Why I practise intermittent fasting
Donald Trafton, 81, strolled into his 80th year feeling as alive and vital as ever. It wasn’t a fluke, nor the luck of having good genes. He planned for it, developing a very healthy lifestyle that he’s always fine-tuning. He shares his tips for healthy and happy ageing at Being 80.
My wife Victoria and I have been practicing intermittent fasting (IF) for about six months now… with very beneficial results. Don’t you think it’s about time I shared this easy-to-do, beneficial practice with you?
According to the publication health.com, “IF is occasional starvation done in a strategic way. Fasting may improve your overall health and extend your life, likely due to the ways that it affects cell and hormone function, according to several studies”.
By the way, neither of us feel “starved” in our IF practice, so please don’t reject the idea of periodically skipping a meal, or limiting your eating to certain hours of the day. It’s easier than you may think.
An excellent article on IF by Dr Joseph Mercola says in part:
“Intermittent fasting gives your body more time to effectively digest what you are eating and eliminate waste. Many biological repair processes take place when your body is in the ‘rest,’ not the ‘digest,’ mode, which is why all-day grazing is a bad for you.
The type of intermittent fasting I recommend and personally use involves restricting your daily eating schedule to a specific window of time. Based on the experimenting I have done in recent years, I suggest a six- to eight-hour timeframe in which to consume your daily food intake.
Intermittent fasting provides a number of health benefits that most people need, and you and your body are worthy of all of them:
• Gets rid of stubborn weight and sugar cravings by activating your fat-burning mode
• Builds muscle and promotes overall health and wellness
• Enhances brain health and helps prevent neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s
• Reduces oxidative stress and fights aging, diseases like cancer and stress
• Delivers an array of physiologic benefits, including lowering triglycerides, reducing inflammation and lessening free-radical damage.”
The type of IF program we practice involves an eight-hour (8:00am – 4:00pm) window to consume our daily food intake, then 16 hours (until 8:00am the next morning) with no food intake (only water and tea). We do this once or twice a week. The 16 hour fasting period seams to provide ample time for all the good gut repairs.
Caution: IF is not for everyone. So, while we leaped into the program, we’re advising you to read Dr. Mercola’s entire article, especially “Making Good Food Choices Is Still Important, Important Contraindications for Fasting and If You Take Medication Use Caution When Fasting.” And, maybe even check with your doctor before you start your own practice.
So, what are you thinking about an IF program for yourself? Willing to check it out? I hope so. It’s been great for Victoria and me. I’d love to hear from you.
Find more from Donald at his website, www.being80.com.