Intermittent Fasting

Intermittent fasting is an approach to eating that alternates between periods of fasting and eating. Throughout this approach there a few different patterns of intermittent fasting.

 

One of the most popular known is 16:8 where the widow of 8 hours is chosen for eating and the 16 hours is the fasting state. Other patterns are 14:10 fasting (14 hours fasting followed by a 10-hour eating window). Or even 18:6 or up to 20:4 (20 hours fasting followed by a 4-hour eating window)

 

The 5:2 diet is another form of intermittent fasting. It involves having two days each week where only 2000 to 3000 kilojoules are consumed. The other 5 days of the week are spent eating normally.

 

There are many benefits of fasting, namely -

• Weight management and lower body fat stores

• reducing inflammatory stress

• balancing blood glucose

• Reduced food cravings

 

Intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone, so it is strongly advised to seek professional dietetic and medical advice to determine if intermittent fasting is appropriate for you.