Fasting over 40 with Traditional Chinese Medicine
Fasting over 40 with Traditional Chinese Medicine
As we enter our 40s and beyond, the way we approach health practices, including fasting, needs to adapt to our body’s changing needs. For those experiencing menopause, intermittent fasting (IF) can offer powerful benefits when done with care and alignment to the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM emphasizes the importance of nurturing kidney energy—the body’s reserve of vitality—to help regulate hormones, metabolism, and sleep, all of which are sensitive during menopause.
Why Gentle Fasting?
Research supports that when intermittent fasting is done gradually, it can help regulate blood sugar, improve heart health, reduce inflammation, and manage weight. IF triggers ketogenesis, where the body uses fats instead of glucose for fuel, and promotes a balanced insulin level and improved metabolism. However, as women age, particularly through menopause, intense fasting can deplete vital kidney energy, leading to symptoms like brain fog, poor sleep, heart palpitations, and sluggish metabolism. TCM offers a gentle approach to fasting that protects this energy reserve.
The TCM Perspective: Timing and Balance
In TCM, the kidney’s energy is seen as a precious resource that sustains our well-being. Instead of all-day fasting or skipping breakfast, TCM advocates for balance in eating times.
Eating a substantial breakfast and a lighter dinner aligns with the TCM Meridian Clock, which highlights that digestive organs are most active in the morning (7–11am). TCM wisdom recommends “eating breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper,” allowing our bodies to fuel up during peak digestion hours while giving the liver and gallbladder a rest at night.
TCM views kidney energy as a reservoir.
As we age, our reserves naturally decline, and menopause accelerates this process.
So, while fasting can be beneficial, overdoing it can tax and deplete kidney energy. This is why fasting slowly and gently is so important.
Whole day fasting is likely to stress the body and any stress produces adrenaline which triggers the flight or fight mechanism depleting kidney energy. In TCM, the kidneys are our energy foundation, supporting hormones, vitality, and sleep. Intense fasting can stress this system, worsening menopause symptoms like sleep disruptions, brain fog, and low energy. Instead, TCM encourages gentle fasting to protect kidney energy. It’s much better to build up your fasting time gradually and preferably overnight.
Plus eating earlier in the day helps support the liver’s detoxification overnight.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), aligning meal timing with the body’s natural rhythms—such as eating the largest meals earlier in the day—helps clear the liver and optimise metabolism, reducing the risk of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD). By avoiding late-night eating, we allow the liver to focus on detoxification overnight rather than digestion, which minimises fat accumulation in the liver. This balanced approach supports natural liver function, stabilises blood sugar, and promotes better metabolic health, making it an effective, gentle practice for weight loss and longevity.
A mindful eating schedule helps the body work with its natural rhythms, allowing us to fast gently overnight without disrupting the flow of energy or taxing the kidneys.
Starting Gentle Fasting with Chi Flow with Jo
In TCM, fasting from 8pm to 8am can allow your digestive organs a break while preserving kidney energy. The digestive organs are most active in the morning. The stomach is strongest from 7–9am, followed by the spleen from 9–11am so it makes no sense to skip breakfast and fast until dinner. The spleen and stomach thrive with regular early meal times rather than long, energy-draining fasts.
Starting this January, Chi Flow with Jo will kick off a community program to practise intermittent fasting together in a supportive, nourishing way.
Could you commit to not eating after 8pm until 8am? This is how we begin our gentle fasting cycle? Join our January program and by the end of February you will be experiencing improvements in sleep, energy, weight, and mental clarity with the support of a like-minded community. Together, let’s create lasting health and well-being through mindful, gentle fasting that honours our body’s natural needs.
Ready to transform your health?
Join us this January in Chi Flow with Jo and embrace a harmonious fasting routine that works with your body, not against it!
Until next time, stay balanced and be well.
Self-administered acupressure or Chinese Medicine is not a substitute for visits to qualified healthcare practitioners.
Knowing how to treat yourself and your loved ones with complimentary therapies like acupressure can be greatly beneficial and convenient. However, for serious and chronic conditions, you’ll want to visit an Shiatsu therapist / Acupuncturist or other qualified healthcare practitioner who can develop a treatment plan based on your unique medical history and combination of symptoms.
The information provided should not be considered medical advice.
