In today’s world where crisps and candy can be found everywhere, it’s hard to remember that our recent ancestors only ate infrequently. The Intermittent Fast, or Feast and Famine Diet, is based on this concept. Fasting may have many medical benefits. There is evidence that it protects against cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer’s’ disease. Oh, and it can help you lose weight, too.

How it works

The Intermittent Diet is simple, according to what I learned on birthorderplus, what you do is – on two non-consecutive days of the week, you fast. Women are allowed to eat up to 500 calories and men can eat 600 calories on the fast day. Some people prefer to spread their tiny allotment of food out throughout the day; others prefer to eat it all at breakfast or at night. On non-fast days, you can eat anything you want. Intermittent dieters report that at first the fasting is quite difficult, but once you get used to feeling hungry it becomes quite easy. Most report that fasting makes them feel focused and energetic.

Some people prefer to fast in different patterns. They fast every other day, or skip breakfast and lunch every day. There are no rules so whatever works best for each individual is fine.

The benefits

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors certainly did not eat three square meals a day or snack all day. Most likely they ate one meal a day, and sometimes went without for several days in a row. Studies in both animals and people show that taking breaks from eating is very beneficial to the body. It reduces inflammation and may help to starve tumors. It stops the constant cycles of insulin production that lead to insulin resistance. And of course it reduces overall calorie intake, which is helpful in reducing the waistline and extending the lifespan. Many studies have shown that eating less is the key to longevity.

Inflammation and the promotion of growth are common themes in many of the diseases that afflict modern humans. Inflammation has been implicated in everything from aches and pains to neurodegenerative diseases and cardiovascular disease. Halting the inflammation cycle through fasting has far-reaching medical benefits.

Certain modern societies that have exceptionally long lifespans have eating habits that promote consumption of limited amounts of calories. For example, Japanese customs encourage eating lightly and consuming a lot of anti-inflammatory foods such as seafood.

Intermittent fasting is easy and requires no investment in special foods or equipment. Anyone can give it a try.