Intermittent fasting benefits: eating breaks keep you healthy
“Everyone should take breaks from eating,” says Riedl in an interview , “No matter whether you want to stay fit, prevent or alleviate an illness. Because fasting stimulates healing processes.”
The immune system does not have to generate any energy for digestion, but can instead deal with cell cleansing. In this so-called autophagy, the cells are cleaned of waste products. “Everyone benefits from this, both healthy and sick,” says the nutritionist.
At the same time, fasting relieves the pancreas, keeps blood sugar levels down and reduces inflammation levels. Studies show, among other things, that many diabetics no longer need insulin after a fast, or that rheumatism sufferers can become symptom-free.
Fasting for 16 hours is enough
Be it alkaline, juice or therapeutic fasting – it is important to avoid solid food for a certain period of time. The most common is the therapeutic fasting , in which one does not eat anything for at least one to two weeks. This works best under medical supervision in a fasting clinic.
But even shorter periods of abstinence have a positive effect on health. Intermittent fasting or intermittent fasting according to the 16: 8 method can easily be implemented at home. Here you eat nothing for 16 hours and eat two to three regular meals during the remaining eight hours, preferably three to four hours apart.
Example: dinner at 6:00 p.m., breakfast at 10:00 a.m. Then the metabolism is already in the cleansing mode.
“You can start immediately and continue doing this every day,” says Riedl. You can feel the first effects quickly when your mood rises after a few days and you feel fitter.
Everyone can heal themselves healthily
In principle, anyone who is not underweight or pregnant can fast. Anyone who has an illness should consult a doctor in advance. Since older people often move less, they should not fast for more than two days, as otherwise a possible muscle breakdown could lead to physical instability.
For those who are healthy, however, the following applies: “You can’t do anything wrong with fasting. If you can’t take it, you shouldn’t. You just have to listen to yourself,” advises Riedl.
Side effects such as dizziness or headaches can occur, but disappear once you get used to fasting. It is important to drink a lot so that waste products can be eliminated.
The fact that you lose a few pounds by fasting is a nice side effect – but the focus is on changing your metabolism. If you want to stay slim in the long term, you should eat healthily and exercise a lot.
How does intermittent fasting work?
At the latest when your colleague spurns the birthday cake in the office in the morning, you know that she has caught it too: intermittent fasting. The eating habits are changed so that a period of fasting is followed by a few hours or days of eating. That is, it is eaten at set intervals. You can choose the respective time window yourself. Common methods are:
Intermittent fasting 16 8
One of the best-known forms of fasting is intermittent fasting 16 8. Here you eat nothing for 16 hours and then completely normally for 8 hours. There are several forms of intermittent fasting. They differ in the length of the fasting period. For example, there is also the 18-6 rule. It is best to plan the hours so that the fasting phase goes overnight. In any case, you should drink enough during the entire fasting period!
Our tip: If you feel energized or tired during Lent, our Sparkling Energy Water is just the thing! The natural caffeine from guarana, ginseng and mate gives you the necessary energy kick and makes you perky!
Alternative day fasting
This method is also known as “Eat Stop Eat” or “Alternating Fasting”. In contrast to the other forms of fasting, you alternate between eating normally one day and only 25 percent of your usual amount of energy the following day. This means that if you usually have three meals and maybe one or two snacks, you should limit yourself to just one meal on the fasting days. Even with this method, make sure that you drink enough at all times!
Day diet
With this form of fasting, you consume a maximum of 650 calories on two consecutive days within a week. The other five days you eat normally. Whole grain products such as brown rice or oat flakes, protein-rich foods and lots of vegetables are on the menu for the two days of fasting. You can get the right protein snack for in between with our delicious whey protein shakes. Discover our popular varieties such as Cookies and Cream, Raspberry or Caramel now!
Dinner canceling
Dinner-canceling is also a form of intermittent fasting. As the name suggests, dinner is omitted two to three days a week. This method is similar to that of intermittent fasting 16 8, because omitting dinner results in a meal break of around 14 hours. Skipping dinner is out of the question for you? Alternatively, you can skip breakfast.
Popular model: Intermittent fasting 16 8
By now almost everyone knows the intermittent fasting 16 8, or at least has heard of it before. The reason for this is that this principle can be integrated into everyday life with almost no problems for most of them. Because if you plan cleverly, you will notice that 16 hours of not eating can go by quickly. A good schedule for intermittent fasting is to skip supper in the evening or breakfast in the morning. You can find three popular plans in our table:
Intermittent fasting according to a schedule
Depending on which method you choose, there is also a suitable nutrition plan for intermittent fasting. Basically, all methods assume that you do not eat anything during the fasting period. For this, drinking is all the more important at this time. From water to tea to coffee, everything is allowed. However, if you are strict about it, you should drink your coffee without milk.
Our tip: Whether fasting or not – we recommend that you always pay attention to a healthy and balanced diet. With our complete shape package you can get started right away. You can find suitable nutrition plans and exercises in the enclosed shape guide.
Success through intermittent fasting
Common goals for intermittent fasting are weight loss or muscle gain. According to the German Nutrition Society (DGE), various studies¹ indicate that fasting can help you lose weight. For long-term success, we advise you to change your diet permanently. You should always focus on a conscious and balanced diet. A start is to eat five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, as recommended by the DGE.
However, fresh fruit and vegetables can quickly come up short, especially in a packed everyday life. Thanks to our Daily Vitamins, you can now cover all the essential vitamins every day and thus create the optimal basis for your success with intermittent fasting.
3 tips to persevere
Have you tried to lose weight several times and never managed to persevere? To make your experience with intermittent fasting different, we have three important tips for you:
1. Listen to your body!
With intermittent fasting on a schedule, there are set times when you can and cannot eat. The methods of fasting are just as varied as the needs. So listen carefully to your body and adapt your fasting times to your individual needs!
2. Don’t eat too little!
If you want to lose weight, you have to consume fewer calories than you consume during the day. Intermittent fasting is one way to reduce your calorie intake. Even if you are highly motivated to get started, you should not exceed a maximum calorie deficit of 300 to 500 calories a day.
Our tip: In order for your success to last, we recommend that you calculate your daily calorie requirement. You can do this very easily with our free body check:
