Intermittent fasting was one of the most trending terms in diet culture within the past year. And with good reason. A recent study shows that those who practice intermittent fasting regularly are more likely to live healthier for a longer period of time.
If you think about it, our ancestors were not eating around the clock. They didn't have set meal times because there were times when they had no meals to eat. Anthropologists have determined that our ancestors went through periods of food scarcity. And they survived these times of scarcity by fasting.
There are two categories of intermittent fasting: time-restricted feeding (usually the 16:8 rule) and actually fasting for a certain length of time (at least 24 hours).
Fasting has been shown to improve cellular health, regulate blood sugar, suppress inflammation, improve blood lipid levels, decrease blood pressure, benefit brain health and increase fat-burning. This is why it's becoming increasingly popular. A lot of people are looking for answers to chronic health problems. Intermittent fasting has also been studied to test its effects on obesity and diabetes. With the improvement of all these markers comes the likelihood of living healthier for a longer period of time.
I partake in intermittent fasting most days. I prefer the time-restricted feeding method where I only eat for a specified time each day. Most people who practice this opt to skip breakfast. I skip dinner because I feel like there are more benefits to doing this. So my feeding window is usually 6:45am-2:45pm, which still gives me 8 hours of eating with 16 hours of fasting. I workout around 4:30pm 4-5 days per week.
I've only been doing this consistently for a few months, but I'm curious to see if my biomarkers have improved since my last doctor visit last summer. I'm scheduled for more blood testing next month. So it'll be fun to compare the two panels to see if anything has changed, and/or if it has changed for the better.
Do you practice intermittent fasting or are you interested in starting?
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