Everyone seems to be talking about intermittent fasting at the
moment. It's popularity hit the mainstream after a Horizon programme
featuring Dr. Michael Mosley aired last summer, but it's been bubbling
under the surface for a while and has been popular with gym freaks and
life extension types for years.
Now, for many people, the idea of
going for a whole day without food, or even missing breakfast, it too
much to bear thinking about. I too, was the sort of person who couldn't
go more than a couple of hours without food; thinking that I'd faint if I
missed breakfast, let alone didn't eat all day. I fully subscribed to
the 'eat little and often' idea that we had to avoid hunger at all costs
and keep the metabolism firing all day with regular top ups of food.
I'd snack every couple of hours, always keeping something on hand to
keep hunger at bay and keep the internal fire burning.
Recently,
I've totally changed my approach and the results are surprising. The
purported benefits of fasting are many; studies on mice suggest that
intermittent fasting can help to repair DNA, reduce chronic diseases
such as cancer,increase longevity and increase insulin sensitivity to
name but a few.
Studies in humans aren't so numerous but show it
could reduce bad cholesterol, lead to weight loss and improve insulin
sensitivity. Insulin is the hormone that stores away sugar, often as
fat, and keeps it there.
The more insulin sensitive we are, the less insulin our bodies need to produce.
Therefore
we store less energy as fat and we actually burn more fat because the
insulin isn't keeping it locked in our fat cells. Being more insulin
sensitive means you'll be far less likely to develop type II diabetes.
For
many, fasting intermittently, particularly the 5:2 approach, may be
easier to stick to than say, for example, continuously reducing your
calorie intake, like most other diets or weight loss regimes.
Dr.
Michael Eades (one of the best-known bariatric (obesity treatment)
doctors in the US) puts it really well, when he states that "Diets are
easy in the contemplation, difficult in the execution. IF is just the
opposite - it's difficult in the contemplation but easy in the
execution"
The idea of the 5:2 method of intermittent fasting is
that for 2 days per week you restrict your calorie intake to 500
calories if you are a woman, or 600 if you're a man. Some people like to
spread their calories out throughout the day, where as I prefer to
simply eat one meal at the end of the day, and give my digestive system
and pancreas a rest for the day. I drink a few cups of Yerbe Mate or
Pu'erh tea to help curb my appetite but otherwise eat nothing until
around 6pm, which, if I have eaten my dinner at 6pm the previous day,
has given me a solid 24 hours without food.
This way of eating
seems so much easier than the grim slog of day in, day out calorie
restriction that many diets recommend. You know that you will get to eat
at the end of the day, and you'll get to eat normally the following
day. It also takes the ambivalence out of it; the
"will-I-or-won't-I-have-another-biscuit" thing that so often plagues
dieters.
I'm simply not eating all day so the decision is made.
Once you've started out the day not eating, the motivation is strong to
see it through. Hunger may come and go during the day, but it's nothing
horrific, and the next meal is just around the corner.
Plus, if
the weight loss and life extension promises aren't motivation enough, a
fasting day is often simpler; no need to worry about what to take to
work for lunch, or having to go and buy something. Think of the money
saved buying a crappy lunch in an overpriced sandwich shop 2 days a week
if you need another excuse to give intermittent fasting a try!
Our
cells are constantly dividing all the way through our lives. The faster
this happens, the more quickly we age, and more division brings a
greater risk of DNA mutation and therefore cancer. Fasting switches our
bodies from 'growth mode' into 'repair mode' by reducing a hormone
called IGF-1. This repairs DNA damage in our bodies and mops up the
effects of stress. Sounds pretty good right?
With endorsements
from the likes of Hugh Fernly-Wittingsall and Dr. Mercola the trend
looks set to continue. Will you be trying this yourself?
Chloe Brotheridge is a qualified hypnotherapist and nutritionist based in London. See http://www.easywaytochange.co.uk for more information.
http://www.easywaytochange.co.uk
http://www.easywaytochange.co.uk
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