What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is one of the current food trends. More than a diet, this new procedure of eating would have diverse health benefits. Fasting to lose weight would have become the new slimming secret. In this article, discover the real benefits of fasting and how to practice it with a typical day of a special fasting menu.

What is intermittent fasting?

It is the type of diet consists of alternating between more or less long periods of fasting as well as periods of food intake. It is much more flexible. It is accessible to strict fasting. In this way, it does not allow any food intake. Intermittent fasting makes you able to enjoy the same health benefits. There are diverse methods to practice intermittent fasting, which incorporates partial fasting, 5: 2 way, fasting, etc.

Health interests of fasting

Fasting would have several benefits for the body in our society where overeating and junk food are two common facts.

Here are the main health benefits of fasting:

    Reduces insulin production and fat and sugar storage in the body

    Stimulates the destocking of fats

    Stimulates secretion of growth hormone

    Better control of eating sensations

    It improves physical as well as intellectual performance

    It decreases recovery time

    Prevents overweight and specific associated pathologies: cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, etc.

    Cleans the body

    It stimulates autophagy or self-cleaning function of the body by its cells

    Promotes cell regeneration

    Reduces cell oxidation as well as premature aging of cells

 

Fasting to lose weight: the advice of a dietician

The new trend of fasting is intermittent fasting. As mentioned above, the health benefits of fasting are many and very interesting. However, in the context of weight loss, one must remain cautious. An intermittent unframed, as well as poorly conducted fast, can lead to more damage than profit. Fatigue, frustration, food compulsions, cravings, etc. These are adverse effects that can put the body into the test.

To avoid them, it is imperative to seek medical advice before starting the fast. It is also good to be accompanied by diet professionals. In addition, remember that fasting is not a diet but a way of eating. Weight loss must not be the only motivation at the risk of making things complicated.

The Major Mistakes to Avoid

Fasting to lose weight is not quite simple. There are common mistakes that can ruin all your efforts. They can make intermittent fasting counterproductive. Right now, we are going to give you the list of these major mistakes. Have a look:

Not drinking enough water

The eradication of metabolic waste and toxins requires sufficient hydration. In periods of intermittent fasting, the hydration should be important for the body to support periods of fasting and continue to function optimally. When you start fasting, thirst is often much less. It is imperative to focus on this point. You should drink at least 2 liters of water per day.

Setting goals that are too difficult to achieve

Fasting is a difficult thing to do. It is recommended to go gradually and stay tuned to your body to avoid any mistake. In case you are fasting for the first time, then you should try to set goals in stages. Start by advancing the time of your meal. In the evening, you have to move back the time of your breakfast in the morning. In this way, you can slowly maximize the fasting time devoid of rushing your body.

Eat twice as much throughout food intake periods

When practicing fasting, it can be difficult to maintain a balanced diet during periods of food intake. Indeed, it is quite tempting to jump on food, eat a lot, and turn to the foods of your liking. Now, this is a big mistake. To enjoy the diverse health benefits of fasting, the quality of the diet during periods of food intake is as essential as the periods of fasting themselves. Therefore, it will be necessary to favor meals rich in vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and essential fatty acids.

Fast to lose weight only

Intermittent fasting is a way of life instead of a diet. Its purpose is not weight loss, yet it does help. By summarizing fasting to this particular objective can make it much more difficult. You will risk missing out on all the other benefits of fasting.

A typical day of a special fasting menu

Here is an example of a particular fasting diet plan to assist you in building a menu day in practice. Fasting is the most recognized and widespread practice of intermittent fasting. It consists of alternating an 8-hour food intake period with a 16 hour fasting period. Here, the last meal is consumed before 8 p.m. while the first meal of the day is consumed the next day at noon.

To better suit your habits, it is possible to move back the time of dinner and therefore that of lunch. The important thing is simply to keep a 16h fasting period alternating with an 8h food intake period.

Prevent Diabetes and Prediabetes with intermittent fasting

Once we understand the physiological mechanism that triggers the disease, the simplest way to prevent diabetes is to act on two levers:

    Limit your insulin secretion

    Increase insulin sensitivity

The first thing to do is, therefore, to monitor the glycemic index of foods that are swallowed by limiting “simple sugars” to favor complex carbohydrates. Be careful, popular wisdom in this area is complete to the west! For example, many starchy foods are, in fact, “fast sugars” with a high glycemic index: potatoes, white bread, cereals, etc. It may be useful to refer to a table of glycemic indexes simply.

The second thing to do is to eat more protein and fewer carbohydrates. First of all, because scientific studies tell us that a low-carbohydrate diet improves insulin sensitivity and reduces appetite. Then, because it allows you to secrete more glucagon and less insulin (a regular supply of carbohydrates maintains a high insulin level in the body while a steady amount of proteins promotes the production of glucagon), or if l insulin prevents the body from burning its reserves, glucagon is the fast route to burning fat. And maintaining a correct body composition is a factor in preventing diabetes.

 

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