So there’s a lot of hype about fasting, but is it all just hype?

How much good can you really do your health by not eating? Well, as it tuns out, heaps!!

Fasting has many ongoing benefits but the most notable are weight loss, lowering blood pressure, decreasing insulin resistance, increasing longevity and decreasing inflammation in the body generally.

There are as many different ways to fast as there are lifestyles, so it’s easy to find a method that will help you improve your health.

The most common and very effective way is to ‘water only’ fast. As its name suggests, this simply involves drinking water only for a set period of time, usually 24 – 36 hrs. The same applies to juice only fasting, though juicing quite often follows a period of water fasting.

Daily fasting is also very effective and with a little organisation, anyone can do this regardless of their work or lifestyle. It is just a matter of having your last meal a little earlier, say 6pm, and your breakfast a little later, say 10am. Eating this way, you will be fasting 16 hours every day.

The benefits?

  • every day for 16 hours your digestive system gets a 16 hour break from working.
  • weight loss – less caloric intake – no night time snacks and more mindful eating
  • lower blood sugar
  • clear healthy gut
  • less brain fog

It should go without saying that meals need to be nutrient rich and consist of a good variety of foods:

  • Vegetables – Leafy greens, cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potato, pumpkin
  • Seeds and grains – Quinoa, rice, buckwheat, oats, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds
  • Sprouts
  • Fruits – Apples, berries, banana, pears, tomato, avocado
  • Protein – Eggs, poultry, nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc), wild caught fish, legumes
  • Fats – Coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, butter
  • Fluids – Water, herbal teas, dandelion root, chickory root, (minimal) coffee
  • Juices and smoothies – incorporating selections from above

So why not give it a go? Very little risk (if you have diabetes, thyroid issues etc, get some medical advice first), lots of gain. The key point is to ensure that everything you do eat is going to add to your health, not diminish it.