Intermittent Fasting: Is It for You?

There always seems to be a new fad diet to try. Whether it be paleo, veganism, or ketogenic, there is always something promising to be the perfect solution to dieting woes, promising that it isn’t just another trend trying to take your money.

A specific dieting fad known as intermittent fasting (although, it is more of a tactic than a trend) is slowly entering the forefront of the public eye. Intermittent fasting is a tactic that involves, depending on the method, fasting for a certain portion of your day or week.

How can you be sure that intermittent fasting is right for you?

1. Benefits

There is a slew of benefits from intermittent fasting, including weight loss, preventative care for aging related diseases and type II diabetes, along with increased energy to name a few. Evidence is also beginning to show that intermittent fasting benefits are real, and frugal. I can keep listing the benefits, but that would take up the entire page.

2. Plant-based

Intermittent fasting does not require you to switch over to eating just plants. In fact, fasting is just as it is, fasting.

However, the benefits of a plant-based diet merged with intermittent fasting enhances the benefits of intermittent dieting. More so, dieticians will recommend eating healthy foods while fasting to make sure that you are receiving necessary sustenance from your meals; plant–based meals just makes it all the easier.

3. Restrictions

Every diet has its drawbacks, and fasting is no different. Unfortunately, fasting is not recommended for those who are underweight (and those who are not trying to lose any weight), for those who are pregnant, and for individuals suffering from eating disorders.

Fasting is mostly known for its effectiveness with weight loss, therefore, individuals who may already have an adverse relationship with food are not recommended to take part in intermittent fasting nor are individuals who must follow a specialized diet (as in the case of a pregnancy).

4. Willpower

Face it, going some time without eating is not an easy thing to do, especially if one is accustomed to eating whenever hunger calls.

Willpower is required for intermittent fasting. Changing to a diet where you cannot eat whenever you want can be a test of the mind as much as the body. You will have to ignore the salivating in your mouth when your co-worker digs into their hot lunch.

Fear not, because with intermittent fasting, you’ll be able to eat eventually. You just need the willpower to abstain for a bit.

5. Schedules

Along with willpower, following a schedule is necessary for intermittent fasting. Consider this: studies have found that fasting accordingly to the body’s natural circadian rhythm leads to more effective results than other methods of fasting. Therefore, if you have the willpower, half of the work is already done for you.

Individuals who are already adept at following schedules are practically preconditioned for intermittent fasting. Placing yourself on the fasting schedule and following it is all you have left to do. The benefits are worth it

There’s a reason some people say, “Anything worth having, doesn’t come easy,” and that adage works here. Changing your diet, as severely as intermittent dieting requires of you to, is not a walk in the park. However, if the health benefits are worth it, and this is a diet you have thought about trying, perhaps, the bet is worth the hand.

The research seems promising, and since intermittent fasting has been practiced for centuries, it is more than a trend, and the ancients who practiced were onto something.