Intermittent fasting is considered one of the healthiest types of fasting. Intermittent fasting involves either complete or partial abstinence from food for a set amount of time before returning to normal eating. Experts agree that fasting for 16 hours a day triggers the process of autophagy – a mechanism in the cell that occurs during fasting and starvation, which allows the body to survive by creating energy through recycling of the dysfunctional, damaged and diseased cells, removing residues at the cellular level which affect the whole body and lead to optimal health. This cleansing and recycling at the same time is like resetting our body and promoting survival and adaptation in response to various stresses and toxins accumulated in our cells. Many good things happen during intermittent fasting, which protects our organs from disease and inflammation.
Benefits of intermittent fasting include:
- Maintain a healthy body
- Improve and strengthen the immune system
- Increase energy levels
- Rejuvenate the body
- Improve brain function
- Reduce inflammation in the body
- Increase metabolism
- Improve blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels
Intermittent Fasting – 16:8 Method Guide
- Begin by picking an 8-hour window where you will consume the food. For example, it can be 7 am to 3 pm if you like having breakfast; 12 pm to 8 pm if you want to break the fast with lunch; or 2 pm to 10 pm if you don’t go to bed early.
- If you find it difficult to fast for 16 hours, try gradually increasing your fasting time. Start with 12 12-hour fasting time and then every day add one more hour.
- To control your hunger while fasting, you can drink calorie-free beverages like lemon water or unsweetened coffee and tea.
- Don’t forget to follow a balanced diet based on whole foods.
Depending on the reason for fasting, there are various other types of fasting that include:
- Water fasting
- Juice fasting
- Fasting for a blood analysis
- Fasting to reduce weight
- Intermittent fasting
- Fasting for cleansing the body
- Fasting for healing the body and religious fasting
Therefore, the results achieved by fasting also differ from each other and depend on the personality of the people who fast.
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➥ DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to replace medical treatment. The information provided is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.