Everything You Need to Know About Intermittent Fasting
Fasting has a long history. Many indigenous cultures and world religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hindu and Jainism, call for fasting during high holy periods or spiritual rites. The Greek physician Hippocrates, for whom the Hippocratic oath is named, recommended fasting to some of his patients.Today, fasting has also become part of the diet culture. How much of fasting is about health, and how much is a fad diet? Read on to find out what’s true and what’s not about intermittent fasting.
What is intermittent fasting?
Fasting is the abstinence of nourishment. Some fasts will prohibit all food and drink, while others will allow you to have certain things, like water, tea or juices, but not others. An intermittent fast is a pattern or cycle of eating where you switch between fast days and non-fast days.There are many different types of intermittent fasts. Some might have you restrict the calories you eat for two or three days during the week and then allow you to eat whatever you want for the other four or five days of the week. Others will have you fast for a large portion of the day and then eat as much as you like for a few hours in the evening. Some alternate fast and feast days. Some have you eat nothing for an entire day each week. Some restrict the types of food you’re allowed to eat during the day, while still others have you skip a meal.Intermittent fasting focuses on establishing a routine for what and how you eat. A successful fast doesn’t mean fasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. There must be a balance to ensure that intermittent fasting works for your body rather than against it.
Who shouldn’t try intermittent fasting?
Fasting isn’t safe for everyone. If you’re considering adding intermittent fasting to your wellness routine, you should first consult with a doctor to ensure that you can do it safely.Pregnant people are at the top of the list of those who should not try an intermittent fast. Prenatal nutrition is essential to the growth of a baby in the womb. Fasting can put the child in danger.Some health conditions and medications can make intermittent fasting a terrible choice for some people. Diabetes is one of these conditions.The fast-feast cycle can also put a strain on the digestive system. People who are already struggling with poor digestion or an irritable bowel disease shouldn’t try a fast without medical supervision.Those who struggle with disordered eating should also avoid intermittent fasting because it can encourage the development of eating disorders.
What are the pitfalls of intermittent fasting?
Like any diet, intermittent fasting requires discipline to help you achieve your health goals. Cravings and food-focused thoughts can derail any diet, but this is particularly true with fasting because of the extreme calorie restrictions it requires.Intermittent fasting also has the potential to turn into disordered eating. If you follow this type of diet, you need to be just as strict about breaking your fast as maintaining it.Another problem with intermittent fasting is that some practitioners use the “feast” part of the cycle as an excuse to eat whatever they want genuinely. To make the fast-feast pattern work for you, you need to count your calories, even when you’re breaking the fast. The end of a short cycle isn’t an excuse to load up on every junky type of food you’re drooling over.What’s the biggest mistake most people make while fasting?It’s hard enough to remember to grab a glass of water when you’re not fasting. Hydration, however, is where a lot of intermittent fasters go wrong. It would help if you kept tossing back water, tea, juice—or whatever your diet allows—while you’re in the middle of a fasting cycle. You might want to use a system to track how much water you’re drinking. That could be a habit tracker in a bullet journal, an app or something else that works for you.If you’re allowed to eat raw fruits and vegetables during your fast, do so! Produce contains lots of water, and eating them will help you stay hydrated and fill up your belly with fibre.
What happens when you’re done with intermittent fasting?
A notorious downfall of dieting is that you gain back all the weight you lost once you're off the diet—and sometimes, even more. This can be true for intermittent fasting, too.When it comes to a cyclical fast, the best way to move away from the pattern is to do it slowly. Don’t introduce a substantial daily breakfast and lunch when you’ve been eating just dinner for weeks. Add or rebalance your calorie consumption gradually so that your body can adapt to the change positively.And, as always, stick with the healthy eating lessons you learned while you were fasting. Carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals don’t change when you return to a regular eating schedule. It would help if you still stayed hydrated and needed to eat well, even when you’re not technically on a diet.When it comes to changing the way you eat, you should always do it carefully and intentionally. As you plan out a new diet, consider adding supplements to improve the way your body breaks down and absorbs the food you consume. Probiotics and digestive enzyme supplements can make a huge difference in how you fuel your body. Probiotics and digestive enzymes help with digestion and support the body’s ability to absorb nutrients, which is hugely important when lesser amounts of food power your body.Remember, whole-body wellness is about giving your body the nutrients it needs to power you through your day. If your main goal is weight loss, focus your intermittent fasting on restricting what you eat and making sure the calories you consume count.
Author Brenda Kimble is a nutrition coach and wellness blogger from Austin, TX. She is also a mother of 2 daughters and a son. Her life's goal is to encourage herself and others to live a more balanced lifestyle, incorporating healthier habits and exercise practices, which she does by connecting with people in her industry through her writing. When she is not working, she enjoys yoga and spending time with her family.