Nutrology's Intermittent Fasting Plan

Fasting (the act of going without food for a specified period of time) is one of the oldest and most widespread traditions in humanity’s existence. It has been used across the centuries for spiritual, political and health reasons. As far back as 370 BC, renowned physicians like Hippocrates would recommend fasting as a way to recover from a wide variety of health problems.

Over time, fasting has evolved to become intermittent fasting. Similar to fasting, it involves going without food. However, this form of fasting is far more controlled, with specific hours in which the fast is adhered to without fail.

It is not to be confused with starvation, which is the involuntary absence of food. With intermittent fasting, food is easily available but it is your own choice not to eat it.

In a world where food is always at your disposal, health problems related to excessive eating are constantly on the rise. The global rate of obesity is higher than ever, and with it comes a myriad of health issues that threaten human life every day. As one of the oldest forms of dietary management and intervention, intermittent fasting presents as a solution to so many of these problems.

There are several different types of intermittent fasting. Some of them include

• The 16:8 fast - This has you fasting for 16 hours with an 8 hour eating window every day.
• Alternate day fasting - Here, you fast for one day and eat normally on the next.
• The 5:2 fast - This method involves eating normally for five days out of the week, and taking two days of the same week for fasting.

While you are in the middle of your fasting experience, there are certain food items that you can consume to improve your body’s overall endurance. They can also make it easier to carry out certain activities during the day, even while you fast.

Coffee, Yerba Mate and Green Tea to boost metabolism

As your body chooses to burn the stored fat deposits for energy, it is important to keep your rate of metabolism up. A fast metabolic rate means that this fat is burned much faster, further aiding in your weight loss efforts with intermittent fasting.

A regular cup of coffee has been found to offer a boost in metabolic rate by up to 11% as a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found back in 1989.

Yerba mate contains less caffeine than coffee, and has been found to improve the oxidation or burning of fat and energy expenditure.

Meanwhile, green tea contains Catechins that increase both energy expenditure and fat oxidation.

Make these your go to drinks and your fasting experience will prove to be more effective.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Nothing helps your fast last longer than a longer lasting feeling of fullness. This is what you get from apple cider vinegar. An interesting study published in 1998 found that meals with added vinegar delayed the rate of stomach emptying. This keeps you feeling sated for longer, allowing you to better succeed in a fasting situation. If possible, incorporate apple cider into your meals to improve your fasting experience.

• BCAA without artificial sweetening

Branched Chain Amino Acids or BCAAs are a muscle builder’s best friend. They help improve muscle growth and reduce fatigue during exercise. In a fasting situation, they can be beneficial in preventing muscle fatigue. After all, you need your body in top shape as it burns down fat.

Prioritize any BCAA without artificial sweeteners to prevent increasing insulin during your fast. Use it as a pre or intra workout addition ONLY if you intend to do a high intensity exercise routine on your fasting day!

Exercise during your fasting period

Is it okay to exercise while on intermittent fasting? After all, the body requires ready energy to function, and an empty stomach may not be beneficial to this. It is still very possible to exercise even while intermittent fasting, but there are some considerations that you must make.

Since your body mostly doesn’t have a steady supply of ready easily available energy, you should not attempt to do high intensity and high rep exercises. High intensity intervals lasting longer than 40 seconds will need ready fuel in the form of glycogen and carbs, which your body likely doesn’t have as you fast. Therefore these sorts of exercises are out of the question if you are fasting.

It is still possible to exercise even as you fast. Prioritize low intensity cardio exercises such as jogging or step aerobics. If you must do a high intensity workout, then stick to very low reps with more weights. Less than 8 reps per set are ideal, as they don’t push your body too hard and promote the use of ATP (energy in the cells of the body) for energy.

Breaking your fast

So you have successfully completed your 24 hour fasting period. Your body is now ready to receive nutrients, and what you feed it is crucial to your overall health and weight loss efforts.

Reintroduce the nutrients back into your body with easy to digest but nutrient rich foods. This gives your body less work to do as it absorbs all of the healthy nutrients that it needs.

Here at Nutrology, we pride ourselves in our collection of healthy foods that are easy to digest and highly nutritious.

Try out our PC-10 Micro-fine Chia, which are chia seeds in a microfine powder that is easy to digest and every bit as rich in healthy fiber, fat, protein, minerals and vitamins. You will appreciate the boost in Omega 3 which significantly reduces inflammation in the body.

Boost your muscle building efforts with our grass fed whey protein, which is very easily absorbed and immediately begins to build or maintain muscle. It also promotes natural BCAA production in the body. As a bonus, our grass fed whey protein also supports the production of glutathione, a powerful antioxidant that prevents cell damage by combating free radicals.

Try out 5:2 intermittent fasting, and supplement your overall health pursuits with Nutrology’s own collection of natural healthy supplements.