Start your 6-month nutrition program today!
We’ve talked about fasting and eating windows here a few times, and how beneficial those practices can be.
Recently there has been a lot of hubbub on the social webs about a headline from the American Heart Association, stating that “8-hour time restricted eating linked to a 91% higher risk of cardiovascular death”.
First of all, this is a good time to point out you shouldn’t believe everything you see on Instagram.
Second, this is a perfect example of the issues with nutrition science, and how some pretty unremarkable results can end up as a sensationalized, eye-grabbing headline.
The article from the AHA discusses a study that looked at responses to food questionnaires from 20,000 people between 2003-2018.
Food questionnaires are notoriously unreliable (do you remember what you ate for lunch last Thursday? How much? Did you eat for more than 8 hours?) and the study didn’t consider any other variables like comorbidities that could also contribute to increases in cardiovascular deaths, like smoking or sedentary lifestyle.
It was, as many have pointed out, a pretty poorly designed study that resulted in some pretty backwards and unhealthy dietary suggestions from the paper’s authors, which unfortunately turned into an attention-grabbing headline.
Good news is it gives me a chance to talk about the benefits of fasting with you!
Is fasting right for you?
Fasting has been one of the most useful tools in our health toolbelt for a long time now. But it’s important to know what the right time and duration of fast FOR YOU.
If you are struggling with low energy, constant sugar cravings, fatigue, poor sleep and irritability, etc, all the effects of out of whack blood sugar, fasting can be a huge help.
Reducing your eating window can help regulate glucose and insulin levels, and help balance your stress hormones like cortisol.
Longer fasts, like 24 hours or more, help clear out metabolic and cellular waste (old, dead cells) and let hormones activate properly (a 24 hour fast can increase testosterone levels in men up to 2000%).
Our appetite hormone, Ghrelin, which signals to tell us we are hungry, actually decreases during a longer fast. This hormone can get thrown out of whack and tell us we are hungry when we’re not (like after we just ate) - so getting it back into balance is great for our blood sugar and overall health.
Managing a consistent eating window also helps set mental boundaries for when you do or do not eat, giving you more control over cravings and hunger cues.
But fasting is not for everyone all the time.
Who should not fast?
We all have hormone cycles, but women especially should be thoughtful about what stage of their cycle they are in when they fast. (Dr. Mindy Pelz has a whole book and YouTube channel about fasting.)
Pregnant and nursing women should probably not be fasting, and anyone with disordered eating or a past eating disorder should approach fasting carefully.
Like I’ve mentioned before, consistency in your eating window is the name of the game.
How long should you fast?
An occasional (2-3 times per year) long fast, like 36-72 hours, is appropriate for most people. Remember, our ancestors often dealt with long periods of no food, and over time we have adapted to those conditions.
On a normal day, it’s worth eating within a window of 12-8 hours, fasting for the rest of the time.
How long that window is really is up to you, where you are in your cycle, and how you feel.
It doesn’t have to be 7 days of time restricted eating, either. Eating during a shorter window for the work week and then opening up that window a bit during the weekend is totally fine, too.
Remember, this is a tool to help you feel your best. If restricting down to an 8 hour eating window is too hard most days and it sucks and you hate it, then don’t do it! Because at that point it is probably tanking your blood sugar, wrecking your hormones and causing more stress on your body.
But find a window that does work for you most of the time and stick to it.
For example, I would say 4-5 days a week I finish eating about 6:30pm, workout at 8am the next morning, then eat breakfast about 9:30, which is 15 hours fasted.
But I don’t do that all the time, and it often depends on my energy levels or how hungry I’m feeling.
Listen y’all, fasting or time restricted eating is a majorly effective tool in our toolbelt for managing blood sugar, balancing insulin, and getting our energy and vitality back. It’s a great way to help curb sugar cravings, even out our mood, and quiet down hunger cues.
It’s free, it’s easy, you can do it on your own or you can do it with family or friends.
Fasting is also a tool we use in my 6 month 1-on-1 program as we work together to get your nutrition on track.
My goal is to help you get your all-day energy back, lose weight, and enjoy a good, even mood.
If you’re ready to have those things for yourself, I’ve got a spot in my program with your name on it.
The best way to get started is by setting up a quick 15 minute consult with me.
Ready? Let’s go!
Comentarios