Intermittent Fasting Unleashed: 3 Health Optimization Hacks for Better Health

Intermittent fasting is abstaining from eating too much throughout the day rather to eat in schedules and moderate manner with fasting inclusion. 

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is an eating routine which entails fasting and eating in regular predefined schedules. Intermittent fasting is useful for weight loss and helpful to overcome certain diseases as well because it’s not emphasize upon what to eat however its main focus is on when to eat.

Mark Mattson, a neuroscientist has studied the intermittent fasting for a period of 25 years and he is of the view that human bodies are designed in a way that they could survive without eating for hours or even days. In referenced the prehistoric times when human were hunters and they had to gather, hunt and survive. 

What are methods of Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a very useful eating regimen which helps in making the eating patterns healthy, regular and facilitate in weight loss. However, it’s more advisable to consult Doctor before commencing it. Some famous approaches on intermittent fasting are as follows:

Alternate Day  plan

In this plan, one could eat a normal diet throughout the first day and keep fast on the very next day. If not possible then try to eat as less as 500 calories and not exceed from this caloric range.

5:2 Fasting

In this plan one could eat 5 days in a week and has to fast on 2 upcoming days of week.

Time Bound Fasting

In this eating regimen, one could eat only in an 8 hours time frame each day. For instance, if one is eating in lunch in noon and takes his second meal at 8pm at night its called time bound or time restricted fasting.

It may also happen in this way i.e. eat within 8 hours time window and avoid eating in next 16 hours. It means 16/8 window which allows to eat ample calories and restrict eating for next 16 hours.

According to some recent studies which reveal that alternate day fasting is very useful for the weight loss and to avoid certain diseases which cause serious threats to health and overall wellbeing.

It is not advisable to fasting to longer hours like from 24 hours to 36 hours or more. Because this may cause seriously affect your health and prompt body to store additional fats to counter starvation.

Mattson’s study reveals that intermittent fasting is useful and its require 2-4 weeks to get use to it. He further posits that the people who are doing intermittent fasting do not switch easily because they consider it healthier.

Why Intermittent Fasting is necessity of today’s life?

If we go behind and look at the life of people about 50 years before then we realize that what information age did to us. Actually, in previous times people were hard working and put efforts to maintain health. They use to walk and focus of exercise and self health in absence of social media, internet and mobile phones.

But now due to internet, social media and other high tech gadgets people use to be busy on mobile phones, TV or internet which is causing obesity, heart and other health problems. That’s why the need of appropriate routines to maintain healthy life is extremely important now.

Is Intermittent Fasting a Healthy Eating Regimen?

Intermittent is found beneficial in effectively dealing with obesity related issues like diabetes, sleeping problems and certain types of cancers. It is helpful in weight loss as well.

Intermittent fasting is beneficial is reducing certain types of inflammations and diseases like:

• Asthma
• Alzheimer
• Arthritis
• Stroke
• Sclerosis

Although, intermittent fasting has all benefits yet it has certain side effects as well. The good news is that the side effects may vanish in a month or so. The researched side effects are as follows:

• Increased hunger
• Sleep problems (Insomnia)
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Headache

When not to follow intermittent fasting dietary pattern?

Intermittent fasting is readily acknowledging dietary routine yet it must not be followed by certain people without doctor’s consent i.e.

• Pregnant women
• Breastfeeding mothers
• Kidney stone patients
• The people confronting from gastro esophageal reflux problem
• Diabetic patients

How Intermittent Fasting Work?

As we all know, that there are multiple ways to commence intermittent fasting like one can eat in 8 hours period in a day and keep fast on the remainder time of the day or one can eat for 5 days in a week normally and take a single meal throughout the day in remaining two days in a week. But one has to follow the time frame while dealing with intermittent fasting.

The rationale behind intermittent fasting is to follow time between two meals to exhaust the sugar stores and start burning body fats. Mattson called this process as Metabolic Switching.

The people who use to eat multiple times a day then they just consume the caloric reserves present inside the body and do not burn the fats. In such a way of dealing with diets nobody could lose weight. Intermittent fasting helps in making eating schedules and facilitate fat burning after exhausting the sugar reserves.

What should I eat while following Intermittent Fasting?

Well, intermittent fasting is just following a strict time schedule which allows you when to eat. While following intermittent fasting one could drink sugar free beverages, water or coffee.

Intermittent fasting doesn’t mean to fast for hours and eat junk foods and other unhealthy food alternative in eating hours. It will further deteriorate the health and may cause health problems.

Most of the nutritionist suggests the intake of nutritious and healthy diets like whole grains, lean proteins, leafy vegetables, fruits and fruits juices. Unhealthy diets, junk foods, fried food items and excessive oils are not recommended.

What are benefits of Intermittent Fasting?

The metabolic switching not only maintain health but also helps in reducing weight, and keep better health of brain and heart. Its helps in avoiding severe attacks of type 2 diabetes, heart problems, and age based neuro-degenerative disorders, bowel diseases and even cancers.  However, there are some other benefits of it as well which are as follows:

• Studies reveal that it boosts up the memory and thinking among animals and human. It enhances verbal memory in human as well.
• It streamlines the heart resting rates and control blood pressures.
• The adults who follow intermittent fasting for 16 hours may lose weights while maintain muscle mass.
• The studies show that it has multiple benefits in losing weight and avoiding obesity issues. The benefits for type 2 diabetic patients are also proven.
• The other benefits may include reduction in fasting glucose levels, insulin, leptin reduction and helps in insulin resistance as well. It also helps in raising levels of adiponectin.

Is following Intermittent Fasting safe?

Most of the people follow intermittent fasting to reduce weight or to avoid irritable bowel syndrome or to lower the cholesterol levels. But there is one thing really important to understand that the it is not advisable for everyone.

If someone is keen to start intermittent fasting the first and the most thing is to get suggestion form medical practitioner to avoid certain health related problems.

The people who are confronting from type 2 diabetes, cancers, pregnant women, lactating mothers and serious illness carrying people should avoid it.

How Intermittent Fasting affects cell and hormonal working?

It affects the cells and hormonal working as well. While following it, the body adjusts hormonal levels and ensures body fats accessibility. The cells on the other hand may also affect repair processes and certain genes expressions.

There are some changes which body encounter while fasting which are as follows:

• Higher levels of growth hormones
• Falling down the body insulin levels which assist in fats accession.
• It starts the process of autophagy in which cells use to digest old and dysfunctional proteins.
• It also triggers gene expressions concerning disease control especially.

How Intermittent Fasting facilitate weight loss?

Intermittent fasting is extremely beneficial in weight loss. Due to fewer meals in long hours automatically reduce body fats and reduce weight due to low caloric intake.

It also helps in lowering down insulin levels and boost in growth hormones. It also helps in release of norepinephrine (noradrenaline) which is a fat burning hormone which facilitate weight loss.

It also increases the metabolic rate by 3.6% to 14%. So, by reducing frequent meal intake and by burning body fats the healthy weight management could be attained.

Conclusion

Intermittent fasting is basically following a schedule which reflects that when to eat. By following it one could easily facilitate weight loss because it helps in lowering down body glucose levels and start burning body fats.

Intermittent fasting also helps in cell functional and a boost in growth hormones. Although, it has multiple benefits yet it is not recommended for all in large. The people who are confronting from heart problems, having type 2 diabetes and other serious issues like cancer they must not be recommended to follow it.

Finally, intermittent fasting is beneficial and also has life changing capacity yet not advisable to all without the consent of nutritionist or a medical practitioner.

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