting, the top most being weight loss. So if you wish to detox your body and lose weight, this can be worth a try.

 

The bottom line

For the sake of everyone around you and for your own dental health benefits, continue brushing your teeth at least twice a day when intermittent fasting. Have no fears about breaking your fast while brushing your teeth. Unless you swallow toothpaste, the chances of it spiking your insulin and breaking your fast are slim. Intermittent fasting and teeth brushing are important for improving and maintaining your oral health and hygiene.

Also, fasting is a spiritual exercise not a religious law for Christians. You fast for a purpose not to obey a law. When you brush, you don’t drink the watery paste,do you?
Yes you should brush, bath, look good and cheerful, you must pray during fasting also or else, you are just on hunger strike!

 

Remember that Cleanliness is next to godliness.  Therefore, brush three times a day if possible because the bacteria in the mouth will smell more when you haven’t eaten.

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