At my family’s Thanksgiving dinner, there was quite a bit of talk about going on a diet after the last bite of pie was consumed. We laughed about it of course, yet it was clear that there was truth to the urge to skip meals on Black Friday. Most health articles you find online will tell you to resume your normal diet immediately following a massive feast such as at Thanksgiving, and to “get back on the wagon.” However, there may be some benefit to fasting after such a large meal. Many people swear by intermittent fasting (IF), and its plethora of health benefits.
Good for your overall health: My great aunt is a devout Catholic, and because of this she has fasted every Sunday her whole life. She is now over 90 years old and is still energetic and extremely fit. I have always wondered how this could be, until I did some research on intermittent fasting; according to Healthline, it “has been shown to improve numerous different risk factors, including blood pressure, total and LDL cholesterol, blood triglycerides, inflammatory markers and blood sugar levels.”
Good for your brain: Intermittent fasting has been shown to reduce inflammation, blood sugar levels, and insulin resistance, as well as lowering your chance of getting Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease (Healthline). More research is needed in this area, but you may as well test the short term benefits while still in college!
Promotes weight loss: Fasting can help you lose body fat by decreasing the overall calories you consume, unless you make up for it by overeating at other meals. If you think about it, fasting is very natural for our bodies; our ancestors who survived off of a hunter-gatherer lifestyle did not know when their next meal would be, so they would feast at certain times and alternate with periods lacking food consumption. Another reason that we lose weight with regular fasting is because of insulin, which decreases during a fast, thus increasing fat burning. In addition, fasting can get you in tune with your hunger signals so that you realize when you are simply bored and are craving food versus true hunger. Next time you are craving that Cage cookie you will think twice before mindlessly snacking!
How to fast: Some people fast one day a week, some once a month, and others follow a 16/8 method in which you only eat within an eight hour window each day. Each have their own benefits and it is mostly about experimentation, figuring out which method will best fit your lifestyle in a sustainable way.
Overall, before you decide to try intermittent fasting make sure you do your research and don’t go overboard. It is best to slowly ease into it so that you don’t push your body too far. Also, don’t fast out of guilt of overeating; that can create a nasty cycle of yo-yo dieting. Experiment with fasting for the long-term benefits such as a longer life, a healthier heart, and a healthier mind, rather than using it as a short-term crash diet.
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