When it came to choosing her career path , Jaime was tossing up between becoming a chef or a doctor . By chance , she stumbled upon the dietetic occupation while she was trawling through university courses – and that was her defining ‘ aha ’ moment . Fast forward a decade or so , Jaime is an established clinical dietitian who has dedicated a significant amount of time to investigating the science behind intermittent fasting … so much so , she ’ s written two books on it ! For one of our recent podcasts , we were lucky enough to sit down with Jaime to learn more about the fascinating world of intermittent fasting .
Can you give us a rundown on the different types of intermittent fasting ?
The 5:2 was pioneered by Dr . Michael Mosley . It involves five days of ‘ normal eating ’ and two non-consecutive days of fasting a week . On fasting days , you eat about a quarter of your usual daily calories . Most people find they ' re quite uncomfortable on those days … it can be tough !
The other method , the one I ' ve written my books on , is the 16:8 . It ’ s more of a daily fasting regime . The idea is that for 16 hours of the day you fast , leaving you with an eight-hour eating window . It ' s just about being in an overnight fast for a longer period of time .
Can you tell us about the benefits of intermittent fasting ?
The main research on intermittent fasting has been for weight management . Studies are showing that 16:8 intermittent fasting is likely to be just as effective as a traditional low-calorie diet for weight loss , however it is superior in that it may be a more sustainable weight management strategy long term .
© Dietitian Connection 23 Infuse | May 2021