What is intermittent fasting?

How does it work?

How does it help to burn fat and get rid of the rumen?

What are the tips to apply it in a healthy face?

What about dry fasting?

Answers are in this report.

Intermittent fasting, or the regulation of eating times, is a diet that depends on the timing of eating. With intermittent fasting, you do not eat except at a specific time, and you fast a certain number of hours every day, according to Johns Hopkins. .

And Mark Matson, a neuroscientist at Johns Hopkins University, says that hours after leaving food, the body depletes sugar stores and begins burning fats, and he refers to this as metabolic switching, that is, the change in the process of burning energy and its consumption in the body.

How does intermittent fasting work?

There are different methods of performing intermittent fasting, but they all depend on choosing regular times of eating and fasting.

For example, you may try to eat only 8 hours each day and fast the rest of the time, or you may choose to eat only one meal per day, twice a week, and there are many different times for intermittent fasting.

Intermittent fasting works by prolonging the time after your body burns the calories consumed during your last meal and exhausts them, then begins to burn fat, and in this way it may help to reduce weight and get rid of belly fat "rumen", provided that you do not eat a large amount of food in Time to eat.

Intermittent fasting plans

It is important to check with your doctor before beginning intermittent fasting, and once you get the green light the actual practice is simple.

You can choose a daily approach that limits daily eating to a single period of 6 to 8 hours each day.

For example, you might choose to experiment with the 8/16 fast: eating for 8 hours and fasting for 16 hours.

Nutritionist Christy Williams at Johns Hopkins University is a fan of the daily regimen, and she says most people find it easy to stick to this pattern in the long run.

Another method, known as the 5: 2 approach, involves eating regularly 5 days a week, and on the other two days limiting yourself to one meal is 500-600 calories.

For example, you may choose to eat normally every day of the week except on Mondays and Thursdays, where the days of the meal are one.

Long times without food, such as fasting periods of 24, 36, 48 and 72 hours are not necessarily better for you and may be dangerous. Continuing to leave food for a long time may encourage your body to start storing more fat in response to starvation.

Scientist Mattson's research shows that it may take 2 to 4 weeks before the body gets used to intermittent fasting, and you may feel hungry or weird as the new routine gets used to, but he notes that people who conduct research during the adjustment phase tend to stick to the plan because they notice that they feel better.

What can I eat during intermittent fasting?

During times when you are not eating, water and drinks that contain no calories such as black coffee and tea are allowed.

And during permitted eating times, it should be "eating normally" and not going crazy. You are unlikely to lose weight or become healthier if you fill your feeding times with unhealthy, high-calorie foods and large-sized processed fried items.

Here are some of the benefits of intermittent fasting:

  • Improve thinking and memory.

  • Improve blood pressure and resting heart rate as well as other heart-related measurements.

  • Young men who fasted for 16 hours showed a loss of fat while preserving muscle mass.

    Mice fed on alternate days also showed more endurance in running.

  • In animal studies, intermittent fasting prevented obesity, and in 6 summary studies, obese adults lost weight through intermittent fasting.

Is intermittent fasting safe?

Some people try to stop fasting to control their weight, while others use this method to treat chronic conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, high cholesterol or arthritis, but intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone.

Kristy Williams, a dietitian at Johns Hopkins University, stresses that before trying intermittent fasting (or any diet), you should check with your doctor first.

There are groups from which intermittent fasting is prohibited:

  • Children and adolescents under the age of 18.

  • Pregnant or breastfeeding women.

  • Diabetics or those with blood sugar problems.

  • Those with a history of eating disorders.

Keep in mind that intermittent fasting may have different effects in different people.

Talk to your doctor if you start to experience unusual tiredness, headache, nausea, or other symptoms after beginning intermittent fasting.

What is the correct way to intermittent fasting?

Writer Jennifer Cook, in a report published in the Washington Post, says that intermittent fasting - when applied properly - helps reduce inflammation and reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and even some types of cancer.

The author explains that these benefits come from a phenomenon that occurs in the human body, which scientists call a "metabolic switch" that occurs when the body enters a fasting state and begins to consume body fat instead of glucose, in order to meet its energy needs.

Also, this type of fasting contributes to maintaining the natural balance between the hormone insulin and blood sugar, which prevents the development of the insulin resistance problem, and this condition pushes the body to perform automatic repair processes for the damage it inflicts, which prevents the development of some dangerous diseases.

The author provides some advice and steps in order to properly implement the intermittent fasting diet, noting that this diet may not be suitable for all people, as some elderly people and those who suffer from chronic diseases may not be suitable for them to stop eating for long times or change eating times Medicine.

Early morning breakfast

Dorothy Sears, a professor of nutritional sciences at Arizona State University, advises being careful to eat only an hour or two after waking up, because this protects the body from low glucose levels for a long time, and many studies warn that this prolonged decline increases the risk of heart disease.

Sears recommends that the morning meal consist of healthy foods such as fruits, eggs and whole grains, in order to ensure you get the largest amount of fiber and other nutrients that protect against insulin resistance and improve glucose tolerance levels at the next meal.

Also, eating an amount of protein of 30 grams or more helps to curb the appetite and feel full for a longer period, which contributes to weight reduction.

Sweetening before three in the evening

The body is more able to digest carbohydrates in the morning, so it is preferable to eat foods that raise blood glucose levels during the first half of the day.

Doctors warn against eating sugars on an empty stomach, and it is preferable to eat them as part of a meal that contains proteins and fats to reduce their negative impact on blood sugar levels.

For example, when you eat a piece of moisturizer it is recommended that you eat a banana and an egg with it.

Not to delay dinner

And nutritional research shows that the last time a person should eat dinner is eight in the evening.

With the end of the day, the production of the hormone melatonin, which is responsible for the quality of sleep, increases, and levels of insulin production decrease, so eating late causes sleep disturbances, and increases the risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Light dinner

Most Americans consume about 45% of their total daily calories at dinner and the subsequent evening snacks.

This percentage should preferably drop to 30%, which means eating a dinner that does not exceed 600 calories.

And Christa Faraday, a professor of nutrition at the University of Chicago, advises to completely stop eating any kind of food after dinner, and stresses that this is the most important change that a person can make to his diet.

Organizing eating times

Whatever method you decide to adopt, you must adhere to it and continue to implement it meticulously.

Doctors confirm that nutritional disorders lead to metabolic syndrome, which may cause heart disease and type 2 diabetes, as well as stability in daily eating times is very important for heart health and metabolism.

More sleep and healthy eating

Adults need at least 7 hours of sleep, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the American Society for Sleep Research, but most people do not get enough hours of sleep, and this negatively affects their nutritional behavior and metabolism.

Unhealthy eating may, in turn, lead to sleep disturbances. Eating a spiced meal at night strains the digestive system, and drinking caffeinated beverages reduces melatonin production.

Doctors also warn that eating large amounts of sugars and processed grains causes insomnia, while these problems can be eliminated by sticking to fruits and vegetables.

Never fast dry

For her part, German nutrition expert Alene Emmanuel warned against following the diet known as "dry fasting".

In view of its danger to health, in a statement to German News Agency.

Emmanuel explained that the "dry fast" diet means completely eliminating liquids and solid foods for a certain period of time in order to lose weight and flush out toxins from the body.

The German expert added that dispensing with water is a major health problem, as the loss of water by 2% of the body weight leads to dehydration, as well as disturbances in the heart system, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, headaches, digestive problems and a decrease in the ability to exert.

To avoid these health risks, a healthy and balanced diet should be followed with drinking at least 1.5 liters of water daily, and taking into account the increased intake of water-rich foods such as watermelon and cucumber.