INTERMITTENT FASTING

Fasting isn’t exactly a new concept. Dependent on the success of hunt or harvest, for our ancestor hunger was a frequent reality. This put a strong evolutionary pressure on our ability to survive. In times of food deprivation our resiliency is  up-regulated, a compensatory mechanism called Hormesis. Consequently, fasting comes with a myriad of powerful health benefits. It…

• increases stem cell release

• increases DNA repair 

• removes damaged cells (Autophaghy) 

• increases insulin sensitivity

• activates fat burning

• stimulates mitochondrial energy production

• reduces inflammation and oxidative stress

• strengthens the immune system

• increases stress resistence

• promotes neuroplasticity and neurogenesis 

• boosts longevity 

 

If you are interested in weight loss, cancer prevention, heart health, better memory, good energy and a long life, fasting is for you. But if the sheer thought of days of no food is dreadful, there are other options. And this is where Intermittent Fasting enters the stage.

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Intermittend Fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of eating and not eating. Research shows that by ditching your three square meals a day, you already start reaping the many benefits of fasting. 

 

The goal is to abstain from eating for 12 to 16 hours. If you skip breakfast and eat your lunch/brunch at 11am and dinner at 7 pm, you would give your body 16 hours of rest. You can also skip dinner instead of breakfast. But if you are hypoglycemic, pregnant or breast feeding, fasting is not for you.

 

If you want to up it a notch, you can introduce one or two days per week where you only eat 500 calories/day, or go on a prolonged fast a few times a year. 

 

Another option is to go  on a plant-based meal plan that lasts for five consecutive days, called the Fasting Mimicking Diet (ProLon®). It includes soups, crackers, energy bars, drinks and supplements and was designed by Dr. Valter Longo from the Longevity Institute at USC who did much of the foundational fasting research. Despite being on a meal plan, you will still reap the benefits of fasting.

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