Intermittent fasting does not describe a specific form of typical fasting. Intermittent fasting (also called interval fasting), on the other hand, describes a certain eating rhythm. So you eat – in comparison to real fasting – very well, only at certain times and, above all, only at certain time intervals. You alternate between times of normal food intake and food abstinence. This reduces the risk of age-related diseases, makes it easier to lose weight and you live longer.
Intermittent fasting: the feeding rhythm of our ancestors
For us modern humans it is normal to have a continuous supply of food available. After all, everything our heart desires is available in the supermarket at any time – and that too in abundance.
Of course, this was not the case for our ancestors who lived as hunters and gatherers. Before humans settled down and learned to farm and raise livestock, there were always days when no solid food was available.
That sounds pretty dramatic to our spoiled ears today. But these involuntary days of fasting didn’t do any harm. On the contrary. They relieved the organism and made it more resilient.
Fasting days relieve stress and improve health
Although overeating is known to promote cardiovascular disease and has been linked to increased disease and death rates, many people find it difficult to control or even reduce their food intake.
For this reason, the diet of our ancestors has returned to the focus of numerous researches. One would like to find out whether the health-promoting effects of dietary lifestyles are possible without reducing food intake.
Various studies have come to the conclusion that an alternating (alternating) rhythm in food consumption alone can minimize cardiovascular risk factors, protect against degenerative diseases of the nervous system and improve health in many ways – and precisely this alternating rhythm in food intake is called intermittent fasting.
Science behind the Intermittent Fasting
Performing intermittent fasting is very easy. Periods of normal food intake are followed by periods when you do not eat anything.
There are two basic variants of intermittent fasting, which in turn allow numerous variations.
- One fast day per week
Intermittent fasting could, for example, consist of fasting one day a week, i.e. not eating anything. Some people also fast two days a week, for example fast every Monday and Thursday. Others eat and fast every 24 hours.
The latter variant is of course the most intensive form of intermittent fasting. One day you eat ad libitum (at will), the next day you do not consume any calories. Water and unsweetened teas are used to cover the fluid requirements on fasting days.
In order to achieve a desired effect such as weight loss or health improvement, it makes sense to use the intermittent fasting days at the shortest possible intervals. So should be changed daily or in a ratio of 2 to 1 (eat 2 days, fast 1 day).
This rhythm should be maintained until the desired fasting goals are achieved. Once you have reached your desired weight, feel better or the blood counts show that everything is in balance again, the days of fasting can become rarer again.
- Daily fasting periods
Intermittent fasting can also be carried out daily, namely by fasting for 16, 18 or 20 hours every day.
This variant is often much easier for beginners in particular than the first. You do not have to go without solid food for the whole day, but can eat for 8, 6 or 4 hours, the rest of the time you do not consume any calorie-containing drinks or food.
Now, of course, you shouldn’t eat permanently during these 4 to 6 hours, but rather have two meals and also avoid overeating in any case.
For example, if you want to eat for 6 hours and fast for 18 hours, the daily routine could look like this: You have your first meal (a late breakfast or an early lunch) at 11 a.m. and dinner is already at 4 p.m. So you fast from around 5 p.m. (end of the second meal) until 11 a.m. the next day. A third meal is therefore canceled.
Can you eat what you want during intermittent fasting?
Of course, meals shouldn’t contain sugar or other isolated carbohydrates (white flour, white rice). Then the B will also stay blood sugar and insulin levels are low and the body gains more energy from burning fats.
