Intermittent fasting has become all the rage over the last few years. It’s really nothing new, and in some respects can he helpful and harmful if not done correctly.
I think it might make sense to first talk a little bit about fasting and the origins.
Fasting is not inherent to humans, although we would like to think we came up with the idea. It’s a pretty common thing among animals in nature.
It would appear in some respects animals are far more smarter than us humans when it comes to listening to our bodies.
If you have ever seen an animal even your own dog or cat, when they are injured or sick, one of the last things that they often do is eat. They instinctively know that they need to give their body a rest to recover and repair.
If you stop to think about it, digesting food is one of the most energy intensive things your body can possibly do on a daily basis.
The digestive system incorporates at least six organs to do its job, including but not limited to: mouth, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, liver, small intestine.
Here is a great table that breakdowns the functions:
| Organ | Movement | Digestive Juices Used | Food Particles Broken Down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mouth | Chewing | Saliva | Starches |
| Esophagus | Swallowing | None | None |
| Stomach | Upper muscle in stomach relaxes to let food enter and lower muscle mixes food with digestive juice | Stomach acid | Protein |
| Small intestine | Peristalsis | Small intestine digestive juice | Starches, protein, and carbohydrates |
| Pancreas | None | Pancreatic juice | Starches, fats, and protein |
| Liver | None | Bile acids | Fats |
The six primary processes of the digestive system include:
- Ingestion of food
- Secretion of fluids and digestive enzymes
- Mixing and movement of food and wastes through the body
- Digestion of food into smaller pieces
- Absorption of nutrients
- Excretion of wastes
When we factor in the cycles our body goes through each day just to maintain us it is simply amazing.
Cycles Of The Body
According to the concepts of Orthopathy also know as Natural Hygiene the human body’s digestive system goes through three, eight-hour cycles every twenty-four hours:
Noon – 8pm: Appropriation of food (eating and digestion)
8pm – 4am: Assimilation of food (absorption and use)
4am – Noon: Elimination (excretion of waste)
Understanding these cycles is critical to one of the most important parts of the boy, the digestive system.
So what does this all mean?
Well in a past post I wrote about this subject with the intention of explaining the health benefits of detoxification through fasting. The fact that many are using this to get cut and lean, aka intermittent fasting is no real surprise.
The whole subject of intermittent fasting is can be summed up in one sentence: Give your digestive system a break for an extended period of time.
Of course there are variations on this idea:
In some contexts, fasting allows the consumption of a limited amount of low-calorie beverages such as coffee or tea.[2]
One form of intermittent fasting, alternate day fasting (ADF), involves a 24-hour fast followed by a 24-hour non-fasting period. This is sometimes referred to as every other day fasting or every other day feeding. Alternate-day calorie restriction may prolong life span.[3]
Modified fasting involves limiting caloric intake (e.g., 20% of normal) on fasting days rather than none at all. A study suggests that this regimen may retain most of the benefits of intermittent fasting.[3] The scientific literature for intermittent fasting, in its various forms, was extensively reviewed in 2014.[4] Another form involves eating only one meal per day.[5]
More generally, forms may choose to specify various ratios of fasting to non-fasting periods. The BBC2 Horizon documentary Eat, Fast and Live Longer[6] covered people who committed to fasting two non-consecutive days per week. Known as the 5:2 diet, people consumed 400–500 calories (women) or 500–600 calories (men) during the days of fasting. During feed days, the diet was regular.[7]
Human health
Studies on humans suggest possible benefits:[4]
- Alternate-day fasting may encourage fat oxidation.[17]
- Alternate-day fasting may reduce body weight, LDL, and triglyceride levels to the same degree regardless of maintenance of low fat or high fat diet on the feeding day.[18]
The above mentioned benefits are just a couple of the massive advantages that come from fasting. Of course, like anything in life, if you do it in excess it can become detrimental to your health, so please don’t go overboard on fasting or intermittent fasting.
It is a tool like anything else.
I personally incorporate mini-fasts each day, usually not eating anything until 1 or 2 PM. Normally I may take a smoothie before hand but nothing that can serious tax my digestive system. I also, use fasting, when I feel a bit under the weather or sense my body is a little off. Typically with the change in seasons, the temperature can drop and the barometric pressure can affect me.
This is anecdotal and I have not double blind study test results to prove the change in temperature or barometric pressure affects everyone, I am speaking just from my own experience.
What I tend to do, is just refrain from eating heavy foods, and normally just take vegetable juices or fruit smoothies as completely whole and with no processed foods mixed in like rice milk, etc. Just vegetables, fruits and water, juiced or blended. I do this, as soon as I feel something off in my body.
And the next day, it’s like a reset button for my body, I feel recharged and renewed.
In conclusion, intermittent fasting, is nothing new. It’s just giving your body and more so your digestive system a well-deserved break. There are many different methods but I personally like to just refrain from eating anything until 1-2 PM. Just juices or water.
I hope this helps to shed a little light on this subject.
One more thing, here is my recipe for fruit smoothies:
1-2 Tablespoons Vitamineral Green
2 Apples
1 Tablespoon Goji berries
2 cups of sliced mangos
1 banana
Blend and enjoy
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