A popular nutritional diet that recently surfaced, intermittent fasting, is said to have great results, but can have some drawbacks if misused. The term intermittent fasting means the “eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting,” says Healthline.
There are about seven forms of intermittent fasting, meaning the diet can be personalized and can be adjusted for different lifestyles. The most common form is the 16/8 method, where one eats for an eight-hour window and fasts the rest of the day. Because most of the time fasting is spent sleeping, many say the diet is easy. Another common method is skipping one meal each day, or completely fasting every other day of the week.
Some effects of the diet include weight loss, improved metabolic health, decrease risk in getting certain diseases and the longevity of life. These results and more are part of the reason for the program’s sudden popularity as many are working to become healthier in the new year.
Intermittent fasting is quite convenient for the everyday person because there are no food restrictions. The only rule is to not eat outside of the designated window, although beverages like water, coffee and tea are allowed during fasting.
Another plus to intermittent fasting is that humans are already well adapted to fasting, so the body can handle not eating for long periods of time. The main result that comes from fasting is weight loss. This is due to the number of calories one intakes and the burning of fat.
Most diets, although effective, have downsides that steer people away and intermittent fasting is no exception. A common mistake when on the diet is eating way too much during the window of eating. When loads of junk food are consumed, the idea of losing weight is lost.
An individual on intermittent fasting may tend to feel sick in the mornings if working out because they will have less energy in them to use. This goes along with feeling hungrier when it comes to running low on energy or “fuel.”
Because intermittent fasting is quite new, there are not a lot of studies about the diet. The positive results have outweighed the negatives for most people on the diet which has led more in the direction of giving it a try.