Intermittent fasting is one of the latest wellness trends that is gaining momentum in India. It is said to aid in weight loss, improve metabolism and build simpler eating habits. If you’ve been wondering what exactly it is, and how to go about it, we asked the experts to explain.
What is intermittent fasting
According to Neha Shetty, Senior Nutritionist at Talwalkars: “Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where there is a cycle of fasting and non- fasting over a specific period. It’s not much about what to eat, but it’s more about when to eat. The science behind this kind of fasting is that the body can’t burn fat when we are in a fed state, so fasting puts our body in a fat burning stage and hence intermittent fasting helps in burning fat and building muscle. This kind of eating pattern is more common these days with people trying to lose weight.”
What is allowed
Nutritionist Kalpana Chawla explains: “Only water is allowed. No tea, coffee or fruits as well. It could basically start once you finish dinner say at 9 pm at night counting upto the next 12 -16 hours. It helps in maintaining stable sugar levels, arresting fat gain, enhance fat loss and also help heal a body by increasing the blood supply to the needed region rather than the digestive system. Remember it must be done cleverly to avoid fat gain in the longer run and the feeding period must comprise of balanced meals rather than indulging in wrong foods.”
Types of intermittent fasting
There are different ways to adopt intermittent fasting; the most popular ones are:
The 16/8 Method: One has to fast for 16 hours each day, so the window to eat would be between noon till around 8pm.
Eat-Stop-Eat: This involves not eating anything from dinner to dinner the next day, twice a week.
The 5:2 Diet: For two days a week, one has to eat only 500 to 600 calories per day.
Benefits of intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is mainly used as a tool to aid in weight loss. According to a study by the Department of Medicine, University of Illinois, Chicago in 2014, it can help reduce insulin resistance, which means the risk of getting Type 2 diabetes is significantly lower. In another 1981 study, the Gerontology Research Center, National Institute on Aging, Baltimore City Hospitals, tested intermittent fasting on rats and found that their life span significantly extended.
Seems pretty convincing, doesn’t it?
