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If you are high-risk, elderly, pregnant and/or nursing, very young, or suffer from a chronic disease or illness, please do not attempt fasting, unless you are under very close supervision by your medical doctor. If you choose to fast, please talk with your medical provider to create a good plan that’s healthy for you.

Fasting can be part of a healthy lifestyle if done correctly. Research by Mark Mattson at John Hopkins School of Medicine shows that glucose is stored in your liver when you eat. Each time you eat a meal, it takes up to 12 hours to leave the body. Once your body uses the glucose, it enters a stage called ketosis wherein the body burns fat as energy. This produces ketone bodies which are chemicals that your brain cells, or neurons, use for energy.  If you’re constantly snacking or eating all day, your liver doesn’t have the chance to use that glucose and reach ketosis. Interestingly, exercise also lowers the glucose levels in your body.

Fasting can help brain function. Fasting can also aid in the anti-inflammatory process. It’s a way to show your body small stresses to allow your brain and muscles to benefit when nutrients are again available.

How should you fast? There is a seemingly endless supply of advice from chiropractors and others on fasting. What we’ve found is that a 5:2 diet, wherein you eat your normal healthy diet for 5 days of the week and then restrict your calorie consumption to 500 calories  for the other 2 days of the week can promote weight loss, lower markers of cancer risk, and improve blood glucose levels. You can also try alternate-day fasting, so every other day is a 500 calorie day. There is also intermittent fasting, which can be done daily on an hourly schedule such as the 16:8 method. This is where you have a “window” to eat and the other hours are only for unsweetened tea, water, or black coffee. We would not recommend fasting for weeks at a time, or even days if you have conditions that would make that an unhealthy choice.

If you have more questions or want more information about fasting, please give us a call today to find out more. As always, please speak with your medical providers before drastically altering your caloric intake or if you are part of a high-risk group.