How Intermittent Fasting Benefits Your Body & Mind Must-Read

History of Intermittent Fasting: 

Fasting dates back to the era before farming when our ancestors had to hunt for food. Food was available only intermittently to them. They had limited or no access to food in between their meals. It took a lot of time and physical energy for them to hunt for their next meal. Those who survived this fasting state developed adaptations and passed their genes down to the next generation. Our bodies have thus evolved to go without food for hours or even several days due to this genetic heritage.

It has been observed that it was easier to maintain a healthy weight 50 years ago. Life was simple when there were no computers, and people went to bed early, switching off their Television. There was no late-night eating as they slept early. Portions of food were much smaller. People worked more, exercised more, played outside, and were disciplined with their eating habits. However, with the invention of the internet, TV, and other entertainment tools available, many adults and children stay awake for longer hours to watch television, play games, and chat on social media. It leads to more sitting at one place with gadgets and snacking all day and most of the night. Our modern-day eating habits, three meals plus snacks, is a relatively recent development in terms of human evolution. This pattern can lead to food overconsumption and result in overweight or obesity, especially when combined with a sedentary lifestyle. It also can cause metabolic morbidities, such as insulin resistance and other metabolic diseases.

Our religion and culture have practised fasting for centuries; however, therapeutic intermittent fasts for the treatment of obesity have been investigated since 1915. Johns Hopkins neuroscientist Mark Mattson has studied intermittent fasting for 25 years and has presented several facts about it in his book, “The Intermittent Fasting Revolution.”   

What is Intermittent Fasting (IF)? 

Intermittent fasting involves a scheduled pattern of alternating between periods of fasting and eating. Unlike diets, which typically focus on what and how much is consumed, intermittent fasting emphasizes the timing of your meals more. It involves eating during a specific time of the day as decided and fasting following that. Research has highlighted numerous health benefits for individuals who fast for a certain number of hours each day or limit their meals to just one on certain days.  

Types of Intermittent Fasting: 

Methods of intermittent fasting include alternate-day fasting, periodic fasting, such as the 5:2 diet, eat stop eat method, and daily time-restricted eating (TRE) 

Types of Intermittent Fasting Schedules:  

Time Restricted Eating (TRE) involves eating only during a certain number of hours each day, establishing a daily pattern of caloric intake within a particular time window. This schedule may align food intake with circadian rhythms (establishing eating windows that begin after sunrise and end around sunset). 

Example: 16/8 method—In this time-restricted method, you set a specific time to eat and a specific time to fast. For example, you fast for 16 hours of the day and eat for eight hours of the day. As most people fast while asleep, this method is popular and easy to practice. Extending your overnight fasting to another day is easy by skipping breakfast and having an early lunch followed by an early dinner. This is safer and more convenient for people trying Intermittent fasting for the first time. 

Alternate-day fasting: Eat a normal diet one day and either completely fast or have one small meal the next day, limiting your calorie intake to 500-600 calories. This involves 24 hours of complete fasting or having less than 25% of the usual energy need, followed by the next 24 hours of non-fasting or feasting day.   

5:2 approach: This method involves eating regularly meals for five days a week and limiting your food intake to 500–600 calorie for the other two days. For example, if you choose to eat normally every day of the week for 5 days except Tuesdays and Fridays, those would be your one-meal days of limited calorie intake. 

Eat: Stop: Eat: It is a unique approach in Intermittent fasting when one refrains from eating for 24 hours for a single day or two consecutive days in a week. This is called fasting. For the remaining 5-6 days, one can eat freely, balancing one’s food choices and avoiding consuming more than what your body needs.  

Intermittent fasting foods: 

You can eat what you want on days when you don’t fast.  Eating what you want does not mean going crazy during your feasting days. Research has shown that you are not likely to lose weight or get healthier if you fill your meals with high-calorie junk food, alcohol, and processed food like super-sized fried items and treats.  

On fasting days, you should eat very little or none. If you are eating little food on your fasting days, it should not be more than 500 calories. You can also have nuts, water, and zero-calorie beverages on the fasting days.

How Does Intermittent Fasting Work? 

Your body’s main energy source is sugar, called glucose, which circulates in your blood when you eat a typical diet. There is a steady supply of sugar, mainly from carbohydrates. When you go hours without eating, your body burns up that stored sugar. When sugar is burned, your body will burn the stored fat. This is called metabolic switching. One theory also suggests that fasting puts your cells under mild stress, promoting them to adapt and utilize their stored energy. This strengthens the cells' ability to deal with stress and makes them potentially strong to fight off diseases. Intermittent fasting is thus seen to be beneficial for an individual's overall health.  

What are Intermittent Fasting benefits? 

Research shows that intermittent fasting is more beneficial for health than burning fat. Mattson explains, “When changes occur with this metabolic switch, it affects the body and brain.”  

Listed below are some intermittent fasting benefits that the research has revealed so far: 

1. Intermittent fasting boosts one’s memory  
2. It improves heart health by improving blood pressure and resting heart rate.  
3. Intermittent fasting prevents obesity 
4. It helps to control type 2 diabetes by preventing sugar spikes and reducing insulin resistance.  
5. It helps to prevent tissue damage and encourages tissue health.  
6. It increases Human growth hormone levels, thus improving physical performance by promoting muscle growth. 
7. The cell repair process is initiated when you fast. The cell undergoes autophagy. That is; it removes old and dysfunctional proteins that have built up inside them.  
8. Intermittent fasting helps to reduce inflammation, and it is useful in conditions like asthma, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and stroke. 
9. Helps in improving sleep 
10. Decreases the signs of aging and promotes weight loss. 

Is Intermittent fasting safe? 

Before trying intermittent fasting (or any diet), you should check in with your doctor.  Some people should refrain from trying intermittent fasting, which includes: 

• Children and teenagers under 18 years of age. 
• Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. 
• People with type 1 diabetes who are on insulin. While there are studies to support that intermittent fasting is safe for type 2 diabetes, there are no studies to prove its benefits for people with type 1 diabetes who take insulin. It can result in episodes of hypoglycaemia, so such people should not try intermittent fasting. 

Those with a history of eating disorders. 

People with kidney stones, gastro-oesophageal reflux, and other medical conditions should not try IF without proper guidance. 

Intermittent fasting can have different effects on different individuals. Consult your doctor if you have symptoms of nausea, anxiety, headache or any other symptoms after starting intermittent fasting. 

Core message: 

Intermittent fasting is not something that anyone can do. It is one of the many eating and lifestyle strategies that one needs to evaluate and try by themselves with their healthcare provider's guidance. It focuses on the timings for your meal, and one needs to stick to the plan that suits them and make sure to adhere to it for the long term to see its effects. During the feasting phase, it is essential to watch the quality and type of food that one eats. We are genetically created in such a way that our body can remain without food for few hours or even days, hence, embracing Intermittent Fasting just requires courage and consistency. While Intermittent fasting doesn't guarantee weight loss, it would help improve your overall health. No diet promises weight loss on its own unless combined with healthy living, adequate sleep, regular exercise and healthy eating.  

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FAQS: 

1. What is intermittent fasting (IF)? 

INTERMITTENT FASTING is an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating at a scheduled time. There are many intermittent fasting schedules which one can follow as per their convenience.  

2. How does intermittent fasting differ from traditional diets? 

Traditional dieting focuses more on what is eaten, it particularly focuses on calories. Intermittent fasting is more about when the food is eaten and sticking to a particular time of eating and fasting. 

3. What can I drink during a fasting period? 

You can drink water or zero-calorie drinks like black coffee or tea during your fasting period. However, the best thing is to have water and stay hydrated while fasting. 

4. Is intermittent fasting safe for everyone? 

Yes, intermittent fasting is safe for everyone when done under the guidance of your healthcare provider. However, patients with medical illnesses and those under medication should refrain from intermittent fasting. 

5. How do I know if intermittent fasting is right for me? 

Whether Intermittent fasting is right for me can be judged by following it for a few days and observing one’s health during that time. It is considered right for you if one doesn't experience any discomfort or symptoms after starting it.