July 21, 2024, 11:14 AM IST
The human body evolved over millions of years, primarily consuming fruits and vegetables, with some beans, cereals, nuts, and seeds. Another aspect of our evolution is that we finished our dinners before dark and went searching for food the next morning, returning by late morning to prepare lunch. The gap between these two meals ranged from 12 to 16 hours. Only in the last 10-20 thousand years, as we settled and began farming and keeping animals for milk and meat, did food become readily available for morning breakfast.
Storing surplus calories
During evolution, we regularly experienced cycles of feast and famine. As a result, our bodies evolved to store surplus food as fat in our subcutaneous fat cells under the skin. The number of fat cells stops increasing after a certain age, but each cell has almost unlimited capacity to store fat. The human body efficiently converts surplus carbohydrates and proteins into fat continuously. However, the conversion of fat into energy, which is a straightforward process, does not occur much anymore. This is because we no longer face periods of famine. It’s as if our bodies have forgotten how to burn fat for energy. This occurs because, before we can burn all the calories from the previous meal, we consume another meal, providing a fresh batch of calories.
Long eating window
Many of us eat five meals a day: bed tea/coffee, breakfast, lunch, evening tea/coffee, and dinner. Some also have additional snacks or a glass of milk before bedtime. As a result, our pancreas releases insulin almost constantly, getting a break only during the 6-8 hours of sleep. This constant presence of insulin from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PMleads to many chronic problems, which we will discuss later. For now, understand that the presence of insulin interferes with the ability to burn fat.
Frequent and prolonged eating also keeps blood sugar elevated longer than normal, leading to the formation of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). This process accelerates aging by triggering inflammation, neuropathy, fine lines, wrinkles, and more.
Metabolic pathway
The human body runs on glucose, but during the 12-hour period after dinner, we run out of glucose, and our metabolic pathway shifts to fat-burning mode, creating ketone bodies to fuel itself. This process is called ketosis, and when the brain receives ketones instead of glucose, it recognizes a food shortage and increases the metabolic rate to sharpen the body and mind, urging you to search for food.
What is intermittent fasting?
The main idea behind intermittent fasting is to have long stretches of fasting between meals. During fasting, various beneficial processes take place within our body. This can be achieved in various ways:
- Reducing the daily eating window to 8-10 hours.
- On two of the 7 days of the week, consuming only one small meal of 500 calories or less.
- On alternate days eating only one small meal of 500 calories or less.
I only recommend the first approach as it is easiest to sustain by becoming a normal part of your circadian rhythm. This concept is known as “Chauvihar” in the Indian Jain religion and “Intermittent Fasting” (IF) or “Time-Restricted Feeding” in modern scientific terminology. It helps the body heal and develop better immunity. The goal is to reduce your eating window to a narrower timeframe. Some common routines are 16:8, 18:6 and 20:4. The ultimate form of intermittent fasting is the “One Meal A Day” (OMAD) plan, where the fasting window is 23 hours. Many Indian spiritual masters practice this.
Nobel prizes
The concepts of intermittent fasting (IF) and extended fasting have recently gained momentum in the Western world, but they have been practiced in India for thousands of years. Research on mice over six decades ago has shown that regular weekly fasting improves health and increases life expectancy by up to 50%. The reasons for this were unclear until the Nobel Prizes in Physiology in 2016 and 2018 were awarded for research on this subject, providing more understanding.
How to practice intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting is one of the easiest habits to form for the benefit of your health. The following outlines how to develop this habit:
1. Our experience of hunger has little to do with food in our stomach. Hunger is triggered by the release of a hormone called ghrelin, which makes us feel hungry. This hormone, like most others, works on a circadian rhythm. If you are accustomed to eating dinner at 9:00 PM, your body will release ghrelin at 8:45 PM, making you feel hungry. If you change your dinner time to 8:00 PM, ghrelin will be released at 7.45pm. It takes about three weeks for your body to reestablish its circadian rhythm. So within three weeks, you should be able to reduce your eating window.
2. Some people have food addictions such as caffeine, sugar or fat and find it difficult to tolerate the withdrawal symptoms. For those people, it is advisable to expand the fasting window slowly. You can expand it by half an hour on each end by eating dinner early and delaying the morning cup of tea or coffee. This way, you will be able to expand your fasting window by one hour each week.
3. It is important to avoid any food except plain water during the fasting window. Tea or coffee should be avoided as they can cause harm when consumed on an empty stomach. Some doctors allow beverages without calories, like black coffee or tea, or plain water with lemon, ginger, turmeric, or amla extract. Opinions vary on this. If your goal is only to lose weight and you can’t keep longer fasting windows without caffeine, it may be okay to consume black coffee or tea without sugar, but it has its disadvantages. Ideally, one should avoid anything but water.
4. Physical activities like walking, exercising, yoga, and pranayama should be maintained as usual. If they fall during your fasting window, it is fine to continue them.
5. The first meal of the day, whether breakfast or brunch, should be the heaviest meal. This is because your body is already depleted of glycogen (sugar) and needs to replenish its supply in the liver and muscles.
6.The last meal of the day should be the lightest, as you are unlikely to engage in much physical activity afterward.
Health benefits of intermittent fasting
1. Reduction in liver fat mass
2. Increased insulin sensitivity
3. Lower inflammation
4. Improved heart function
5. Increased mitochondrial volume
6. Improved body repair processes
7. Aerobic endurance improvements
Not for everyone
Intermittent fasting is not for everyone and the following groups should avoid fasting windows longer than 12 hours.
- Pregnant women.
- Children under 16.
- People with eating disorders like bulimia.
- People with gall bladder issues should not go beyond 16 hour fasting window.
Side effects of intermittent fasting
Starting intermittent fasting can be easy for some but challenging for others. Most side effects are temporary and part of the body’s adaptation process, typically subsiding within days or weeks.
1. Headache, dizziness, mental fog, sluggishness: These withdrawal symptoms often result from some food addiction like caffeine or sugar. They can also be due to electrolyte imbalance. Drinking water with Himalayan salt and lemon juice can help.
2. Mood swings: Another withdrawal symptom.
3. Bloating: This may occur if you eat too much too quickly after breaking your fast.
4. Nausea: Caused by a sluggish liver and gallbladder, it can be alleviated with ginger tea and usually subsides in a few weeks.
5. Diarrhea: This happens when toxins stored in fat cells are released during ketosis. Reducing insoluble fiber can help.
6. Acid reflux: Fresh lemon or lime juice or apple cider vinegar with warm water in the morning can help.
7. Feeling cold: This temporary effect should subside in a few weeks.
8.Insomnia: Stress from fasting can increase hormones like cortisol and adrenaline, which may disrupt sleep. This is body’s way of telling you to go search for food (instead of sleeping).
9. Hair loss: Typically due to nutrient deficiencies, it is usually temporary, with hair growing back better.
10. Bad breath: Caused by toxins released from fat, this should go away once weight stabilizes.
11.Gout pain: Fasting can spike uric acid levels, especially in those with high inflammation. To mitigate this, reduce protein intake, avoid alcohol, and cut out sugar.
12. Gallstones: Rare but possible. Green juice consumption can help prevent this.
Most of these side effects generally disappear as your body’s circadian rhythm adapts to intermittent fasting. However a few can linger on as long as you are losing fat. Linked below are some informative videos on the subject.
A one day starvation secret
Must watch. https://youtu.be/gl8k2ncIQMc
Time restricted eating put to the test
The benefit of early time restricted eating
To read the article on times of India, click here
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