Posted: 28 Oct, 2020 Contributor: Shraddha Thakur
Intermittent fasting is a new diet trend that has taken over the world as people are trying it to lose weight or just stay fit. If you think that you can give this trend a try, then the first thing that you have to do is to gather plenty of information about it. And this is all we will be talking about today. Intermittent fasting, the benefits and the correct ways to do it.
When this trend came into existence, people tried it and felt positive results. People reportedly experienced healthy and easy weight loss while muscle was built during this process. But, very few people are aware of the fact that it has been around for a very long time. For Indians, the concept of intermittent fasting is not as new as it might seem. Our progressive Ayurveda has been swearing over its accuracy and effectiveness for years. Our mothers and grandmothers used to fast often and in our culture fasting, a day has been given a great preference. Which itself is quite similar to intermittent fasting.
We have always been told, Do Not Skip Your Breakfast. It is the first and most important meal of the day. On the other hand, when you follow the concept of intermittent fasting, you usually do not take your morning meal. Does that mean that skipping breakfast is the new healthy trend? Actually, no. Intermittent fasting isn't about skipping meals but eating them at a planned time. So that your body gets enough time to process it, digest it and make the most of your meal by the time you get to your next meal.
In intermittent fasting, usually, you eat one big meal and then the other with a difference of 7 to 8 hours. Then you fast straight for 16 hours. This is the most common way to follow an intermittent fast. It is healthy, it is detoxing and makes you feel lighter. Studies have shown great results of it on our health, brain and longer life expectancy.
Honestly, it is not the first time when we have been introduced to a new diet or anything of that sort. And also, we do not endorse any of these fads. Then why are we discussing this one and why should you try intermittent fasting for good bodily and health-wise results? This is because:
It, of course, is an easy option to get fit without suffering through a crazy diet plan. The next thing that you deserve to know is how does intermittent fasting work? It works on the basic concept of being fed and fasted.
The fed state - When you eat your food, your body goes into the fed state. Which means it works on digesting the food extracting nutrition from it for 5-6 hours after you eat, and during that time it does not burn any extra fat from your body.
The fast state - This is the stage when your body has digested all the food and then it enters the post-absorption stage in the next 8-12 hours. Then only your body burns fat.
Fasting is not a complex thing to follow. There are three popular methods of intermittent fasting that people follow according to themselves.
It involves skipping your first meal of the early morning and then eating two big meals in between the gap of 6 to 7 hours and then fasting for straight 16 hours.
It is the traditional fasting method that is also practised religiously in many faiths like Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism etc. Eating and then fasting for consistent 24 hours.
In this method, you reduce your calorie intake to 500-600 for two non-consecutive days in a week and eat normally on all the other days.
Intermittent fasting involves giving a break to your system, detoxing your metabolism and flushing all the unwanted things out. Intermittent fasting does not restrict what you eat. So, you can eat any food of your choice, but this does not mean that you should eat unhealthy things during your meals. Eat large fulfilling meals. But avoid junk or packaged food. Make warm home-made meals that do not stick you in hunger-pangs in between you fasting.
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