Fasting has been around for thousands of years. It is nothing new. Fasting is abstaining from all or some kinds of food or drink for a defined period of time.
There are many types of fasts: Juice fast, cleansing fast, partial fast, liquid fast, diagnostic fast, protein fast, and religious fast. People fast for numerous reasons, for health concerns to religious requirements.
Intermittent fasting can be good for you. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern. It’s where you develop a consistent daily cycle of eating and fasting.
Everybody fasts when they sleep. Intermittent fasting is just extending that period longer.
It’s not so much about what foods you eat, but when you eat every day.
There are a few different types of intermittent fasts: daily or weekly periods of eating and fasting. I am going to discuss intermittent daily fasting which is fasting 16 hours a day and eat during an eight hour period. You skip breakfast and have your first meal at noon and your last meal by 8 pm.
To get the most out of the fast having no calories during the 16 hour period is optimal if you can afford to lose weight. You can drink, tea, coffee, and water. However, I have found what works best for me is I drink in the morning supplements in the form of superfood and protein (powder form and water) with minimal calories.
Benefits of intermittent fasting:
- Increase weight loss – automatically reduces your calories without going on a strict diet, helps increase metabolism and lose weight and belly fat.
- Reduce Insulin resistance – lowers blood sugar and protects against type 2 diabetes.
- Reduce Inflammation – a key factor in many chronic diseases.
- Heart health – can reduce LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides,
- Brain health – increases a brain hormone called BDNF and may protect against Alzheimer’s disease.
- Frees up more time in the day – eliminating one meal a day frees up the time it takes to prepare, cook, eat and clean up.
Intermittent fasting may not be for everyone, but for many people, it can be beneficial. See link for more detailed information.
I had been doing an intermittent fast for several months and recently went in for my annual physical. My doctor asked me what are you doing differently because your blood tests and weight could not be any better. My doctor said, “Whatever you are doing keep doing it.”
I can’t say for certain there is a direct correlation between intermittent fasting and my results from my physical, but I do know intermittent fasting makes my daily life a little simpler, and I feel healthier.
Intermittent fasting can be good for you by making your lifestyle simpler and healthier.
If you have tried intermittent fasting has it helped you? If not why? If you have not tried it, will you give it a try?