Why is fasting a part of your religious practice?

In the Catholic Church, the traditional ways of keeping Lent are prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Most religions have some kind of fasting. It may be fasting from foods or recreational drinks. It may be fasting from bad or unhealthy habits. I remember one year my spiritual director suggesting that I fast from sarcasm; apparently I'm really good (bad) at it. StarTribune Faith & Values