Intermittent fasting (intermittent fasting, IF) – is it another miracle diet or something more?
Definitely something more. Intermittent fasting not only gives the visible effects in slim figure, but also significantly improves health. According to the latest research it can have particular health benefits for people with metabolic diseases.
Intermittent fasting does not introduce nutritional restrictions such as: eat only carbohydrates, eat only fats, etc. On the contrary, according to the idea of intermittent fasting you can draw from all the nutrients.
All that matters is the time of your meals and… breaks between them. It takes into account the fact that sometimes your body needs to take a break from the hard work of digesting food.
Intermittent fasting – basic assumptions
Looking for information about intermittent fasting, you will find out that there are several variants. And well, then you’ll choose the one that suits you.
The basic version is 16:8, which means that you eat in 8 hours (the eating window), then you fast in 16 hours. During this time you can drink water, green tea, any other herbal tea, it is important not to add sugar to your drinks. Other possible options for intermittent fasting are 18:6 and 20:4, then you will fast 18 or 20 hours.
The 6:1 (eat-stop-eat) version assumes that you eat for 6 days. Of course, with the basic principles of moderation and reasonableness. Then you will fast for one day and go back to eating for 6 days.
Okay, but how to fit 5 meals a day and 20 hours of fasting at the same time recommended by nutritionists? The most beautiful thing is that you don’t have to eat 5 meals, you can eat less, e.g. three, don’t just skip breakfast. It is also best if you eat your last meal about 8 hours before midnight. During the fasting period you will give your digestive system a rest, let it clean itself from toxins and unnecessary products of metabolism.
Which doesn’t mean that in these hours, when you can eat, you’re following the rule “soul scoop, there is no hell.” Any sensible diet, including intermittent fasting, considers highly processed food, fast food and simple carbohydrates to be very harmful to both health and figure.
The advantages of intermittent fasting are fully utilized by chrononutrition, which recommends eating according to the natural daily rhythms and suggests what time of day is the best for eating a given nutrient. According to its principles your meals must be varied. You start with a breakfast consisting mainly of carbohydrates, in order to provide yourself with the necessary energy for the rest of the day. Anyway, in the morning your body is much better at absorbing calories, which it then converts to energy, not fat. Lunch should contain all the nutrients, and dinner should contain the vast majority of vegetables, protein and vegetable fats. There is no need to remind anyone that the break between dinner and breakfast should be several hours. You can then fully enjoy the advantages of intermittent fasting.
Health benefits of intermittent fasting
Unlike fashionable mono-component diets, intermittent fasting derives its basis and evidence of effectiveness from scientific research, which confirms one fundamental point. This style of nutrition works, leads to weight loss and benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity (important for insulin resistance sufferers). But what is most important? You don’t have to count calories… in the end.
