Intermittent fasting

In this context, a specialist in physiology and sports nutrition Abeer Baydoun, on the details of intermittent fasting, and on how to apply it, according to "Madam".

There are several versions of intermittent fasting, but the general idea is to eat the usual way a few days a week, with a significant reduction in calories on other days or to organize meals from 7 am to 3 pm (eight hours). , Or from 10h to 18h, with fasting until the next day (sixteen hours).

Studies have shown that intermittent fasting is a short-term success: people who have followed this diet have reported losing weight, but have also seen a decrease in their inflammation. It is safe and effective, but no more effective than any other diet. In addition, many people find it difficult to fast.

Allowed and prohibited in intermittent fasting

An individual can eat what he wants most days (or hours) that he does not fast. In the days of fasting, we eat little food. Weight loss is known to require the nutrients the body needs while reducing sweets and processed foods.

In terms of weight loss, intermittent fasting is considered logical: the foods we eat are broken down by the intestinal enzymes and result in molecules in the blood. However, carbohydrates, especially sugars and refined grains (white flour and rice), are rapidly fragmented and converted into sugar used by our cells for energy.

If our cells do not consume everything, we store them as fat. But sugar can only enter our cells through "insulin," a hormone made by the pancreas. Thus, insulin brings sugar to the fat cells and keeps it there.

As long as we do not take meals during fasting, insulin levels will drop, so that fat cells can release their sugar to be used as energy, as well as to lose weight if we let our insulin levels go down.

It is neither easy nor healthy to leave most of the calories consumed a few days a week and to rely mostly on water, coffee and tea for satiety. Nutritionists call for planning meals, prepared or balanced.

Studies of humans comparing daily fasting to eating less food each day have shown that both have been successful at losing weight, despite suffering during the fast. Thus, intermittent fasting is neither better nor worse than reducing the amount of food eaten, which is uncomfortable.

It should be noted that intermittent fasting methods are not the same, some of which are reasonable, effective and long-lasting, especially when combined with herbal diets, such as the Mediterranean diet. Researchers at the University of Alabama conducted a study on a small group of obese men in the pre-diabetes phase. The researchers compared a form of intermittent fasting called "early restricted nutrition," in which meals were delayed early (from 7 am to 3 pm) or extended to 12 hours (from 7 am to 7 pm). As a result, members of both groups maintained their weight. But after five weeks, the eight-hour group (from 7 am to 3 pm) experienced a significant decrease in insulin levels, significantly improving insulin sensitivity, as well as improving blood pressure. low blood pressure and reduced appetite. They did not complain of hunger.

To simply change the time of meals by eating early in the day and prolonging the duration of fasting, the metabolism has been greatly beneficial, even in people who have not lost weight permanently.

Invites dietitian Abeer Beidoun in general to:
• Eat fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, fat free protein and healthy fats, while avoiding sugars and refined grains.
• Avoid snacks or food in the evening.
• Activity throughout the day to develop muscles.
• If you think of intermittent fasting, you need to determine the number of hours of the day to eat and, to get the desired result, set the meal dates early in the day (from 7am to 3pm) or (10am to 18h).