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To Fast Or Not To Fast? Nutritionist’s View On Fasting, Its Benefits And Side Effects
Does fasting benefit us or harm us? The answer is YES, and NO! Do ensure to read till the end to know why fasts can be beneficial and how to include them in your lifestyle.
The internet is buzzing with numerous diets that promise quick weight loss, enhanced immunity, better muscle mass, lower body fat and so on. Fruit fast, Fat first, salt-free fast, Intermittent fasting, Paleo, Ketogenic, and so many more.
Haven't we all read so much about these diets, tried a few of them and given up all together thinking these are unsustainable. When it comes to your daily lifestyle, you should focus on incorporating such eating habits that you can sustain for a lifetime.
Are You DOOMSCROLLING For Information? It Can Impact Your Mental And Physical Health!
A daily diet needs to be sustainable, made with easily available ingredients, should nourish you from within and make you happy mentally keeping you satiated. A diet should not keep you feeling deprived all the time or remove foods groups as that leads to nutrient deficiency. A diet also needs to be in tune with what you have eaten since childhood as our gut microbiome has been formed based on such foods [1][2].
A wholesome, fulfilling meal ensures that:
•
We
manage
our
body
weight
and
the
fat
to
muscle
ratio
[3].
•
We
have
better
gut
health
and
hence
a
good
immunity.
•
Our
moods
are
uplifted
as
we
aren't
deprived.
•
It
helps
to
keep
our
stress
levels
down.
•
We
fulfil
the
micronutrient
deficiencies
through
the
variety
of
spices
used.
That
said,
keeping
fasts
in
a
planned
way
comes
with
a
host
of
benefits.
Fasting
has
been
practised
throughout
history
by
almost
all
religions
of
the
world.
In
scientific
terms,
fasting
is
the
wilful
refrainment
from
eating
anything
except
plain
water
for
a
period
of
time.
Any meal takes 3-4 hours to get digested and absorbed into the body. It is posited that the fasting window starts. Several metabolic changes occur during the fasting phase. The benefits are higher when the fasting window is longer [4].
In India, different types of fasts are observed. Some include refrainment from pulses, while others refrain from grains. Some fasts encourage eating millets, and some fasts thrive only on water [5].
Such fasts in general help to improve alertness, mental stability, mood and feeling of well-being. Fasts are good to give variety in the meals and complete the micronutrient requirements. Still, they do not provide the benefits of metabolic changes of complete refrainment from food [6].
Listed below is the fast when done the right way provides a host of benefits.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting, also known as intermittent energy restriction, stands true to its name. One needs to fast intermittently during the day. It includes a fasting window and an eating window [7].
This fast does not specify the foods that are allowed to be eaten in a fast. It specifies the time when you can eat food.
There are two popular types of intermittent fasting:
•
The
24
hours
fast
done
alternate
days
twice
a
week.
•
The
16:8
fasting
method.
This
is
a
more
convenient
and
practical
fast
to
incorporate
into
one's
lifestyle.
It
is
also
the
most
popular
one
[8].
16: 8 intermittent fasting:
This method of fasting involves 16 hours of fasting window and 8 hours of eating window. For maximum benefits, the eating window should include whole foods with a balance of all macronutrients like carbohydrates, protein and fats [9].
How To Start Intermittent Fasting: A Beginner's Guide
An individual can start with 13 hours of fast initially and then gradually build up to 16 hours.
The best time to fast is from 6 PM (after having a filling meal) to 10 AM the next day. This time works well as most of the fasting window is spent during the late-night sleeping hours, and it becomes easy to fast.
However, every individual is different, and one should work their fasting window as per their convenience [10].
How does intermittent fasting help?
•
Improves
insulin
sensitivity:
During
the
fasting
phase,
the
insulin
levels
drop
drastically
and
make
the
fat
stores
available
for
burnout.
•
Promotes
autophagy:
This
means
that
the
fasting
phase
helps
the
cells
to
regenerate
themselves.
The
cells
digest
the
old
dysfunctional
proteins
that
build
up
inside
the
cells
and
renew
themselves.
The
research
on
autophagy
induced
during
Intermittent
fasting
has
won
a
Nobel
prize.
•
Aids
fat
burning:
When
there
is
no
carbohydrate
source
for
energy,
the
body
turns
to
its
fat
stores
for
energy.
Hence,
there
is
fat
loss.
•
Assists
in
weight
loss:
When
one
skips
an
entire
meal
during
the
fast,
those
many
calories
are
in
deficit.
If
during
the
eating
phase,
the
meals
are
balanced,
then
there
will
be
weight
loss.
On A Final Note…
Hence, the best way to incorporate fasting in your lifestyle is to have balanced meals 5-6 days of the week and incorporate intermittent fasting 1-2 days of the week.
For
beginnings,
you
can
start
with
one
day
of
intermittent
fasting
and
move
up
gradually.
This
will
help
you
stay
consistent
on
your
chosen
diet
and
not
deprive
you
of
any
nutrients
required
for
normal
functioning
of
the
body.
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