INTERMITTENT FASTING AND HOW DOES IT WORK?

If you are interested in food and nutrition care, you have probably heard about intermittent fasting and its various advantages.

This article will tell you what it's all about, how to achieve it whoever you are a household, a businesswoman, or a free essay writer. Just remember that if you want to put it into practice, we recommend that you always go first to your doctor, who will guide you on the best healthy option for you.

What is intermittent fasting?

As its name suggests, intermittent fasting is a model of eating based on cycles, with periods of fasting (absence of solid foods and carbohydrates) and food intake, and focuses on precisely when to eat and not what to eat.

There are several methods of intermittent fasting; the best known are:

*16/8 This method is also known as "lean gains" to gain muscle mass; with this method, you can eat for 8 hours and fast for 16 hours. In these 16 hours, you will include the hours of sleep and a few hours more and can be applied; for example, if you skip breakfast, make the first meal at noon and continue eating until 8.

*5:2 Diet With this method, you reduce your calorie intake to a maximum of 500-600 calories per week for 2 days. It can be every other day, they can be non-consecutive, and the other 5 days, you eat whatever you want.

Eat, stop, eat: this type of intermittent fasting consists of alternating fasting days with days of eating whatever you want. For example, Monday, you eat whatever you want for 24 hours, and then on Tuesday, you rest from eating, only drinking plain water or calorie-free drinks such as black coffee and tea without sugar. This pattern is repeated once or twice a week.

How it works in your body

Intermittent fasting is not just about restricting your calorie intake. What it does is change the hormones in your body so that they can make better use of the fat reserves you have, which causes the following changes:

It improves insulin sensitivity; that is, it keeps your blood sugar under control, and in combination with exercise, it helps more. It is essential for those who suffer from weight problems, as lower insulin levels are related to better fat burning.

The opposite of the previous point is insulin resistance. Several studies have shown that weight gain interferes with insulin's ability to lower blood sugar levels, which results in more insulin and promotes fat storage.

Growth hormone secretion increases; this accelerates protein synthesis and makes fat available for use as an energy source, which in a nutshell means you burn fat and build muscle faster.

It is why growth hormone is taken in large quantities in the bodybuilding world. Also, according to studies, fasting triggers autophagy.

What is autophagy?

Autophagy is the process in which cells break down and destroy old, damaged or abnormal proteins. This breakdown product is recycled for important cellular functions such as repair and cellular regeneration processes in the body.

Nowadays, there are many handy tools to check the time between meal points to be pretty easy. And for studying too - for example

Does it work for weight loss?

By skipping meals, you create a caloric deficit that causes you to lose weight. Unless, when you have your eating periods, you compensate with foods high in fat and sugars.

*What can happen This eating pattern doesn't tell you exactly what foods or meals you can and can't eat. Some studies have found that intermittent fasting (done correctly by following one of the methods listed above) can be beneficial in preventing type 2 diabetes and reducing calories.

Also, your body will learn to process the food you consume during the meal period more efficiently. Several studies have found that combining the 16/8 method and muscle strength training (with either self-weight or added weight) can reduce more fat than training alone.

However, no evidence of mass muscle gain has been observed in the study subjects. It is important to emphasize that this type of diet is not necessarily effective for those suffering from diabetes or hypertension, pregnant or breastfeeding women.

Social aspects to consider

Imagine you have a birthday party or a dinner party, you attend, but you only drink water, awkward, isn't it?

To avoid these situations and enjoy your events with family and friends, plan your fasts well; although this type of eating pattern does not leave you much room for improvisation, you will surely find a way to adapt it and achieve your goals in a healthy and fun way.

Remember that this is not a flexible eating style that can be spontaneous, it requires consistency and discipline, and if your lifestyle needs to access that margin of flexibility, then we recommend you consider other healthy options with the help of a nutritionist who can guide you.

Or, you could become a nutrition professional yourself if it is in your plans to help yourself and others to have a healthier and healthier lifestyle with the help of proper nutrition.

You can read the article What will I learn if I decide to study nutrition? If you want to know more about this amazing profession.

That's all for today! We hope this article has helped you to clarify your doubts about this nutritional method

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