How Does Intermittent Fasting Affect Your Metabolism?

“Don’t eat less than 1200 calories.” “Eating too few calories will slow metabolism.” We’ve heard this diet advice for years, including from Cooking Light’s dietitians. Yet, intermittent fasting, or short-term fasts where calories are cut as low as 500 calories, are becoming increasingly popular. In fact, new research suggests that intermittent fasting may actually speed up metabolism. So, what’s the real story on fasting and metabolism?

Intermittent fasting centers around alternating between short periods of fasting and periods of regular food intake. Fasting refers to a period of time where little to no food is consumed. It’s been done for thousands of years, but a new form of fasting referred to as “intermittent fasting” has gained popularity in the diet world thanks to books like The Fast Diet and the The 8-Hour Diet.

Excerpted from Cooking Light

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