5 Benefits of Fasting for Children, Practicing Discipline to Empathy

Introducing the concept of fasting to children can actually be done as early as possible, but if the child is not yet mature, parents need to see the child’s ability if they want to apply it. Even so, fasting can actually provide benefits for your little one. Check out the full explanation below.
Recognizing the Various Benefits of Fasting for Children
Not only adults, fasting turns out to be beneficial for children, from physical health to mental health.
The following are some of the benefits of fasting for children, including:
1. Discipline
Fasting can help children be more disciplined. Because, during the course of the child will learn which things are allowed and which are not allowed.
Child discipline cannot be developed in just one day, but takes a long time. You can teach children to avoid things that can break their fast, train them to wake up early at dawn, or keep their speech and behave properly during fasting.
The longer this is applied to children, the more disciplinary character will be formed in children.
Also Read: 7 Tips to Take Care of Children’s Health During Ramadan Fasting
2. Avoiding Children from Unhealthy Intake
Without the parents realizing it, maybe the child has been consuming foods that contain food coloring, preservatives and artificial flavours; whether at home or at school. This substance makes children susceptible to illness.
Meanwhile, when children fast, their digestive system will have time to rest and eliminate toxic substances in the body through urine, feces or sweat. This process makes the child’s body healthier.
3. Increases Endurance
The immune system of a fasting child will increase. This is because fasting can prevent oxidative stress in the body, so children will not be susceptible to inflammation which can progress to disease.
Even so, children are not recommended to fast for long periods of time (all day). If your child finds it difficult to do so, maybe you can start teaching him/her with a half-day fast.
Besides, because When children eat and drink is limited, this can prevent them from overeating while increasing the body’s metabolism. In the end, this makes the child’s weight more controlled.
Also Read: 10 Easy Ways to Train Children to Fast Ramadan from an Early Age
4. Strengthen Mental Simultaneously Practice Patience
The benefit of fasting for the next child is to train him to become a more independent person. In addition, pFasting is the perfect time to teach them how to behave and control their emotions.
Moments of fasting can train children not to cry easily if their wishes have not been fulfilled, not to become fussy when their peers disturb them, and children to be more patient under certain circumstances.
Young children tend to be spoiled and easily angry. By fasting, children can learn to be more patient in controlling themselves and their emotions so that they can act more maturely.
Also Read: 7 Ways to Deal with Fussy Children during Fasting, Parents Must Know
5. Train Empathy
Fasting can help children understand and feel the difficulties faced by others, one of which is the need to eat. This moment can teach children to be humble.
Now, those are the various benefits of fasting for children that are important for parents to know. Even though it’s useful, you still have to monitor his health condition so that your little one can fast comfortably and safely.
- Anonymous. Does Fasting Have Any Effect on the Body’s Immune System?. https://www.clevelandclinicabudhabi.ae/en/health-byte/pages/fasting-health-immunity-is-there-a-connection.aspx. (Accessed February 16, 2023)
- Anonymous. Discipline and Children. https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/healthyliving/discipline-and-children. (Accessed February 16, 2023)
- Adelayanti, Natasa. 2020. Fasting as a Way to Boost Your Immune System. https://www.ugm.ac.id/en/news/19336-fasting-as-a-way-to-boost-your-immune-system. (Accessed February 16, 2023)
- Links, Rachel. 2022. 8 Health Benefits of Fasting, Backed by Science. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/fasting-benefits. (Accessed February 16, 2023)
DoctorHealthy | © 2023 PT Media Kesehatan Indonesia. Copyright Protected