Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and periods of fasting. During fasting periods it is only allowed to drink liquids such as clean water, green juices rich in chlorophyll (not fruit juices due to their high level of fructose), infusions, tea, coffee for those who drink regularly. In fact, it is advisable to drink plenty of fluids to keep your hydration level high. Discover all you need to know about intermittent fasting.
All you need to know about intermittent fasting
A very old practice
Intermittent fasting is a method that has become very fashionable today because it helps you lose weight and has countless health benefits, in addition to being quite easy to apply.
But the truth is that fasting is nothing new, since it is an ancient practice that has been carried out throughout the history of humanity, whether for religious, cultural or spiritual reasons.
There are many different types of fasting, however, intermittent fasting is an ancient secret that had been long forgotten and is now coming to light.
One of the concepts that I like the most when I think about fasting is the concept of the internal shower.
What can I eat during intermittent fasting
On the other hand, during the periods in which you eat, it is always recommended to eat whole, whole and organic foods based on vegetables, fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts. Also quality fats such as extra virgin olive oil and avocados. Finally, quality proteins, avoiding all artificial foods, processed with artificial colors, preservatives and aromas. It would also not be advisable to eat sugary foods and refined flours. Very important, avoid highly acidifying foods such as red meat.
Benefits of intermittent fasting
Fasting, as I have mentioned, has innumerable benefits, among them helping you maintain the alkaline design of the body, since it allows you to eliminate toxic substances accumulated in the tissues, in the extracellular fluid, fatty tissue and/or organs. In addition, it has a revitalizing and rejuvenating effect, helping to recover energy.
Today we know that the toxins in our body often cause us to gain weight, producing inflammation, reducing our energy and negatively affecting our mood.
We must keep in mind that our body is designed not to eat for long periods of time, as happens in nature, it is what we would call forced fasting.
As a summary, intermittent fasting will help you:
- Helps lose weight.
- Helps eliminate toxins from the body.
- It provides mental clarity because insulin levels drop.
- Provides energy and vitality.
- Facilitates cell regeneration.
- Increases the production of growth hormone GH, enhancing muscle mass.
- Helps maintain the alkaline design of the body.
- Helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol
- Reduces the possibility of developing cancer by reducing oxidative stress.
- Strengthens the immune system.
What is autophagy
Intermittent fasting induces “autophagy” which allows cleansing and detoxification at the cellular level. Autophagy is a natural regeneration mechanism that occurs in our body at the cellular level. Reduces the probability of contracting certain diseases, prolonging life expectancy.
In 2016, a Japanese scientist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize for his research on the mechanisms of autophagy. This process was first identified in 1960, but was not recognized until 1990.
The word Autophagy comes from Greek and means “eating oneself” which means that the cells in our body degrade and recycle their own components. This process fuels our body for energy by providing the basic building blocks for cell renewal.
When we eat, part of the energy goes to the liver and is stored in the form of glycogen. An average person needs between 10 and 12 hours to spend it. If we eat before the body has consumed it, it will not have time to eliminate excess toxins.
Furthermore, when there is no longer glycogen in the liver, the body begins to burn fat to obtain energy instead of obtaining it from glucose, which, by the way, is a much more efficient way; In addition, fasting will help us lose weight and especially around the waist.
On the other hand, fasting improves intellectual capacity, since neurons become more active when hungry. More mitochondria are produced and therefore more energy, which in turn generates more synapses, equal to more memory and greater learning capacity. In short, it stimulates the production of “Neurotrophic Factors” in the brain that promotes Neurogenesis from stem cells, that is, new neurons are produced, incredible, right?
So as you can see, intermittent fasting improves cognition, improves mood, neuromuscular and cardiovascular health. Helps repair DNA and strengthens immunity.
Types of intermittent fasting
When we talk about intermittent fasting it is important to say that there are different modalities. For example, we have the “Fast-5-Diet” method that Dr. Bert Herring made very fashionable, which consists of not eating anything solid for 19 hours in a row and eating only during a five-hour time slot. In this case we could skip breakfast or for those who prefer, skip dinner.
Another way to do it is called the 5:2 intermittent fasting method, which consists of eating normally for five days in a row and fasting for 2 days a week. For many people this is a more difficult method to carry out since after being hungry for two days they end up giving up.
And finally, the most common method and one that I recommend since it is relatively simple to put into practice is the 16:8 method, which consists of fasting for sixteen hours in a row and eating only during an eight-hour time slot. For people who are not used to it, it would be advisable to start little by little, that is, first fast for 12 hours straight, then increase to 14 hours until finally reaching 16 hours of fasting. You can also practice it during the week and rest on the weekend, which is when we usually relax and have more social life.
Although complete fasting and especially intermittent fasting have innumerable benefits as we have listed previously, there are also circumstances in which it would not be recommended.
Who should not fast
There are certain people who should not practice intermittent fasting such as children, adolescents, pregnant women and people over 70 years of age with health problems, people with kidney and adrenal problems. People suffering from anorexia and bulimia nervosa should also abstain.
People who are excessively thin and frail or who have been hospitalized for some time should also not practice intermittent fasting.
And finally, people with type I diabetes who are insulin dependent should not do it either.
If you are interested in the subject, you will find many books on the market that will explain in detail how to do it, and if you really want to start and have some type of problem, I advise you to be supervised by your trusted doctor or therapist.
