Is intermittent fasting beneficial for health or not? Know expert opinion

It is not necessary that short-term fasting is good for everyone. If you want to do so, please consult a healthcare professional.

In today's time, to increase metabolism, you are advised to eat some food every 2 to 3 hours. But does eating within a few hours help in increasing metabolism? It is not known whether eating something every 3 hours will increase metabolism or not, but eating like this frequently will increase the calories of the day. You should eat every 3 hours instead of every few hours.

Short-term fasting affects overall health

Overeating leads to metabolic stress by building up excess fat in your body, especially around the organs, and it also promotes insulin resistance. In such a situation, fasting improves the overall health of a person. When you stop eating, carbohydrates fuel for 12 hours to 36 hours. So your body turns to fat as a source of energy, this is called a "metabolic switch." For this reason, during intermittent fasting, you are advised to fast for the recommended 16 hours, so today we are going to tell you about the timing and eating pattern of intermittent fasting.

How to eat during intermittent fasting

What is intermittent fasting? This is a pattern of eating food, in which a person remains without eating food for 12-16 hours and the time for eating food is only 6 or 8 hours. Here we are telling you a general intermittent fasting diet plan, adopting which anyone can start switching to an intermittent fasting diet. Here we are telling you the intermittent fasting diet plan below, which you can also use for weight loss-

What can you eat and drink during fasting?

This includes when you fast, which you have to do for 16 hours. In this, it is allowed to drink only plain water without any sweetener, chamomile tea, rose tea, ginger tea, black tea, etc. Apart from this, you can consume fresh vegetable juices. You are not allowed any packed snacks, vegetables, or fruits during these 16 hours.

What is a beginner's guide to intermittent fasting? 

In the beginning, it is suggested to people that you aim to fast for 12 hours from your last meal and try to maintain it for 14 hours. Then take it for 16 hours. You should gradually increase your fasting stage and drink a lot of water to avoid headaches so that you can keep yourself hydrated.

How often should one do intermittent fasting?

You can do this for 30 days. If you want to lose weight, then you can do it for 60 days and those who are trying to maintain weight or want to achieve longevity and better health, then they can do it for 2 days a week.

What are the benefits of intermittent fasting? 

According to research, intermittent fasting helps in reducing weight and also reduces the symptoms of aging. Apart from this, it helps improve heart health, improve brain functions, and increase the life of a person. Along with this, it reduces inflammation in the body and is useful in improving insulin resistance, this keeps the blood sugar level under control. It helps prevent diabetes and many health-related problems.

How intermittent fasting is helpful in weight loss

Your body spends 70-80% of the required energy in the digestion process, leaving only 20% energy to keep your body healthy. So when you fast, you provide your body with energy to repair itself. This serum brings down the insulin levels which means it helps in reducing fat by reducing insulin resistance. Therefore, eating food for a fixed time helps in limiting calories and reducing hunger and extra snacks reduce the calorie intake.

Does intermittent fasting have any side effects? 

As long as you stay hydrated and eat a well-balanced diet, you don't have any side effects. Therefore, you have to understand that this is not a diet plan t…