Good Monday!
I hope this blog finds you and your loved ones well.
We live in a time of food abundance. We have access to food 24/7. Did you know, going without food for a specific amount of time has amazing health-restoring and anti-aging (pro-youthing benefits)? Digestion requires a lot of energy, especially if eating animal based foods. If you are eating alive, plant-based foods filled with nutrients and enzymes, that energy demand is notably less. The body needs time without food to effectively detoxify, get rid of used and ineffective cells and tissues, create homeostasis, heal and restore. Said another way, intentionally going without food for a certain amount of time allows your body to effectively detoxify health-depleting toxins, balance and heal internal function, and restore health and well-being.
Intermittent fasting is also called time restricted feeding, the practice of eating within a certain period of time on a daily basis. One of the more common approaches is a 16 hour fasting period followed by an 8 hour feeding period. For example, eating between the hours of 10:00 am – 6:00 pm.
For most patients, I recommend starting with 12 hour fasting and a 12 hour feeding period. For example if you finish dinner at 7:00 pm, you can begin eating breakfast at 7:00 am. You can consume non-caloric beverages between 7:00 pm - 7:00 am. That is very doable for most people. You will begin to see benefits within a few days.
Who should not fast: Pregnant women, newborns, young children, past history of eating disorders, type 1 diabetics,
These are the top 14 benefits of intermittent fasting:
Improved metabolic efficiency
ability to change metabolism to meet demands of environment
Energy efficiency
using our energy in the most efficient manner possible to regulate all the needs of the body
Stimulates fat burning
Improved energy levels
Greater mental clarity
Reduces inflammation
Takes stress off the digestive system
Stronger immunity and detoxification abilities
Improves genetic repair mechanisms
Increase in HGH (human growth hormones)
Stimulation of stem cells
gives our body youthful cells for self-repair
Improves insulin sensitivity
we need less insulin from the pancreas to process carbohydrates and sugars
Reduces chronic inflammation and disease risk
Improved mental health clarity
Improved intuition
Improved relationship with food
helps us be more present and grateful
food tastes better
I have been consciously practicing intermittent fasting for over 3 years now. I have noticed a dramatic change in my energy, creativity, alertness, immunity, sleep patterns, fat loss around the mid-section, improved appearance and overall level of happiness. My personal eating window is 18/6 or 16/8. I water fast for 18 - 16 hours and I eat within a 6 – 8 hour window. Eating between 12:00 am – 6:00 pm or 10:00 am - 6:00 pm. On the weekends I change it up as to have a "social life". It's nice to have friends! If I eat at 8:00 pm I don’t eat until 12:00 pm or later the next day.
I suggest to start doing a 12 hour window of eating, and then 12 hours of water fasting. Do this for a period, and then go from there. From what I see, the smaller the window of eating, the greater the benefits. You have to go by your own intuition and see what works best for you.
Intermittent fasting can be a part of your optimal health regime. The body simply needs time without food to effectively detoxify itself, find its balance and repair. Google Dr. David Jockers as he is a wealth of information about intermittent fasting. He is one of my sources for accurate information. www.drdavidjockers.com
Please forward this blog to someone who can benefit.
Have a great week.
Dr. Karp