Intermittent Fasting
As a society we are constantly in a fed state! During human evolution, our ancestors would be constantly switching their bodies from a fed to a fasting state. When food was plentiful they would be in a state of being well fed but often when food scarce our ancestors would have gone long periods of time without any food or very minimal amounts of food. Because of this our bodies are extremely adaptable switching from a fed to a fast state, but for a lot of us we cannot remember the last time we were actually truly hungry (not just craving sugar, thirsty or bored).
More recently studies on the Mediterranean diet found the same thing, people in the studies often only had one or two meals per day, food was not always plentiful. In the western world, we mostly live in a society where we are surrounded by food! Almost at every corner there is a convenience store, a vending machine or a fast food restaurant tempting us with processed foods that are readily available! Most of us are in a state of constantly fed (always digesting) never giving our body a break from food.
The idea of the fast diet is to give our body a rest from daily over consumption of food allowing our liver to recover and regenerate and basically giving our bodies (especially our digestive system) an overall rest and reset! There are certain liver detoxification enzymes that can’t do their work if you are constantly eating, especially eating loads of carbohydrates. It is not a new trend, many religions engage in fasting as part of their practice.
Health benefits of fasting
- Repairs cells/DNA, to ensure your body is making healthy new cells.
- Can reduce glucose, insulin, blood pressure and normalise cholesterol levels.
- Reduces cravings by stabilising blood sugar levels.
- Teaches the body the difference between cravings, thirst, boredom and hunger.
- Increases clarity and reduces brain fog.
- Decreases the risk of lifestyle related diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
- Fat loss.
- Reset your body and metabolism.
- Get your stomach used to less food so you actually eat less even on the days you’re not fasting.
- Eat more nutrient dense meals.
- Give your body a rest from food, give your organs such as your liver a rest.
- Force your body to burn fat for energy!
- Switches your body from a carbohydrate burner to a fat burner.
It is widely believed within the paleo community that humans are genetically adapted to the diet of their Paleolithic ancestors, genetics change very slowly and human genes have barely changed since Paleolithic time.
Our digestive and metabolic systems were not designed for refined sugars, refined oils, grains and dairy.
The idea of the fast diet is to give our body a rest from daily over consumption of food allowing our liver to recover and regenerate and basically giving our bodies (especially our digestive system) an overall rest and reset!
Reasons NOT to fast:
- If you are under 18
- If you are pregnant
- If you are breastfeeding
- If you are underweight (BMI < 18.5)
- If you have a history of eating disorders
Conditions where you need supervision to fast:
- Diabetes type I or II
- If you are taking medications
- If you have a history of high uric acid or gout