While most diets focus on what you should eat, intermittent fasting focuses on when you should eat. There are various ways to approach this practice, but at its core, intermittent fasting concentrates on eating during certain periods, such as a specific number of hours a day or days a week.
Like all dietary methods, there is a wide range of health benefits that come from intermittent fasting when done correctly. Some benefits include weight loss/management and preventing conditions like diabetes and obesity. Fasting can also help prevent and even reverse certain diseases. Since intermittent fasting can also reduce inflammation and related conditions, it has been shown to help with Alzheimer’s arthritis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, strokes, and more. Furthermore, intermittent fasting has many longer-term benefits, such as heightened heart health, physical performance, tissue health, and thinking/memory function.
While much good can come from intermittent fasting, it does have its shortcomings. Fasting is not suitable for everyone and may prove to be very difficult for some. There are many side effects of fasting to be aware of, including hunger, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, and headaches. These tend to go away within a month as your body adapts to the dietary changes, but it is a con for some.
People who are pregnant/breastfeeding, under 18, or who suffer from conditions such as diabetes, high/low blood sugar, and eating disorders should likely avoid intermittent fasting. Furthermore, it is always wise to consult a physician before starting a new dietary program. There are many different methods of intermittent fasting.
Below are a few examples:
- Alternate-Day Fasting
- Eat a regular diet once a day, then eat very little or completely fast the next day
- 5:2 fasting
- Eat normally 5 days a week and fast 2 days a week
- Daily Time-Restricted Fasting
- Eat normally but only during set times of the day (ex. eat between 12 pm and 8 pm and fast during all other times)
- Eat normally but only during set times of the day (ex. eat between 12 pm and 8 pm and fast during all other times)
While fasting, one should drink plenty of water or zero-calorie drinks such as tea or coffee. Furthermore, non-fasting periods should not be treated as “cheat periods.” According to John Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson, it can take anywhere between two to four weeks before the body becomes fully adjusted to intermittent fasting. Additionally, to see results from intermittent fasting, you should maintain a healthy and nutritious diet when you do eat. The Mediterranean diet is an excellent plan to follow for eating during intermittent fasting.
