If you follow diet and health trends you have no doubt heard of Intermittent Fasting. Fasting was once rejected but is now becoming and more and more accepted, and with good reason. In reality, Intermittent Fasting is nothing new. Various forms of fasting have been practiced for thousands of years by various cultures and religions.

Intermittent fasting is not a diet and it does not mean starving yourself. It simply means that everyday you have a fasting window, and an eating window. Fasting for 14-16 hours a day with an 8-10 hour eating window are the most common forms of Intermittent Fasting.

Why should one practice I.F.?

Put simply – it is a way for our bodies to rest, reset and heal. Constantly digesting and breaking down food (such as with common recommendations of 5-6 small meals a day) uses up a lot of our bodies energy. When we give our digestive system a break from all the constant digestion, our bodies can go to work on healing and repairing itself. And yes, it is also great for breaking down and burning body fat!

Intermittent Fasting is as simple as skipping/pushing back that first meal of the day, and extending the “fast” we all experience while we sleep. When we wake in the morning, our bodies are in the perfect fat burning state. Insulin levels are low – and cortisol should be at its peak for the day. This is a great scenario for fat burning. 

I.F. has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and increase HGH levels in men and women. This is all indicative of a  more “youthful” hormonal environment in the body.

Many diets focus on greatly reducing specific macro nutrients and food groups for specific, perceived health benefits. However, a simple daily fast will yield you the vast majority of the benefits of multiple other, more restrictive and complicated diets.

Many choose to adopt a low carbohydrate diet to hopefully lower and optimize insulin levels. However, carbohydrates are not the only foods that trigger an insulin response in the body, many protein sources do this as well. In fact; beef (a ZERO carbohydrate containing food) has been shown to raise insulin levels higher than many high glycemic index foods. So with regards to optimizing insulin levels, low carb diets are flawed and are missing part of the bigger overall picture. Nothing will lower and optimize your insulin levels faster that fasting.

Some diets call for lower amounts of protein as a way to increase longevity via a mechanism called autophagy (more below). These same benefits can be achieved by a short daily fast.

Low fat diets are still commonly used as a way to drop excess body weight. While fat does not inherently make you fat; fat is the most calorically dense macro nutrient – yielding 9 calories per gram while protein and carbohydrates both contain 4 calories per gram. This last point is important because while fasting can help naturally optimize hormones and place you in a more ideal scenario for fat burning – the #1 factor with weight loss is still calories in vs. calories out. When you have a smaller time frame to consume all of your daily calories (lets say an 8 hour eating window vs the more common 14-16 hour eating window) you are going to find it much harder to over consume calories.

How does increased longevity and lifespan sound?

Thanks to a process called autophagy, an increased longevity and lifespan can be  yours – for free!  Autophagy is a process where your body removes toxins, and repairs and recycles damaged cells throughout the body. When our body is loaded with damaged and under performing cells we can feel tired, sluggish, and depressed. Damaged cells can also turn into free radicals causing additional health issues.

The powerful process of autophagy is put into a higher gear after only 14-16 hours of fasting. More prolonged multi day fasts increase autophagy even more – up about 330%! Multiple day fasts are a powerful tool for your health that can be utilized periodically to achieve greater levels of autophagy and detoxification, but shouldn’t be utilized all the time as they will no doubt register as a stress on the body. Doing a 24-48 hour fast 2-4 times a year and practicing I.F. the rest of the time is a great combo for you to optimize your hormones, support weight loss and obtain the many detox and life extension benefits without all the stress that typically comes with longer fasts.

Fasting is also associated with improved blood markers such as: lowered cholesterol and triglycerides, lowered blood sugar, lowered inflammation levels along with improved gut health, digestion, better focus and cognitive function, better sleep and on and on the benefits go.

*Who should NOT practice intermittent fasting?

If you know or suspect that you have thyroid issues, specifically hypothyroidism (low thyroid) you may want to hold off on fasting until you can correct this issue.

If you have struggled with eating disorders, then we would recommend holding off on fasting protocols.

If you are already very lean with minimal body fat, and or if you workout intensely, then fasting may or may not be best for you. You will need to experiment and listen to your body.

*Who should practice intermittent fasting?

If you find yourself constantly snacking (maybe even mindlessly snacking) throughout the day then we highly recommend experimenting with I.F. It can be a powerful tool to help put an end to the constant snacking and will also help shine a light on just how much overall food you have been consuming.

If you have significant amounts of body fat to lose then I.F. can be very helpful here, as when you are in a fasted state with no food in your system, your body will tap into those stored body fat tissue reserves at an accelerated rate to provide fuel for the body.

If you decide intermittent fasting is right for you, how should you go about implementing it?

Intermittent fasting is all as simple as skipping breakfast and abstaining from food and calorie containing beverages until you are ready to break your fast. Know that there may be an adjustment period for you, especially if you’ve been consuming breakfast and or consuming several small meals a day for years like most people have. Give yourself a couple weeks to adjust – and if there is a day where you need to eat breakfast or an earlier meal, it’s okay! Listen to your body and keep working up to daily 14-16 hour fasts. Before you know it your body will have adjusted and you’ll be fasting with ease. At this point you will also notice more stable energy levels, better focus and less brain fog.

Remember that you do not have to fast everyday! You can fast three days a week, five days a week or whatever fits your schedule and lifestyle best. If you are under a lot of extra stress, it's probably best to be a little on the conservative side with your fasts as fasting, especially longer fasts will register as another stress on your body. Again, always listen to your body. 

There is something very powerful and liberating knowing that you are in more control of your body, and that you don’t always have to worry about when then next meal is coming, or needing to bring bars, shakes and containers of food everywhere you go. 

During the fast you can and should stay hydrated with all the water you need as well as other zero calorie drinks such as tea and black coffee. NO sugar or cream in your coffee as these items contain calories and will break your fast! Black coffee is actually a powerful tool to utilize with fasting. It has also been shown to increase autophagy, contains antioxidants and is a powerful appetite suppressant. Just don’t over do it; everything in moderation.

Other tools we like to utilize during our fasting period is adding just a couple drops of various citrus essential oils from Young Living’s Vitality line to our water. These essential oils are zero calorie, support our bodies detoxification process, metabolism, taste delicious and contain many antioxidants such as D-limonene.

Read more about D-limonene here:
https://oilsguy.com/oilyevanstribe/d-limonene?p=2831

To be clear, we are ONLY talking about ingesting Young Living’s essential oils, NOT the oils off the store shelf which can be up to 95% filler, alcohol, vegetable oil and other junk. Did you know that it takes 75 lemons to make just one 15 ml bottle of Young Living’s lemon essential oil? And that’s just from the rinds! Truly powerful stuff!

Vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements are also fine to take during your fast as they typically do not contain calories.

Again, give your body a little bit of time to adjust, stay hydrated and consistent. You will be blown away by the results!

Thank you for reading!

#Oilyevanstribe

Written by Will Evans

*This information includes ideas and suggestions that is educational in nature, and is provided only as general information. We are not medical professionals; and our advice should not be looked upon as medical treatment plans. This information does not represent the views or opinions of Young Living.*

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC329619/?page=6
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20534972
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17372321
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Pituitary-testicular+axis+in+obese+men+during+short-term+fasting.