Diets, and dietary patterns were the talk of the town last year throughout the lockdown and Intermittent Fasting or IF was one reigning queen. IF is an eating pattern in which one has timely meals within an eating window and fast at other times. Unlike other dietary patterns, it does not put any restrictions on what one can eat.
So how exactly does IF work?
The basic principle of IF is to give the body time to digest food, and in the process, burn out excess body fat and hence, detox. It is considered more attuned to the body's circadian rhythm, and therefore, beneficial. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) states that IF could work wonders for those with obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine reported in NEJM, “…intermittent-fasting interventions ameliorate obesity, insulin resistance, dyslipidemia (abnormal amount of lipids), hypertension, and inflammation. Intermittent fasting seems to confer health benefits to a greater extent than can be attributed just to a reduction in caloric intake.”
There are three most widely studied intermittent fasting regimen. These formats include 1) 5:2 formula – the fasting for two days each week, and daily time-restricted eating, having food within a period of six-eight hours and fasting for the rest of the day and night. 2) Fasting on alternative days. 3) The 16:8 format where you allow the body to fast for 16 hours to eliminate toxins, cleanse, and repair the systems, and only eat for eight hours in a day.
Eat your last meal before 8 pm, and resume eating at noon the next day. Drink only plain water, and avoid caffeine.
