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There is a high probability that you've heard about intermittent fasting. The eat within 8 hours and fast for 16 hours trend that Miranda Kerr, Tom Hardy, and Jennifer Aniston, amongst other well-known celebrities and athletes, have practiced. Intrigued to learn more, Haute Beauty got our expert's point of view on the practice; here's what they shared.
Dr. Deepa Verma | Integrative Anti-Aging | Tampa/St.Petersburg
The origins of intermittent fasting are rooted in ancient Ayurvedic medicine. It was used to heal and repair the body from daily stressors by caloric restriction. The benefits of intermittent fasting are wide and varied. I personally have been practicing it for years.
It is one of the secrets to longevity. How? When one fasts, it allows the body to conserve and divert its energy to help with anti-aging cellular mechanisms instead of expending that same energy to digest food, most of which is unhealthy due to the standard American diet. It is important to note that there are different ways to practice intermittent fasting, and one size does not fit all. Always talk to your physician about what is the best way for you to go about it, especially if you have chronic diseases such as diabetes. Not only does intermittent fasting help with maintaining a healthy weight, but it can also be beneficial for brain fog, mental clarity, reduction in visceral fat, decreased risks of cardiometabolic diseases, blood sugar and cholesterol control, hormone balance, improved gut health, clear skin, and anti-inflammatory effects. Remember…eat to live. Do not live to eat!
For more information, visit Dr. Verma's website, Instagram, or Facebook!
A New You Wellness | Age Management and Health & Wellness | South Miami
I’ve been in the weight-loss industry for more than 17 years, and our recommendation before was always to eat small meals more often. Bodybuilders and coaches always tell us: eat every three hours as it’s going to increase your metabolism. However, over the past 10 years or so, intermittent fasting (IF) has been the buzz of the wellness industry. So I had to look deeper into it and even tried it myself.
If we look at our evolution, our ancestors did practice intermittent fasting. Our Hunter and gatherer ancestors did not have easy access to food our modern world provides. At that time, it was all about killing your food or picking your food, eating it, and then not eating it for an extended period of time. This is how our body and metabolism evolved over millions of years. Once food became so easy to get that we started overeating. We started eating based on the time of day and not based on hunger signals.
So first, let’s define what intermittent fasting is. It is also called time-restricted feeding, where the individual will only consume calories during a certain period of time. The most common fasting method is known as the 16/8 method, meaning you fast for 16 hours and eat during a window of eight hours.
The benefits of intermittent fasting are numerous:
- You have less time to eat, so you tend to eat fewer calories resulting in a calorie deficit.
- During fasting, our body is no longer busy digesting our foods, so the insulin levels are low.
- Decreased blood sugar.
- Decreased blood pressure.
- Decreased inflammatory markers.
- Increased stem cell stimulation.
- An overall increase in energy.
- Helps improve cognition.
When done properly and with the right supervision and support, intermittent fasting can be a powerful tool to help you achieve your wellness and fitness goals.
For more information, visit A New You Wellness's website, Instagram, or Facebook!
