You probably heard, read or know of someone who is doing Intermittent fasting. There is so much information out there that it could be hard to know if this is the best choice for you.
Intermittent fasting is fasting for a certain amount of hours (between 12 and 18), followed by a schedule of food. You can do it every day or just a few times per week. For example, you can fast for 16 hours from Monday to Friday, only 12 hours on the weekends.
I personally do 13 – 14 hours of fasting on a daily basis. I only do longer fasts (18 to 24 hours) when I feel inflammation in my intestinal system, which makes me lose appetite, so I do not suffer much.
Fasting can be great for the metabolism as long as your lunch, snack, and dinner are at the same time every day! That way, your body knows that food is coming and feels free to burn calories.
Intermittent fasting can be super beneficial to our health by:
- Reducing inflammation: giving your body a break of food, can help the autophagy of damaged cells (auto elimination), which promotes cellular repair. Especially when you ate heavy the night before or when gassy, bloated or nauseous.
- Helping lose fat faster: boosts your metabolism by increasing HGH (Human Growth Hormone) and also reduces calories intake throughout your day, IF:
- You follow a regular schedule of meals: lunch, snack, and dinner always at the same time, with or without fasting.
- The rest of your meals are healthy and balanced in portions
- Regulating blood sugar, if your fasting blood glucose is high (between 5.6 and 6.9 mmol/L), especially in pre-diabetic people. This happens only if the rest of your meals are low in carbohydrates and high in fiber.
- Cardiovascular health: it may help reduce LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure.
When is it highly recommended?
- The day after a late or heavy dinner: this way you can give your digestive system a break.
- When you feel your digestive system struggling: gas, bloating, nauseous, smelly burps (like rotten eggs, sorry), constipation, etc.
- When you workout early in the morning
When is it NOT recommended?
- For women, 5 days before and during menstruation: can make you dizzy. Besides, during this period the body needs extra energy to build hormones and stabilize the mood.
- If you get “hangry”: if you cannot be without food for more than 3 hours, you will suffer, stressing the body.
- During pregnancy & breastfeeding: because calorie requirements are higher.
- If you suffer from low blood pressure: it can make you dizzy and even make you faint.
- If you have diabetes
- If you are underweight or suffering from anorexia
- If you have gastritis or stomach/duodenum ulcers, it will hurt a lot, TRUST ME!
Remember, it is not the same to fast for 12 hours as for 18 hours! If you like to practice intermittent fasting every day safely, you can do 12 to 13 hours. But please keep in mind that our bodies are different and so are their needs and requirements.
See? Nothing is black or white! Always consult with a nutritionist first!
With love,
Luz
