In recent years, intermittent fasting has become one of the most popular diets among people who want to lose weight quickly. In addition, it can help improve immunity, promote detoxification of the body and improve mood and mental agility.
Regulating cholesterol and triglyceride levels, increasing metabolism, preventing hypertension, diabetes and flaccidity, detoxifying the body, reducing the risk of heart disease and preventing premature ageing are some of the many benefits attributed to it. Long periods without any kind of food are also related to the fight against chronic inflammation.
Inflammation is the body's natural way of fighting infection, disease and injury. However, when it becomes chronic, it can silently trigger heart disease, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel diseases.
Studies have shown that intermittent fasting (fasting is considered to be an extended period of time, of 12 hours or more, which is spent without food and is interrupted by eating) can be an important ally in the fight against chronic inflammation, promoting health and physical well-being, since it induces an anti-inflammatory effect, reducing the risk of metabolic diseases. When fasting, cells renew themselves, as if they were self-regenerating and eliminating toxic substances, leading to a better and longer average life expectancy.
In addition, the practice of fasting promotes a reduction in insulin resistance, meaning that people who practice fasting can have a reversal of insulin resistance and, consequently, reverse the state of pre-diabetes.
In agreement, people who adopt fasting tend to show a better level of CRP, fibrinogen and adiponectin. An increase in growth hormone may also be associated with intermittent fasting.
Fasting should be interrupted with ingredients rich in protein and healthy fats, since the body absorbs them more quickly at this time, thus promoting greater satiety. Therefore, nutritious, low-calorie foods rich in antioxidants should be eaten. As food has healing properties, its therapeutic approach should be associated with fasting, and it should always be borne in mind that there are two types of fasting: physiological and metabolic. In the first, you can't eat anything at all, just drink non-caloric liquids, such as water, teas (infusions) and coffee; in the second, you can eat foods that don't stimulate the release of insulin in the body, and a good bet is to eat healthy fats and non-caloric liquids.
Alongside fasting, it is also possible to adopt other diets, such as the ketogenic diet or the fodmap diet. The ketogenic diet involves eliminating practically all carbohydrate-rich foods and increasing the consumption of foods rich in healthy fats. It's also important to keep a good amount of protein in your diet. This is a good bet for anyone looking to lose weight.
On the other hand, the fodmap diet consists of removing foods that contain a high content of fructose, lactose, fructo-oligosaccharides and galato-oligosaccharides. This protocol is usually used to control and prevent the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.
There are various ways of carrying out intermittent fasting and each strategy must be individualized and personalized, since not everyone reacts well to the practice of fasting, and it always depends on the body. As such, it is important to remember that in order to start this type of strategy and lifestyle habit, a medical and nutritional assessment of the subject is highly recommended.
