When to eat and not what to eat, intermittent fasting practices and benefits.
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Everyone always has a new year's resolution and part of it is to have a healthier lifestyle by fixing a set of dietary plans. But what are the boon and bane of this dietary and meal plan?

It is very important for a health-conscious person to know the positive and negative effects of diet. Some are following their self-designed dietary plans that they think are beneficial for them but end up getting a chronic illness due to the lack of vitamins and other nutrients needed by the body. This means that is very important to consult a dietician or a nutritionist before following a meal or dietary plan.

Here are the things that you should know about Intermittent fasting according to a recently published health article.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is the cycling of eating periods and periods of not eating. This practice indeed has extreme benefits but this is not recommended for children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and individuals with chronic illness. Doing so may only trigger or put a person at risk if not recommended by a nutritionist, medical expert, or a licensed dietician. Always remember that before planning a change of lifestyle you have to consult first a healthcare expert to avoid other health issues.

Meanwhile, intermittent fasting is effective for healthy persons or persons who do not have any health issues as long as they provide their bodies with enough water and nutrients that it needs. This practice will help to put cellular level behave in a normal manner, increased levels of growth hormones, lower insulin levels, and more.

Want to learn more about intermittent fasting?

One of the best books about intermittent fasting was written by Gin Stephens' "Delay, Don't Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle," This is a comprehensive guide that will give the different distinctions of intermittent fasting that is best suitable for you.

The second book that you need to read is "The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting," which is written by Dr. Jason Fung and Jimmy Moore. This book is not only a guide of strategy and recipes that you need to do to achieve success in doing intermittent fasting but this also entails success stories of persons who did this meal plan.

What is intelligent fasting?

There is a safe and intelligent way of doing intermittent fasting and that is through intelligent fasting. From the name itself, it means that for it to be effective and safe doing this practice you have to drink plenty of water, coffee with no sugar or cream, diluted apple cider vinegar, or bone broth to help replenish your electrolytes.

What are the top three types of intermittent fasting?

There are different types of intermittent fasting. The unique thing about this practice is it focuses more on when to eat and not what to eat. Here are the top three types of intermittent fasting that you can choose to follow but remember to consult first a healthcare expert before doing this to avoid other health issues.

1. The 16/8 Method

This is the most popular method practiced by health-conscious individuals. It is done by eating healthy food in the first 8 hours of the day and not to eat in the next 16 hours. You can choose to have non-caloric beverages in 16 hours. Remember also that this practice can be done by skipping breakfast and dinner depending on what is recommended and best for you.

2. 5:2 Diet

This method of intermittent fasting is done by choosing two days in a week where you only have to consume 500 to 600 calories a day. This is quite difficult for those who are doing this because you need to be cautious of the calories that a certain food has but once you do it always this becomes your habit.

3. Eat-Stop-Eat

This method is one of the most common, yet one of the most difficult practices. Discipline is the key in this practice because in this method you have to choose a day or two not to eat any solids except non-caloric beverages.

Most people do this intermittent fasting to burn fats to help them look younger, lower the risk of type 2 Diabetes, battle inflammation, and improve brain functions. However, you have to be reminded that this does not apply to everyone. As previously mentioned that those who are pregnant, lactating mothers, those who have a chronic illness, and children are not advised to practice this. Before doing so consult an expert to avoid unnecessary health issues.