What is fasting? 🍽
Voluntary withholding 🤭 of food for a determined time period.
Starvation– involuntary absence of food.
What happens when you fast? 🤷♀️
- There is a gradual shift of burning glucose to burning fat.
- Increase in nor-epinephrine; slight raise in metabolism.
- Adaptation with time to hunger hormone physiology, resulting in decreased hunger.
Effects of Intermittent Fasting on the Body and Brain 🧠 – promotes fat burning and the production of ketones.
- Brain 🧠: improved cognitive function.
- Heart ❤️: reduced resting heart rate, reduced blood pressure.
- Fat cells: fat breakdown, reduced inflammation.
- Muscle: increased insulin sensitivity.
- Blood: decreased insulin, increased ketones.
- Liver: increase insulin sensitivity, ketone body production
- Intestines: reduced energy uptake.
Research shows, intermittent fasting aids in controlling hunger 🤭 after adaptation occurs. It also improves diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Moreover, fasting can help with weight loss, extend longevity in animals and improve health in humans. Studies demonstrate beneficial effects of fasting lasting 1 to 3 weeks in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Categories of Fasting
- Traditional three meals- 12 hour eating window; includes breakfast, lunch and dinner.
- 8 hour eating window- 16 hours fasting; skipping breakfast. Includes lunch and dinner.
- Warrior diet or alternative day fasting- 20 hours fasting; includes single meal daily. Eating window is 4 hours or less.
Nutrition advice when doing Intermittent fasting.
- There are contraindications and special considerations for individuals with certain medical conditions and taking specific medications.
- Don’t ✋ do it more than 2-3 days per week and avoid consecutive days; especially for the warrior diet fasting version.
- Stay hydrated.
- Avoid artificial flavors and sweeteners.
- Break the fast slowly.
- Avoid snacking or eating at nighttime.
- Do not binge on high calorie 🍟🍩🍪, unhealthy foods during the non-fasting hours.
Possible Side Effects 😩 of Fasting
- Mild low blood sugar.
- Electrolyte abnormalities.
- Headache, migraine 🤕.
- Acute back pain.
- Muscle cramps.
- Impaired vision 👓 .
- Fluid 💦
- Changes in sleep patterns 😴 .
Contraindications to Fasting 🛑
- Cachexia- wasting syndrome
- Anorexia nervosa and eating disorders.
- Uncontrolled Hypertension.
- Advanced liver or kidney insufficiency.
- Diabetes type 1.
- Insulin dependency.
- Pregnancy or lactation.
- Psychotic disorders, addictions
- Unstable coronary artery disease.
- Retinal detachment.
- Low blood sugars.
Food for thought: fasting doesn’t work for everyone and should not be done on a consistent basis on consecutive days because it could possibly result in slowing down your metabolism in the long-term.
❤️With Love ❤️
Your Dietitian