How Can I Maximize the Benefits of Intermittent Fasting?
Intermittent means starting and stopping or occurring after a particular time. Fasting simply means abstinence from food for a period of time. Fasting is an ancient tradition that has been practised by many cultures and religion over time. Therefore, intermittent fasting is an eating plan that switches between abstaining from food and eating on a regular schedule. It is also a period whereby one restricts his or her energy consumption for various meal timing that cycle between his or her willingness to fast for a given period.
It comes in different types or methods such as fasting for 12hours each day by only eating between 7 am and 7 pm, 16 hours each day by only eating between noon and 8 pm, once or twice a week and not eating anything from dinner till the next day (a 24hr fast) and during 2 days of the week, eating only about 500 to 600 calories.
Over the years, intermittent fasting has become the most popular health trend which, as a result, has gathered much interest and attention from people, and has already become part of their lives. People embark on it for many reasons, such as; personal, spiritual, religious, or probably because they don’t have access to food. Scientific research has also proven that intermittent fasting can be beneficial to our health in weight loss, metabolic health, ageing, increased insulin sensitivity, improved cholesterol.
Excerpted from The Guardian
