Intermittent Fasting

I am excited to share with you one of the simplest and most effective methods of eating you will ever encounter. Among its many benefits are helping you maintain ideal body weight and stabilize blood sugar. I know it works because I have used it myself and with so many of my clients.

It doesn’t cost anything. It’s not even really about what you eat – it’s about WHEN you eat.

We’ll get to the why’s and how’s later on. For the moment, it’s enough to say that Intermittent Fasting is a system of healthy eating that is becoming more and more popular worldwide. Simply put, the term “Intermittent Fasting” means putting at least 12 hours (14 to 16 hours is optimal) between the last thing you eat at night and first thing you eat in the morning. It’s that simple. (Full details below.)

Some of the benefits of Intermittent Fasting are:

• Maintaining ideal weight
• Easing digestive challenges
• Stabilizing blood sugar
• Reducing pain
• Increasing energy
• Sharpening your focus
• Improving sleep
• Clearing skin
• Helping defend against disease
• Improving your quality of life

The key thing to keep in mind is during this time between meals, you must eat absolutely nothing. No snacking! However, it is fine to have

• Plain water
• Plain black coffee
• Plain tea (herbal is O.K., but non-fruit-based).

How Does Intermittent Fasting Work?

Here is an hourly biological breakdown of how the body responds to fasting:

8-11 hours
The body is processing the last amount of food consumed.

12-15 hours
Fat begins to burn and be used for energy.
Human Growth Hormone levels are rising and assisting muscle growth and repair. Focus is heightened and body “lightness” can be experienced. This is the ideal “fasted state.”

16-18 hours (the “fasting sweet spot”)
Fat is burning rapidly. Human Growth Hormones levels are higher. The body has the time and space to “clean house” within the cellular system (the medical term is “Autophagy”) and can rebuild worn-out cell components create new ones. Along with this vital “growth and repair,” the body starts to consume excess fat (this is called ketosis).

19-20 hours
At this point, Human Growth Hormone Levels are at their highest, repairing and growing cells at an unprecedented rate.

24 hours
At this advanced stage, the body is in full ketosis mode as the body crosses over to the total fat consumption stage.

Why Does Intermittent Fasting Work?

When you think of it, some level of fasting is really just returning to the way our bodies are designed to eat – the way our ancestors ate thousands of years ago.

Back then, there were no corner grocery stores and no home pantries or refrigeration. People were not snacking all the time. Therefore, the body’s insulin (the chief hormone for blood-sugar regulation and fat storage) was allowed to return to baseline levels. Since insulin levels rise for approximately 2 hours after a meal, when we snack, insulin remains elevated for an unnaturally long period.

Continuous “grazing” or snacking has two main effects. First, the body is signaled to store fat (just what none of us want!). Plus, the body can develop “insulin resistance” – meaning that cells stop responding appropriately to insulin. This is an “open invitation” for the onset of adult (Type 2) diabetes – not to mention obesity. (If you are an insulin-dependent diabetic, consult with a health professional first.)

What about the “rule” that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day”? Actually, this idea was created by breakfast-cereal companies in the late 19th century. For the real scientific logic and evidence behind Intermittent Fasting, I recommend the groundbreaking book “The Obesity Code: Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss” by Jason Fung M.D., a Toronto-based kidney specialist and one of the world’s leading experts on Intermittent Fasting. (He’s also the author of “The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally.”) There you will see that Dr. Fung has found in his studies that Intermittent Fasting has the ability to reverse obesity and diabetes through reducing insulin resistance and blood-sugar spikes.

Intermittent Fasting: How To Do It

The How-To’s of Intermittent Fasting are beautifully simple. Leave at least 12 hours (14 to16 hours is optimal) between the last thing you eat at night and first thing you eat the following day. For example, if you finish your last meal at 8 PM, you will have breakfast at the earliest 10:00 the next morning. During those non-food hours, you can have water, black coffee or tea (non-fruit-based). Also – have two or three meals during day – and leave at least 3 “fasting” hours between them. No snacks in those non-food times.

Do this every day. THAT’S IT!

What To Eat?

To get the most out of Intermittent Fasting, consume food that will facilitate the cellular mechanisms of “house cleaning” and repair.

As always, it is best to avoid processed, fried and sugar-laden food. Beyond that, Krista Varady PhD, a professor of Nutrition at the University of Illinois, Chicago, and a leading researcher on fasting, says: “Eat high-fiber foods, such as nuts, beans, fruits and vegetables, and high protein foods, including meat, fish, tofu, or nuts, during your eating window.”

She adds: “Drink lots of water. People tend to think they’re hungry, when they are really just thirsty.”

 

By Dr. Anthony Salzarulo, DC, PT with Matthew Tomasino, BFA, LMT