Beneficiile postului intermitent - Lavinia Dinca Nutrition

Fasting is not nearly so deadly as feasting.
J. Harold Smith

Hopefully you are not too hungry, because today I am going to talk about Intermittent Fasting, a new (but still quite old) trend in the world of nutrition and sports.

What is this "Intermittent Fasting" all about?

Intermittent fasting is a way of feeding our bodies, that involves periods of food restriction followed by an eating window. It does not specify what foods you should eat, but rather WHEN you eat them. There are several types of intermittent fasting, of which the most popular:

– 8:16 -> diet according to which you can eat within an 8 hour window, but in the other 16 you are only allowed to drink liquids with 0 calories (water, tea, simple coffee);

– 5:2 -> in this type of fasting you can eat normally 5 days a week, and in 2 consecutive days you reduce the number of calories to maximum 500-600kcal;

– 24h -> same like the above method, except that it prohibits the consumption of food for an entire day, 24h long, during a chosen day (but could be for done only one or several days a week);

– skipping meals -> this method differs from the others in that you can skip meals when you are not hungry;

– the warrior diet -> you eat only one main meal a day, usually between 4-8PM. In the morning the consumption is restricted to extremely small portions of raw fruits / vegetables;

– 12:12 -> same as the first method, but less restrictive and much easier to keep: 12 hours allowed to eat, and the other 12 you fast. It is not clear though that this is a method of intermittent fasting...;

and so many options for a diet I have never met before... decisions, decisions

Why would I do intermittent fasting?

According to the latest research in the field, this way of eating can help you lose weight, reduce your risk of disease and increase your life span. Some experts even claim that its beneficial effects on metabolism make it a healthier way to lose weight than standard, calorie-restricted diets.

Moreover, in 2016, the Japanese Yoshinori Ohsumi (I count on you for the pronunciation) won the Nobel Prize for medicine for discovering the process that leads to cell regeneration and recycling (or autophagy). Autophagy occurs permanently in our body, but the Japanese concluded that by starvation, it occurs at least 2 times faster. Interruptions in the autophagy process lead to diseases such as Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes, cancer and early aging.

How safe it is?

Același cercetător a observat că unele virusuri și bacterii inteligente au învățat să profite de intensificarea procesului de regenerare a celulelor prin înfometare. Astfel, acestea pot folosi postul în favoarea lor și se pot multiplica mai rapid. De aceea, trebuie făcute mai multe cercetări în domeniu în privința beneficiilor reale ale postului intermitent în sănătate.

Also, intermittent fasting can be dangerous for people with a history of eating disorders , or underweight, but also for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Furthermore, people with cardiovascular disease, diabetes or who are undergoing medication should consult their physician before switching to such a diet.

Fasting for short periods can slightly stimulate your metabolism. However, fasting for longer periods (more than 2 days) can have the opposite effect, as do diets with very low calorie content. Severe calorie restriction over a long period of time can cause a decrease in metabolic rate, as the body enters into the so-called starvation mode. Your body does this to save energy as a defense against starvation. That is why the vast majority of people who hold such diets get to weigh more after giving up this lifestyle.

So... no diet is good?

My advice is to take into account the circadian biorhythm of the body and concentrate as much of the food ingested in the first part of the day, and as little as possible in the evening. Studies show that people who consume the same amount of food in the first part of the day lose more weight than those who consume them in the evening. Thus, not only the amount of food is important in weight loss and healing, but also the hours when it is ingested.

the eleventh hour, time to rethink, disaster

Hmm ... what is this internal biorhythm?

From this point of view, the day is divided into 3 equal parts:

- 12PM - 8PM: the best digestion, now you eat foods that are harder to digest;

- 8PM - 4AM: focus on reconstruction, sleep interval (between 22 - 2 the brain produces the highest amount of melatonin). The digestive tract should be relatively empty (at least the stomach and small intestine).

- 4AM - 12PM: focus on detoxification, consume foods that help the body remove toxins: vitamins, minerals, water, good carbohydrates (mostly in form of fruits);

Therefore, I recommend you to eat at least 3 hours before bedtime in the evening, generally foods of plant origin that are easily digestible. For even better results, I advise you to stop eating animal foods after 3PM to allow the body to digest previously consumed food. In my case, I eat a light dinner at 7-8PM, and breakfast is usually taken next morning at 8AM. Thus, I respect without even wanting the intermittent fasting program 12:12.

Conclusion?

Intermittent fasting is not for everyone. It is simply one of the many strategies that can improve your health if you feel that it is a good method for you. In my opinion, proper nutrition, the hours we eat, exercise and good rest are still the most important factors we need to focus on.

Finally, there is no single solution for eternal youth or losing weight. The best diet for you is the one you can keep for a long term, building from it a healthy lifestyle.

What do you think?

Sources:

Lavinia Dinca

Nutritionist