How many of us associate fasting with starving ourselves usually as a part of some fad diet? However, intermediate fasting for gut health could be all it takes to help the vast universe of microorganisms within the intestines better equipped to go through the food in our system and tap into the nutrients instead of wasting them. If what I am proposing sounds too drastic a step, here is why it could change your life.
By helping the gut functioning at its best through intermediate fasting, the body can be more protected from disease and better emotional health since how we feel starts in the digestive system. After all, timing matters for feeding that army of microorganisms within the gut compared to just eating whenever you feel like it if you intend for them to thrive.
You automatically may be ruling intermediate energy restriction out because it may not fit your lifestyle. Perhaps, you are perfectly healthy or already eating the right foods for your gut and getting at least 25 grams of fiber a day. Hopefully, this is the case. For the rest of us, it can be easily accomplished with either of two approaches.
The simplest method is eating as much as you want but stopping at a certain hour of the day. You want to avoid food for at 12 hours to 16 hours according to the Cedar-Sinai medical network. Ideally though, a 16-hour window food-free can do the body the most good. By the way, sleeping counts in these hours that need to be counted.
The second approach is a bit more difficult. You would need to give up food totally for two different days of the week. Of course, you would be allowed liquids. Nonetheless, those liquids could only amount to 500 calories for that day for this method of intermediate fasting to work. The other five days of week you can eat as you normally would.
Regardless of the approach you take for this type of fasting, the results could be weight loss and improvement with your metabolism for more efficient calorie burning. It also could mean help with inflammation and diabetes.
Intermediate fasting may not be for everyone, but it may be an option that you may want to try. You also may want to check with your physician first to see if fasting is right for you.
