Fast(en) your seat belts
From privé rendezvous to public discourses, a new form of diet trend is sweeping across the world for the health conscious — intermittent fasting or part-time fasting. And if you are looking at knocking down those killer pounds then “Intermittent Fasting” (also known as “IF”) has become the go-to mantra.
For those of us who are on a perennial diet, trying to lose weight or just keep those ugly pounds at bay, intermittent fasting seems like a good option. It’s not easy but if you’ve have tried it out, it is not that difficult either. In India, where many people are already exposed to the concept of fasting as a religious ritual — down on your knees, and thank heaven, fasting, for a good man’s love — this is really not such a big deal!
So what exactly is Intermittent Fasting? Dr Harald Stossier, founder of VIVAMAYR explains that this is one of the methods of fasting, which was scientifically proved and demonstrated. “Most of the research was tested on animals, mainly rats and it was demonstrated that, if rats have an intermittent fasting of 24 hours, then they have less tumours or cancer. Also, the weight compared with a group of animals, which have eaten as much as they want, was reduced. It was also demonstrated on animals, that the life span after surgeries could be extended and the rehabilitation period reduced. Of course, there have also been signs that diabetes and other lifestyle diseases could be reduced or the animals protected from that,” Stossier explains.
In our country, it is the Leangains diet created by Martin Berkhan that is most popular. Most people follow the 16:8 diet where you fast for 16 hours and eat during the remaining eight hours. But there are a few who observe a shorter version of 14:10 diet where you fast for 14 hours and eat during the remaining 10 hours. Unlike the more stringent fasts, here you can drink water, which makes a huge difference as often the hunger is more psychological. In addition you can have black coffee or tea minus sugar during the fast.
General physician Amitabh Shrivastava says that IF works by restricting eating hours. “Reduction of calorie intake does not play any major role it
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