Fasting.
This is one of the most searched health topics lately.
There are enough books, speeches, documentaries, and web postings on the topic to fill a small library.
All of this information can be overwhelming and often confusing.
One expert says one thing, then another expert contradicts them.
Who’s right?
What’s right?
How can someone begin fasting safely and effectively?
Great question.
A great option is to start with a minor change.
Making changes will disrupt homeostasis - the body’s steady state - and get the body to working in new ways.
This will promote the use of different foods for fuel - like burning fat for energy - and get the body to adapt to a new state of stability.
Sounds great!
But how is that disruption in the body achieved?
A great way to start is by compressing the eating window.
Instead of eating first thing in the morning, eating throughout the day, and eating last thing at night, try eating within a 10-12 hour time frame.
This leaves another 12-14 hours for the body to rest and digest.
Wake up at 6am?
Use the first 3-4 hours of the day to walk, exercise, do creative work, solve challenging problems, read, journal, whatever.
Then, around 10am, break the fast from the night before.
Start with easily digestible fruits and vegetables - eat sugar (even naturally occurring ones in fruit) earlier in the day.
A few hours later, after the fruits and vegetables have had an opportunity to digest, eat some grains or dairy.
Again, allow a few hours for digestion, then eat lean proteins like chicken, pork, or fish.
Finish the eating window with fattier protein like nuts, seeds, beef, salmon, and avocado.
The fats will take longer to digest, and keep the stomach feeling full longer.
Do not eat anything after 8 or 9pm - at least 1 hour before bed.
Wake up and repeat.
Try this method of compressing the eating window for 6 weeks.
See how the body feels.
Sometimes eating becomes habitual.
Does the body really need fuel first thing in the morning, or is that just a ritual that has been conditioned in the psyche.
Disrupt homeostasis, reset, and see how the body adapts - usually for the better!
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