Voluntary continence from eatables or fasting for some fixed period has been an age-old practice by people across the globe. This fasting practice has several health benefits within itself. It not only flushes out the toxins from your body but also boosts your metabolism.
However, this ancient practice has developed a modern twist in different forms, methods, and styles. This contemporary style of fasting has gained popularity among millennials called intermittent fasting (IF). It is considered more flexible and less restrictive than any other form of fasting.
Many people do not consider fasting a healthy option to be instilled in their daily routine. Still, if done correctly, intermittent fasting can reap an array of health benefits like loss of weight, improved metabolism, controlled blood sugar levels, improved heart health, brain function, and cancer prevention.
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent fasting is a time-restricted dietary approach in which you refrain from eating by leaving a long gap between your last meal of one day and the first meal of the next day and constricting your meals into a shorter period of the day.
How does Intermittent Fasting Work?
The food we eat gets broken down into micro and macronutrients by the digestive enzymes. Carbohydrates are broken into glucose and absorbed by our bloodstream. This glucose is used for instant energy with the help of insulin. Our body runs on the fuel that we take in. When we eat frequently and do not exercise, we tend to absorb more calories than our body requires and store the excess calories as fat.
When we fast for long hours, our body ultimately runs out of sugar. Then it starts to burn fat to generate energy. During the prolonged period of intermittent fasting, our body has already exhausted the energy consumed during our last meal and starts to burn fat to get further energy. (1)
Popular Intermittent Fasting Plans:
Although there are a number of intermittent fasting plans, the most popular include:
The 16:8 Diet – It involves fasting for 16 hours in a day and eating for the remaining 8 hours. It is the easiest to follow, and results are evident with minimal effort. This plan is the most convenient and can fit into anyone’s lifestyle.
The 5:2 Diet – It includes eating normally for five days a week without restricting calories. Then for the remaining two days, you need to limit your calorie intake to a quarter of your daily calorie needs. This may be up to 500 calories per day for females and 600 calories per day for males.
Eat Stop Eat Diet – In this plan, you have to choose 1 or 2 non-consecutive days a week, and during those two days, you refrain from eating for the entire 24-hour period. For the remaining 5-6 days, you may eat freely, considering the type of foods you take, and avoid taking foods more than your body requires.
Alternate-Day Fasting – It aims at fasting for one day and then eating everything you want the next day. This way of fasting restricts the intake of calories by half. However, on fasting days, you can drink calorie-free beverages as many times as you want.
The Warrior Diet – This type of eating pattern was based on the diet pattern of ancient warriors. People who follow this diet usually under-eat for 20 hours a day with small amounts of foods such as dairy, raw fruits and vegetables, hard-boiled eggs, and plenty of calorie-free beverages. After 20 hours, they consume as much food as they desire within a short window of 4 hours.
Benefits of Intermittent Fasting:
1. Aids Weight Loss:
Intermittent fasting helps in losing weight by lowering the insulin level (2). When we eat, our body breaks down the foods into glucose. This glucose is used by our body cells for energy, and the excess energy is stored as fats. The insulin hormone permits the cells to use glucose as energy. During the fasting process, insulin level drops and increases the breakdown of excess stored fats to facilitate its use for energy.
In other words, intermittent fasting releases the calories by using the stored fats and lessens the intake of calories by reducing the amount of food you eat, resulting in weight loss.
2. Aids the function of genes, cells, and hormones:
Here are some of the changes that occur during intermittent fasting.
- Whenever you fast, your HGH (Human Growth Hormone) increases, which aids in fat loss and muscle gain.
- By fasting, the insulin level drops remarkably. This facilitates the burning of stored fats.
- During the process of fasting, your body cells start to repair. As a result, waste materials from cells are removed that have been stored inside the body.
- Intermittent fasting helps to make changes in the genes and molecules of your body that help protect you from many diseases and promotes longevity.
3. Reduces Insulin Resistance:
Intermittent fasting reduces insulin resistance and blood sugar levels by 6% and fasting insulin levels by 31%, which protects you from type II diabetes. This implies that intermittent fasting can protect people at high risk of developing type II diabetes. (3)
4. Reduces Inflammation In The Body And Promotes Anti-Aging:
Oxidative stress is an element that causes inflammation, aging, and many chronic diseases. Oxidative stress contains free radicals which react with the body's protein and DNA and damage them.
Intermittent fasting may improve body resistance and metabolism, which help reduce oxidative stress by fighting against free radicals. It helps repair the protein and DNA and delays cell damage, thus working as an anti-aging element.
5. Improves Heart Health:
Studies show that intermittent fasting helps improve heart health by positively influencing cardiovascular risk factors such as LDL cholesterol, diabetes, triglycerides, hypertension, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia.
6. Benefits of Brain Health:
Fasting increases the BDNF (Brain-derived neurotrophic factor) hormone in the brain. It is a hormone that stimulates the evolution of new neurons and protects against Alzheimer’s disease. Intermittent fasting boosts neuroplasticity in the brain and enhances brain functions. (4)
Foods to Include During Intermittent Fasting:
It is essential to include nutritious whole foods during the eating period. To increase the potential health benefits, the following foods should be included in your diet during intermittent fasting.
- Fruits: Such as bananas, avocados, apples, oranges, pears, berries, tomatoes, etc.
- Vegetables: Include Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, green leafy vegetables, cabbages, asparaguses, cucumbers, carrots, etc.
- Whole Grains: These include rice, oats, barley, quinoa, millet, rye, etc.
- Proteins: Include meat, poultry, fish, egg, legumes, nuts, seeds, etc.
- Healthy Fat: Such as olive oil and avocados
- Calorie-free Beverages: Like water, unsweetened tea, or coffee
These nutrient-rich foods help maintain a healthy weight. However, it is always better to avoid processed and packaged foods like deep-fried items, packaged snacks, sugary drinks, fast foods, and frozen foods. These foods destroy the objectives of intermittent fasting.
Valuable Tips for Intermittent Fasting:
The following tips are to be followed while starting intermittent fasting.
- It is always important to talk to your doctor before entering any restrictive intermittent fasting plans.
- Keep yourself fit and active by burning fat and gaining muscle mass.
- Never make your fasting duration too long, i.e., 24 hours or longer. Because keeping fast for long hours compels your body to think it’s in starvation mode, it starts storing fats instead of burning them.
- Always maintain water intake. You can take unsweetened beverages such as green tea or black coffee.
- Plan to have your meal earlier in the evening instead of late at night.
- Always sleep for a minimum of 7-8 hours a day.
- Consider a Mediterranean- style diet.
Who Should Avoid Intermittent Fasting?
Some people should always avoid intermittent fasting:
- Children under 18 years of age.
- Breastfeeding and pregnant women.
- Diabetic People
- People with a history of eating disorders like anorexia
You must seek your doctor's approval before getting into any eating plans of intermittent fasting.
The Final Words:
Intermittent fasting is grabbing the attention of the world because of its several benefits, such as weight loss, improved blood sugar levels, preventing diseases, fighting inflammation, and improved brain and heart function. Most importantly, it improves the quality and longevity of your life.