I’ve found that in addition to the health and weight benefits, doing 5:2 fasting has provided a spiritual and social perspective on eating. About 14-15% of the world’s population, or 850-950 million people are hungry. When I feel mild hunger pangs on a fast day it reminds me of the millions of my brothers and sisters around the world are hungry because they have no other option. For them, 500 calories constitutes a feast. I consider my occasional, slightly inconvenient hunger as a mindful sacrifice and a loving prayer to those who fast not as a choice but as a consequence of poverty.