Health Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting - And How To Do It
Intermittent fasting (IF) has gained a massive, almost cult-like, following in recent years but it’s far from a new way of eating.
Many ancient cultures, including the Romans, Egyptians and Greeks fasted and then ‘feasted’ on high fat, medium protein and limited carbohydrates to put the body in a state of ketogenesis to burn fat for energy.
This method of eating can be the key to unlocking sustainable weight loss plus a host of other health and lifestyle benefits.
Whenever I have a few pounds to lose I introduce intermittent fasting to see results. It takes a few days to adapt but I see both my weight and appetite decrease when I only eat during a 8 hour window (11am- 7pm) - more on that soon!
I’m excited to share with you some insights into what intermittent fasting is, the benefits, and maybe even inspire you to try it for yourself!
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is simply an eating pattern that cycles between periods of abstaining from food and eating.
We all fast by default when we’re sleeping, hence the word for our first meal of the day being break-fast but intermittent fasting includes sleep time plus a designated time of not eating during the day.
The appeal for a lot of people with the practice of intermittent fasting is unlike other diets, it’s about when you eat, not necessarily what you eat.
Benefits of intermittent fasting
Weight loss
Although weight loss is one of the most obvious benefits of intermittent fasting, it definitely isn’t a crazy fad diet. Quite the opposite, it can be a sustainable strategy for people wanting to achieve gradual weight loss and maintain a healthy weight.
Essentially, intermittent fasting kickstarts the fat-burning state of ketosis. While you fast, your body burns through its glucose reserves for energy, then it begins to burn fat for fuel.
Improved insulin sensitivity and lower blood pressure
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Alabama with a small group of obese men with prediabetes showed the benefits of fasting on insulin and blood pressure. The group ate during an 8 hour time period early in the day (7am - 3pm) and fasted after 3pm.
The results showed dramatically lower insulin levels and significantly improved insulin sensitivity, as well as significantly lower blood pressure.
May boost the human growth hormone (HGH)
Human growth hormone (HGH) is produced by your pituitary gland and plays a key role in growth, cell repair, metabolism, and body composition.
When your levels of HGH are low, the risk of disease and gaining weight are increased.
Intermittent fasting helps optimize your HGH levels which in turn increased availability of fats and affects how they’re used for energy. This important hormone also helps preserve muscle mass and bone density.
Can support brain health
Intermittent fasting improves energy production, oxygen radical metabolism, and cellular stress responses in ways that help guard brain cells against environmental and genetic stressors as we age.
Intermittent fasting may help fight chronic inflammation
Chronic inflammation - when your body is in a constant state of inflammation - can wreak havoc on your health and trigger diseases including heart disease and diabetes.
A poor diet of fried, sugary and fatty foods plus lifestyle factors like smoking and stress contribute to chronic inflammation.
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting may bring about an anti-inflammatory effect which can reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes and even improve asthma.
Cuts down on time for meal prep and eating
If you’ve got a busy schedule you might find the time-saving aspect of intermittent fasting a bonus benefit!
Some intermittent fasting advocates even say it helps them reduce their food budget too; eating less means less trips to the grocery store.
So there you go, intermittent fasting could even benefit your productivity and bank account balance!
How to fast
There are different ways you can approach intermittent fasting but a few of the popular methods include:
16:8 method
The idea is simple; you only eat during an 8 hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours.
For example, you might choose to eat your daily intake of food between 11am - 7pm (8 hours) then fast until 11am the following day (16 hours)
You can eat 2, 3, or more meals during the eating window as the focus isn’t about cutting back on calories, but fitting what you usually eat into a smaller window of time during the day.
Many people find this method quite easy to incorporate into their lifestyle as it can be as simple as skipping breakfast and not eating anything after dinner.
Some people up the ante on this method and take it to 20-4. That’s 20 hours in a fasted state and 4 hours of eating.
5:2 Diet
This eating plan involves eating normally for 5 days of the week and restricting your calorie intake to just 500-600 for the other two days.
For example, you might choose to eat your usual diet on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday but restrict your calorie intake on Wednesday and Sunday.
Alternate Day Fasting (ADF)
It’s one day of fasting and one day of eating normally (and repeat!) on the alternate day fasting method.
A common version of this method actually involves "modified" fasting where you only eat 500 calories on the day you’re fasting.
For many people, this is more sustainable over the long term than doing full fasts on fasting days, but still very effective for weight loss and weight control.
Fasting is more of a lifestyle than a fad diet, so it’s important to choose a method that is sustainable over the long term. Try different approaches and find out what works for you!
Quick tips for successful intermittent fasting
Avoid sugars and refined grains. While intermittent fasting focuses on when you eat, rather than what you eat you’ll maximize your health benefits if you combine fasting with a quality diet of fresh vegetables, fish, and poultry that avoids sugar and alcohol.
Let your body burn fat between meals. Try and avoid snacking between meals and get active throughout your day.
Stick with the same time for intermittent fasting. Stay consistent with times you eat and fast and for maximum effect make it earlier in the day (between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm.
Don’t forget!
It goes without saying (but I’m going to say it anyway!) that you should always check with a medical professional before starting any new eating plan or diet.
I’ve shared here some insights on the benefits of intermittent fasting but also recommend you dive deeper into your own research to see if it’s the right path for you!
The Health Honey
“Intermittent fasting is simply an eating pattern that cycles between periods of abstaining from food and eating.”
