logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2024
32m 39s

Fasting and feasting

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Fasting has been a religious and cultural practice for thousands of years, why do people do it? What happens to your body when you fast? The Food Chain speaks to a British family breaking their fast during Ramadan, a woman in India completing a day long fast for Mahashivratri and explores why the practices around Lent have changed over the years. An expert on intermittent fasting talks us through what is happening to our bodies, and why it might have hidden benefits.

In this programme, Rumella Dasgupta explores the tradition of religious fasting with what to eat and what not to eat in three major faiths.

If you would like to get in touch with the programme, email thefoodchain@bbc.co.uk.

Presented by Rumella Dasgupta.

(Image: a family in Manchester breaks their fast together with dishes spread out on a cloth on the floor. Credit: BBC)

Up next
Jul 9
Protein v fibre
Protein is a health and fitness buzzword – plastered on packaging, prioritised in diets and praised by fitness influencers. But is our preoccupation with protein overshadowing another nutritional essential – fibre? Ruth Alexander explores the science, and marketing, behind protei ... Show More
26m 29s
Jul 2
Video game food
It can be the difference between life and death for your character, signal you’re on a hostile planet or in a sumptuous world, or can even give you the whole basis for a game. In this week’s Food Chain we hear where the ideas for some of the most disgusting and delicious foods in ... Show More
26m 29s
Jun 25
The story of your plate
What can we tell about a society from the plates, bowls and cups it uses? In this programme Ruth Alexander learns about the history of pottery, from early earthenware to the porcelain discovered by ancient China, known as ‘white gold’. Professor of archaeology, Joanita Vroom from ... Show More
26m 28s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2024
Richtig fasten - So kommt man gut durch die Fastenzeit
Ob aus religiösen Gründen oder schlicht, weil man Körper und Seele einen "Frühjahrsputz" gönnen will - Fasten liegt im Trend. Was macht das Fasten mit uns? Wie kommen wir gut durch diese Zeit des Verzichtens? Unsere Expertenrunde gibt Tipps. Chiappa, Andrea;Doukali, Nadia www.deu ... Show More
8 m
Apr 2024
Is intermittent fasting good for you?
Have you ever tried intermittent fasting? As the month of Ramadan comes to an end, many Muslims are concluding several weeks of time-restricted eating. But outside of religion, many of us are now choosing to eat this way for health reasons – even UK PM Rishi Sunak does a weekly f ... Show More
27m 57s
Feb 2023
What intermittent fasting is, how it works, and why it might make you happier (E43)
Thanks to Masterworks for sponsoring! Skip the waitlist and invest in blue-chip art for the very first time by signing up for Masterworks: https://masterworks.art/ragusea Purchase shares in great masterpieces from artists like Pablo Picasso, Banksy, Andy Warhol, and more. See imp ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2022
How To Feast On Fasting | Functional Friday
The title “How To Feast On Fasting” is meant to help us change our paradigm. Look, I adore food and eating. I’m generally always looking toward my next meal. I enjoy it so much I won’t waste the effort or calories on just any food. I want quality food and excellent tastes. I also ... Show More
1h 7m
Oct 2022
What breaks a fast? - The Big IF Dailies
Fasting has been shown to improve our metabolism, slow disease and potentially increase our life span. While world religions have practiced fasting for millennia, the trend of fasting has soared in popularity in the last decade. Not all fasts are made equally and there are a lot ... Show More
8m 6s
Apr 2024
Make It Personal: Prayer and Fasting
Prayer and fasting. You've heard about it and you've read about it in the Bible dozens of times, but how do we apply it practically in our lives? Find out how physically fasting allows us to listen better spiritually. (00:00) Fasting and Prayer in Christianity(13:31) The Purpose ... Show More
18m 29s
Jan 2020
What Science Says about Fasting
Valter Longo, PhD, author of The Longevity Diet, sat down with Elise Loehnen at In goop Health to share what he’s learned about our ability to optimize our health largely through diet and lifestyle changes. Longo, who is the director of the USC Longevity Institute, continues to c ... Show More
43m 31s
Jan 2023
Heal the Body With Extended Fasting
In the last several years, intermittent fasting — only eating for a short window each day — has gotten a lot of attention, particularly for the way it can facilitate weight loss. But as my guest will explain, going longer than a few hours or even a full day without eating also ha ... Show More
54m 37s
Mar 2024
Heart and Soul: Not even water?
They are the top questions asked to anyone who is fasting for Ramadan: no food or water? But what is Ramadan? Why Fast? And how do young Muslims manage Ramadan in their respective lives and work? Former teacher turned journalist Mehreen Baig goes in search of the answers by speak ... Show More
27m 33s
Feb 2017
Surah Al-Baqarah: The Cow - Verses 184 & 185..........Part 2
The history of fasting Ramadan. Fasting, just like many other religious obligations, was introduced gradually. Learn more in this week's update. 
9m 33s