As the holiday season is full swing, I have been hearing alot of chatter about Intermittent Fasting (IF). And I wanted to learn what it was all about.
Here is a brief summary of IF: The food we eat is broken down by enzymes in our gut and eventually ends up as molecules in our bloodstream. Carbohydrates, particularly sugars and refined grains (think white flours and rice), are quickly broken down into sugar, which our cells use for energy. If our cells don’t use it all, we store it in our fat cells as, well, fat. But sugar can only enter our cells with insulin, a hormone made in the pancreas. Insulin brings sugar into the fat cells and keeps it there. Between meals, as long as we don’t snack, our insulin levels will go down and our fat cells can then release their stored sugar, to be used as energy. We lose weight if we let our insulin levels go down. The entire idea of IF is to allow the insulin levels to go down far enough and for long enough that we burn off our fat.
But there is not just one correct method for how to fast. In fact, there are many different variations of intermittent fasting that are used around the world. Each follows a different eating pattern that is often strictly adhered to in order to achieve physical or even spiritual results.
Here are a few variations of IF:
Eating only every other day. On fasting days, some eat no food at all and others eat a very small amount, typically around 500 calories. On non-fasting calorie days, eat normally (but healthfully!)
Eating only fruits and vegetables during the day and then eating one large meal at night.
Fast for 16 hours everyday and limit your eating to eight hours. Most often, this simply involves not eating anything after dinner and skipping breakfast the next morning.
Pick one or two days out of the week in which you fast for 24 hours, then eat nothing from dinner one day until dinner the next day. On the other days, you should have normal calorie days.
For five days of the week, you eat normally. For the remaining two fast days, you should restrict your caloric intake to between 500–600 calories everyday.
Here are some benefits of IF:
Promotes weight loss
Reduce inflammation
Improves blood sugar
Keeps your heart healthy
Protects your brain
Decreases your hunger
There are certain groups of people for who IF is not recommended. So, talk to your medical doctor to see if this is something for you.
Here’s what I think is a sensible approach to living a healthy lifestyle:
Avoid sugars and refined grains. Instead, eat fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats (a sensible, plant-based, Mediterranean-style diet).
Let your body burn fat between meals. Don’t snack. Be active throughout your day. Build muscle tone.
If you want, consider a simple form of intermittent fasting. Limit the hours of the day when you eat, and for best effect, make it earlier in the day (between 7 am to 3 pm, or even 10 am to 6 pm, but definitely not in the evening before bed). And avoid snacking or eating at nighttime, all the time.
For more information, contact me at rachel@livehealthynyc.com