What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is the process of cycling between periods of fasting and eating.
Intermittent fasting is a very popular method used to lose weight in recent years, so if you're looking at burning fats, staying healthy or improving mental health, stay tuned cause this might just be the solution for you!
How does it work?
Intermittent fasting limits you more so on your food consumption periods, rather than the type of food intake itself. However, having junk food during your food consumption periods may not be the most ideal. Instead, having a nutritious and a healthy diet will allow you to reap the full benefits of intermittent fasting. One study in 50 adults showed that intermittent fasting for one month significantly decreased levels of inflammatory markers, of which can have serious consequences for your health.
When fasting, insulin levels drop, levels of growth hormones increase and your nervous system sends nor-epinephrine to the fat cells which all helps in burning fats. Based on research, fasting for about 48 hours boosts metabolism by 3.6-14%. However, longer fasting periods may impede metabolism.
Intermittent fasting gives you a balanced duration for you to fast and consume food. One of the methods is the 16/8 method. This method requires you to fast for 16 hours. The other 8 hours of the day will be your window to consume food. By limiting your eating hours, the amount of calories consumed would naturally be lower, assuming no overcompensation in consumption of food.
Nutrition chart
Picture taken from safefood
Other Health Benefits
- Heart health: Reduce "bad" cholesterol, blood triglycerides and other risk factors for heart disease
- Brain Health: Increases brain hormone that may aid growth of new nerve cells that prevents Alzheimer's disease
Types of Intermittent Fasting
The 16/8 method
This method requires you to restrict your eating period to 8 consecutive hours, and fasting for the remaining hours. For e.g, eating from 1 - 9pm, and fasting for the rest of the time.
Eat-Stop-Eat
This involves fasting 24 hours once or twice a week, like not eating lunch from one day to the next day.
The 5:2 Diet
This method allows you to eat normally 5 days a week. However, on the two other days, you are required to consume only 500-600 calories.
Will it work a 100%? Should i try it?
Intermittent fasting can bring about many health benefits both mentally and physically. It can help with weight and fat loss, extended lifespan and probability of contracting Alzheimer's disease. However, just like how each and everyone of us are different, the effects of intermittent fasting may vary. The only way to find out it's effectiveness is for you to try it!
If you find intermittent fasting effective, both mentally and physically, it can be a very sustainable way of eating and can provide you with an effective way to lose weight and stay healthy! Starting out might be difficult and many may find it challenging especially if you've never fasted before, but it only gets easier. Once you body gets used to fasting, it will become a habit and a lifestyle change for the better.
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