Intermittent Fasting-A FREE Healthy Lifestyle Habit For Women Over 40

Fasting is a practice that has been around since ancient times. Some practice it for religious reasons and others do it for health reasons.

There are many variations on this ancient practice, but I’ll be focusing on a popular fasting option that has risen over the years which is “Intermittent Fasting” which is simply time restricted eating.

Intermittent fasting allows you to pick and choose the time that you eat and the time that you are fasting. The most popular option is 16:8. But other windows you can use in the beginning are 12:12 and 14:10.

From the examples above, here is the breakdown:

16:8 -16 hours of no eating (fasting) to 8 hours (eating window)

14:10 14 hours (fasting) 10 hours (eating window)

12:12 12 hours (fasting) 12 hours (eating window)

Unlike popular nutrition plans where you have to pay for a program, intermittent fasting is free, and you can adopt this way of living that works for YOU.

Some benefits of this practice have been shown to help reduce symptoms of chronic health conditions such as diabetes explained in this study by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

For women going through pre-menopause and menopause, intermittent fasting can help with belly fat which is common during this stage in life. It also can help with improving your metabolism with weight loss and more importantly, keep the weight off.

I don’t know about you, but during this time, gut issues become more prevalent. You can become more sensitive to certain foods and those same foods you enjoyed in your earlier years may now seem bothersome.

With intermittent fasting, your digestion can be improved especially during the fasting state as well as cravings for sugar and can slow down aging!

Since actively practicing IF, for the last 3 years, my experience has been positive with these changes. My practice is 4-5 days a week, but feel free to experiment with what works for you as long as it's consistent, so you’ll reap the results.

So, what should you eat after fasting and what can you eat during the time you are fasting?

There is conflicting evidence when it comes to the “types” of food you should eat. Some claim you can eat whatever you want (such as junk food) and still lose weight. Common sense tells me that approach will not get you far when it comes to health.

During the fasting stage, you should only drink water, tea or coffee without the addition of stuff where it's just in its natural stage of no sugar or milk. After all, it would not be fasting if you were to do this. Drinking lots of water, during the fasting stage also helps in reducing hunger.

When breaking your fast, you should eat healthy foods and pay attention to what your dietician or nutritionist says for your meal plans.

Also, before attempting intermittent fasting, especially if you have a chronic health condition consult with your physician to see if intermittent fasting is an option that you can adapt to a healthy lifestyle.

Dr. Jason Fung the author of “Life in the Fasting Lane-How to Make Intermittent Fasting a Lifestyle-and Reap the Benefits of Weight Loss and Better Health” explains in this video clearly the benefits of IF.

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Are you a fan of IF or still on the fence? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Until the next post, eat and be well!

Vanessa LaBranche

Chef & Nutrition Coach

Owner

Lisha Nutrition & Wellness Coaching