Overview
Intermittent fasting is today’s one of the most popular health and fitness trends worldwide, with several research to back it up. This phenomenon involves alternating cycles of eating and fasting.
Studies by Antoni et al. and Mattson and Wan have shown that intermittent fasting improves metabolic health, causes weight loss, protects you against certain diseases, and helps you live longer.
What Is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that does not specify which food to eat but rather when you should eat them.
For thousands of years, humans have already been fasting. Sometimes, people fast out of necessity, like when they have nothing to eat.
In some instances, fasting is also conducted for religious purposes. Religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism, mandate some form of fasting.
When sick, humans and other animals usually fast instinctively.
Nothing is unnatural about fasting. In fact, it is more natural to fast from time to time than always eating 3+ meals every day. We have a well-equipped body to handle extended periods of hunger.
When we don’t eat, all sorts of processes in the body change so as to enable our bodies to thrive during periods of famine. The body adjusts the hormone levels so the stored body fat becomes more accessible, and the cells also initiate important repair processes and change the expression of genes.
Intermittent fasting significantly reduces blood sugar and insulin levels, protecting you from type 2 diabetes. It also results in a drastic increase in human growth hormone.
Methods of Intermittent Fasting
Various methods of intermittent fasting have emerged, and all of them involve splitting the day or week into fasting and eating periods.
The 16/8 Method (Time-Restricted Feeding)
Most people, while they are asleep, already fast. Intermittent fasting is just extending that fast a little longer. You can basically do this by refraining to eat breakfast, eating your first meal of the day at noon and your last meal at 8:00 p.m. With that, you are technically having a 16-hour fast every day, and restricting your daily eating period to 8 hours.
As the day goes by, the body becomes less efficient at putting sugar away; thus, experts suggest choosing an eating window that lets you finish your meals early, like 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Although all methods of intermittent fasting can be very effective, the 16/8 method is thought to be the best intermittent fasting for weight loss, especially for those who are new to intermittent fasting.
Eat-Stop-Eat Method
The eat-stop-eat method involves a 24-hour fast once or twice a week, for example, not eating from breakfast on day 1 until breakfast the next day.
The 5:2 Diet Method
In the 5:2 diet method, you only consume 500–600 calories for two non-consecutive days of the week, and eat normally during the other 5 days.
Intermittent Fasting Is Easy and Simple
Fasting might seem challenging, but it’s actually fairly easy to do. In fact, a lot of people reported feeling better and more energetic during a fast.
Although hunger can be a problem in the beginning, it is usually not that big of an issue. Your body will get used to not eating for long periods of time.
During the fasting period, no food is allowed, but liquids such as water, tea, coffee, and other non-caloric beverages are acceptable. But small amounts of low-calorie foods are allowed during the fasting period in some other forms of intermittent fasting.
Why Is It Important To Fast?
Intermittent fasting is important for you as it has several potential health benefits.
A lot of people do intermittent fasting to achieve weight loss, as it is a very effective and simple way to restrict calories and burn fat.
Some people do it to experience its metabolic health benefits, as it is also an effective tool in improving various risk factors and health markers.
There is some evidence as well that intermittent fasting helps protect against diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.
Some research also suggests that intermittent fasting helps you live longer. As shown in rodent studies, it effectively extends a lifespan the same way as calorie restriction.
Intermittent fasting also offers convenience. It makes your life simpler while also improving your health. The fewer meals you plan, prepare, and eat, the simpler your life will be. It saves your precious time. Remember that preparing foods and eating should not be the focus of your everyday life.
Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss
Intermittent fasting has been shown to have potential benefits for weight loss via several mechanisms.
Fasting restricts your meals and snacks to a specified time window, which leads to a reduced calorie intake. With reduced calorie intake comes weight loss.
Intermittent fasting can also boost your metabolism to increase calorie loss throughout the day by increasing the levels of a hormone and neurotransmitter called norepinephrine.
It also reduces insulin levels—a hormone involved in blood sugar management. Decreased insulin levels increase fat burning, leading to weight loss.
Other studies also even found that intermittent fasting helps the body to effectively retain more muscle mass as compared with calorie restriction.
Based on one review, intermittent fasting reduces body weight of up to 8% and decreases body fat up to 16% in just 3–12 weeks.
Ask Your Doctor First!
If you’re planning to undergo intermittent fasting, always talk to your doctor first.
The doctor can help you choose an intermittent fasting plan that’s right for you, depending on your condition.
Just because fasting has potential health benefits, doesn’t mean you should fast. Intermittent fasting is not recommended for everyone, especially those who are underweight, have underlying health conditions, children, pregnant women, and lactating women. Also, this regimen won’t probably work for people with binge eating disorder as they might overeat during their eating window.
Best Food For Fasting
In order to suppress hunger during intermittent fasting, eating high-protein meat (such as tofu, fish, or nuts) and high-fiber foods (including beans, nuts, vegetables, and fruits), as well as chewing high-fiber gummies are advised.
Also, drinking lots of water can help suppress hunger.
Breaking The Fast
After a stretch of not eating, you are now ready to break your fast. As you break your fast, be sure not to overeat and start by eating gentle foods. Introduce only small portions of foods that can be easily digested so your digestive system will not be overwhelmed.
You might experience bloating and discomfort if you break your fast with foods that are high in sugar, fat, or even fiber (such as a slice of cake, greasy cheeseburger, or soda and seeds, nuts, or other high-fiber raw produce) as they can be difficult for your body to digest. They can be even more shocking to your system.
Gently break your fast by eating nutrient-dense foods that can be digested easily and contain a bit of some healthy fats and a bit of protein.
Best Food to Break Intermittent Fast
Below are few of the best foods to break your fast.
Soups
Soups that contain easily digestible carbs and protein, including tofu, lentils, or pasta, can break your fast gently. Avoid soups made of a large amount of high-fiber, raw vegetables or soups with heavy cream.
Smoothies
Blended drinks contain less fiber than whole, raw fruits and vegetables; thus, they are also few of the many gentle ways of introducing nutrients to your body after a fast.
Fermented Foods
Try unsweetened kefir or yogurt.
Vegetables
Vegetables that are soft, cooked, and starchy like potatoes are also one of the best options when breaking a fast.
Healthy Fats
Foods containing healthy fats like avocados or eggs can be great first foods to introduce to your digestive system after a fast.
Breaking your fast by eating healthy foods that are gentle to the digestive system helps replenish essential electrolytes and nutrients while easing food back into your diet.
You can gradually add in other healthy food, such as beans, whole grains, seeds, meat, nuts, vegetables, fish, and poultry, once your system has tolerated gentle foods. Then you’ll eventually return to your normal eating.
Conclusion
Several research have demonstrated that intermittent fasting has potential benefits for disease prevention, weight loss, metabolic health, and longevity. Also, it is known to simplify your life while improving your metabolic health at the same time.
So long as you are patient and consistent, and you don’t eat too much during the eating periods to compensate for the calories lost during fasting, you’ll experience the very impressive health benefits of intermittent fasting. Just always remember to eat filling and nutritious foods during the eating periods.
When breaking the fast, be sure to introduce light and gentle foods (such as soups, smoothies, fermented foods, vegetables, healthy fats) to your digestive system so you don’t experience bloating and discomfort. Avoid eating foods that are high in fat, sugar, and fiber, such as greasy cheeseburger, soda, or a slice of cake and nuts, seeds, or other high-fiber raw produce.
However, intermittent fasting is not for everyone. It is not recommended for children, people who are underweight, have underlying conditions, and pregnant/lactating women, as it may be harmful to their health.
