On the Coast – Families Issue 100 I June/July 2019 | Page 32
fasting
Intermittent
BY NICOLE SALIBA
F
asting is one of the most common
diet trends for 2019. However,
unlike many fad diets, it doesn’t
cut out or restrict any food groups and
has some science behind it to back its
benefits. In today’s society, many of us
eat over a much larger eating window
with meals and snacks commonly spread
over more than a 12–14hr window.
Scientists believe this may be one of the
many reasons our health is suffering.
Intermittent fasting tends to mimic how
we tended to eat as hunter gatherers
with meals eaten over a much smaller
window of time.
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ON T H E C OA S T – FAM ILIES
What is intermittent fasting?
Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term
that covers several different patterns of
eating where people cycle between
periods of eating and fasting (abstaining
from eating).
Unlike other fad diets there is no
restriction on the types of food you can
consume during the eating period. I
involves an intermittent reduction in
calories as opposed to continual which is
what we see in most diets. This makes it
an easier pattern of eating to follow for
people who get caught up in yo-yo
dieting.
What are the different types?
5:2 diet: This involves eating ‘normal’
for 5 days a week and ‘fasting’ for 2
days per week. On the fasting days
you eat 25% of your usual
requirements which is usually around
500–600 calories. The fasting days can
consecutive or non-consecutive days.
16:8 diet: This involves eating all of
your meals within an 8-hour
window each day. For example your
first meal may be at 11am and your
last one at 7pm.
Eat-stop-eat: Involves fasting for a full
24 hours once or twice a week.