What is fasting and is it healthy for our body?
Whenever we start the conversation about the healthy lifestyle and good nutrition it is mostly connected to our food and eating habits. But besides just the type of the food we are taking there is other ways how to improve our lifestyle and our daily habits.
In recent years the idea of constant fasting is widely accepted and used by lots of people with different backgrounds and interests. In general fasting is willingness to reduce some of the foods, drinks or entire daily nutrients for specific period of time. Although fasting is usually waived as unhealthy or religion thriven custom the short term fasting can be extremely beneficial for our health and general body state. In recent years fasting is highly accepted by scientists as perfect way to reduce weight or simply a way how to manage the general state of our bodies it is important that fasting is done in proper way and under supervision of doctors and nutrient experts.
What fasting means for our body?
There are many evidences which explains the benefits of fasting but most of them are studies on animals. The core of fasting means that it cleans our body of toxins and changes many processes of our cells which are not usually performed by usual food intake.
When we start our fasting it means that body does not have usually access to glucose and its forced to use other sources to produce energy. During fasting our body begins gluconeogenesis. Gluconeogenesis is a process when our body starts to process its own sugar. Also our liver helps to convert non-carbohydrate materials like lactate, amino acids, and fats into glucose energy.
Fasting puts are cells into a stress which means that it is forcing them to adapt to a new state and as a result they become strong. The best comparison can be done by looking at the different exercises and muscle growth. Exercise is also a type of muscle and body stress.
Main types of fasting
Even though there is many different types of fasting there is three main types of fasting:
• Intermittent or time fasting
It is a type of fasting where we are limiting our calories intake during specific period of time. It means that we have specific period of time where we intake our food (e.g. from 8.am. until 4p.m.) and period of time where we do not have any food intake (e.g. from 4.p.m. until 8.a.m) It gives our body enough time to go through natural repair period.
• Intermittent calories restriction
It basically means that during specific period of time we will reduce our calories intake. It is usually referred to two-day period. It shows our body that we do not need usual amount of food and puts our body under the stressful period of repair.
• Periodic fasting
It is another type of fasting which offers the opportunity to enter ketosis and to start true cleaning of our body. It usually refers to five days calorie-limited diet(around 1000 calories per day)
Biggest benefits of fasting
Fasting for many people can be uncomfortable and painful at times but the benefits of fasting can truly help our mental and physical health. Main benefits of fasting are:
• Improve our fitness
• Reduces our weight
• Reduce inflammations
• Decreases the risk of many diseases
• Improve our level of concentration
• Improve our sleeping ability
• Help patients with cancer issues
If you ever decide to start living the style which included fasting, we recommend you to first consult with your doctor and decide if the fasting if proper way of living for your general health status.
