5 Science-Backed Benefits of Intermittent Fasting
Between keto, paleo, and Whole30, it can be hard to keep up with the latest happenings in the trendy-diet sphere. Unfortunately, many of the strict eating plans involve meticulous tracking of every bite you take. If monitoring macros, calories, and ingredients isn’t up your alley, we may have the solution for you: intermittent fasting, or IF.
Rather than tracking what’s on your plate, IF requires you to focus on when you choose to sit down to meals. There are different variations of IF ranging from fasting for two days of the week and then eating your normal caloric load to fasting for about 12 to 16 hours per day (usually including sleep time). Many people choose to adopt the 12- to 16-hour overnight fast, in which you would finish eating at about 8 p.m. and hold off breakfast until about 12 p.m.—an easier and more sustainable approach than skipping meals during the day. Although you’re fasting, IF allows you to drink virtually-calorie-free drinks such as water, tea, and black coffee (so make sure to skip the usual add-ins like milk and sugar!).
Excerpted from Eat This, Not That!
