Curious About Intermittent Fasting?
We are all looking for ways to optimize our health. But with our busy lives, the last thing we want is to add another thing to our to-do list. This week we thought we’d focus on a simple way to elevate our health that requires very little effort.
Intermittent Fasting has become a key part of our RISE Coaching and 10-Day Jumpstart Programs. We have found it to be an amazing tool to decrease inflammation and supercharge your health.
Check out some key insights and benefits of Intermittent Fasting from leading Functional Medicine Expert Dr. Will Cole.
“In my functional medicine clinic, I often see chronic inflammation as the underlying cause of many health problems. Even though acute inflammation is a normal response of a healthy body to fight off infections, chronic inflammation that never subsides can lead to cancer, autoimmune conditions, and even heart disease.
Intermittent fasting – when you go without food for a period of time – is one of my favorite go-to tools for naturally driving down inflammation. Now, I know you are probably wondering why eating is a problem if what you are eating is made up of healthy, whole-food sources.
It’s not that eating is bad, instead, fasting gives your digestive system a chance to rest thus soothing inflammation. Therefore, intermittent fasting has been shown to have some powerful benefits:
1. Lowers cancer risk
Research has shown a link between a reduced risk of breast cancer and intermittent fasting.
2. Enhances heart health
Intermittent fasting has the ability to lower blood pressure and triglycerides – two markers of heart disease risk – while also raising beneficial HDL cholesterol.
3. Slays hormone-signaling inflammation
Intermittent fasting decreases insulin resistance, a hormonal problem that affects a staggering 50 percent of American adults! IF also increases production of beneficial enzymes that increase your body’s ability to adapt to stress and fight chronic diseases like diabetes.
4. Encourages weight loss
Underlying hormone imbalances can often contribute to people’s inability to lose weight. For example, leptin resistance happens when your brain stops recognizing leptin’s signals to use your body’s fat stores for energy. Your body ends up continuing to store fat instead of using it for energy. Intermittent fasting can drive down Inflammation that blunts your brain’s leptin receptor sites.
5. Kills cravings
Your hunger hormone ghrelin is decreased during intermittent fasting while your brain’s dopamine levels are increased. By transitioning your metabolism from a sugar-burner to a fat-burner your body will no longer crave that unhealthy junk food.
6. Reduces brain inflammation
Mental health problems like anxiety, depression, and brain fog are on the rise, and studies are showing that IF improves brain function and mood through an effect not unlike antidepressant medication. Even neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s seem to respond positively to IF, and several studies have shown that IF may actually protect neurons from genetic and epigenetic stress factors, meaning it can essentially slow down brain aging.
7. Heals the gut
Intermittent fasting lowers gut inflammation to help improve inflammatory gut disorders such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and IBS.
The idea of intermittent fasting can be overwhelming, but you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is, especially compared to other types of eating plans. Fasting means you’ll be eating less food, thus reducing the need for intensive meal prepping. The meals you do eat will mainly focus on healthy fats, clean protein, and whole-food carbohydrates.
Most likely you’ll find that when you start intermittent fasting you’ll feel fuller faster after each meal that you do eat, thus keeping the meals you eat simple. Since there are many different ways to fast, for those just starting out I would recommend beginning with The 8-6 Window Plan.
In this example, you will eat between the hours of 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. This is a great plan to start with since it allows you to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner within normal hours while still getting 14 hours of uninterrupted fasting time in a day.”
Well, there you have it!
A super simple approach to optimizing your health and overall wellbeing, and the best part is it can be done with very little effort!
If you’re ready to dive in, but need a little help getting started, check out Dr. Cole's book Intuitive Fasting. It’s a complete guide for Intermittent Fasting and one of our favorites on the topic.
We have seen significant benefits in our own lives and in the lives of countless participants in our RISE programs. We hope you give it a try this week and let us know your experience!!
