What do you do when you want to lose weight? Your answer is probably diet and exercise. It’s the right answer, but there’s a third way that has gained a lot of attention in the last few years. It’s called intermittent fasting.
Intermittent fasting is not a diet; it’s a way of eating around specific schedules in-between times of voluntary fasting. (If you worry about sticking to the plan, you can easily order customised meals to fit your lifestyle, just check out Meal Deliver Experts for different options).
But you’re here to learn more about intermittent fasting. So what should you eat during intermittent fasting? And what are the benefits of it? You’ll find the answers below.
Types Of Intermittent Fasting
First of all, before we get to what you should and shouldn’t eat, let’s talk about the types of intermittent fasting. There are basically four main types and your meals will vary depending on which method you choose.
These types are:
- Eat Stop Eat
- Alternate Day Fasting
- Warrior Diet
- The 5:2 Diet
The Eat stop eat method means that you don’t eat anything for 24 hours twice a week. For example, if you ate your last meal at 6 p.m. one day, you can’t eat anything until 6 p.m. the following day. All you can take in are zero-sugar beverages, like water or black coffee.
The second method, called alternate-day fasting includes fasting every other day. This method is not recommended if you want to start your adventure with intermittent fasting. Skipping meals every other day does sound a bit extreme.
The third option for you is called the warrior diet method. During this type of intermittent fasting, you eat small amounts of fruits and vegetables and then eat one big meal at night.
And finally, the fourth option, the so-called 5:2 Diet. It’s probably the best choice for beginners. During this diet, you eat for five days a week, and then reduce your calories intake to 500-600 for the two remaining days.
There are a few other examples of intermittent fasting, so you have many options to choose from. And now that you know about them, we can get to the bottom of the article and answer its title.
What To Eat During Intermittent Fasting
As mentioned before, intermittent fasting is not a diet. What does this mean? It means that you don’t have to stick to specific meals while doing it. Still, there are certain types of food that you should stick to if you want to maximize the results.
First of all, keep in mind that fasting means no eating for a particular period. So to keep yourself from snacking, you should eat high-fibre and high protein foods. That means eating a lot of meat, fish, tofu, nuts during your eating period.
Secondly, even though intermittent fasting doesn’t force you to cut back on the calories you take during your eating window, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t watch them.
You should eat food with a high value of nutrients per calorie if you want intermittent fasting to work for you.
The third thing you should remember while doing intermittent fasting is to drink a lot of water. Sometimes, you may think you’re hungry while, in reality, you’re just thirsty. Drinking water will make sure that your body stays hydrated and maximizes your efforts.
Aside from water, you can drink a lot of black tea or liquorice herbal teas. Why? Because these types of beverages have an appetite- suppressing effects.
Benefits Of Intermittent Fasting
Okay, but what exactly are the benefits of intermittent fasting, and is it really worth trying? The main advantage is the loss of weight, but aside from that, there are a few others that may convince you to try it.
Firstly, intermittent fasting reduces the levels of insulin in your body. That makes your body use stored fat more efficiently.
Secondly, it lowers your blood pressure and inflammation levels. It reduces the chances of heart attack and other blood and heart-related problems.
Apart from these three main effects, intermittent fasting can also help your body build muscles and increase the activity of its healing processes.
Just keep in mind that intermittent fasting is not for everyone. If you have any general health problems, you shouldn’t try it. But if you are generally pretty healthy but overweight and want to lose some weight, then intermittent fasting can be a fantastic option.
Summary
As you can see, intermittent fasting is a great way of losing weight but also of strengthening your health and general well-being. And since it’s not a diet, it doesn’t force you to stop eating your favourite meals.
Just make sure you prepare yourself in advance so you know exactly what you are doing and what to expect. Luckily, there are plenty of intermittent fasting methods to choose from so you can choose the one that fits your lifestyle better.
Written by Albert Morgan