{"id":8572,"date":"2018-07-10T20:34:33","date_gmt":"2018-07-10T20:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/?p=8572"},"modified":"2021-12-16T19:10:46","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T19:10:46","slug":"intermittent-fasting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.humnutrition.com\/blog\/intermittent-fasting\/","title":{"rendered":"The Basics of Intermittent Fasting for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jessica Bippen, MS, RD<\/span><\/a>, gives us the rundown on what you need to know about intermittent fasting before you skip meals.<\/em><\/p>\n

Remember when breakfast<\/a> was the most important meal of the day? In fact, new research is showing there may be benefits from skipping your overnight oats and avocado toast in the a.m. Intermittent fasting is becoming increasingly popular, but it’s actually not a new concept at all.<\/p>\n

Back in hunter-gatherer times, meals weren’t always guaranteed. Chinese Medicine and Ayurveda<\/a> practices encourage regular fasts as a way to provide mental clarity and overall wellness. Finally, fasting is often observed in various religions for various spiritual and physical benefits.<\/p>\n\"Drink\n

What is intermittent fasting?<\/h2>\n

Intermittent fasting is by definition a brief time period<\/a> during which you refrain from eating or drinking. It permits a few exceptions like water, tea, coffee, and bone broth<\/a>. Intermittent fasting shouldn\u2019t be confused with starvation or calorie restriction. It\u2019s simply shorting your time window of eating.<\/p>\n

It might be helpful to think of intermittent fasting as an eating pattern rather than a diet. With food easily accessible, we\u2019ve been programmed to eat anywhere from three-to-six times per day\u2014and that\u2019s if we\u2019re not grazing on trail mix or sipping on a green juice in between meals.<\/p>\n

Intermittent fasting sets a limited time window of eating so your body can take a break from digestion\u2014which uses a lot of energy!\u2014and instead spend dedicated energy taking care of other processes like cellular repair and fighting oxidative stress.<\/p>\n\n

What are the benefits?<\/h2>\n

Intermittent fasting enthusiasts claim numerous benefits from increased energy and mental clarity to reducing disease risk and aiding in weight loss<\/a>. While this trendy eating pattern may seem too good to be true, there’s research to support the benefits.<\/p>\n

Some of the latest evidence-based benefits<\/span><\/a> on intermittent fasting include:<\/p>\n\n