In the 1920s, fasting was used for treating heart disease, high blood pressure, digestive problems, allergies, headaches and more. It was the basis of medicine. Centuries later, intermittent fasting is now a controversial method used to lose weight.
Clearly, fasting has been around forever. But the popularity of IF came around five years ago when research started boasting about its positive effects. In 2012, BBC journalist Dr. Michael Mosely’s documentary, Eat Fast, Live Longer, explained that IF was a method of eating that involves fasting for a long period of time and only eating during directed periods. His evidence was positively accepted and repeated.
There are several methods of IF, the most common being the 16/8 time table, which involves fasting for 14-16 hours and restricting your eating window to 8-10 hours. Within that eating window, you’re meant to fit in two to three large meals. You’re allowed to drink water, coffee and other non-caloric beverages during the fasting period.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center Outpatient Dietitian Liz Weinandy is fascinated by the subject, but sees both pros and cons in the lifestyle.
“The research has shown that it helps you decrease insulin levels, which is really important for a number of conditions,” Weinandy says. “When insulin levels are high, it’s doing damage to the body and seen as negative.”
Another positive she sees in IF is the research that shows it can increase human growth hormones, which helps maintain muscle mass as we age. She calls it the “youthful hormone.” IF can also be beneficial for people with stomach issues, as it helps give your digestive system a break.
“We call it cellular cleanup,” Weinandy says. “Your body can rest and not focus energy on digesting food.”
IF is also known to work for weight loss, as it’s said to help you reduce your calorie intake. According to a 2014 Harvard study, the lifestyle generally reduces 1.65 pounds per week if done correctly.
That seems to be the catch – going through IF correctly is a very fine line and can be difficult.
“Generally, we don’t recommend fasting because if you don’t know what you’re doing it can be dangerous and unhealthy,” Weinandy says. “As a dietitian, I really like to caution people. I’ve seen quite a few people gain weight from doing this incorrectly.”
“The ketogenic diet is the worst I’ve seen by far.” - Liz Weinandy
Although the lifestyle mainly focuses on fasting periods and eating windows, that doesn’t mean people can neglect nutritious foods.
“People will get so focused on the timing, that they don’t look at the quality of what they’re eating,” she says. “The other thing is that people will try to eat an extra big dinner, so they gorge themselves.”
Weinandy doesn’t often recommend the diet; she says that if people are going to do it that they start slow and work their way up. She suggests doing an 8-10 hour fast at first and only do what your body feels comfortable with.
Whereas she speaks both positively and negatively about IF, Weinandy doubts a different hot diet trend.
“The ketogenic diet is the worst I’ve seen by far,” she says. “So many people on this diet eat highly saturated processed foods and cut out important foods like fruits and vegetables.”
She doesn’t completely condemn the ketogenic diet, and even teaches it to her clients who have epilepsy, as it helps decrease seizures. However, she insists that just because something works for one person, doesn’t mean it’ll work for everyone.
“We know for certain that people who eat more fruits and vegetables have better health,” she says. “We know what’s really healthy – you can get into specific diets and eating trends, but you need to start with basic health.”
Where the nutrition world features so many topsy-turvy diets and tricks, keeping healthy can actually be simple and steadfast – eat your greens, drink lots of water and listen to your body.
Mallory Arnold is an associate editor. Feedback welcome at marnold@cityscenemediagroup.com.
