Is Intermittent Fasting Beneficial?

Nowadays, a plethora of ways to stay healthy and fit have been introduced. Some tend to be very difficult, and unrealistic. Other times, they may not even work or suit your personality. Still, more and more methods have arisen and this one focuses on improving your lifestyle, it is called intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is where you limit the amount of times you eat, but you can still consume whatever foods you enjoy. There are three main forms of intermittent fasting: modified fasting, alternate fasting days, and having restricted time periods for eating.

Modified fasting is where you make sure to fast for about two days out of the whole week, and can eat normally for the other five days. Alternate day fasting is where fasting days are switched around with days where one can eat normal food and beverages without any restrictions. Time-restricted eating is having a set window for just eating without avoiding any foods that they make like or eating less portion size. This is the most common technique, and usually people have an 8 hour eating period, where they are allowed to consume all the foods they would like. For the other 16 hours of the day, they must attempt to avoid ingesting any other foods.

There are said to have been a plethora of benefits from partaking in intermittent fasting such as improved cholesterol levels, blood sugar control, and changes in body composition. Following this means that you would have a decreased chance of getting a heart disease, which leads to better cholesterol levels. Also, one’s blood sugar would stay in control as it can mend one’s insulin resistance. Lastly, people tend to experience fat loss as they are fixing their metabolic syndrome risk factors.

Even though there are a lot of promising benefits, there are still some risks that come along with this such as increased feelings of hunger, higher irritability, worsened mood, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. These feelings can arise as when you don’t eat for a certain amount of time, you tend to start to think about food more which can change your mood. It is vital for one to consider these effects before starting this type of lifestyle.

We believe that intermittent fasting may help individuals, but it really depends one what they are looking for. Sometimes it may just be best to prioritize proper nutrition and make sure that you are just taking care of yourself.

Sources:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/intermittent-fasting-is-it-all-its-cracked-up-to-be#Alternatives