Trendy diets promise positive effects on health and weight. Intermittent fasting is a particularly common feature on social media just like Diablo II items.
Short diets do not work long-term and do not ensure a balanced supply of nutrients. But what about intermittent fasting?
With intermittent fasting, fasting people voluntarily forego food for days or hours. In contrast to therapeutic fasting, it is designed as a permanent diet.
Intermittent fasting – this is how it works
On fasting days, food intake mainly consists of water and unsweetened teas. On the fast-free days, the diet remains as usual. The goal is usually permanent weight reduction.
What science says about intermittent fasting?
The form of fasting is said to have various health-promoting effects, from protection against type 2 diabetes to weight loss and the prevention of inflammation.
Intermittent fasting is not a silver bullet for weight management and is not suitable for everyone. It should only be tried after consulting a doctor.
In an animal experiment with mice, intermittent fasting prevented the onset of type 2 diabetes and extended the animals’ lives. Overall, regular food abstinence in animal studies had a positive effect on the risk of chronic diseases. But: There are hardly any studies on the effects of intermittent fasting in humans.
Well-known forms of intermittent fasting
The various forms of intermittent fasting differ in the length and frequency of food abstinence. The most popular forms are:
5: 2 diet
- Ordinary food is allowed five days a week.
- Reduce your food intake two days a week.
- There are no specific recommendations for choosing food.
16: 8 method
- The daily food waiver lasts 16 hours.
- One meal of the day is canceled, and dinner is usually omitted.
- Eat normally for the remaining eight hours.
Alternate Day Fasting
- Fasting days and normal dining days alternate.
- On fasting days, 25 percent of the usual amount of energy is allowed.
- There are no restrictions on dinner days.
- Dinner is canceled two to three days a week.
- The eating break lasts at least 14 hours.
- Water and unsweetened teas are allowed in the evening.
Intermittent fasting as a restart for the nutritional style?
Intermittent fasting is not only used as a permanent food: Fasters also use it as a temporary project to question and change their lifestyle.
A fasting cure can promote the confrontation with one’s own body: A new feeling for portion sizes arises, the attitude to food becomes more conscious, unhealthy eating habits are more noticeable.